How do you get into comics?
(Gene Ha) got into the industry in the early 90’s, when Marvel and DC were looking for warm bodies to staff the books. It’s a lot harder now.
At most comic conventions, there are no editors from the big companies. The artists will usually give you good advice if you have sample pages, but they don’t do any hiring. Smaller companies might be there, and they often ‘hire’. However, don’t expect to receive much in pay ($15/page isn’t unusual). A lot of things can go wrong with small publishers, so be prepared. It is a way to get your foot in the door.
You can go the orthodox route of showing up at a big comics convention and trying to show your work. Or you can mail photocopies to the submissions editor. This is almost impossible. Most companies create a short waiting list for portfolio review, and standards have improved since they hired people like me.
The best way to get into comics is to print your own. Hopefully you want to do your own comic for it’s own sake. Even if you want to work for a big company, doing your own comic first proves you have the chutzpah and talent to get a comic done. They make great samples for a portfolio. Don Simpson had a great quote on the subject, “Now that my comics are on the Internet, I’m losing less money than ever making comics!” And Don is a comic book genius.
Ideally, you’ll want to have some good drawing tools (NO felt tip pens!) and a good computer. Advice on self-publishing can be found on the net (Dave Sim is the patron saint of self-published comics). Expect to blow a thousand or two doing this. I really hope you’re not expecting to get rich in comics.
The second best way is to become a comics journalist. Interview an editor in a bar and keep buying him/her drinks. Then threaten to send the pictures from the hotel room to his/her spouse and the police.
http://www.geneha.com/faq.htm#q2 ----
1. PREPARE A PORTFOLIO
Let's make one thing clear: this SYW will not teach you how to draw. This is the Internet, not an art class. But if you already know how to draw and you want to start a career at a comic book publishing house (such as Marvel), you're in the right place.
If you've ever applied for a job in graphics or design before, then you know the importance of a portfolio. It's more than just a glorified résumé with lots of pretty pictures. Ideally, your portfolio should showcase the range of skills a potential hiring editor will look for in an up-and-coming artist. There are 5 basic things you need to do to prepare a proper portfolio to really wow the publishing houses:
1. Know what comic book editors are looking for
2. Know your specialty
3. Gather your materials
4. Prepare your samples
5. Be original
1. Know what comic book editors are looking for
These days, any kid with a crayon and a sheet of loose-leaf paper can churn out a sketch of Superman in a flashy pose (known in the biz as a "pin-up"), but not every kid has a sense of pacing or an understanding of distance and perspective. Comic books are a visual storytelling medium (think of it as a page-by-page translation of a movie or TV show), so editors have no need for one-dimensional pin-up machines. Editors are looking for artists that:
* Have a knack for sequential storytelling
* Can draw convincing and realistic cityscapes
* Can convey emotions and drama within the faces of your characters (instead of adorning them all with the same redundant scowl)
One last thing to keep in mind is that there are tons of comic books out there that have nothing to do with superheros. So if you don't want to spend your time drawing Super Goose (protector of fowl abroad), you still have plenty of options. Just draw what you like to draw.
2. Know your specialty
Comic book art production actually involves several distinct steps - penciling, inking, and coloring (obviously, this last step doesn't apply for black-and-white books). Each page of artwork begins with a penciler, who lays down the preliminary pencil lines to be traced over with ink by the inker. Only after the pencils are inked can color be applied by - who else? - thecolorist. So you should know in advance which area would be your strength.
3. Gather your materials
We're assuming that you're already an artist, so you already know something about the standard tools of the trade:
* If you're a penciler, use 2H and HB pencils (a 2H contains harder lead that produces lighter lines, while an HB has softer lead that results in darker lines). Have examples that display both.
* If you're an inker, use India ink.
* For paper, we suggest you use 10" x 15" Bristol paper (this is the standard size for comic book art, which is later shrunk down to comic book size). You can use bigger paper if you want, but you don't want to go larger than 11" x 17".
4. Prepare your samples
* Put together about 6 pages of sequential storytelling art- this shows potential employers that you're not one of those aforementioned pin-up machines, and that you're quite capable of telling a story through pictures.
* We're now going to contradict ourselves: don't completely steer clear of pin-ups altogether. After all, they are useful for providing quick glimpses of your raw talent, and they can be very effective. In fact, in addition to your sequential art pages, throw in an assortment of pin-ups and splash pages to show off some of your artistic strengths.
* Don't include too much. Editors are busy (and stressed-out) people, and having to sift through thirty pages of mediocre material can drive them insane. (Not that you'll ever submit mediocre work!)
* Be smart in deciding which pieces to include. As a general rule, always choose your best and most recent work.
* Be organized. Make sure your samples are arranged in an order that makes sense. Not only will your future editor be grateful, but he/she will be impressed by the professionalism and thoughtfulness of your presentation, an impression which they'll transfer onto you. Think of it as an indirect method of kissing up.
* If you're just doing pencils, that's the whole shebang. If you decide to do inks, show samples of your inked work next to copies of the penciled originals so editors can compare the two - the same goes for colorists.
* If you're worried about damaging your originals, make photocopies of your work.
* After you've got what you need, throw everything into a folder of some sort. Most artists keep their work in a flat binder or portfolio case with perforated plastic pages - quite convenient for displaying your masterpieces.
5. Be original
* Being the innovative and fundamentally sound artist that you are, your range of expertiseobviously includes more than the usual poses, bulging muscles, and outrageously disproportioned breasts - and you want editors to see that.
* Show them that you're a master of the little things, like anatomy, perspective, and background details.
* Stay away from swiping your favorite artist's style. Drawing like a Todd McFarlane clone may impress your friends and family, but editors are looking for fresh and innovative talent, not a rehash of something they've seen before. Follow the standard dating advice - be yourself.
http://www.soyouwanna.com/SITE/syws/comics/comics.html