HOW DO YOU BREAK IN??

One of the biggest and most popular questions I'm always asked is "how do you break into the comic industry?  What's the secret?"  OH ALL THE PUSHING AND STABBING YOU HAVE TO DO and the NO FOOD FOR A YEAR you have to deal with.  NO...lol!  I don't think there's a secret or even just one way to get in.  It's based on each individual artist.  It's like running.  Everyone has their own pace, and sooner or later, you'll get to the finish line.

What I tell people all the time is, to get in, you need to be dedicated to art and drawing everyday.  Even when you get so sick of it, you just want to throw up.  You have to keep pushing.  And if you are just looking for a paycheck, I can tell you, this is NOT the industry to get into.  Overnight success takes YEARS.  The comic book industry you have to work at it.  You have to want to do it and you have to love it. 
I can remember when I was posting my own artwork on MySpace (yeah, going back a few years), I'd try (and I stress the word "TRY"), to ask artists how to break in and who I can show my work too.  I didn't hear back from anyone.  So I figured I'd just post my work on my page and see where that takes me.  Then I started getting questions about doing some colored work.  People who I've never talked to before or met wanted to see some colored work (which I didn't have any until a couple days later after people started asking).  I posted a few pieces I colored digitally on my page and people really started commenting and liking the pictures.  So I just kept drawing and coloring and posting it to my page.  About 4-5 years later (2006), I was contacted by a smaller comic publisher (After Hours Press) about coloring a book for them cover to cover.  Once that book came out, I found out it was a lot easier to talk to some of the creators and for sure the editors.

Of course, now being a colorist, I wanted to learn how to color digitally.  I had started teaching myself about 2002-ish by picking up my favorite comics and seeing how the colorist colored, where to place highlights, shadows and even how to create some of the cool effects.  However, I learned the hard way that you need to work on a tablet vs coloring with a mouse.  OH, did I forget to mention that my first comic (FoxWood Falcons), I colored using a mouse???  Yes, it was (now you want a copy huh..lol).  So it's time to research these "tablets" and see which one I need and which one the comic colorist are using.  That took a couple of months because they were pretty pricey at the time and I didn't have the money.  But to keep coloring digitally with the mouse, I downloaded a couple of pages from a comic book talent search and just kept teaching myself, trying to master the mouse (just in case I couldn't afford the tablets).  Thankfully I found one that was smaller and decently priced at a store going out of business.  I still have that table today and works great.  So it was well worth the investment.  Since then I did upgrade twice, and currently using that 3rd upgrade (Intos 4 Wacom Tablet).  I love it.

But I did almost anything to learn how to color.  Everything from asking other colorists (who never responded to any of my emails or comments), looking through books (which there really weren't any at the time) to even picking up my favorite comics and teaching myself (which again, was the best way I learned).

You can ask everybody how they got in.  Ggood, ask them and listen to their stories if they choose to share with you.  But, really the bottom line is, you have to WANT to do it.  You have to WANT to be that artist who's going to stick out.  Not by personality and being a jerk, but, with your talent.  Don't let people tell you HOW you need to get in (not even editors).  It's different for everyone.

A website I give people all the time is: www.digitalwebbing.com
This site is a good stepping stone to get yourself started.  In finding projects, or even if you have a project of your own and you're looking for artists to help create it (illustrators, writers, inkers, colorist and so on) post about it on the Forums page. I even got a couple of gigs off there when I was first starting as well.  But we'll save that for another blog ;)

This is an older set up from a few years ago (can't even remember the show)

Conventions...continued

Comic Conventions (Comic Con's) have changed a lot over the years.  Even in a short time of lets say 5 years.  But I remember when I went to my 5-6th comic con as a kid in Chicago.  This will tell you how much they've changed.

At that time (1996), Zero Hour the mini series from DC Comics hit the shelves.  As I'm walking around with my mom in Artist Alley (like a little kid in a candy store..lol), we were walking by this guys table which had a lot of Green Lantern stuff on it. Everything from comic books, statues, even his table cloth was green.  I can't even remember seeing if anyone in Artist Alley had banners...not like today when you walk around, it looks like the "Great Wall of Prints" down every aisle.  But he stopped my mom and I, saw the Zero Hour #0 cover in my hand (which was a blank cover) and said "Hey, how are you?  Can I sign that for you?"  I looked at him with terror because I had no idea who he was or what he was going to do, but, I said "sure" and handed him the comic.

As he's signing the comic he's talking to us about Green Lantern and about the convention itself.  My mom had asked him if you have to be published to set up at a convention and his response was "Yes you do.  You have to have at least one comic published to set up at conventions".  I was embarrassed, but like any mom or parent, she was trying to "show me off" to the guy saying that I'm a very talented artist, I've been drawing for years and so on.  As we're talking we still had no idea who he was.  Maybe he was a talent scout looking for talent for DC Comics. We didn't know.  But as we're talking I see him not just signing the book I gave him, but he's drawing a green lantern (not the character but an actual lantern) sketch on it with green markers and pens.  I thought that was very cool..but odd at the same time. I just never came across someone doing that or have every thought of that.  Back then (I make it sound like 50 years ago..lol), they didn't have blank sketch covers like they do today.  If you wanted a sketch, the artist would do it on a piece of paper or on a backing board for a comic.

He hands me back the comic and on it is the sketch he did and he signed it twice.  I asked him, "why did you sign it twice?"
He said "I'm Mart Nodell, the creator of the Green Lantern.  I signed it this year with my signature and signed it the year I created Green Lantern which is 1940".  I WAS FLOORED!  I was so excited that I got the ACTUAL creator of Green Lantern to sign and sketch on my comic.  FREE!!!!!  NO CHARGE and he stopped us!
From what I understand, he only sketched less than 10 of those covers in that same way.

Today at conventions, it's a whole different story.  Oh you can still find some of the creators of the characters at shows, but, most if not all of them charge for signatures and charge pretty hefty for sketches.  It's very rare to find a creator of a popular character who will sign and/or sketch for free after that character gains popularity on the big screen.

Me personally, you can quote me on this.  I will never charge for signatures.  You're already supporting me by buying whatever it is I've worked on (comics, Sketch Colorings, soon Animations and so on).  I am MORE than happy to GIVE you a signature for anything you've purchased that I've worked on, as a THANK YOU for your support.

Comic Conventions...the Changing Years

Comic book conventions or Comic Cons are the "norm" now a days when it comes to getting noticed or trying to get noticed and sell some of your artwork.  Everyone and anyone can set up at a convention.  There may be different spots for you to choose from such as the artists will be in artist alley, the vendors (the guys who sell merchandise and....OH WOW..COMICS at a comic convention) will be in the vendor area and the guests of the shows will be in their own area.  But things have changed.

I've been attending comic conventions since 1991 as a fan at the Chicago Comic Con.  Years later, a company called Wizard World bought them out and it became Wizard World Chicago which is still around today setting up in the same location.
For years, approximately 15 years, I've wanted to set up at a convention and promote myself as an artist and work for either Marvel or DC Comics.  It's every artists dream to work for either of those companies.  But I couldn't even set up at any convention.  I wasn't published.

The first time I wanted to set up at a convention I was told by numerous promoters, "I have to have published work in a COMIC in order to set up".  Even in Artist Alley.  So in other words, you needed to be credited in a comic before you can even be considered to set up at a show and you had to prove you're credited. 

I was very honored in 2007 when my first comic hit the shelves.  It was a GREAT feeling.  For years, I've been trying to break into the industry (I think at that point, it was about 10 years).  The comic wasn't a huge book, it wasn't like Batman or Spider-man, but it was published work with a comic company.  When the book was being released, I was asked to set up at Chicago Comic Con with the creative team of the book.  Of course, I said yes.  This was my opportunity to be sitting on the other side of the table, as an artist/creator...and start my career.

Things have changed since then.  Of course there are still artists, vendors and guests who attend the shows.  But, now you don't have to just be published in comics to set up at most shows.  Many of the conventions have moved over from being a "comic con" to "pop culture cons".  Meaning, there are TV and movie celebrities, animation guests, voice over guests and so on.  Which is good in a way.  It broadens a lot of people's horizons and may help that someone who wants to break into the "entertainment" industry (they can ask questions to the actual celebrities person to person).  But a lot of conventions/shows forget about the artist who've worked hard to break into the industry and make those comic characters that the celebrities play on TV or in the movies.

Some conventions have thought of this and created a "sub section" of Artist Alley called Small Press.  Which is where you go when you are published outside of the comic industry.

So even though it's only been a short 10 years since I've broken into the industry and you had to be published in comics to set up at a comic convention, there have been a lot of changes to the convention scene.  This only scratches the surface.  I will have more blogs about conventions, but, I don't want to have ALL the juicy stuff in one blog.

Photo below is from New York Comic Con (NYCC)

Photo: Fred R Conrad / New York Times

MY FIRST BLOG

So here is it.  My first blog on my first blogspot.

I want to first say THANK YOU for taking the time to check out this post and blog.  I've been saying for a while now that I'm going to start a blog about my experiences in the comic industry.  When I said that to a few people, they thought automatically it was going to be a "roast".  Well it's not..lol.

I've been very luck over the past 10 years to be able to work in an industry where I can work from home and do what I love to do.  Create comics.  Art.  And of course get out and travel the country going from convention to convention.  But I'll tell you, all the freedom to do what YOU want to do and what YOU love to do can come with a price.  Both physically and mentally.

Just over 10 years ago before I broke into the industry, I never thought I'd get as far as I did.  I was just another artist looking to break into comics.  I didn't really know how and there wasn't a book on how to do it either.  Back then (I make it sound like 50 years ago..lol), Myspace was the place to go for social networking.  Facebook was just getting started (2004).  That's when I started posting my art on Myspace which I've heard a lot of artist were doing to get noticed.  So I did the same thing in hoping to get "found".  MANY years of posting on Myspace, it finally happened.  After I posted my first couple of colored pieces on my page, I was asked in late 2006 early 2007 to work on a comic from cover to cover.  I said YES!  The gentleman who discovered me is Darren Sanchez from After Hours Press (which is still around today).  Where people think I'm crazy is this next part.  How much did I get paid?  Well I said YES to NOT getting paid and doing the book and covers FREE.  What Darren did give me were comps of the books and a table at my first Convention I ever attended as a professional...Wizard World Chicago (2007).  But I knew with having a comic I worked on, physically in my hand, it would be easier to talk to editors and other creators who are looking for colorists. And it worked.

So there ya have it.  The beginning of my NEW career.

That first book I worked on is called Foxwood Falcons.  At the show I was sitting with Darren (creator/writer) and Matthew Tow (illustrator).  Together we were signing and having a great time.

From that point on, I told myself, "this is what I want to do with the rest of my life".