To become a Comic Book Artist, you must complete many educational prerequisites. For example, graphic designers, fine artists, and animators are common studies for comic book artists.
Furthermore, 66% of Comic Book Artists have a Bachelor’s Degree, whereas 13% have a High School Diploma.
We discovered this by thoroughly researching the subject of Comic Book Artist education and examining 184 Comic Book Artist resumes.
Schools like Full Sail and the School of Visual Arts are two of the most popular universities for students who want to become comic book artists.
The Most Valuable College Degrees in the Comic Book Industry
A comic book publisher’s employees and freelancers are typically just required to draw or write effectively; however, a Bachelor’s degree in a topic relevant to your strengths, such as writing or drawing, may assist.
Many institutions around the nation have courses that will help you excel in the comic book business, and these courses can credit toward a bachelor’s degree.
After a Bachelor’s Degree
Achieving the Master’s Degree Level in a Specific Discipline, Like writing or painting, may be helpful but is unlikely to be required while searching for work in the comic book business.
But, of course, you could always follow in the footsteps of Michael Uslan, the executive producer of the first Batman picture series.
Monmouth University in New Jersey conferred the world’s first Doctor of Comic Books degree on Uslan in 2012, bolstering the concept that institutions increasingly accept comic books as a valid field of study.
Editors and writers of comic books
According to Barry Lyga, creator of “The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl” and former Wolverine writer, writing a comic book needs you to know how to write and think visually to generate storylines that an artist can readily comprehend.
You may enhance your writing and editing abilities by studying English, creative writing, and journalism, which can lead to a job writing and editing comic books.
For example, the University of Florida in Gainesville has one of the country’s oldest creative writing departments.
In contrast, the Writer’s Workshop at the University of Iowa offers the nation’s most renowned innovative writing school.
Artists that create comics
Art schools, as opposed to other universities, tend to provide more coursework unique to the comic book business, ranging from illustrating graphic novels and digital painting to narrative illustration and penciling.
For example, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design offers classes for cartoonists, illustrators, pencilers, colorists, letterers, and inkers.
Through its School of Illustration, the Academy of Art Institute in San Francisco provides courses connected to the comic book business.
Determine the sort of artist you want to be ahead of time and enroll in a college that offers classes that will help you achieve.
Executives in Comics
Although writers and artists generate interest in comic books, executives working behind the scenes are vital.
Executives write storylines, coordinate marketing activities, collaborate with film studios to make films based on a comic book character or characters, and even answer queries provided by funny book websites.
Joe Quesada, Marvel Entertainment’s chief creative officer, often replies to queries, particularly on his ongoing work designing covers and inventing characters.
Earning a degree in business, marketing, or advertising may help you find a position behind the scenes, but acquiring equivalent experience in alternative areas might also assist.
Can I become a comic book artist?
Although practically anybody may become a comic book artist, there are a few necessary abilities to succeed in this field.
First, the capacity to conceive is essential, followed by aesthetic skills and a natural flair for sketching.
Every comic book artist should have creativity, inventiveness, interpersonal skills, and physical dexterity.
And, since most comic book art is created digitally, even for printed comics in newspapers or other magazines, artists must be familiar with and proficient in various graphic applications, including Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, as well as Mac’s Made with Mischief.
Of course, a Wacom tablet is also required.
However, since producing comics generally begins with a pencil in rough sketches and drawings on paper, having a collection of pencils ranging from 6H to 2B is crucial.
Because most (if not all) comic books have the main character and a few supporting characters, a comic book artist must be able to represent the human body properly.
Over-exaggeration can only carry an artist so far unless the comic requires it; thus, making characters seem realistic is essential in this discipline.
Artists must also be able to weave a tale via sequential artwork panels that take readers (or viewers) on a trip.
You may not be the most acceptable writer in the world, and you may have a writer on your team, but you must have a narrative in mind from beginning to end.
There are probably a few dozen methods to enter the comic book business, and one of the most beneficial in obtaining a degree.
Although a degree is not required, the level of instruction you will get will be helpful whether seeking work, developing in this industry, or striking out on your own.
Most comic book artists will pursue an art degree focusing on drawing or illustration, where they will master different studio or advanced art methods and graphic design.
Attending and getting a degree from a private art school is an alternative to attending a two-year or four-year college or university.
Drawing and illustration programs at art colleges are often specialized, focusing on the graphic novel and comic book art, as well as webcomics, manga, and anime.
Webcomics, also known as Internet or online comics, are published on a website; usually an artist’s website, as well as on sites such as Reddit, Imgur, Tapastic, or Webtoons, to name a few.
They are published regularly (Monday through Friday, three times a week, or on weekends) and are free to see.
On the other hand, most webcomic artists earn money by selling t-shirts with their artwork emblazoned on them.
xkcd and Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal are two prominent webcomics nowadays. The artist generally authors these comics in the strip or single-panel format.
Most (but not all) webcomics have a more narrow topic matter than most printed newspaper or magazine comics, and the subject matter is generally significantly darker.
Nonetheless, the artwork and subject matter vary widely.
Although most webcomic artists keep their presentations basic, with simple painting and writing, others may include animations, music, and motion.
How much does an artist make for a comic book?
If you’re starting, mainstream comics like Dark Horse, Marvel, and DC will cost you between $200 and $300 for each page.
Everything is unique to each individual, although these rates are typical for the “Big Three.”
Therefore that’s per page—the typical comic is 20-22 pages, so your salary (which is now paid into your bank account as a digital voucher) is $3,500-$5,500 for each book.
So, if you can only write one book each month, your yearly revenue will range between $49,000 and $70,000.
If you can complete more than one book monthly, your revenue will improve. It also grows if you get recognition or your work sells extraordinarily well.
Keep in mind that the number of paid comic artists is relatively tiny.
DC Comics’ Jose Garcia Lopez and Marvel Comics’ John Romita Sr. come to mind.
99% of today’s artists are freelancers, which means they pay their taxes quarterly or in a lump sum at the end of the year.
Smaller firms pay $100-$150 per page, and both large and small companies provide royalties based on the number of copies sold and royalties for reprints and compilations of your work.
If you work conventionally as an artist, you may sell your original art pages for roughly $100 – $1000 each, depending on the topic (for major comics).
Because the great majority of artists now work digitally, there is no original art in such circumstances, which drives up the value of existing art.
Are comics a legitimate form of art?
Before everything else, comic comics and graphic novels are considered entertainment.
Given that movies, television, and video games all have the same classification, it’s a reasonable evaluation.
These crude descriptions misrepresent the worth of the items they represent. We like Picasso’s paintings and Shakespeare’s scribblings but don’t believe in anything else.
To argue that only material taught in schools as “fine art” has any aesthetic merit is snobbish and archaic. When “high art” became recognized, only literature, music, and physical art existed.
Technological advances allow us to create paintings that move, play music, and tell a narrative.
Modern film is now widely recognized as an art form. Consequently, many internet film reviewers and a specialized cinema study section at most colleges work to legitimize the medium.
Film recognition is insufficient. Other mediums exist, but they are not held in the same regard as frescoes or poetry. Video games are a contentious medium. The media crosses the line between stupid, brutal entertainment and profound, tragic art.
This same sentence is included in the film. Your summer blockbusters are designed to sell products and appeal to the broadest population possible.
Then there are independent films created by tiny studios with a committed crew attempting to create something unique, true art.
The “Transformers” series, the granddaddy of dumb-fun blockbuster, smashes, launched its fourth installment, “Age of Extinction,” in 2014, grossing $245 million at the American box office.
The following year, “The Lobster,” an absurdist, thought-provoking indie film, was released. Unfortunately, the wildcard film only made $9 million at the US box office.
The sales figures indicate a clear winner. Even though 88 percent of viewers approved of “The Lobster,” compared to 18 percent who approved of “Transformers,” the last picture gets the gold.
This mismatch suggests that we may not be as eager to seek art wherever it may be found as we would like to think.
Video games are in a similar category. For example, the “Call of Duty” brand releases a new installment each year, never willing to rest on its laurels. Yet, at the same time, imaginative and moving games are being created.
Following up on Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy books, newcomer company “CD Projekt Red” burst onto the scene with “The Witcher” series.
The fictitious location is a visual feast for the eyes—the character’s rival Shakespeare’s in excellence.
In addition, the writing serves as the foundation for genuine connections and a compelling and accessible plot.
Comic books have traditionally been the weekly serials that test the imaginations and senses of the wonder of teenagers.
Initially, comics were straightforward tales of good against evil, with cartoonishly heroic heroes battling hilariously menacing antagonists.
Over time, authors started to tell frightening tales, complete with flawed people.
Suddenly, the Robin Hood impersonator caught his sidekick taking heroin.
Black superheroes emerged as a source of inspiration for a disenfranchised community. Mutated humans waged diplomatic fights for acceptability.
Perhaps most crucially, the concept of a guy disguised as a bat with plenty of electronics pursuing after a prankster clown evolved into the bleak tale of a criminally obsessed vigilante attempting to restore order in a city tormented by a psychotic anarchist.
More comics and graphic novels started investigating and confronting current and relevant themes.
Their artwork had to convey to the viewer what was going on using just one still picture at a time.
This procedure seems to be similar to that of a Renaissance picture or a classical symphony.
How do I find my comic book art style?
Which comic art style should you choose? It’s one of those things everyone is dying to know the answer to be addressed when we study the craft of comic book artwork, and it should be.
Our artistic style acts as our work’s unique visual identity, allowing us to recognize it as our own. We all want to be identified.
Imagine if a multitude of people saw your comic art and recognized right away, without a doubt, who made it.
I’m sure you’re the first to point out a piece of work by your favorite comic book artist when you see it.
Then, you give them credit and are proud because you admire them and their work.
We want the same for our work. You have a right to it.
But the issue is, which comic art style should you choose? Is there a specific style you must adhere to for your work to be classified as amusing book illustrations? As things are, we ought to follow.
How do I Become an Inker?
After the pencilwork is completed, the inker adds the blackwork to the comic.
Although inkers have traditionally been considered glorified tracers, the task is complex and challenging.
Someone who wishes to become an inker has various options for advancing their profession in the comic book and graphic novel business.
However, would-be inkers should know that the sector may be quite competitive and that breaking into the industry and earning a livelihood can take years of hard labor.
An inker, sometimes known as an embellisher or finisher, plays a vital role in the production of graphic novels.
An inker, sometimes known as an embellisher or finisher, plays an essential role in the production of graphic novels.
An inker who is also a skilled comic artist is not unusual. Many inkers earned their careers after years of practice, submitting work samples to comic book publishers, and finally landing entry-level positions in the inking department.
These individuals eventually get additional responsibility and may operate independently as inkers as they gain experience and time to hone their talents.
This professional route to becoming an inker might be lengthy, but it aids in developing auxiliary skills that can be utilized to make a livelihood.
Some working inkers advise beginning inking as soon as possible after deciding this is a career path that interests them.
Photocopies of penciled artwork may be obtained from comic publishers, other inkers, or comic artists by someone wishing to become an inker.
They may use these tools to hone their inking talents and ultimately construct a portfolio.
Different inkers began by tracing published comics in pencil and then inking them, honing their abilities with practice until they reached the level of competency required to apply for employment.