Art by Kim Rosenlof
How do I break into comics? What’s the best way to practice drawing? Am I allowed to change my style? Jake Parker, Lee White, and Will Terry weigh in on this episode!
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SHOW LINKS
Nathan Fowkes
Rebelle
Doug DeMuro interview
Jake’s viral reel
KEY TAKEAWAYS
You are not your style! Quit limiting yourself by over-identifying with your work and allow yourself to experiment and play.
“Nothing to lose, nothing to gain.” This open-ended mindset allows you to create without expectations or fear. Let your love of the process motivate you more than potential success.
QUESTIONS
Eric asks, “I’ve heard Jake explain that all practice is not created equal. Can you expand on that?”
The best kind of practice is more than filling sketchbook pages; it’s working to improve your weak areas and increase the skills you need to do the work you want to do. To do this, identify something you’d like to create and what’s preventing you from doing so. Find artists who are very good in those weak areas and make master copies of their work. Create projects that force you to practice those skills in a context that interests you. Your practice should always be in service of your goals and style!
Tom asks, “I’m starting my illustration career and need to build a portfolio. I've observed that simple, folksy art is trending. Should I ditch my rendered, painterly look for a simpler one that may resonate better with agents and publishers?”
If you’re open to change, go for it, as long as the new style appeals to you. Don’t limit yourself or hang your identity on your current style; allow yourself to tinker with things both you and your target market can appreciate.
Anna asks, “My work is heavy on the details and takes up a LOT of time. I'm making my first comic and looking for time-saving hacks. What can I do to pare down and speed up?”
Simplify your color palette and aim for a more graphic style. Clarity is king; your art should serve the story rather than distract from it. Save the most rendering and detail for establishing shots and allow the remaining frames to be as simple as possible.
Raj asks, “I’ve started writing a comic, but the comics landscape seems to be continuously changing. If you were to start a long-form comic project today, how would you do it? How would you approach social media, online publishing, print publishing, Patreon, Kickstarter, and the rest?”
Comic artists can take several publishing paths:
If you want to be published by Image Comics, start out either illustrating for a current Image Comics artist, or build clout working with DC, Skybound, Boom! Studios, or Dark Horse. Be aware that these studios can be predatory about rights, meaning they can stop publishing your comic and you won’t be able to take that IP elsewhere.
You can pursue New York publishing houses (Scholistic, Harper Collins). Funny and feely comics do well there, as well as educational subjects like history and STEM.
Build your audience on Webtoon, then launch and direct your followers to a Kickstarter.
Understand that a career in comics is rare, and it’s best if you create them as a hobby with no expectations. Create for a specific audience, publish smaller projects more frequently (as opposed to epic five-year undertakings), and see what takes off.
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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