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appleleo323 · Apr 29, 2003, 01:39 PM

Just wondering if anyone here draws comic books or if they use there Apples to draw comics and what your set up is? Anyone like comics?

graphics84 · Apr 29, 2003, 02:31 PM

I color comics

the artist that i know do all there art on 11X17 boards then they are scanned in at high res then colored in photoshop

I do all my coloring in Photoshop

DeathMan · Apr 30, 2003, 03:15 AM

That sounds like it would be a really fun experience, but it might get tedious at times I suppose. Whats it like? How do you like it? Do you use a tablet? What kind?

graphics84 · Apr 30, 2003, 12:25 PM

Originally posted by DeathMan:
That sounds like it would be a really fun experience, but it might get tedious at times I suppose. Whats it like? How do you like it? Do you use a tablet? What kind?

I like doing it but there are some artists that are just a huge pain in the butt... the problem is they tend to be the artist I really like (Art Adams).

I work on some really big DC titles and Wildstorm books. I work under the main colorist so I don't do the shading or texture stuff... I just really break up the images so he can do his job easier.

My set-up is pretty simple.

Ti 1gig
Wacom Graphire 4X5
Photoshop 7

I average a page an hour...

I think next time I'm going to get the intous 4X5 but it's kinda pricy. The only extra value I can see is the ability to get custom pens (the extra sensitivity won't do much for me).

So I also get free books and passes to ComicCon... not bad

Have had a few drinks with Jim Lee, Travis, and few others...

appleleo323 · Apr 30, 2003, 01:54 PM

graphics84 just wondering how did you get into the comic book industry, im an "aspiring" wanting to get into jus wondering how you did it, any college?? thanks

graphics84 · Apr 30, 2003, 02:18 PM

Originally posted by appleleo323:
graphics84 just wondering how did you get into the comic book industry, im an "aspiring" wanting to get into jus wondering how you did it, any college?? thanks

no college...

I moved to San Diego

Wildstorm had a postiion open in there Production department and I applied...

I was competeing with a few people with degrees but I knew my stuff...

I think I impressed them with my general Mac Knowledge and my keycomands...

I had to do a photoshop test which I did in about 30 secs and then a Quark test (which I had never used but I muddled my way through and told them I had never used that version of Quark before). heh

Anyway I worked there for 3 months... great people but the work was boring... I scanned in artboards all day on a 7100/80 (super cool to handle the orginal art boards but it wares off after a few thousand, well except for Travis on wildcats)... then I cleaned them up on a 7500/100.... ughhh, that sucked (at the time a G3 B&W 450 was the top of the line)... so I read more comic books then did actual work...

so I made a bunch of great contacts... most of those comic people know how to drink (i didn't have to teach them to much)..

after 3 months I left the biz (officaly)...

now I do freelance for a few colorists... it's not to hard but there is a learning curve... I actually have a crew of 3 other people that work under me... that way I can take a big bulk of pages and turn them pretty fast...

right now I'm doing JLA, Authority, Global Frequency, Mek, Batman Planatery... and more...

cool gig...

getting a job like that is an equal 3 parts:

what you know, who you know and being in the right place at the right time...

it's not all dumb luck...

I taught my self computers (to a pretty high level)...

I moved to San Diego (but you can go to the comic cons and talk to people)

just do it...

oh, and on that note I don't need any more help...

but look around for studios

Wildstorm is in San Diego
Image (most of it) is in LA
Marvel and DC are in New York
Vertigo is in Portland (I think)
Darkhorse is in Seattle (i think)

maybe your close to one already...

appleleo323 · Apr 30, 2003, 10:10 PM

thanks for the info. Just wondering since you live in SD are you going to the comic con in july there??

godzookie2k · May 1, 2003, 12:23 AM

I write for a number of local publications. I've self published a few books, and know more comic pencillers than I care to admit. FWIW. I do all my pencilling and inks and paints (acrylic) on 11"x17" bristol, scan them in and photoshop away from there (usually not more than contrast or minor coloring, illustrator for lettering)

G4 dual 500 with a gig of ram and the usual software.

godzookie2k · May 1, 2003, 12:28 AM

i gots some buddies over at diamond who are more into the sales end of things. did you have any more specific questions about the field?

graphics84 · May 1, 2003, 12:55 AM

Originally posted by appleleo323:
thanks for the info. Just wondering since you live in SD are you going to the comic con in july there??

yeah, I'll be at the Con...

I will be under the heading of fire dice studios

appleleo323 · May 1, 2003, 11:09 AM

Originally posted by godzookie2k:
i gots some buddies over at diamond who are more into the sales end of things. did you have any more specific questions about the field?

Since you know some people over at Diamond do you know if the comic book industry is doing better in terms of sales, are they up. Also would you happen to know how many comic boooks are sold in the top spot, #1 comic in feb was Batman any clue how many were actually sold for example. I know the pay in comics isn't as great as other careers but i was just wondering how much a starting penciler or inker would make? thanks.

godzookie2k · May 1, 2003, 06:53 PM

Well, last I heard (or tried to find out) comic pencillers averaged a 30k gross, with inkers making less. I'll ask my boys about the other questions and get back to you.

appleleo323 · May 1, 2003, 11:32 PM

Originally posted by godzookie2k:
Well, last I heard (or tried to find out) comic pencillers averaged a 30k gross, with inkers making less. I'll ask my boys about the other questions and get back to you.

Do you know if the 30k would be for pencilling 1 monthly book, would it be different if some pencilled 2 or 3 books a month?? Or does the company (studio) you work for pay 30k??? thanks

graphics84 · May 1, 2003, 11:37 PM

it all depends on the per page rate... colorist can get $75 - $150 per page...

I work for a colorist that does 3-5 books a (22 pages usaly) a month...

can be good money

I think that pencilers get around $300-$500 a page...

godzookie2k · May 2, 2003, 12:22 AM

hehehe nah, thats gross average based on a per page rate.

i.e. penicler works for blank rate per page. on a yearly basis the average income ends up in the ballpark of 30. but as I said, I'm not too sure about that. I work purely on a freelance basis as my fulltime job (advertising design) pays my bills, I do the writing out of the good of my heart in my spare time mostly.

MikeM33 · May 2, 2003, 01:27 AM

I'm just a tracer

Actually in my previous life I was Stan Lee.

Wait Stan is still alive spidey friends WTF am I talking about?

MikeM

godzookie2k · May 2, 2003, 09:29 AM

Ok, only so much they were allowed to tell me.

Comics this year are up 1% give or take, and the same in Graphic Novels compared to last year.

This is significant because last year compared to the year before in sales, comics were up 20-30%.

GN's were up about +50% last year compared to the year before. So there has been a significant drop in sales, but new sales are still coming in. All probably due to the economy.

This is the year of Transformers, Origins, Spidey, etc.

Batman I can't give you specific numbers, but it sold over 150,000 copies.

Starting pencillers and inkers make "crap". (thats a quote)

hope it helps.

graphics84 · May 2, 2003, 11:12 AM

it's definitely an industry where you have to slum around for a while till you earn your dues... and then you can sit pretty and do your own thing...

There are a lot of people in the comic industry that don't get there names on books and barely make minimum wage

Starting coloring at a few studios is like $10 bucks and hour (not a lot if you live in a city)

but then you do pay your dues and your can have fun doing what you want... move up the ranks... ass editor to editor... production to design... background pencils to having your own book...

look at Warren Ellis, Art Adams, Todd Macfarlene... these guys put in some serious time and now they live a pretty good life with some mild fame to boot...

I'm not going any farther in it though...

I like the free books, and working on something that people enjoy is cool (especially since I was one of those kids and never thought I'd ever work on a book).

I'm not a good comic artist... and coloring is pretty monotonous...

godzookie2k · May 2, 2003, 08:48 PM

really why I do anything in the field related. I still love comics (though admiteddly I don't really even buy them much anymore) so I like contributing to the small stuff. I always had (have) the dream of working in the field, but I pretty much gave up on that due to the insanely crappy payrates. I mean, Mcfarlane and a few others live really well, but they are a precious few considering the amount of pencillers in the field.

appleleo323 · May 2, 2003, 09:17 PM

Originally posted by godzookie2k:
really why I do anything in the field related. I still love comics (though admiteddly I don't really even buy them much anymore) so I like contributing to the small stuff. I always had (have) the dream of working in the field, but I pretty much gave up on that due to the insanely crappy payrates. I mean, Mcfarlane and a few others live really well, but they are a precious few considering the amount of pencillers in the field.

So are you saying it would be hard make a living out of the comic book industry or did you expect to be payed more?? I always knew the pay was low but never thought it was crappy, anyways can't you work your way up, I mean McFarlene, JLEE, PLEE, didn't all start with tons of money and fame. I don't think the comic book industry makes it impossible for you to move up like other industry, but Im not in it....yet. So what do i know, just my 2 cents

godzookie2k · May 2, 2003, 09:38 PM

I never said the industry made it impossible to advance. I just said its hard as #%$6 to advance. Mcfarlane and company didn't start out with much, they all started at the bottom, its just mcfarlane and co. are the rare ones to have 'made it big'. Its very hard to make a living in the comic industry. Its very late nights, lots and lots and lots and lots of blood sweat and tears. I frankly gave up because I was sure I was never going actually 'make it' I was never AMAZING at anything comic related, I make a much better designer than I do anything comic related so I decided to go that route, plus I love to design, and as much as I love to draw and write comics, well I'm better a the former.

godzookie2k · May 2, 2003, 09:41 PM

FWIW I think comic artists especially on the low end are severely underpaid.

actually, that goes for the industry as a whole.

graphics84 · May 3, 2003, 01:33 AM

those guys that are making really good money are either really talented or really good biz men...

Macfar... good biz and talented
Jim Lee... sold his studio to DC
Art Adams just really good artist
etc...

I have friends that are in all aspects of the comic book industry most get by with there pay but they do it for the love of doing it...

thats why I do it as much as the money... it's not really worth my time money wise but it's cool to do...

MikeM33 · May 3, 2003, 07:36 PM

I've got something of a technical question here.

You scan the drawings from 11 x 17 boards? I'm curious what sort of scanner is typically used. Most over-the-counter variety scanners are a little larger than letter size but I've yet to use one large enough for ledger size (11 x 17).

MikeM

godzookie2k · May 4, 2003, 04:11 PM

I've seen 11 x 17 inch scanners, but its also not hard to scan it in chunks and slap it back together in potatochop.

godzookie2k · May 5, 2003, 09:16 AM

ooh, more fun facts.

DC no longer accepts submissions.

You can still send to Marvel, but its very unlikely they'll look at them much less hire you.

Apparently the only way to really crack the field lately is to do some " brilliant indy or self-published work, but that is virtually guaranteed to put you in the poorhouse. (the days of Bone, Strangers in Paradise, and Cerebus are over)"

graphics84 · May 5, 2003, 12:37 PM

at Wildstorm we had a huge (kinda old) Agfa 11X17 scanner... and when it broke down we used a really good letter size scanner and put the pages together...

most of the art is done as grayscale then converted into bitmap (tif) files.

Then there's John Cassaday... look at his artwork... it's all grayscale and the files are huge and a bitch to prep... but man I love the look of his art...

I'm using the tecnique in some of my own art

As for breaking in... do it

do what you have to... talk to editors

try to get on special projects.. just about everyone in the industry has a personal pet project and they all need artist (if they arn't artist themselves).

draw on "spec"... for free until you break in...

I have a friend that got into a studio as a flash designer and now pencils for D.H.

appleleo323 · May 5, 2003, 01:07 PM

since im entering college i can always change my major, would you guys reccomend a BS in ART or BS in Graphic Design?? Not asking what degree would help some hire me cuz I know talent is better than a certificate, but i don't think i have all the skills yet to just jump into the industry and also if the comic book industry doesn't work for me I have something to fall back on, so what major would relate more to comics art or graphic design?? Thanks

godzookie2k · May 5, 2003, 05:17 PM

illustration.

appleleo323 · May 7, 2003, 12:48 AM

anyone know how much an inker or colorist make for each page or year and is it common for the inker to be the colorist or vice-versa, are ther any that are all three and are famous or good at all three, i think alex ross does all three.