Building Yourself up as an Artist

The reason many artist fail is because they don't get their name out.  The industry is very saturated, but even within that pool of artists some have very recognizable talent.  Sadly enough several of those waste their efforts in frivolous actions that lead nowhere and quickly become disappointed about the market.  Others have the mistaken notion that if they draw well enough opportunities will simply walk up to their door step and knock.  All of these artists wonder why they aren't making any money or getting more work.  "Exposure", that little word that has gotten so much negative feed back is actually the key.

Many upcoming comic creators have this idea that talent alone justifies them.   The almost cliche' argument of "Working for Exposure..." is the high light of almost every new artistic presenter...and yet these are the same artists that can't find new work.  As an artist myself I will say and stand behind saying that working for exposure is one of the greatest ways to acquire new and well paying clients and jobs.

The single most important thing to know when you work for exposure is the marketability vs work.  In simple terms, do your due diligence and evaluate the opportunity.  There is a big difference between working on a full 34 page comic for a first time writer and/or studio versus working a cover or 3 comic pages for a national recognized magazine.  Use a little common sense.  The opportunities are out there.

To get the best marketing out of it you will want to target national to global publishers and what you would consider small or simple jobs that you could showcase your best art.  You can even get some benefit from helping small publishers with small projects as long as they're well known in their local comic book scene.  Take on a few mini projects.

When you put your art out there with recognized publishers many clients can view your marketability for themselves.  In other words they'll be able to see for themselves that your work sells and is out in the market place.  When you help local small publishers the word spreads and others will want to hire you.  If you can be a bit flexible with your financing many publishers and writers will want to hire you.

The key thing here is to get your art out there in the market place through recognized publishers and local indies so that you're recommended to others.

Powers and Copy Right

All creators can testify to the satisfaction of making a character for their comic story.  And for the most part this is fun and always interesting.  Most indie characters end up on a self published comic of some sort and usually make their debut in a local comic convention or two.  These characters face many perils in their story but none as devastating as success.  You see once your character becomes popular you begin to gain many secret enemies.  And their weapon is intellectual copy right infringement!

First thing you need to know if you plan to make a professional character for a commercialized story, comic that you plan to sell, is that there is nothing new under the sun.  What I mean is that there are many variations of existing ideas.  what's very important to know is that you try to take very obvious elements from other characters...satire being the loop hole in all of this. 

One of the fist dangers is comes from the origin story.  Have you noticed that there aren't many "Super" anything outside of DC or that the term "Mutant" tends to stay within Marvel as "Metahumans/sapiens" deals with super heroes in DC.  These coined terms are some of the few ways large publishers can trip you up when you begin to head towards a recognizable amount of success.  Magic and religion seem still pretty open as most big publishers barrow from Greek mythology and various religions...especially in today's hot topic arena.  Topcows uses technology to explain their characters super powers and a touch of religion and magic as well.

When you start talking about where you characters get their powers, remember where the land mines are and choose a unique way to explain the source of their abilities or keep it a mystery.

 

Personal vs Commercialized Art

I keep running into this often so I've decided to touch base on it.  In my opinion there are two type of art that artists create: Personal and Commercialized.  Its very important that we understand this if we plan to make our art profitable.  Each has very distinct values and purpose.  This is a concept that has to be explored before we can reach a significant level of success.

Personal art is art that we create to bring us personal pleasure.  It gives us a sense of value and internal happiness.  This type of art serves to motivate us and explore our own style or expression.  This type of art is considered our voice.

Commercialized art is art that we create with the purpose of selling or profiting from it.  This type of art requires research and has can has specific requirements to fulfill the expectations of your target market.

The goal is always to try to merge the two.  Drawing comics is an incredibly creative way to express an idea through story and art.  Understand that to make a noticeable impact to your audience you need to see what's going on in that industry, especially in the genre that you want to create your story in.  Look at art styles and stories.  After a few we'll start to see a slight pattern, a rhythm.  Learn to work in that scope or pattern to shape out your comic.

Its not always what you want it to be so be prepared to step out of your comfort zone.  Know your readers.  Have avenues to communicate with them and listen to feed back.  People are talking to you because they want to continue reading your story and be part of the adventure.

When you draw for money you draw to please your buyer.  Look for art that sells or is really popular.  Learn why people like it from their point of view and learn how your art can take on that type of value.  It could be that you need to update your art style or choose a better gimmick for your stories.  What ever the case is you need to start looking into it.

Remember that personal art is for your own pleasure and commercialized art is art that needs to sell.  

Meet & Greet (Updated Date changed)

Attention!  Date has been changed to the following week due to Supercon!

 

Calling All Comic Book Artists/Writers Near Miramar

July 8th

 

6:00pm

 

Panera Bread on Miramar and Dykes  

Come and join your fellow artists for a simple meet and greet.  Get to know the different artists near you and their work.  Many of us know each other from several Facebook comic pages or we've run into each other at numerous conventions, but what I'm proposing is a simple meet & greet where we can bring and share our comic book art in a relaxed environment.  Bring your sketch books and enjoy some coffee with other artists.

No admission fees or booth fees.

Some where relaxed to draw and eat.

Miami is experiencing a fluctuation in creativity.  As art districts begin to pop up in many places it would seem a great time to cultivate this culture up in Broward.  There are great comic book stores in the area and a good amount of talent to work with.  Sharing our creativity in person, explaining our techniques, and stories will inspire all of us in creating better art.

Stay tuned on your Facebook page New Miami Comics for the event.


Hope to meet a lot of creative talent out here!

10 Things Every Comic Book Artist Needs To Know

 Realistically speaking (or writing) there are things an aspiring comic book artist needs to know before getting themselves into the wonderful yet treacherous world of indie comics.  The sooner you get familiar with these concepts the better off you'll be getting your at career started.  Unfortunately, these are the types of topics many people will be very political about sharing with you an opinion and sometimes they are also shadowed by the local indie comic community.  The reality is you really need to know this.

Skills

True artistic ability.  Don't kid yourself.  Can you draw or is your imagination and optimism setting you up for failure?  This and an enormous ego will seriously restrict your success in the art world.  You need to know.  Don't ask friends or family members...they will by default praise your efforts.  "Wow... did you draw that?  Very nice!"  No.  Go find other comic book artists in the level that you want to aspire to and prepare yourself to get torn up with a critic.  Don't fight it!  Get as much advice as you can and work on it.  Build up your portfolio.  Work on it constantly.  Give yourself about 3 month of hard work before you go for another critic by a different source.  Even if your art is good...keep working on it.  The comic book artist industry is very competitive.

Style

Decide on your art style and specialty.  Sounds silly?  No.  Writers often look for a particular look when they imagine their work as a graphic novel.  Draw and learn from many great comic book artists in order to grow, but in the end you need to have a consistent art style that defines you.  People should look at your art and say "Hey... that's [your name]'s style!  Pretty cool!"  You'll get closer to your personal style the more you draw.  Some artists draw in noir while others choose a light pastel feel to their art.  What ever you choose, stick to it and make it your own.

Job

Choose a position.  Know right off the bat what you want to specialize in: penciling, inking, coloring, letting...whatever you like the best and feel the most comfortable with.  Even if you like being a cover artist, choose one of these mediums as a back up for work.  I don't just mean how to do it well.  I'm talking about the whole sha-bang!  Know your turn around time (the time it takes you to complete a finished page), your page rate (the amount of money you charge per page of work), and have a portfolio of your work handy as a physical binder AND an online gallery.

Networking

The truth about networking is that it is very difficult in the indie comic industry mostly because the industry is filled with distrust, predators, lack of business knowledge or left brain thinking, and many creators are working on their own projects.  I'm not saying that people are shady...just that yeah, people are shady.  But this atmosphere changes from place to place.  I'm just mentioning what I've personally run into and the experiences of some of my peers.  Many artists don't understand the unparalleled power of the collaboration process.  Its a give and take action and a collective force to create a project.  With honesty and true expectations, a great group of individuals can come together and build a comic, agree on a starting fee, and pay everyone off with the fruit of their labor once the comic is published.  The trick is finding reliable people with strong work ethics that are willing to put in the effort into an amazing project that you can get along with and trust.  Simple enough?  You're better off working with a small group or by yourself until you establish a reasonable source of income from your work.  Then they will flock to work with you, but you will then have to review everyone's work before hand.  Not just any Jack or Sally will do.  

Comic Conventions

You need to understand where comic book conventions stand between incredible events of opportunity and total waste of time.

(Continue in Issue #1)     

Marketing: Creating Excitement!

When it comes to creating a comic book story it usually leads to a climatic conflict.  This is the normal set-up with modern comics.  You have to build up the action, the anticipation, the drama for the reader.  And there are so many avenues to take to get that done.  You can use violent battles, seductive encounters, mysterious events, even the death of a main character to lead to heart of the story.  Its these roads that will get you a wider audience when you finally put it out there for the world to read.

No one truly cares about the superpowers or quick reference back ground that you thought up a few days ago.  People want a story, an experience to associate with your character.  From that story the pieces will help create a press release.  You need to dissect parts of the leading action to give hints of the climax without giving away the ending or story altogether.

One popular way is to ask the question.  What if the reader found themselves in a similar predicament?  What if a particular situation arose that forced the reader to make a hard decision?  You have to create that bond between your main character and your audience. Show them your hero's struggle.

Another common way to generate interest is to show-case the action.  Its like the latest superhero movies where they pan right to where the heroes are clashing with the villains for that monumental battle.  Share some of that great art. Give them a tease at what's inside.

Keep the marketing short and concise.  You don't need to give a full explanation of your story up front.  In fact that will deter a lot of your audience because they're going to feel like they just read your comic in a paraphrase.  Just give them what's at stake, what's the conflict?

Don't go on about how Power Man X was created out of a secret government project and his powers are x, y, and z...and how he's the defender of all and so humble but powerful.  I mean com'on, its his first appearance.  How are your readers going to swallow all of that?  People will read it and give you the all too common "Great job!"  and forget about your comic by the time they go to the next article  on Facebook.

Build the anticipation, Power Man X sacrificed everything for superpowers he never wanted.  Now as the city is under siege by giant alien robots, Power Man X must risk his life to save the few people that matter the most to him or lose his humanity and life to the secret organization that created him.  Add some mystery and drama.

Pictures are gold.  Attach pictures of your comic book or action scenes.  You'll get a much better response from your readers.  Aim for color pictures.  Even if your project is in Black and white, try your best to add color to the marketing.  Use the cover or title to give it that spark.

Remember to pace yourself.  Don't just bombard your audience with full-time marketing at all hours of the day or the typical ten postings on Facebook, one on every comic book related page you're on...because people usually are members to several of them just like yourself.  Resist from the Twitter bomb...unleashing multiple tweets at once about your project.      

This is very important when it comes to marketing your comic.  If the reader doesn't establish that interest quickly they will move on to the next one.    

Keeping an Amazing Comic Studio

The studio is where the magic happens.It is the home of the comic artist's inspiration.  Littered with comics, sketchbooks, statues, it is a breeding ground for the imagination.  Each is unique to its owner's style and a destination of pure comic delight. A well organized comic studio will help you be more productive and creative in all of your projects.

The main purpose of your studio is to support your creative endeavors.  It should be a place free from distractions, but full of motivational tools.  Keep in mind that the design of your studio will help you come up with better ideas and lot faster.  Here are some tips to consider when organizing your comic studio:

Your Studio is your research library.  It is your inner sanctum.  You should have a small collection of reference materials that you commonly use during your creative process.  This normally includes comics and graphic novels of your most inspirational artists, books on anatomy, perspective, and other "How to" art books.  I also include books on writing and publishing because its what I do.  Make sure that your collection is customized for you.

Keep you space dedicated.  Not only should this space be free from distractions, but also be completely dedicated to your comic projects.  This space can be a small desk or a full sized room.  The important part is that it is just used for your comic projects. 

If you work on different different media, keep your projects separated.  Have a section for your digital art, another for your acrylic paintings, and perhaps a section for your sketching or traditional drawing.  This way you can accommodate your art supplies in a way that make sense to your productivity.  Staying organized like this will keep you focused.

Have enough art tools out so that you can easily reach for something without losing your train of thought, but not too many supplies that it makes your creative space messy or cluttered.  Boxes and carousels make a great organizing tool for your pencils, pens, markers, brushes, and other supplies. Do not use anything toxic in your studio.  I'm talking about aerosol sprays or heavy paint thinners.  And even if they don't smell it doesn't mean that there aren't any harmful fumes.  You don't want to use that in a space that you're going to be constantly in for hours.

Here is a small list of useful thinks to keep in your studio:

• Trash can
• Adjustable lamp 
• Dry erase and/or cork board
• Computer, laptop, or tablet
• Portfolio
• Art supply bin
• Pencil/pen carousel 

Remember that maintaining an organized work space help keep the imagination flowing. 


        

Let's Celebrate Independence!

Manuel A. Carmona shared a great idea: Let's create a "Buy Indie Comics Day".  Most of us are already aware of "Free Comic Book Day" which happens to be the first Saturday in May, but this is a way to build recognition to the ever growing indie publishing section of the market.  With the combined efforts of several indie publishers, we can make this into an annual event.

CWI Comics

According to the comic book sales reported by Comichron,  indie comic book sales make up about 9% of the market for 2015, which was an increase from 8.75% from 2014 and 8.70% from 2013.  In other words the indie market is growing and with this growth comes many opportunities for upcoming artists and new publishers to put out amazing titles.  Another reason indie titles are gaining so much popularity is the availability of more resources for creators like distribution through Comixology, webcomics through Patreon and the use of crowd funding to cover printing and distribution expenses through Kickstarter.

SSF Media

And even though the big two, DC and Marvel, that propel the comic industry with it's block buster hits at the movie theaters, its the indie comics that provide the sweet and salt escape from the mainstream that several fans crave after over indulgence of popular titles and characters.  Titles like Angle Wolf by CWI Comics and Pariah Dog by SSF Comics are samples of the incredible titles out there in the indie publishing market.  Besides that, indies can take their stories and art to places that larger companies can't without the fear of market repercussions or the approval of their sponsors.  When you see diversity in comics like Centinals and NightFire by Genesis Comics you know indies are making comics for everyone to enjoy.   

Genesis Comics

Indie publishers offer a wide selection of genre's and a diverse range of characters and art to suite all audiences.  But the challenge lies in getting the word out.  It wasn't until recent years that comic book stores started carrying titles from indie publishers.  On top of that, indie creators have the challenge of competing with the marking efforts of the larger publishers, not to mention the monopoly of certain distribution channels, where the larger publishers have a higher preference.

Genesis Comics

But indies are not going down without a fight.  Many small publishers can be found in the catalogue of digital distributors like Comixology and the webcomics has many great backers thanks to sites like Patreon.  There's also many resources out there to help indies get the word out like Facebook and Twitter.  But to add a recognized day dedicated to the indie comic book market would be phenomenal!  As it stands Manuel A. Carmona suggested making the first Saturday of August as the "Buy Indie Comics Day" so lets make this official and spread the word.  Lets make this a special day so indie creators should come together and schedule an event to mark that day. 

Becoming a Profitable Comic Artist

At this point you have already worked on your talent and have impressed enough people to convince yourself to pursue an art career as a comic book artist.  So lets get into what you need to know to start building yourself up to a professional level as an artist. Now is the time to start taking these specific steps in order to build a solid foundation.  It starts here, right where you are, reading this article and taking notes.  I'm going to be upfront with you and let you know right off the bat that this road to success is a process that takes time and effort. It won't happen over night and you will need to invest your time and effort to carve out your spot of the lime light.

First and most important: draw constantly.  You will need to do this to keep improving your artistic skill set so draw projects, not just doodles or studies.  You need this for repetition. This will help build your creative habit.  Your mind and body will become accustomed to creating art constantly.  Take your sketchbook out in public.  This will have many benefits.  Besides getting use to drawing in a hectic environment it will expose your art to people.  Take in the compliments as well as the critics...yes the critics, too.  The art world is subjective and there are many opinionated fools out there waiting to bring you down.  Take the abuse now and develop leather skin so you can feel much more comfortable when working with an editor later.
 
Network.  You need to be on social media.  If you're already there, awesome.  If not, better get started now.  As of the time that I'm writing this article the most useful and necessary online website and applications to be on are:

Stay in touch with social media.

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• DeviantArt
• LinkedIn

There are a few more but these are the basic.  Don't fall into the social media trap where you feel like you have to become a slave and check it every minute and update it constantly.  A few days or weekly post is fine.  Get into the habit of sharing your art work on each of the sites.  Learn about tools that will send the message over several of your sites at once.  Try to maintain an online portfolio on either or both Deviant Art and/or Instagram.  This will be very useful when networking and having to show someone your portfolio on the go.  Keep it up to date.  Remember to also make an artist Facebook page.  Its a good practice to keep your personal and professional life separate.  

 

Become familiar with the Graphic Artist Guild and purchase their handbook.  It contains very important information about pricing your work and contracts.  

 

Challenge yourself.  Participate in contests and trade shows like a comic book convention.  An art contest for comic or pop art is a perfect way to get exposure.  you would be surprised at the amount of people that begin to recognize your style, so always do your best.  Don't just do it.  Really put in the effort and then add it to your portfolio.  Attend comic conventions.  Get some advice from upcoming artists and support your local scene.  You'll get better information if you buy something from the artist.  Remember that you're taking up their time with your curiosity.  After 1 or 2 trips to the convention, get yourself a booth in artist alley.  

 

Don't be afraid of taking work for exposure, but learn when it is appropriate.  Many established artists won't do this, so take advantage.  When done correctly the experience can boost you up incredibly.  Interview the publisher and make sure they have the credentials: a large national or global audience that is verifiable.  Make sure that you are in agreement as to you being awarded recognition for your work and have it in writing as a written agreement with monetary consequences.  The work should be considerably a small job. Once published share it with everyone on your social media. 

 

Establish your rates and stick to them.  This will require you to evaluate the market.  See what other artist are charging for their work, especially artist that have similar talent to yourself.  Start at a competitive rate until you build up your recognition through your art work.  Try to set your price early on as to not be hassled by demanding clients, writers, and/or publishers. Stay firm on your prices, you did your research and you know your talent.      

 

Start practicing this today and mold yourself into a productive and creative artist.  

    

Survival Guide to Attending Comic Conventions

Going to a comic convention is an amazing experience that can become very overwhelming very quickly.  There are so many things and people to look at that it might take you a while to process.  The best practice is to have a game plan.  Here are a few tips to consider before going to the comic convention:

Stay hydrated.  Whether you come in cosplay or just checking out the local artists remember to drink water.  Take a water bottle with you or buy one inside quickly.  You're going to be walking around and standing in lines so its important to have plenty of water.  With that in mind search for all of the bathrooms.  Try to go when its less busy and go frequently.  Sometimes the bathrooms can have long lines so don't wait until you can't hold it any more.

Bring money.  Besides the admission you should bring some money for food and cool stuff you might like to buy. Budget at least $20 for every 3 hours you plan to be there.  Remember that there are plenty of incredible comics, original art, prints, and collectables available so remember to budget for that, too.

Bring your fully charged cell phone and charger.  Try not to play on the phone to often. Remember they you want to conserve battery life so you can call friends to meet up or in case you or your friends get lost.  Some of these comic conventions can be very big and confusing like a maze.  Keep an eye for power outlets and ask for permission before you plugin.

 

Have a small bag to carry snacks and water bottles on outside compartments and enough space to carry comics and other cool stuff you may purchase.  Don't get offended but some places may require for security to check your bag.  Its usually quick and it keeps everyone safe. 

Buying stuff.  If you see something you like buy it sooner than later.  A lot of cool stuff sells out very fast.  So if you're interested in something consider it quickly.  Remember to budget for thing you may want.  The usual places or venders are: comics and collectables, local comic studios/publishers, artist alley is filled with prints and original art/commissions, special guest and signings.  Figure what you want before hand.  Remember that these events have flyers with what you can expect to find at their convention.

Bring a camera. Your phone is great but you might want to consider bringing a camera.  There's going to be a ton of people dressed up as your favorite characters.  Cosplayers usually flood the conventions and its a specially worth capturing and posting on your Facebook page.  Please ask cosplayers permission to take a picture.  Don't grope or fondle cosplayers.  Be polite because many cosplayers are people just like you and I.  Some cosplayers are models or professionals and may sell or direct you to their website to buy prints. 

Remember to visit and support local artists and indie publishers.  You can find a great amount of fun and creative books and art for your enjoyment and to share with friends.

I hope this helps and keeps everything fun and exciting for everyone.