Art by Tony Cliff
Illustrator, animator, and author Tony Cliff joins Jake Parker and Lee White to discuss tiny projects, the comic industry, and being a finisher rather than a perfectionist.
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SHOW LINKS
Tony Cliff: Patreon, tonycliff.ca, @delilahdirkcomic
Delilah Dirk series
Kazu Kibuishi: boltcityproductions.com, 3PP interview, books
Raina Telgemeier
Smile: A Graphic Novel
Patrick Willems YouTube
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Don’t skip the runway! This is what we term the stage of taking lower-level jobs and completing small projects that will prepare you for the work you dream of creating. Don’t turn up your nose at small opportunities; use them as stepping stones on your path to success.
Your future is in your hands. The only thing between you and success is time and work.
Finished work is better than perfect work.
Create micro-projects and see them to completion. This gives you experience in every step of the creative process and allows you to progress rapidly. (Bonus: when you finish something small, you have a completed project to share with followers and publishers.)
The more opportunity you create for yourself, the more opportunities the world opens up for you.
BIO
Tony Cliff is a Vancouver-based author, illustrator, and animator. He attended the Emily Carr Institute of Fine Art before dropping out to study commercial animation at Capilano College (now Capilano University).
Tony began his career as an art director and concept artist for a small video game company in Los Angeles. He participated in the Flight Comics forums, through which his work was published for the first time. Since then, he’s authored and illustrated books, comics, and graphic novels for both adult and young audiences. You can keep up with Tony’s current project, the fourth of his Delilah Dirk graphic novels, on Patreon.
QUESTIONS
Brian asks, “I work as an animator but I’m not quite making it financially. My goal is to write and illustrate kid’s books- ideally comics or graphic novels, but comics aren’t known for being profitable, and I have a family to support. I’ve been expanding my shop and Patreon following to sustain my efforts, but over the last year my sales and social media growth have stagnated, and I’m wondering if I should change course. I’ve considered assembling a kidlit graphic novel pitch for literary agents or creating a proper children’s book portfolio, ditching comics, and focusing on freelance. What are your thoughts?”
First off, you should be able to find work in the animation industry that can support a healthy lifestyle. There are more opportunities than ever to work remotely for LA-based companies that compensate their artists fairly. Investigate your options and switch jobs if you need to, even if it’s only for a season while you build the other aspects of your career.
Second, keep creating comics and adding value to your Patreon community at a sustainable rate (even if that means slowing down drastically). Your consistency matters more than your frequency.
Third, make something small from start to finish. If your goal is to create a comic, start with a five-page story. Write it, illustrate it, and publish it as a PDF for your patrons or email subscribers. Micro projects are great because they allow you to experience the creation process from start to finish without a huge time investment. Seeing projects to the end helps you discover which steps you loved and what challenges you can expect to face on a larger-scale project.
Micro projects also help you gain notoriety and expand your fanbase. After you’ve completed a few of those, you can move on to longer projects with more experience under your belt and support behind you. When your first big project is done, you can choose to pursue either traditional or self-publishing.
LINKS
Jake Parker: mrjakeparker.com. Instagram: @jakeparker, Youtube: JakeParker44
Will Terry: willterry.com. Instagram: @willterryart, Youtube: WillTerryArt
Lee White: leewhiteillustration.com. Instagram: @leewhiteillo
Daniel Tu: danieltu.co.
Lily Camille Howell: lilycamille.com
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