Convention Reality Check
A friend of a friend asked me for some portfolio advice before they headed off to San Diego Comicon. I looked over their artwork and wrote them a critique/reality check so that they'd know what they were getting in to. I wasn't originally intending to reprint it here, but they came up to the UDON booth at the show and warmly thanked me for the feedback and advice, so I thought it might be good to post it up here for everyone. It incorporates a bunch of things I've said before, but there's some new little bits as well, so...
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Hi (name),
Yes, (mutual friend) passed me your gallery link and mentioned that you were looking for feedback.
Although I have my own deviantArt page and post some artwork up, the majority of my time is spent as Project Manager for UDON, working with artists at the studio on projects for comics, video games, toys and other illustration. I do a lot of portfolio reviews for the company and also teach part time in Seneca College's Animation program here in Toronto. I've met a LOT of people looking to break into comics/illustration/animation.
I've written a couple articles about breaking into comics/art that you could find useful:
HERE and HERE.
If this is your first time going to San Diego Comicon, I'd highly recommend heading there to take it all in, do some research on art and the industry and try to make some good social contacts. The chances of you bringing your work cold to the con and landing a well paying job is incredibly small. The social aspects of the industry are just as important as the technical ones. Not to sound mean, but if you spend a ton of time jumping through hoops trying to get a portfolio review from Marvel, DC or Top Cow (which is where your DA gallery is focused) you will have used up a lot of your time there without making any headway. I'm not saying this to be mean, I'm trying to be 100% honest.
The larger comic publishers have no reason to hire an unknown. They have dozens of freelancers who have a slew of credits already at their disposal. It's the equivalent of trying out for the NHL before you've even played hockey in your backyard on a homemade rink. It's impossible and not going to get you the results you want. The fact that Marvel and DC even do portfolio reviews at the conventions is kind of cruel, as far as I'm concerned. It's a PR move so that they don't look like they're turning people away flat-out. At least NHL teams don't pretend you could do a random try-out out of the blue and get a position on their team.
You have to build up your portfolio and a body of work before those companies will even have a chance of taking you seriously. I know it's a paradox - how can I build up credits without being given a chance? But it's not about drawing for the Big Guys right out of the gate. It's smaller illustration projects or creating your own comics as a way to improve your drawing ability and hone your storytelling craft. It's making the hundreds of mistakes you need to make in order to get better before you show them your work.
At the base level, I think you need to focus on drawing from real life, preferably figure drawing from a live model instead of just rehashing the style of comic artists you admire. In the end it's great to have influences but the only way you're going to fully grasp character posing and storytelling is to understand the real human figure from observation first and then bring that experience back to comic drawing. Anything else and you become just a bad photocopy of a photocopy - a bunch of stylized shortcuts instead of a solid drawing foundation.
I know this won't be what you want to hear, especially if you're spending a load of money to go to San Diego Comicon with your dreams in your hands. All I can say on that front is that time and effort will make a difference, but it has to be focused in the right direction.
Sincerely,
Jim
------
Hi (name),
Yes, (mutual friend) passed me your gallery link and mentioned that you were looking for feedback.
Although I have my own deviantArt page and post some artwork up, the majority of my time is spent as Project Manager for UDON, working with artists at the studio on projects for comics, video games, toys and other illustration. I do a lot of portfolio reviews for the company and also teach part time in Seneca College's Animation program here in Toronto. I've met a LOT of people looking to break into comics/illustration/animation.
I've written a couple articles about breaking into comics/art that you could find useful:
HERE and HERE.
If this is your first time going to San Diego Comicon, I'd highly recommend heading there to take it all in, do some research on art and the industry and try to make some good social contacts. The chances of you bringing your work cold to the con and landing a well paying job is incredibly small. The social aspects of the industry are just as important as the technical ones. Not to sound mean, but if you spend a ton of time jumping through hoops trying to get a portfolio review from Marvel, DC or Top Cow (which is where your DA gallery is focused) you will have used up a lot of your time there without making any headway. I'm not saying this to be mean, I'm trying to be 100% honest.
The larger comic publishers have no reason to hire an unknown. They have dozens of freelancers who have a slew of credits already at their disposal. It's the equivalent of trying out for the NHL before you've even played hockey in your backyard on a homemade rink. It's impossible and not going to get you the results you want. The fact that Marvel and DC even do portfolio reviews at the conventions is kind of cruel, as far as I'm concerned. It's a PR move so that they don't look like they're turning people away flat-out. At least NHL teams don't pretend you could do a random try-out out of the blue and get a position on their team.
You have to build up your portfolio and a body of work before those companies will even have a chance of taking you seriously. I know it's a paradox - how can I build up credits without being given a chance? But it's not about drawing for the Big Guys right out of the gate. It's smaller illustration projects or creating your own comics as a way to improve your drawing ability and hone your storytelling craft. It's making the hundreds of mistakes you need to make in order to get better before you show them your work.
At the base level, I think you need to focus on drawing from real life, preferably figure drawing from a live model instead of just rehashing the style of comic artists you admire. In the end it's great to have influences but the only way you're going to fully grasp character posing and storytelling is to understand the real human figure from observation first and then bring that experience back to comic drawing. Anything else and you become just a bad photocopy of a photocopy - a bunch of stylized shortcuts instead of a solid drawing foundation.
I know this won't be what you want to hear, especially if you're spending a load of money to go to San Diego Comicon with your dreams in your hands. All I can say on that front is that time and effort will make a difference, but it has to be focused in the right direction.
Sincerely,
Jim