Artist die from exposure
So you have a great idea, but can barely draw a stick figure without him looking like he has some grotesque stick disease.
All right, well, you need an artist! Someone who is going to use their years of education (whether professional or self taught), hours upon hour of practice, and many skills to take what you have written, work on it with you, and bring your story to life.
And surely, because your story is the best thing this professional artist has ever read, they will be willing to donate hours upon hours of their time to making your baby come to life, because artist are just waiting around for great opportunities!
No. Get out of my face.
But that's not fair, you might think. I'm not rich! I struggle! I can't pony up someone else's rent money AND my own every month!
Welcome to the art life. It's not fair.
But alright. Let's talk about what ELSE you can bring to the table. And please keep in mind, some artist won't want to trade anything but cold hard cash. You want them...pony up.
And for godsakes, don't disrespect them. Artist work their ass off and worked hard to charge those fees (and if you piss them off, they sure won't work for you when you can pay.) This is our job, it's food in our mouths and roofs over our head. Don't be a douche. You're asking someone to give up time they could be using to make money to instead do you a HUGE favor for free.
First let's get real.
If you are looking for free artist, we don't just grow on trees. Get out there. Be social. build relationships. Real ones, not simply based on wanting free art. Let it evolve naturally. You're starting out, and your peers are going to be your best bet for collaborators...so find them. Get to know them. Support small time artist with genuine engagement, find people you mesh with who also are looking for their big break. You're not going to get a veteran DC pencilier on your first project, but there are so many amazing artist at every step of their careers a mouse click away.
Keep is simple. An artist is going to be way more likely to be willing to work on a 4 page short with a clear publishing goal, than a 30 volume unwritten epic multi-character universe. Marvel wasn't built in a day.
(Anyway, you never want your Magnum Opus to be your first story. Shelve it and start with something small.)
And know that free work is always going to be on the back burner. Don't expect a tight turn around or strict deadlines.
Beggars can't be choosers.
CROWDFUNDING
Ok, this is gonna be the biggest, most obvious one.
If you don't have money yet, crowdfund your idea. Get a Patreon and release short stories to get the funds to pay for a few pages to launch that kickstarter. Use the kickstarter to pay the artist.
Besides the obvious perk (you have money now!) this makes you desirable for a few reasons, the foremost being:
Crowdfunding is hard.
It takes a lot of research and tending. It requires your idea to be exposed to the sun, to see if it holds up on it's own legs. It takes organization and planning and effort.
But most important it takes devotion. Which is the number one thing any indie creative project needs more than anything (except maybe money.)
Which would you take a chance on? Someone who shows up with an idea for complicated comic universe, or someone who shows up with a script, a built in fanbase already putting money into the idea, and the skills and devotion to tend to that fanbase?
Seems pretty no brainer.
TALENT
Ok, let's get talent out of the way.
I'm not saying your writing's bad. I don't know you.
I'm just saying...there are a LOT of talented writers out there. And while there are also a lot of talented artist....because of the specific skills needed to draw a successful comic book, the ratio is a bit out of skew.
If I wanted to work for free, I can literally cherry pick from many, many, many, many, many writers. And let me tell you, I am not the most talented artist on earth by ANY means.
And sometimes I do jump on an idea because the story is JUST that good. Sometimes, pure talent can be that worthwhile. Some ideas are just SO good they make you want to work on them no matter anything.
That said, that talent just isn't about having an idea. Those ideas that are SO GOOD an artist must drop all are few and far between.
And also? They're often just that: ideas.
Do you have scripts? Have you spent time researching what works in comics vs other media, have you honed your skill from a dull blunt object, to a sharpened point, as Stephen King says. Can you finish a story?
Everybody's got great ideas, can you execute them?
Cause I hate to break it to you, but I, and pretty much every comic artist you run into, also have lots of ideas. Great ideas. Ideas that I could be working on instead of yours. So unless you are confident that what you have put to paper is the best comic ever written, don't assume a good idea is enough. You need to put the work into being a writer the same as everything else.
Have a finished script. Have previously published non-script work (even if that's just short stories on your blog or amazon self published or your AO3 account.) Submit to magazines and blogs and other writing venues.
Show that you are actually a writer, not a person with lots of ideas who wants to be a writer.
All right, well, you need an artist! Someone who is going to use their years of education (whether professional or self taught), hours upon hour of practice, and many skills to take what you have written, work on it with you, and bring your story to life.
And surely, because your story is the best thing this professional artist has ever read, they will be willing to donate hours upon hours of their time to making your baby come to life, because artist are just waiting around for great opportunities!
No. Get out of my face.
But that's not fair, you might think. I'm not rich! I struggle! I can't pony up someone else's rent money AND my own every month!
Welcome to the art life. It's not fair.
But alright. Let's talk about what ELSE you can bring to the table. And please keep in mind, some artist won't want to trade anything but cold hard cash. You want them...pony up.
And for godsakes, don't disrespect them. Artist work their ass off and worked hard to charge those fees (and if you piss them off, they sure won't work for you when you can pay.) This is our job, it's food in our mouths and roofs over our head. Don't be a douche. You're asking someone to give up time they could be using to make money to instead do you a HUGE favor for free.
First let's get real.
If you are looking for free artist, we don't just grow on trees. Get out there. Be social. build relationships. Real ones, not simply based on wanting free art. Let it evolve naturally. You're starting out, and your peers are going to be your best bet for collaborators...so find them. Get to know them. Support small time artist with genuine engagement, find people you mesh with who also are looking for their big break. You're not going to get a veteran DC pencilier on your first project, but there are so many amazing artist at every step of their careers a mouse click away.
Keep is simple. An artist is going to be way more likely to be willing to work on a 4 page short with a clear publishing goal, than a 30 volume unwritten epic multi-character universe. Marvel wasn't built in a day.
(Anyway, you never want your Magnum Opus to be your first story. Shelve it and start with something small.)
And know that free work is always going to be on the back burner. Don't expect a tight turn around or strict deadlines.
Beggars can't be choosers.
CROWDFUNDING
Ok, this is gonna be the biggest, most obvious one.
If you don't have money yet, crowdfund your idea. Get a Patreon and release short stories to get the funds to pay for a few pages to launch that kickstarter. Use the kickstarter to pay the artist.
Besides the obvious perk (you have money now!) this makes you desirable for a few reasons, the foremost being:
Crowdfunding is hard.
It takes a lot of research and tending. It requires your idea to be exposed to the sun, to see if it holds up on it's own legs. It takes organization and planning and effort.
But most important it takes devotion. Which is the number one thing any indie creative project needs more than anything (except maybe money.)
Which would you take a chance on? Someone who shows up with an idea for complicated comic universe, or someone who shows up with a script, a built in fanbase already putting money into the idea, and the skills and devotion to tend to that fanbase?
Seems pretty no brainer.
TALENT
Ok, let's get talent out of the way.
I'm not saying your writing's bad. I don't know you.
I'm just saying...there are a LOT of talented writers out there. And while there are also a lot of talented artist....because of the specific skills needed to draw a successful comic book, the ratio is a bit out of skew.
If I wanted to work for free, I can literally cherry pick from many, many, many, many, many writers. And let me tell you, I am not the most talented artist on earth by ANY means.
And sometimes I do jump on an idea because the story is JUST that good. Sometimes, pure talent can be that worthwhile. Some ideas are just SO good they make you want to work on them no matter anything.
That said, that talent just isn't about having an idea. Those ideas that are SO GOOD an artist must drop all are few and far between.
And also? They're often just that: ideas.
Do you have scripts? Have you spent time researching what works in comics vs other media, have you honed your skill from a dull blunt object, to a sharpened point, as Stephen King says. Can you finish a story?
Everybody's got great ideas, can you execute them?
Cause I hate to break it to you, but I, and pretty much every comic artist you run into, also have lots of ideas. Great ideas. Ideas that I could be working on instead of yours. So unless you are confident that what you have put to paper is the best comic ever written, don't assume a good idea is enough. You need to put the work into being a writer the same as everything else.
Have a finished script. Have previously published non-script work (even if that's just short stories on your blog or amazon self published or your AO3 account.) Submit to magazines and blogs and other writing venues.
Show that you are actually a writer, not a person with lots of ideas who wants to be a writer.
COLLABORATION
Ah, this is a sweet but rare spot that actually inspired this whole post.
Collaboration is, imo, one of the greatest thing about comics. There is nothing like having other people vibing with you to share the excitement and the burden with. Someone who can make that patreon update when you have had the shittiest day, someone to skype with when you're pulling that all nighter, someone who cares about that meme you found that weirdly and specifically applies to the character who shows up in chapter 7.
It's great.
But here is a VERY IMPORTANT LESSON ON COLLABORATIONS:
A collaboration in comics is NOT I wrote this, you draw it.
While yes, technically you are collaborating, that is not a comic collaboration.
See, I've got idea and worlds and characters I love to, but I can't write. Because writing is hard and a lot more than a good idea, and I spent that energy becoming an artist. But I want to see my ideas come to life to.
A true collab means you are both creating the story together. I'm not drawing your story, you're not writing mine, we are writing and drawing our story.
This applies both creatively and legally, and depending on who you're working with I'd STRONGLY advise some legal contracts. But when you're working together, you need to be ready to give up some control, and let the artist build the story, the characters, and the world as well.
And while that might sound scary (and yes, this is another reason to let your magnum opus sit for a bit), trust me, when you find the right person and the right story, there is nothing so satisfying as building it together, bouncing off each other, and sharing FOLDERS of character memes.
But, I hear you say, I don't know any artist!
Well...
REPUTATION
Wait, this is titled exposure kills artist. How could reputation be on here?! Isn't that just exposure???
No.
Here's the thing. IDK why Neil Gaiman couldn't pay me, but if he asked for a free cover to his next novel, I'm doing it anyway. Yeah, he should be able to pay me, it's sorta a dick move he's not...but I'm doing it anyway.
The hard part is, you can't really choose if you have a good enough reputation.
Sorry.
However, you can start to build a reputation. Interact with people. Build up a good, sincere fan following (not just 500 people you don't interact with on twitter.) Buy commissions, support artist projects, reblog their art and commissions and patreons, help people out in small ways and build your self a reputation of that guy/gal who's always there supporting and lending a hand.
Not only will you make great friends, some of those friends will be artist, other writers and publishers that may be willing to help you later with advice and support and maybe even that one chance you need.
But that good will doesn't just appear because you ~deserve~ it for being the best idea makers around. It comes from being a genuinely nice and supportive person.
But if you got it, use it. And if you're Neil Gaiman, I guess I just signed up to work for free. Opps.
SPECIAL SKILLS
There's no way to 100% qualify this, because a career in creativity is all about using every resource you have.
So get creative.
Don't have the strongest art skills? Learn how to flat or letter to take the burden off the artist.
Great writer? Offer to write a script for their story or do editing work for another project.
Work at a print shop or as an accountant or mechanic or as a electrician or handy man or hair stylist?
Offer to barter your skills.
Offer the artist your unused shed as a rent free art studio.
Offer to pay for materials as they come.
Offer them a week at your parent's Yellowstone Cabin.
You get the idea.
Get creative.
At the end of the day, the only thing that will get you who you want, how you want is gonna be cash. And while these will help get you started, eventually you'll need to figure out cash flow one way or another. Artist are indispensable, and you want to treat yours well.
But there is a huge community here, and becoming part of it will help you immensely no matter how you slice it.
NOTES:
This post was helped so much by the people over at FB's Connecting Comic Writers and Artist and also on FB the Artist Alley Network International.
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