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.”
The good news about the comic book industry is that it seems to be doing very well, particularly given the box office success of the comic book movie offerings, overall. Therefore, it’s likely that there will be plenty of jobs for the particularly talented comic book artist in the future. There are also other perks to being an established comic book/graphic novel artist, notably publisher-funded travel. “I’ve probably flown to do signings within every major city in the United States,” says Dave Dorman, a freelance artist who has worked on “Star Wars,” “Aliens,” “Indiana Jones” and “Batman.” Artists love the creativity, the wide-open schedule and the glamour. Artist Tom Mandrake admits, “You become very famous in a very small market. It’s great to go to a convention and hear people say they’ve been reading your comics their whole life.”