Finding Comic Artists for Your Comic
By Jason Brubaker on May 20th, 2010Posted In: Blog,Making Graphic Novels
How do I find an artist?
I’ve received several emails from writers trying to figure out how to find a good artist to draw their comic ideas or to team up with. I’ve had this conversation many times over the years and it’s never an easy question for me to answer because I’ve never been a writer looking for an artist.
Enter Ian Struckhoff. I meet Ian on DeviantArt and he’s been busy writing tons of stories and finding artists to collaborate with. I might as well let him answer this question since he’s actually having success doing it. Ian is also the first person to ‘guest post’ on reMINDblog. I’ll let him take over from here.
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As a writer who isn’t also an artist, there’s a high barrier to entry. Making a comic becomes an exercise in networking, delegation, and project management, on top of the usual storytelling hurdles. Chances are you will be your own publisher, editor, designer, and letterer– plus you’ll be the only person finding the rest of the team. That’s as big a job as any of the rest.
It’s not impossible, though. On July 22nd, 2009 I began writing my very first comic. On August 15th, a team of professional artists began working on the book. Now, I’m working with over a dozen artists on projects including pitch issues for two ongoing series, and short comics for my own anthology.
I have to be clear– I’m not saying I’m special. I’m an up-and-comer (or, less charitably, a wannabe). I’m just dedicated to my stories seeing the light of day. I’d like to share some of what I have learned so far with you.
It comes down to four very simple pieces of advice.
1.) Be part of a community.
I can’t stress this enough. In order to find an artist to work with, you’re going to need to talk to a lot of people. You can’t just walk in cold and say “draw a book for me”. You also don’t want to stick your foot in your mouth by not understanding the context.
Every artist that I am working with, I met via DeviantArt. It’s a fantastic community of literally millions of artists. It certainly isn’t a bad place to start.
Don’t be pushy, and don’t rush the process. Join the club before you hang up your sign on the bulletin board. I happened to be established in the community as a photographer beforehand, but I spent some time getting to know the comics community there before plowing in trying to recruit collaborators.
A good way to get your foot in the door on DeviantArt is to search for some of your favorite artists, and start following them. Then join the Groups (sub-communities) they are involved in, start following some fellow-writers and more artists. Let your involvement grow naturally, don’t make it into a project.
I also recommend getting involved in the comics community on Twitter. Again, just find some of your favorite writers, artists, and editors. Try Googling “Twitter Ian Struckhoff” or “Twitter Matthew Dow Smith” or “Twitter Ron Perazza”– and likewise with your favorite creators’ names– to get started. The same etiquette applies as above, but this will be more about learning the ins-and-outs of the industry and networking with people who you can learn from.
That’s just two examples of communities. I’d also recommend checking out ICCW, Brian Bendis’ Jinxworld Forum, and Warren Ellis’s Whitechapel.
2.) Be prepared, and communicate clearly.
Every now and then, you’ll find an artist who you’d love to work with. Just send them a note or a comment, letting them know that, in the form of a complement. Nobody will mind if you say nice things about their work, even if they are too busy to work with you.
A few of them might reply and give you a chance to pitch your idea. What do you do then? The key is to do most of the real work ahead of time.
The big thing is that you’re going to need to have some scripts for them to read. Before they dig into that, though, they will probably want to start with a “pitch” (aimed at them, not publishers) that outlines the story in no more than a page, and links to supporting materials like character descriptions/bios, a series bible, and so on. Have all of this ready, so when they ask, you have something to show them immediately.
From there, be sure to communicate everything clearly. Be clear about things like your budget, your plans for publishing, expectations around ownership, your ideal schedule, your vision for the project, your thoughts on the team structure, and so on. If you have concerns at any point, communicate those clearly and directly too.
Every bit of this, from the pitch, to the script, to the bios and bible, to the clarifications, should be formalized– not rough notes you wrote for yourself. This is a professional relationship, and the more professional you act up front, the more appealing it will be to work with you.
3.) Be respectful. And get ready to hear “No”.
As an aspiring writer, you’re a much more common commodity than a competent comics artist. It takes far more time to draw a comic than to write it, and it’s a lot easier to think you have good ideas than to think you can draw. They can do this without you, but you can’t get very far without them. Remember that when you’re communicating with the artists.
For every time you hear back from someone who wants you to tell them about your story, you’re going to hear from a bunch who don’t– and there will be even more who you probably won’t hear back from at all.
Don’t sweat it. It’s okay if it takes some time. Don’t expect everyone to say Yes, and don’t be disappointed if many of them aren’t interested. In fact, don’t be insulted if they come straight out and say your work isn’t there yet– Just keep working to get it there.
(On a related note– You’re going to find a lot more artists who want to do covers than interiors. Pick the cover artists last, because your penciller will define the style of the book, and you’ll get plenty of chances to find the right cover artist as time passes.)
4.) Aim high. Just not too high.
Since I’m being honest and direct with you, one more thing– The secret to creating a great comic is the same as with almost any form of collaboration:
Work with people who are better than you are.
Don’t be afraid to reach a bit out of your league to find the right artist. If you don’t think they are intimidatingly good, then why are you trying to get them on your book? Don’t simply decide someone is too good for you.
On the other hand, there are limits to this. There’s no point in asking people who won’t be able to work with you. If you know someone is getting paid more, or working on a much bigger book, it’s probably not going to make sense to ask them to draw your book. Chances are a big name won’t be dropping a world-class book no matter how stupendous your pitch is.
Thanks to Jason for checking out my pitches, and asking me to contribute to his blog– and thanks to all of you for reading all of this.
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If you’d like to find out more about Ian and his projects, here are some of his sites:
Ian_X on Twitter
Ian_X on DeviantArt
Ian-X.com
Thanks, Ian, for taking the time and thought to answer this question for all of us.
Oh my God, Ian is everywhere! LOL.His contributions have been most valuable during my tenure as gallery moderator for comics on dA, thanks for posting this, I didn’t know he was on twitter too!
Money goes a long way. A lot of artists need money, so if you offer them a decent amount to work on your comic, the chances of finding an artist is good. Elance.com is a good place to find an artist for a good budget.
You can also look into Gutterzombie.com for some good colorists and flatters. It’s a forum mainly for comic colorists but has lots of good talent across the board. Everyone is looking for work if the pay is right.
As you may have guessed, I left talk of money entirely out of this article on purpose. It would have expanded the topic much wider than I’d have room for in a single blog.
I think it was a smart move to leave out the money subject. That could be an entirely new article.
It could probably be an entire book. heh
Unfortunately, a lot writers are in need of money too. Those that have money have already hired artists to work for them. ;-)
This actually brings up a question I’ve had: if a writer approaches an artist about working on a project, why is it “the writer’s project” why doesn’t the artist take ownership of their work as well and it become “our” project? If the writer is willing to do work on spec (write the damn thing) why is an artist not willing to work on someone else’s project for spec too?
This seems to be something pervasive in the indie film world too. All these people come together to work on and collaborate on a movie, many of them working for free. But then at the end of the day, half (or more) of the people do no networking or promoting for the film or promote it as something they “worked on” and don’t take “ownership” of it. They leave all that up to the director or producer(s).
Sorry about that rant.
I think it’s a personal decision for each artist and writer if they want to work on spec or if they feel like they can own a project with a partner.
Personally, I don’t work on spec anymore as an artist. I’ve been abused as an ignorant artist too many times in the past and so unless someone has some cold hard cash than I just won’t do any work.
Now if I were to meet someone who had a personal project that they wanted to share with me and I loved it too than it would be different. I don’t see that as working on spec though. I see that as a personal project but with two people involved.
It gets touchy though with shared personal projects, because they are… personal. Each person might have their own ideas of what they want it to be and it can cause conflicts. Ian’s smart by trying out artist team ups on really short projects. That way you wont lose years of your life if your project never gets anywhere because of opposing opinions.
If the writer wants to have too much control over my art then it never works out for me. I loose interest and go back to my own projects.
I don’t do work for companies who want me to give them a super cheap rate either. These companies will never want to pay you your normal rate again and never seem to respect how much work it took the artist to get to the point he/she is at. Surprisingly, lots of the big companies play cheap with artists because they think an artist will sacrifice a good rate to work for a big client. But every job I’ve taken like that never pays off in the end. They only call back next time asking for the same cheap rate so you end up working a lot for little money.
I’ve designed logo’s for a friend of a friend on spec, because they “didn’t have any money” and then I turn around and see my logo riding on the back of Hummers and on big expensive fiberglass signs on beach front property in Redondo Beach. If they can afford all the flash than why can’t they afford an artist who creates the look of the whole stupid thing.
Sorry, that was off subject.
I enjoy hearing your comparisons of the webcomic world to the Indie Filmmaker world, Nathan. But although I don’t work on spec as an illustrator anymore, I still work on spec for some films or animation depending on how promising it looks. I know After Effects and motion design quite well.
But it really depends on who is directing or producing the film. If I trust the producers that I’ll actually get a piece of the back end and we sign a contract then I’m more then happy to work on spec for a film (if I have time).
I don’t necessarily feel like I own it though because 90% of the money and credit goes to the producers and directors in the end no matter how big my “Assistant to the P.A.” credit is.
It seems like films have a much shorter amount of work needed for someone who is working for free. To my experience, a film will shoot for a few weeks and people feel fine contributing for a few days or a week or weekend in exchange for a credit. If a film gets to a point that a shoot is scheduled to happen, this is already more promising then someone with just a script who is asking you to spend months drawing it in your free time.
I guess it comes down to the return on investment of time.
I don’t know where I’m going with this so I better stop.
Always a good rambling, rant filled discussion once we get started.
This is what I’m talking about. Honestly, considering the amount of time an artist has to put into a project I don’t see how one would work on a project OTHER than under these circumstances (except for pay).
Being a self-contained creative force (writer/director/DP/Editor/Producer) I clearly have majority stake in my projects and I wouldn’t expect a PA doing 3 day’s work on set to regard much, if any, “ownership” or responsibility (beyond their duties) of “my” project but key collaborative players (lead actors (and going forward writers, producers, editors, DP etc)) that are not simply hired guns I would hope would consider some “ownership” of what they’ve contributed (unless they feel their contribution was ruined in some way). Basically I would like them to be as invested in the projects success as I am.
Regarding my definition of spec, I consider it anything that you do, without pay up front with the anticipation that you will be able to sell it (or distribute) after completion, including what you call personal projects. You say you don’t work on spec as an illustrator anymore but ReMind is a totally spec project. You are working on it for free with the anticipation that it will sell later on. Total speculation.
Here’s a question: Are there ANY artists out there looking for writers or material to work on?
I think working on spec means “I will do the work, and if it does well the owner will pay me”. Creator-owned is similar, but means “I am creating something I co-own, and if it does well we get paid.” I don’t see any problem with the latter.
As you hint at, there are a lot more writers looking for artists than vice-versa– Which is really why an article like this can even exist. However, in my experience there are artists out there who are excellent illustrators, but feel that someone else can come up with a better story (concept/plot/characters/etc.) and would prefer to work with a writer.
I think the biggest problem is that I would like to feel ownership enough in a project to get paid on spec, but I probably won’t. The person who the project began with will probably feel that investment, but as an artist, I need the option to walk away if that person wants more control than I can give. That means I need to get paid.
If it’s a good friend and they are really willing to let me have input along the way and have a lot of creative freedom, then I wouldn’t mind working spec. It really would be a project that involves me and my voice would be a part of it. In my experience, though, it’s usually one person with a vision who then wants you to be a drawing monkey translating things exactly from their head onto paper. They don’t really want to hear your ideas about their story and don’t really want your input on the artwork. I don’t think I’ve ever felt like I was respected enough as an artist to ever want to work on spec for anyone….ever.
Art is really hard. I’m not saying we’re all prima donnas, but a little respect and freedom goes a long way when money’s not involved.
I am an unstoppable juggernaut– just not until after I’ve had my coffee.
Or maybe it’s just a small world. Hi Joumana!
Hi :) BTW I agree with J. McComsey below, shorts may be the best way to begin a collab, or to have one with artists who otherwise couldn’t collaborate!
As an artist that get’s contacted frequently by aspiring writer’s, another word of advice: if you find an artist you like and want to work with try pitching him/her a short 3-5 pager. When contacted by a writer, I tune out as soon as I hear 3-12 issue miniseries because I know the time it would take to do this and I have a few projects I’m already working on that need to see the light of day too.
However I have dropped everything for a week to work on a cool short story that maybe was a genre I always wanted to try but never had a chance. If the writer can craft an interesting short story it’s a good indicator that he/she is in fact pretty good and may be worth collaborating with.
Absolutely great advice! If I’m interested in doing an ongoing (or mini) I always pitch in terms of finishing the first issue, and only proceeding if it goes somewhere (publisher, etc.) everyone is happy to continue with as a long-term project.
More often, I’m working on 1-2 page super-shorts, or 8-10 page shorts.
What is the intended end result of a 1-10 page comic? Are they created with the hopes that they will be printed in anthologies? Ashcans? As a pitch to publishers for a larger project? Are they ever created with the intention of selling them (will anybody pay for an 8 page ashcan?) or only created to garner enough interest in a project to move forward more confidently or with financial backing from a publisher?
In my case at least, two of those:
I’ve done some shorts that are part of an ongoing series, but written to work as a single story. These are best, in my opinion, if they’d be publishable as part of an issue some day. (I’m a big believer in always producing work with the intention of having it seen by a wide audience.)
That said, most of the shorts I’m working on are designed to stand on their own in a wider sense, to be included in anthologies. They can be intended for specific anthologies, or to pitch once they are done– and in most cases, also printed as part of a self-published collection to help get the stories out there regardless.
“JASON UR COMIX = DA SHIZNITS. CAN U DRAW MINE 4ME?? TNX”
that would be an example of how NOT to approach collaborators. =)
I’m a graphic designer so i’m always working with someone and Its always tough. There is a fine line between collaborating, being a dictator and losing control. Its important to find someone who is not only talented but understands what their role in the project is.
Don’t underestimate the little things. Business cards, presentation, leave behinds…its all part of the package. Spend some time/money/effort with these and think about working with a graphic designer. People notice design the most when its really bad. Don’t give them an excuse to throw your promo (and your comic) in the trash. I’ve seen so many talented people give out really crappy promo materials because it was the last thing they thought about or had money for. Its like taking a girl to McDonalds on the first date.
I agree, and I think the process of being professional starts before you show a potential fan/reader/customer a thing. The materials you show prospective artists, publishers, etc. can be even more important.
Exactly! Present a professional front, and people will take you seriously.
Knowing your role in the project as someone who is hiring others is very important. Just because you’re paying someone doesn’t mean you should or can dictate everything. Trust the person you’re working with to be able to achieve a good looking product, and let them know when it’s not working for you.
well i always say that whoever is taking the most risk (financial or otherwise) is the creative director. You can collaborate too much to the point where its no longer yours. I mean its a case by case thing. I guess my point is you have to really know what you’re looking for before you start working with other people. Are you outsourcing or looking for a creative partner is something that should be figured out first and foremost.
As someone who has been approached for large scale creative projects before, when you hire an artist, you need to be just as competent as they are if not more so, even if you can’t draw.
If you are looking to hire someone to do art for you, do your research. Look into how comics are made, reasonable time frames, and reasonable pay. Understand the process and the specifics involved. Be able to speak the lingo and discuss ideas in the language of the art form.
Trust that your artist is competent and will use their artistic sense to make things look as good as they can. I can’t explain how much I don’t like being told how to draw something or layout a panel by someone who can’t draw, doesn’t trust my instincts, and won’t justify their decisions. Feel free to make suggestions or state your preferences, but do so with a very open mind and do it very politely. Do not piss off your artist. If you communicate effectively, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Granted, I’ve mostly encountered issues with people wanted storyboards for animation and not having a damn clue what they are talking about. Knowing as much about the medium you are approaching an artist to work in will make the process smoother, and gain your artist(s)’ trust a lot faster. Just my two cents based on a lot of frustrating experience.
I can relate to the storyboard thing. It always amazed me how 90% of the commercial directors I worked with had no idea what they wanted or how to achieve it. They had no concept of storyboards, not thoughts on cinematography. Frustrating.
Yes, exactly. Having gone through so many bad experiences with storyboarding for others is what’s pushing me towards comics now. I’m frustrated at the lack of knowledge on part of the people asking me to work for them, and further ticked off at how little my effort and knowledge is worth to them. My heart’s not sold on film, so I’d much rather tell my stories through a medium like comics where I can get away from working for other people and work for myself :P.
This sounds like a similar journey to mine. I started by making my own animation after working in the industry with professionals who were clueless but because it was such a big undertaking to do an animated film from start to finish all by yourself, I switched to a graphic novel format. It really is freeing for me to be able to have complete control over my own projects. It’s the only time that art does not feel like work.
I’m glad I found this thread. I’m exploring the topic in terms of collaborations with musicians. These days musicians are being told to give away their recorded music for the exposure and then to sell something else. Often the “something else” involves something a designer creates (e.g., a t-shirt, a book, a graphic novel). As the music becomes devalued as a standalone product, and what generates the money are the art objects, then at some point people are going to decide that it’s the art, not the music, that is salable. So how are designers approaching this? Are they working with musicians on a work-for-hire basis? Are they asking to share in the income? Are they even to the point of asking for the bulk of the income generated by the designed objects?
Correct me if I’m wrong anyone, but it seems to me like it’s more of a work-for-hire contract for what you are talking about. I can’t imagine the designer getting a royalty for designing a t-shirt or book cover design. Maybe a graphic novel artist will see some royalties but it’s not a huge money maker so it would be small. I can see a page rate working better for the artists for any larger scale projects like a GN.
It’s interesting though about the music being given away. This seems similar to how webcomics are working. All the pages and art are viewed for free online to build an audience and in the end the merchandising is what makes the money.
royalties are for creators. Jason could negotiate royalties for licensing his characters into animation, movies, wallpaper, toys…whatever because they are his creation. I couldn’t and shouldn’t expect a royalty if i design his characters and process into book that gets sold. I would just get paid for the project (work for hire)
Royalties don’t exist much in the design world. You’d never want to try and track how many times a logo is used. You usually just negotiate your project/creative fee up front and get paid at various milestones.
every designer has heard the story of the college kid who got paid something like 100 bux to design a swoosh mark for a startup called NIKE. They became an empire and she had no rights to anything. They did give her a TON of stock a decade or so later which more than compensated her.
my dilemma is really the opposite… where i live, in new delhi, (or maybe because i am not so great at getting out an finding people) i have had a hard time trying to find a writer with whom i can collaborate. its not that i have no ideas about what i would like to draw or work on, but i am in no way a writer.
I think this article is perfect for you. It’s not about where you live anymore with the power of the internet. You can goto Deviantart or any of the forums out there and just start implementing what Ian talked about above. It’s more about how badly you want it in the end. Ian is very proactive with finding artists to work with and it will need to be the same with finding a writer.
Maybe shoot Ian a message on DA. That could be a good place to start.
Also Nathan Wrann commented above asking this:
“Are there ANY artists out there looking for writers or material to work on?”
I think if you post a few threads on forums saying you are an artist looking for a writer to team up with you will have some luck. Post some of your art too.
I agree. This all shows that while there are probably more writers who need to find an artist, there are definitely artists who want to find a writer as well. A good artist will have NO problem finding a writer to collaborate with, if they get involved in some art/comics communities! :)
yeah but how easy is it for a good artist to find a good writer with an original story? Everyone in Hollywood has a screenplay…how many of them are decent? =p
Yeah that’s true.
A point not mentioned in the article above, but very important in my experience (shawn touched on it) is that if you are taking the lead on a project you have to be prepared to take a collaborative approach to the project. Nothing will rub an artist the wrong way more than a domineering personality – trust an artist to do his job. Now of course the other side of that coin is to be sure that you and the artist are on the same page, as well – a real meeting of the minds is pretty essential. But I know from experience that being micromanaged in creative work is really exceptionally irritating and makes the openmindedness that drawing requires really dry up lickety-split.
–M
An interesting piece Ian. In my opinion, so far as money is concerned, so long as there’s honesty on both sides it shouldn’t get in the way. I’m currently working on a project with Ian, and from the start I was able to balance the fact that there was no money involved against it being a fun collaberation and the deadlines were extremely flexible, so I’m able to fit in my paid jobs around it. That flexibility also means I feel free to add in and suggest themes. It’s important I think for a writer who’s after an initially free collaberation with an illustrator to be considerate of their needs too.
As a guy living this, this is very helpful. I have tried some of this a bit with no success, but I guess the “keep trying” bit is key. I’ve always offered 50/50 ownership of the property in-lieu of money up front, which seems reasonable to me. What is a fair price to offer for a single issue? I noticed some talk of per page.
At that point, do you artists generally consider it a work for hire and are more than happy to let me roll around in the giant piles of royalties (yep, my expectations are suitably low)? It seems like coming in with an insultingly low offer would just torpedo any talks right away. On the other hand, if I’m sinking money that I can’t really afford into a project, particularly if I’m giving to my collaborator and not someone like a printer, I’d be a bit miffed if they expected an equal share assuming a fat check ever did come in. I mean, I would be the one taking the financial risk.
I can’t really suggest a good page rate because I don’t know that answer. I think it ‘s all relative to the artist and writer too.
But as far as your last point, even though you are taking on the financial risk in paying a page rate, the artist is giving up time, and a lot of it. Time is money too. If I were to spend 20 hours a week on a project for a year, that would equal a ton of money if I were to be paid my professional rate. So it’s just something to consider when thinking that you are the only one taking on financial risk. The artist could be out getting his full hourly rate so he can pay his bills.
I guess it’s different though if you are not sure if it will make any money. You both just have to accept that you are either going to spend money or time to peruse something you enjoy like a hobby.