Having read John Allison’s recent ‘Manifesto for UK Indie Comics in 2010’ (and agreed with pretty much everything it contains), I decided I should do something similar for students hoping to enter the comics world as a professional upon graduation. If nothing else, it will clarify the sort of things I should be doing between now and my own final show and if it encourages even one other person then I will consider it a success. I expect it’ll just annoy the hell out of everybody else.
The ten points are made in no particular order, other than that’s the way they occurred to me. There are plenty more things that could be included, but your tutors will tell you them. My only disclaimer is that this is aimed at those genuinely hoping to pursue comics as a career and has been distilled as much from the things I haven’t done as the things I have. There’s no fool like an old fool…
1. Seize The Opportunity
You’re at art school and it is costing you a lot of money in loans, tuition fees and studio fees – so make use of the facilities. You can screen print, emboss, make 3D models, learn software for graphics, animation, video and sound editing. There are loads of toys to play with and talented people whose job it is to show you how to use them, all for no extra cost. Make friends with these people and experiment. When you graduate, this will all be gone and you’ll regret it if you haven’t taken advantage.
2. It’s Not About Marks
You can hand in the minimum required to not get kicked off the course if you like, you might even hand in enough unfinished work to get a reasonable grade. But nobody who can offer you a job in comics is going to care – they’ve survived just fine until now without anyone having a degree in graphic novels. What they will be interested in is a professional portfolio. Of course you want a good mark, but just learn as much as you possibly can in three years and if your portfolio is brilliant, your grades will affirm this.
3. Tutors Do Actually Know Stuff
Drop the ‘us and them’ attitude – tutors can actually help you. They are artists, the same as you, but with lots more experience. There are specialists in almost every field, so use them all, whether they take you for classes or not. Don’t wait for them to find you – hunt them down in the corridor and don’t let them leave until you’ve extracted every ounce of advice you need.
4. Finish Projects
Apart from looking better in your portfolio, in order to gain the most from any project you need to see it through to completion. You’ll never know if what seems like a good idea in a sketchbook works until it’s finished. It’s playtime – ask yourself if you can do it, then find out. Make mistakes, it doesn’t matter – it’s all learning. Then take what you can from it, move on to the next thing and do it better.
5. It’s All About Everything
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking “I want to draw comics so that’s all I’m interested in doing and everything else is a waste of time”. Let everything inform your work – film, graphic design, painting, modelling, everything. For a start you may turn out to prefer it, but assuming you do want to specialise in comics, see how elements from other disciplines can be incorporated into and improve your own working method. Plus it’s fun and a lot better than working for a living. If you go straight from art school into a lucrative comics career then well done, but it might be wise to have other saleable art skills to fall back on rather than stacking shelves until your genius is spotted by a major publisher.
6. Listen To Professionals
If an external speaker comes to the college, go and listen to them. Maybe even ask them questions. Even if you don’t like their particular work or it isn’t exactly the field you aspire to work in, they are making a living from art and you aren’t. Therefore, they may have something valuable to say that will help you in your future career. You may even be surprised and inspired. Go on trips; go to talks and conferences, even outside your subject area. Speak to publishers, gallery owners and agencies. You’ll have to speak to them one day so get used to it and find out what they are looking for now. It’ll make it easier and avoid the potential bombshell of finding that nobody is interested in you or the work you are so proud of when you are out in the big wide world.
7. Do Things
If you never do anything, you’ll never have anything to say. Don’t just read comics and stare at the television because it’s on. Read books, watch documentaries, visit places, explore. Really look at things. It doesn’t matter what your interests are, but do have interests and be interesting as a result.
8. Go To Conventions
I’ll repeat that: GO TO CONVENTIONS. The college is providing you with a table for nothing. I could write a manifesto on conventions alone. You’ll see three important things at conventions: artists, comics and the public. You will see what the real competition is like and what you have to aspire to. You will also see that you are not the worst artist there and this will give you confidence. People may actually buy your work and this will give you even more confidence. You will network (although I hate the term): you will meet other people who draw and sell comics and you will begin to be recognised, perhaps even make friends and/or valuable business contacts. You may even pick up commissions or offers to sell your work. You will also see what isn’t selling and how few people do this full time. This is the real world and you will have to enter it someday – better to get in there early than face a huge shock on graduation. Conventions are both inspiring and a reality check. GO TO CONVENTIONS.
9. Invest In Yourself
Spend a bit of money on furthering your career. Make something to sell at a convention and you might even cover your train fare but stay in for just one weekend, forego purchasing just one middle-of-the-road console game and the trip is easily affordable. Plus it’s fun. GO TO CONVENTIONS. Use the best materials you can afford. For instance, the mythical Bristol Board seems expensive, but it works out at less than £1 for an A3 sheet – not much for producing a work of final art on. Use a decent pen or brush – whatever your medium of choice, you’ll feel happier and more confident about your work if you like the materials. Times are hard etc. etc. but it doesn’t cost the earth and this is your future.
10. Get Excited
Find the fun, exciting angle in every brief and you’ll produce far better results and enjoy the process. This is art. This is playtime, not work. Lighten up. If you’re not certain, go and work in a mundane repetitive job for a year then come back and decide whether it’s fun. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking ‘things will be great when…’ – things are great now. You draw. It’s what you do. You have no pressure and almost total creative freedom right here, right now. You think drawing is suddenly going to be better one day, when you have more pressure, more constraints and more distractions just because you might be getting paid? Enjoy every second. If drawing is what you love, love drawing itself and don’t crave the fringe benefits. Today is great.
John Allison’s manifesto can (should) be read here: http://sgrblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/scene-that-celebrates-itself-has.html - thank you for the inspiration.
