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Las Vegas sketches at last
Or "at ass," maybe. Hur. Anyway, because I can't manage to get them into the old post below, here's a link to the towering and turgid works DB and I realized at Buttcheeks:
http://www.papertiger.50megs.com/photo4.html
Bonus! The genuine original classic Stripper's Mermaid sketch.
In other news, I got an offer from my overboss today. They don't want me to leave, so they've offered me a less clincally-depressing position. If it works out I'm going to stay, while scheming and whoring busily to grow my freelance client list. Because I fear the wolf, fear his yellow eyes at my door, and the spit he leaves everywhere with his stupid wolfish slavering.
http://www.papertiger.50megs.com/photo4.html
Bonus! The genuine original classic Stripper's Mermaid sketch.
In other news, I got an offer from my overboss today. They don't want me to leave, so they've offered me a less clincally-depressing position. If it works out I'm going to stay, while scheming and whoring busily to grow my freelance client list. Because I fear the wolf, fear his yellow eyes at my door, and the spit he leaves everywhere with his stupid wolfish slavering.
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*congratulates jwaneeta for being indispensible and drafts job description for nekkid boy*
that's good news
Is your email down?
Re: that's good news
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I do hope your work situation sorts itself out and that your talent is recognised.
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As to the work sitch: from your lips to God's ears, preferably before I mental. :)
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I work as an artist full time and never had a day job... did some art-related jobbing on the side, but that was it. And I gotta say, when I got started out I had way less to work with than you, both in terms of practiced skills and client list. And yeah, these attacks of omgwheredoIgettherentfornextmonth:O... that sucks, but it's the best incentive to get going and acquiere new jobs and clients. (FWIW...)
btw, loved the sketches of the stripper, so dynamic. Damn, you're really good.
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... but, as I forgot to add, that gets better once you got the ball rollin'. :o) You just gotta stick it out in the beginning, that's it.
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I'm trying to learn new ways of approaching companies cold, but I'm very inexperienced at that, as all my jobs back in the old days came via word of mouth. When I came returned to the field after a break of five years, the cast of editors and ADs had changed, and nobody knew me.
How did you build a client list? Do you do email, or send tear sheets, or what? Clueless here, and pretty jolly desperate after a year in the corporate sector.
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Recently I've been on a frank spree of seeking, but no takers. Not for comics work, not for graphics work. Nada. :(
The comic market has been in a slumper for quite a while. I did some comic work right after uni, only briefly, and realized quickly that people are right when they say you can't make a living as a comic artist in Germany. And that was in 96, only at the beginning of the slumper. At the time at least there were better chances in Great Britain. 2000AD in particular were always ready to give newcomers a chance (though the money wasn't exactly stellar from what I was told). At ComicCon in Bristol editors from 2000AD and other magazines were viewing portfolios by the dozens looking for new talent. I don't know whether that has changed, though, I haven't been to ComicCon in several years.
Right now the only thing that still seems to sell are mangas. Or maybe that wave has ebbed down already. Have you ever done children's book illustration, or considered doing it? That market is affected by the economy as well, of course, but not to that degree *knockonwood*. The money is not comparable to the that made in advertising, but it's fun and rewarding work.
How did you build a client list? Do you do email, or send tear sheets, or what? Clueless here, and pretty jolly desperate after a year in the corporate sector.
Several ways (again, I'm speaking just from my and my friends' experiences):
1.Go to bookstores, look what companies publish the kind of artwork that suits you. Look up their addresess on the net (In Germany for example there is a comprehensive book that lists all publishing companies with addresses). Call them, ask whether you can send work samples for their archive, if so, care of whom to send it (always better to send it directly to one editor). In many cases the artwork will just get added to the archive and you may or may not hear back from them in the future. Sometimes it'll get rejected right away. Sometimes if you're lucky it can lead directly to a job. But even if you don't hear back right away it's not necessarily a bad thing. It's also not a bad idea to update with more recent artwork every once in a while.
During my first years I sent roughtly three dozen portfolios. I sent photos because they were cheaper, but looking back I would now choose colour photo copies for a better first impression. I don't think sending digital pictures, however money-saving, is a good idea at all... not useful for an archive.
Once you have finished a couple of jobs, it tends to get easier because your name is no longer an unknown.
2. Industry fairs and conventions.
The most important book fair happens to take place in Frankfurt which saves us here a ton of money. :) (Trips to trade fairs are tax-deductable btw.) I don't know where the important book fairs in the US happen (assuming you're American?). Comics would be San Diego, right?
Frankfurt is the only trade fair I visit regularly. I got several jobs there over the years, so it's not to be underestimated. You need to make appointments beforehand though. Some editors will see you without one, but not all.
3. representation
Over here you don't need an agent (though I know one or two people who do) but there are interesting alternatives, like an 'Archive for the Artist': they display their members' work at the large trade fairs as well as on the internet. You pay a yearly fee but you don't have to share a percentage of your payment with any agent, which I prefer immesurably. They save one quite a bit of legwork, because they're well-known enough that publishers use them to find artists. I would guess that something like that exists overseas as well, but I don't know of anything concrete.
Um, that's all I can think of right now. I hope this helps a bit.
Oh, one more thought...
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...the thing is, all this work-seeking action is pretty much a full time job in itself, so doing that next to a full day job, that's taxing. I did mostly freelance part-time work on the side, like lettering comics and drawing artifacts at the museum. The money was ultry-crappy but it helped, and it left enough time to pursue the other stuff seriously.
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I still get comics work, but it's too spotty to be full time support. Also book jacket illustration, but only sporadically. The trouble is getting enough of these types of jobs. They pay well, but if you only get six a year....
About fan conventions: back when I first got hired in comics, I was hired at a convention, so you're right about that. But comics work is sparse, yeah. Getting a little better, thanks to the success of the Marvel flicks and more readers coming back from the mainstream, but editors are still very paranoid.
I've been sending out color xeroxes, actually, but I think I need to find better targets. I'll take your advice about focusing on certain publishers, ie: kid's books. That's a good thought.
About looking for work being a full tme job, in addition to holding down a full-time job: wow, you said it. *drops dead*
Thanks!