Looking at the literature market, the comic book industry is becoming increasingly popular if not the fastest growing and thanks to the successful comic-to-movie trend going on in the film industry, the future of comics is bright indeed. With the increase of competition in the field, the comic artist is always on the look out for new ways to get people’s attention. Fresh ideas are always welcome.
No doubt there was a time when you were browsing through your comics that the idea of making your own comic came to mind. Add to that your passion for comic books, and your ever improving skill in drawing comic characters, there was nothing stopping you from becoming a comic artist.
But how do you do it?
There are comic artist enthusiasts out there that fall apart in the early stages of becoming a successful comic artist. Even worse, some quit before they even begin. To start, it is always good to have support -morally or financially, but whats important is that you have the drive to see it through. In this day and age, there is little excuse for someone who is passionate in becoming a comic artist as there are several easy ways to kick-start your career as a comic artist and it does not cost a fortune to do so.
Family & Friends
“Is my artwork good enough?” is no doubt one of the first things that comes to mind when deciding to make your own comic or drawing a comic character.Will the readers like my artwork? Will they get message that i’m trying to get across? What will they think of my idea/storyline?
One of the best way to to know how good you are is to show off your works, and who better to show your stuff than your family and friends.Your family and friends will support you in their own way.They are basically your fans and will often show you what you lack in your work.By showing your comic work, you are also showing your passion in comics, so don’t hold anything back in that matter.
Be advised that in the process of getting feedback from your family and friends or from anyone for that matter can be challenging, there are people who encourages you and supports you in becoming an accomplished comic artist.But there are also people who will discourage you in a manner worse than you could imagine, there are people who are going to put you down and question your abilities and perception towards the comic industry.These questions will cast doubt in your skills and passion in comic art and is one of the reasons why comic artist newbie gets discouraged and gives up altogether.The best approach to this is to take them as opinions. Opinions are not fact, just take the best of it.
Showing Off With DeviantArt
Using the web to showcase your comic work is by far the best way to get a more international view of your work.Besides creating your own blog or website(s), joining online communities can greatly gain you exposure to people who are interested in your artwork style.The most popular online community for comic artist is Deviant Art. Deviant Art is an online community that you can use to showcase your artwork. It is a platform not just for comic artist but others as well.In Deviant Art you can view and discuss your work or the work of others in a category-structured format.You can also communicate with people who likes or compliments your work.The reason why comic artist benefit more is that even accomplished comic artist exhibit their work here.Comic artist such as Adam Hughes, Mahmud A. Asrar, Jim Lee, and J.Scott Campbell often post their recent work and activities such as their upcoming event and future projects in Deviant Art.
One of the unique features of Deviant Art is that now you are able to build you own digital portfolio for free.Whether you are a traditional or digital comic artist, you can scan and upload your work to your portfolio then customized it however you like.Deviant Art is just amazing when it comes to showing off…..your artwork, of course.
Going Solo (Start Local – Conventions – Commission Art)
Want to take a step further? If the internet doesn’t help much, you can always go offline. Check with the local colleges and schools on any art convention, mini comic convention or even cosplay events. Going to these kind of convention can tell you a lot on how comic artist do their work and you can probably get some tips and advice on how to improve your comic art from them.If you’re up for it you can even open up your own booth at any of these convention or join in on one the existing booth by making arrangements with the booth manager.Once that is done, show them what you are all about when it comes to comic art.Put it down on paper and probably if you are good enough, people are going to start asking for commission art.
You must also keep some of your best artwork in a file (recommend scanning) so that later it can be showcased or work as a physical portfolio.
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