Kav's Tips for Comic Artists - Production
by A. "Kav" Kaviraj
Comic book artist, A. Kaviraj, continues his series of providing useful tutorials for comic book artists.
Ok here we go. Here's something that a lot of aspiring artists don't think about-I know they don't think about it because of the countless artists who have come and gone at Champion City Comics, the webcomics company I am affiliated with.
There are two things publishers like Marvel are looking for. Most aspiring artists think they are looking for only one thing-talent. And there's the rub.
Because they are looking for talent, AND productivity. That's right. They want an artist that can consistently produce 22 pages a month. More is better. So many artists get sucked into being talented and they produce a few pages and then sit. Waiting to get hired. And when they get hired, uh-oh-they can't seem to produce pages. One guy who used to work for Champion City produced 2 pages in 4 months. Procrastination abounds among the talented, for some reason.
So what do you do about it, now? You have to start producing pages as if you already work for Marvel Comics. You have to, under your own impetus, produce 22 pages a month. So you are ready and in the habit of producing 22 pages a month so when Marvel Comics hires you, you PRODUCE 22 PAGES A MONTH.
I am here to tell you-you cannot go from producing an incredible page every 2 months to producing 22 pages a month! You have to get yourself in the habit. It's training, man. If you are not serious enough to do that there are plenty of serious people ready to take your spot immediately. I went from a page every 2 days to my current rate of 1-2 pages a day. I built up to it. It got easier.
"But I work a full time job!" I hear some whining. Hey, SO DO I. How serious are you, my friend? I myself am DEAD SERIOUS.
So go ahead and get good. That's fine great etc. But remember, the key is production, dependability. You have to put everything you have into this effort, and a little bit more.
I would love to hear from industry editors out there any stories about awesome artists they hired after a portfolio review who got their first assignment, did a few pages, then petered out and were dismissed. I KNOW this must be a fairly common scenario. I would also love to hear from any artists who are kicking themselves now because this happened to them. Email me.
Yes, this means you will have to draw a LOT of unpaid pages. Unpaid pages are training, apprenticeship for the CAREER you are aspiring to. So don't get in the mindset of 'these pages aren't important-after all, I'm not getting paid for them. I'm gonna go out drinking with my friends'. You are getting paid. In something very valuable-EXPERIENCE. With EXPERIENCE come the paying jobs. You are also developing a HABIT. A habit of drawing a certain amount every day. A habit you can't break. Don't want to break. If I don't draw for about 6 hours I start going nuts. I need a fix, man-I want to DRAW.
I really don't understand artists that don't produce. Do you want to draw, or don't you? If you do, why aren't you? If you don't, why are you? Pick one man-don't apply for a drawing job then jerk the guy around then produce nothing then part on bad terms. That's not nice. This happens with most of the artists who have applied to Champion City Comics-and I know we can't be the only ones.
I guarantee no one is going to get hired by Marvel Comics, produce 5 pages, then retire with a hefty pension. Yet that seems to be the plan, from what I'm seeing, of many artists. Be ready for 3 years of maximum effort to break into this business. And no guarantees. But, if you work that hard for that long, you will produce some awesome stuff, which could pay off later, and by then you'll have made several contacts and be in the habit of producing comics. After that it's up to the gods. You know, Loki and those guys.
Drawing can be the funnest, most satisfying experience possible to a human being. I've done a lot of fun things in my life. Incredible, mind blowingly fun. But drawing, for me, tops them all easily. When I'm in that zone, listening to music and the lines are just draping themselves onto the paper with an ease born of long familiarity, when no image scares me, that is the epitome of human consciousness. Who wouldn't want that? Look at the attached Rapid City page-you can see how much fun I had drawing it. (PS I've been told that page is reminiscent of Steranko. AWESOME. If anyone has any Steranko art they want to give me for free that would be great.).
Also, be ready for the nay-sayers. 'Friends' who remind you how impossible it is for 'you' to become a comic artist. Who 'Joke' about how bad you drew something. It seems to be human nature that people do not like to see their comrades succeed. You can tell you are getting good when these types start launching their attacks. No one makes fun of a really bad artist they always say 'Oh that looks really nice'. You know the drill. Cut these people out of your life and plunge FORWARD. Thank them for revealing themselves so you do not have to waste any time on them-time that could be spent drawing. It's a satisfying experience to realize you are too good for someone and watch them twist in the wind without your friendship. Remember-this is a person who is happiest when you are miserable. "Tell me all about it", they say CONSOLINGLY. They thrive on your suffering. Matter of fact, they're kinda like the vampires in 'Dr Death vs the Zombie'.
http://www.championcitycomics.com/2011/05/dr-death-vs-zombie-adult-language.html
So I guess what I'm saying is make drawing your reason for existence. Make it your central thing, from which all other aspects of your life radiate. Every human needs some anchor, thing, hobby, whatever in their life to feel complete. If you go pro and can do it for an income-there's nothing more satisfying in life than that. You're shooting for a place on Mt Olympus with gods like Kirby, Swan, Phillips, Romita...Icons forever etched in history. True artists whose original works go for $10,000 a page...the greater the reward the steeper the slope. With great power comes great responsibility. In brightest day, in blackest night...It's CLOBBERIN' TIME!
So-how many pages a month do YOU draw?
A Kaviraj
http://www.championcitycomics.com/
A. KAVIRAJ: Kav is an artist, teacher, and biologist who lives in Sacramento, California. He is the artist forThe End of Paradise, Rapid City, and Dr Death vs The Zombie. He is the writer and artist for Dr. Death vs. The Vampire. E-mail: ddkaviraj@aol.com
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