Kamren
What do you have to do to become a comic book artist
Hello I am in 9th grade and I am just beginning to explore my future careers. A career I've always wanted to follow for a long time is to become a comic book artist. Ever since I was little I've always loved and appreciated super hero movies and tv shows with also the comic books that they were based off of (along with the art in it). And for as long as I can remember I loved to draw my favorite characters from said comics/movies/shows. So through out my life I've idolized many comic artists such as John Romita Jr, Steve Ditko, Mark Bagley, Humberto Ramos and even creators such as Stan Lee. So as I'm improving my art skills and now in high school I now need to thing about my future and what's better than bringing that same love and spark I had as a kid to many more people. And now I ask that of what it takes to become an comic artist, what skills I need, what school I need to go to, and type of education I need, thank you for your time reading this. #artist #art #comics #Marvel #DC #artists
3 answers
Christopher Argueta
Christopher’s Answer
The first thing you should really start doing is posting your own art work. Start a Instagram page, or a Pinterest, or even post on Reddit. Whatever you need to do to start getting your work out there. Hopefully you can start getting recognition there. Continue taking art classes to find new styles and new design choices. College and universities are a great way to meet people and network, maybe you'll professors can connect you to people in the field.
Many comic book artists have their own specific style they follow by. Start by finding yours. Whether its realistic, more animated, a different use of colors and shadows, try to stick to one design and perfect it. Hopefully you'll continue to grow and meet people to see if people would be interested in buying your art. You can even try to make your own comic book or look online to see if any aspiring comic book writers are looking for artists.
deric albright
deric’s Answer
I've been drawing for over 30 years. The most important aspect to becoming an artist in any field--especially comics--is to draw every day. Taking art classes are very important to understanding the foundations of art, so be sure to take them. I'm not an expert on the best college for comic artists, but I think it's more important that you bring the right skills to the table than it is the college you attend.
In addition to art classes, you can study on your own by using YouTube to find free video tutorials. For comic art, I highly recommend you study human anatomy, perspective drawing, and color theory. You can also practice gesture drawings to begin to understand the human body in motion which will help when drawing action based scenes.
I would highly recommend finding some artists to follow on YouTube that draw in a style that interests you and that offer some sort of free tutorials. Artists that I follow include Jim Lee, Karl Kopinski, and Jeff Miracola to name a few. Miracola has some of the better tutorials. But I enjoy the work of Jim Lee and Kopinski, so I watch videos they post and learn a lot from their processes and techniques.
If you are considering social media, I would recommend an Art Station account. You can begin building a professional portfolio there. When you're ready to enter the job market you can use Art Station to apply for jobs that are posted there. Art Station is an industry standard for job seekers within the gaming industry, comic industry, and other creative fields. Whatever you do on social media, don't stress about likes, comments, or follows regardless of the platform you use. These are not a reflection of you as an artist. The best way to use social media is to connect with other creative types and learn.
I hope this helps.
deric recommends the following next steps:
Michael Lee
Michael’s Answer
That's fantastic you want to be a comicbook artist! You should try to make as many art classes at school. At home try to draw scenes from some of your favorite comics. Concentrate on the characters. Try to emulate the style of your favorite artists and see how you do. All this takes is practice, practice, practice.
You should contact artists via twitter and see if they will look at your art. Then see if they can give you advice. I would also recommend taking your art to any Comic cons. See if you can show your work to any artists. You want their advice and pointers.
Also, don't limit yourself to just superhero comics, there are lots of different genre of comics out there.
Good luck. Excelsior