G.N. Writer needs Illustrator

jimrazz · Apr 19, 2013

Hi to all.

I might as well jump right in and state my case. I'm a multi-published professional free lance writer with over 80 books to my credit which run the gamut from middle-grade reader to adult, fiction and non-fiction, Romance, SciFi, and Horror.

I have just finished a script for a Sci-Fi Graphic Novel complete with panel layout and art direction. I'm looking to collaborate with an illustrator who might be so enthralled by the story <grin> that he or she might want to do some work on spec.

I totally understand any reluctance to do things on spec. because I hate to do that also. But I figured I had nothing to lose by asking.

Thanks for your attention.

__James

sunandshadow · Apr 19, 2013

This isn't really a forum where a lot of artists hang out.

Bicyclefish · Apr 19, 2013

*deep calming breath* If someone you never heard with no portfolio or resume, only the genre of the idea, no apparent plan for publishing and no up front pay asked you to write a novel on spec you'd probably roll your eyes, mutter a few unkind words, and walk away.

You'll have better luck finding an artist on another site focused on comics and/or art and if you take the time to participate in the various sites and read their backlog of threads on how to find/entice and artist. Keep in mind hit and run members are often looked down upon; try making genuine connections with people rather than hit strangers up for free labor with your first "hello"

On this board I suggest:
Should I learn to draw or hire an artist
My experience finding an artist
So what do you do...
Looking for an artist to work on a new comic! (Post #2 is my own 2 cents along with more links to relevant AW threads)

Flutterlight · Apr 21, 2013

If you're locating your artist via forum posting, establishing a connection with a variety of cartoonists on that forum is really important. If not for the completely correct reasons listed by Bicyclefish, then to understand the capabilities and preferred styles of the artists before you make any decisions. It's important to do that because otherwise you won't know who's a good candidate to act as your artist, and that's super important when it comes to graphic novels and whatnot.

Think of it this way, would anybody take the Batman series seriously if they were drawn by the guy who does Dilbert? Heck no. Batman requires a grittier, intense form of artistic realism that Scott Adams cannot bring to the table. But on the flip side, a Dilbert drawn by Frank Miller wouldn't work at all. The art and the writing have to mesh properly for the work to be successful.

Alessandra Kelley · Apr 21, 2013

Hello and welcome to Absolute Write, jimrazz. It would be a good idea to read the Newbies' Guide.

This is a writers' forum, not an artists' one. Although there are artists here, we do not dominate, and this may not be the best place to find someone to draw your graphic novel.

May I make some suggestions?

You are looking for someone to provide you with work "on spec," that is, for no pay but with some vague hope of pay in the future.

People asking exactly this turn up on arts forums all the time hoping to find an artist willing to provide them with imagery for free. They all use the exact same arguments, over and over.

Artists hate them.

Ask yourself: Would a videographer provide you with a free video to your specifications in the hope that you will like it? Would a roofer do your garage for free in the hopes of getting a job on your house? Would a chef prepare you a meal in the hopes that you will like it enough to pay for it?

You said "I figure I had nothing to lose by asking."

What you have to lose is the respect of the arts community and the willingness of seasoned professional artists to work with you.

Rob Lefebvre · May 7, 2013

I would recommend trying the links below, as all of those forums are geared more toward people finding partners rather than a forum mainly for writers. Best of luck in your searches and welcome to the club.

http://www.digitalwebbing.com/talent/
http://www.zwol.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=8
http://www.penciljack.com/forum/forum.php

mercs · May 13, 2013

This is where the worlds of writer and artist clash. My suggestion is not to go onto those sites asking for work on spec as they will just go nuts!

I have a friend who works in comics now and when he was 16 he replied to a request sent to his college for work of such a nature. he used it to build up his portfolio and now works for a number of independents and publications producing short strips and commissioned work. I think that's the only chance you have of getting someone before they are established, as established artists have zero intention of letting their work go on the free!

the problem is a great artist doesn't have to be that great a writer to produce something amazing, a great writer DOES have to be a great artist to produce a great GN.

veinglory · May 13, 2013

To find n artist capable of doing a decent job penciling, inking and lettering a full graphic novel I would suggest head-hunting them with some kind of inducement. This is not a common skill, and it is a very considerable commitment of time and effort.

thothguard51 · May 13, 2013

While script is important in a GN, its the art work that draws the readers in. So make sure you choose the right artist and not just someone who is willing to work spec.

As to spec, I would not take something like this on, even with your credentials listed, which are vague.

Reason...lets say I spend a year doing the art work, (part time as I have other paid work to also get out), and then you decide you don't like my representations of your characters, world, etc. You then decide to go with someone else. Where does that leave me and my year of work?

RedWombat · May 13, 2013

My friend, you are looking for a unicorn.

The internet is full of other authors ALSO seeking this unicorn, as it happens. Having been a comic artist, I confess, if someone approaches me with their great idea to draw, I burst into not-terribly-kind laughter and then sob and reach for the bottle.

Your options are pretty much A) learn to draw yourself, B) raise money to pay an artist or C) sell your script to a publisher who will pay the artist for you, assuming you can find such a beast.

Don't dismiss A too fast, actually, it's a skill like any other, and many a comic artist has found that it's easier to learn to draw than to keep hunting unicorns.

mercs · May 23, 2013

RedWombat, I was in a similar boat and thought my GCSE in Art could be built upon to do it myself. they say it takes 10,000 hours of practise to accomplish something, I must have miscounted, it was still awful at the end!

I love comics, I want to write graphic novels and produce something immense and memorable, BUT I don't have the talent to draw to the level I want. I have to find someone that has that talent within my budget. so short of a close friend I can trick into helping me (and trick IS the right word) or a lottery win, it won't happen...

but don't send these chaps to art sites asking for freebies. you may as well send them to the tate modern to ask for one to take home!

Alessandra Kelley · May 23, 2013

It has certainly been common for writers talking among themselves to suggest finding a student to work with rather than an experienced artist, as many people seeking free artwork have found how angered experienced artists get at being asked for it.

Oddly enough, rather than at that point re-thinking their plan to get work on terms that they themselves would find insulting and exploitive, many people try to find alternate sources of cheap or free work.

Students provide a large resource of possibly talented but naive and inexperienced labor, often far from home and anyone to advise them or stand up for their rights. They have the added advantage of being of legal age so that laws against exploiting children technically do not apply to them.

It can be claimed that such exploitation becomes part of the success of any suchly-exploited student who happens to go on to have a reasonably successful arts career, or at least that it demonstrably did them no harm. But I think that few artists who have had that happen to them would honestly recommend that others do the same.

Please think very carefully about what company you put yourself in when you suggest using the inexperience of students for your own purposes.

G.N. Writer needs Illustrator

jimrazz

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal

Bicyclefish

Pedaling Pescado

Flutterlight

Alessandra Kelley

Sophipygian

Rob Lefebvre

Ass kicker

mercs

veinglory

volitare nequeo

thothguard51

A Gentleman of a refined age...

RedWombat

Runs With Scissors

mercs

Alessandra Kelley

Sophipygian