reMIND

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.

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 ...