The opinions expressed in the Editor’s Rant! Are the opinions of the writer and not necessarily the opinions of the other members of the Original Comic Creator’s Club. Any questions or responses to this article please post in the club. "Marvel Comics looked at my portfolio of pin-ups, and now I’m the regular artist of X-Men!”
This is very unlikely to happen.
The Reason I bring this up is that of all the artwork I’ve seen in Yahoo! from aspiring & fellow hopeful future comicbook artists, I’d say about 90-95% is pin-up art, i.e.: poster style images. Some of it is incredible art, but it is still pin-up art nonetheless. But big companies are looking for sequential storytelling ability, and pin-ups can’t really show how well you can draw a comic.
I have a lot of respect for everyone who’s posted their stuff here & elsewhere on the net. They’ve opened their sketchbooks & diaries for everyone to see and comment on; a brave thing to do.
But when I come across artists who’ve drawn comic pages, no matter what their artistic level, I always regard those as special. Because drawing comic pages doesn’t always allow you to “razzle & dazzle” the way drawing a pin-up image can. Pin-ups can give you an opportunity to use the most glamorous angles & images, but comics pages are usually dictated by the story requirements. Pin-ups are a single image; all the artists’ attention can be focused towards making that single image. Comic pages have multiple panels (usually) and the artist has to decide panel size, shape, angle, etc. for each one.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not at all against pin-ups or pin-up art. There are artists who break into the industry by doing pin-ups or covers. Some artists have had their first published work be a pin-up in the back or letter column of an established comic. And there are artists like Jae Lee and Brian Stelfreeze, for whom cover art makes up most of their assignments. But it seems to me that trying to make it as a cover artist is tough, unless you paint in a realistic style, like Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell, Joe Jusko, or Alex Ross.
Understand your goals: Are you a pin-up style artist, who’s content to draw pin-ups & poster style images, or are you an aspiring comic book artist who has a series of pinups in their portfolio?
Say you’ve got that collection of cool pin-ups of either your own characters or established ones from the big companies. And they’re good, really good. What's the next step? It’s SIMPLE (but NOT easy!)
If you want to be a comic book artist YOU HAVE TO DRAW COMIC PAGES!
Like I say, simple, but NOT necessarily easy. Take a look at that drawing of a cool character you’ve designed. The one with all the intricate detail in it. Can you draw that character from different angles; from above? Below? Behind? In shadow? About 50 times per issue? Can you draw your (or their) characters with different expressions and emotions? Can you draw the characters in the appropriate environments to convey the story?
All this and more are required from an artist drawing a comic book. This is the pain, & the joy, of creating comics.
Comic book artists create windows to the worlds their characters and stories inhabit. They serve as the bridge between the writer’s vision, & what the readers finally see. Through the use of angles, panel size & composition, they influence what the readers experience and how they react to the images & story.
This sounds a bit overwhelming. But take it a small step at a time. If you’re just starting out, don’t feel you have to draw a whole 22 page comic right out of the gate. Try doing one that’s smaller, like a 5-page story. If you feel you can’t write your own stories to draw, try and work with a writer, either on your or their concept/ideas. Finding a writer who’s totally in sync with your philosophy and style can be tough sometimes, but having someone else dealing with the story elements can free you to concentrate on the art.
Also, don’t get too uptight about creating a TOTAL MASTERPIECE of a comic, just try your best. Most people will tell you the industry standard is a page a day. If you can accomplish that EVERY DAY, then that’s fine, great! But it’s more important when starting out, to make regular progress on a page. Always be working on the page; even if you can’t finish it. Even if you only draw 1 panel, that’s 1 panel closer to completion. Many artists can get overcome by these factors (including me), and can get bogged down or disinterested in the entire project. Why do you think it takes so long for an issue of Danger Girl to come out? J. Scott Campbell has to live up to the standards he perceives, and is under great pressure to make EVERY panel a masterpiece, but it bogs him down. Like I say, just try your best.
Most comic artists don’t have that luxury of creating only when inspiration strikes, like everyone else; there are good days and bad days. Again, just do the best art you’re capable of. If you want to stop work until know that page will come out JUST RIGHT, or if you want to maintain a professional schedule, it’s up to you. It depends on what your priority is. Valid arguments can be made for both points. Of course you want to produce the best work possible, right? But the big companies have shipping and printing deadlines to meet. In the real world, deadlines take priority, money is at stake. Companies are usually only tolerant of missed deadlines from established, big name talent. Missing deadlines will definitely hurt your career as a comic artist.
But you have to be able to live with your choice. Drawing a lot of pages that you feel were rushed and not your best work can be disheartening. Jobs that require a lot of creativity (like comics) are greatly affected by the emotional well-being of the employee. So you have do what’s best for you. I’ve done art that I was very happy with, and other art that was more about producing it on deadline, than a real emotional involvement for me. I think that on some days it’s more of one than the other, and you hope it balances out in the end.
Those of you with the portfolio of pinups, I urge you to start drawing some comic pages. It’s hard, but it can be very rewarding!
Later
~Don