I'm finally shopping around for an artist for my comic book idea. I'm starting locally here in Boise with a Craig's List ad offering a cut of the royalties with an advance. I'm sending potential artists a test so I can get a handle on their style:
---Five character sketches
---Two action sketches to feel how they draw action.
---A short two page scene.
All of these are all pencil scenes. I got a response back from an artist, submitting one drawing of a guy with a black hair wearing a white dress shirt colored in and saying he couldn't do anything else without a financial commitment.
This isn't enough to make a judgment. But do the artists in the group think that the test described is too much or do you think it's fair enough? Those writers who have found artists, how have you found them?
Comments
You published your story Adam? Congratulations, I didn't know. I think your question is really a 2 parter.
1) Is this an efficient test of the artist's abilities to meet my needs?
2) What sort of payment, if any, should I offer.
You have a lot of great advice from some very good artists here already:) I'll just share something I heard once from a comic company's submission policies. "Send 'x' number of sequential comic pages. Do not send pin-ups. You can't tell from pin-ups".
I found my partner artist the CCAS' "Alpha Omega" fanzine. It took years, but that was mostly my fault. When the time came, another member recommended Larry Blake to us, and I wrote to him, and he has been the best partner I could ever ask for since. Oddly enough I originally wanted a manga style artist, as I have been an Otaku for a very long time. But Larry excels in a more Western style of art. For once I was willing to let God have his way, and over time I came to appreciate Larry's art very, very much. Today I wouldn't want anyone else to do my stories:) Don't know if any of that helps with your situation, it's how I met my artist though:)
It's already a published novel that's been out since 2010.
I think there's a point to what you're saying and perhaps requires an amendment of approach. If someone has done sequential art and they've got a portfolio of good samples that show that, then the test may be over the top and I can just evaluate their portfolio.
My problem is that most of the people who've contacted me haven't drawn comics before but would like to. I had one guy contact me who had no online portfolio but was a tatoo artist! And there's another problem too. Getting this done will require a lot of follow through and time even when money's not coming until we start selling books. That requires some consistency of work and dedication.
If you want someone to design a character that you describe, you should pay them. If they have an online gallery, you can judge how good they are from that.
I disagree. It is reasonable for an artist to be paid for their work, even if it is just sketches and even if you finally decide to not use him.
You can see samples of his skill from his portfolio and that should be enough for you to decide if he has the talents you are looking for. But for you to ask him to draw that many things without payment does not honor his time and work.
You don't need to pay him the full amount you would pay your final artist, but offering money for sketches will get you serious artists who will approach your project with dedication.
It's not an unfair test and that guy obviously doesn't want to work.
If you don't like that site then try Atlantis Studios. They are work for hire you pay them one fee and your book is done.