SO YOU WANNA BE A COMIC ARTIST RIGHT?

I'm going to provide all these Answer and more here, so listen up.    

I get asked this question a ton and my answer is pretty much the same every time.  "PRACTICE!!!"   I cannot stress this enough, but you have to practice.  You will only get out of it what you put into it.   How good do You want to be?   

Truthfully thats up to you. 

Learning how to draw takes time and devotion.  There will be moments where you'll have to decide do I go play video games, or hang out with friends? OR do I go sit at my desk and practice drawing. 

If being a comic artist is what you plan on doing then you better get in the chair and start drawing kid.   I'm not saying hanging out with friends or playing video games is bad by any means.  But where you devote your time is going to determine how good you will be at drawing.    

Some of the basics that every beginner should learn to master are

ANATOMY.  Learning the muscles and structure of the human figure.

FACES.  Learning how to draw the face and different expressions. 

DYNAMICS. Learning how to draw the body in motion.

PERSPECTIVE. Learning how to draw buildings, rooms, vehicles, story scenes in proper perspective. Also learning how to pose a figure in different perspective.  

STORYTELLING. Learning how to properly tell a story with Sequential art.

These are the thing you HAVE to HAVE TO get down if you want to be a pro.     Keep in mind that as an artist no matter how good you are, you will always have room for improvement.  There's always new things to learn.  It does't matter how good you think you are, you want to constantly keep looking for your weakness so you can focus on turing them into strengths.  

I color all my stuff in Photoshop.  I use the latest version CS6. 

Paper I like to draw on is 8.5x11 Card stock and 11x17 Bristol board for comic pages and covers. 

"Can you draw my comic? I can't pay you, but it would give you good exposure"  "Can I pay you in copies of the book?"

NO!  NO times a 1,000!   Even if it is "the best story EVER!"

WHY?  Because that is called taking advantage of someone.     I don't ask you to be my accountant or be my lawyer for Free.  I've got bills to pay too. 

If you went to school to spend 4 years or however long, so that you could learn what you needed to know to get a job, would you want to work for free?  I mean after spending half your life learning something so you could one day earn a living.   

NO!  It's the same thing with drawing.  People have spent a good portion of their life learning how to draw, and when someone has the audacity to ask if you could draw their comic for free, it's rather insulting. 

If someone is asking you to draw their comic FOR FREE, It means that they don't value your time.  

Please for the love of humanity, "DON'T LET PEOPLE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU!!!"    I've been taken advantage of before and it was a not fun lesson to learn.

Make sure you are getting paid for your work!  Not in copies of the book, I mean PAID ACTUAL MONEY!  

I'm saying all this as a warning to you young up and comers.    When someone offers you work, make sure they can pay you, AND make sure you earn what they pay you by doing a good job!    If they can't or won't pay you, walk away. 

The big publishers don't take samples anymore, which means you're gonna need to travel to conventions to meet with the editors.

When it comes to getting a portfolio review from a big time publisher, here are somethings you want to keep in mind. 

1.Draw pages! Make sure you have a portfolio is full of them.  They should be drawn on 11x17 comic boards and presented in a nice portfolio.

Publishers don't want to see pin ups or your creator own stuff.  What they want to see is that you can tell a story with good art that stands out among the rest.    Make sure you only bring your best work.

Editors don't care if your mom thinks you are the best, or if you were the best artist in your class.   They only care if your work is better than the rest and that it sells. 

3.Don't and I mean DON'T get upset or make excuses when the Editor tells you that your art has problems.   Be nice.  Listen and learn to what the editor has to say.  Do not interrupt the Editor when he or she is speaking.   Take what they are saying and learn from it.    NEVER GIVE UP!  

4.Once you get home from listening to an editor, you sit your butt in the chair and start working on whatever you need to do in order to turn your weakness into strengths.    If an editor asks you to do more samples, you better get to work and make sure you get back to them ASAP or they will lose interest.    There are tons of artists who could have been working in the biz, but were not attentive to getting back to the editor and didn't do more sample work.

5.Editors want to know that you are reliable and can meet deadlines.  If you get work from one of the publishers, it's possible that they may put you on a late book.  They want to see that you can meet those deadlines.  Usually you will need to at least complete one page a day depending on how much time they give you.     

Okay this is now your time to shine.  You have now gotten a job working in comics.  AWESOME!!!    Hurray!!!  Now it's time to get to work.   You really need to apply yourself in being reliable.   

There a stack of paper on your desk that needs to be turned into pages.   

Make sure you are managing your time wisely.    Keep a calendar near by and get yourself on a good work schedule, maybe keep a daytimer.    There will be times when you need to wake up early and go to bed late.  

This job can be very demanding at times, but always be sure you keep a positive attitude.  Remember to have fun.  Drawing is one of the most fun jobs ever.

Keep drawing and practice everyday!

God bless!

-Joey