Before you become an original comic book artist, take a look at some of the greats and study their styles. Also, be sure to read some of the biographical accounts of these iconoclasts’ formative years. Will Eisner, Jack Kirby and many of the greats can recall times of financial struggle and turmoil. You’ll need to be confident, resilient and talented, yet don’t let the fear of being jobless scare you into apathy. Many aspiring comic book character creators work other jobs on the side until the freelance work finally pays off.
The nature of a comic book artist’s job requires that you be a self-starter who can multi-task, meet deadlines, be disciplined, weather the bad times and ultimately work as a freelancer. Early in your career, you will need patience and your assignments won’t necessarily be handed to you. Some artists work on contract for long-term projects that span an entire comic book series, while others procure work on different comic books graphic novels from varied sources.
Generally, the good graphic novels fetch $100 – $300 per page, although professionals who have been in the industry for a long time can command as much as three times that amount. In fact, one elite illustrator commanded as much as $1,000 a page (on a 22-page comic book)! Most of the popular titles that artists, like David Cassaday, work on are monthly issues, which end up providing him with a six-figure salary. The back-end royalties on merchandise, trade paperbacks and movie royalties are also generous.
To begin, many comic book artists start out just penciling, inking or coloring for other well-established artists as a sort of apprenticeship. Some professionals stay at this level, while others go to school to develop skills in advertising, graphic design and art. If you want to really get noticed, then you should consider negotiating with smaller publishers to start your own comic book series. “Practice drawing, and try to form a personal style that isn’t superhero cookie-cutter,” advises UK comic book artist Jim McCarthy. “Look at the kind of work that publishing houses are producing and see if your work tallies with that. Go to comic book conventions, show your portfolio around and send out samples of your work to magazines. Be determined – if you really want it, then you’ll get it.”
However, the life of a comic book artist isn’t always rosy. As a freelancer, you’ll have to cover your own health care costs and your own retirement. Often artist unions will offer discounted benefits for a small annual fee and an IRA account will allow you to dump your own retirement money into savings. Long gone are the days when you simply showed up to work every day and got paid to “go through the motions.” Creativity and overcoming your own sense of perfection may very well be the toughest hurdles you have to face while working on a comic book series. Changes in ownership, mergers and comic book industry shifts may all affect your work dynamic, so this job best suits people who are quick to adapt and are comfortable rolling with the punches.
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