You grew up idolizing Spiderman, The X-Men, and Batman comics, youve been drawing since the age of four, and your ultimate dream job is becoming a comic book artist. Sounds like a pretty typical ambition. Although, there isn’t really a high demand for comic book artists, and it’s not like you just drive down the street to your local comic book publishing house to apply for a job. So, how does one become a comic book artist? Well, that is what I will explain in this article.
The first thing you will have to do is put together an impressive portfolio. Your portfolio should consist of all of your best illustrations, and clearly demonstrate your talents. Not only should you have some striking renditions of your favorite comic book superheroes and villains, but you should also have some drawings of your own creations. Originality goes a long way in the comic book world. I’m sure Marvel and DC probably aren’t looking for the next superhero to lure in hordes of new fans, but they are always looking for talented young artists who can reinvent the look of their classic characters. If you want to stand out above the competition, make sure you have something unique to offer.
Create a unique portfolio for each company you plan on applying to work for. Don’t show up to an interview for DC comics with a bunch of drawings of Spiderman. Something tells me that they might not be too interested in your work. Also, make it clear as to weather you’re an inker or an illustrator. There’s kind of a big difference between the two. If you’re inker, make sure your portfolio highlights that. If you’re an illustrator, make sure you show off your ability to draw compelling stories. If you’re both, show off your talents in both areas, and let them know that you are willing and able to do either.
After you’ve put together your outstanding portfolio, you will need to contact the editor at the company you desire to work for, and request submission guidelines. If you’re going to apply to Marvel or DC, you should be able to find submission guidelines on their websites. Once you know what the guidelines are, stick to them and submit your portfolio. Now the waiting game begins. If they like your work, you will probably hear back from them; however, if they don’t like your work, you might not hear anything from them for a very long time, or even at all.
If the big guys reject you, keep trying with the smaller comic book companies. If the smaller companies, like Dark Horse and Image reject you, find even smaller companies to apply to. If everyone rejects you, you may want to consider sharpening your skills or self-publishing your own work. However, before you give up completely, or try to go the independent route, make sure you have done everything possible to make your work seen. Build a website to show off your comic book drawings, create a MySpace profile for the same purpose, and take your work to conventions. Sometimes succeeding in the comic book industry is just about getting your work seen by the right person or people.
