Quality lettering WTF!

Static · 07-27-2012, 10:34 AM

If if this person wants quality lettering maybe you should pay quality money. I hate the fact the people expect letterers to work for free. We're artist too, with bills to pay and our time should be valued.

http://www.digitalwebbing.com/forums...d.php?t=162428

Bishop · 07-27-2012, 11:22 AM

I agree. In the past I have always found that Letterers are the most affordable of all the positions, and often the easiest to work with. It's worth paying to get someone that knows what they are doing as well.

HdE · 07-27-2012, 12:05 PM

While I'm not going to comment on THAT particular posting, I will say this:

Gettin' REALLY sick of crappy low pay offers just lately. The frequency with which I'm seeing gigs that pay just $3.00 per page or less (!) is really disheartening at the moment. I'm even being approached cold via email with messages like 'Hi! I REALLY like your lettering - could you be persuaded to maybe cut me a deal and do a 100 page GN for about $2.00 per page?'

The answer is, and always will, be NO. You want publishable qaulity? You pay me for it.

This isn't grousing about not getting the sort of money we'd LIKE to be paid. It's a complaint about not being offered what we're worth. And some of the recent offers have offered pay that's so insultingly low, I'd have thought better of being asked to do those jobs for free!

Biofungus · 07-28-2012, 12:38 AM

No offense to anybody but:

As far as I'm concerned, "guaranteed exposure" is walking out of your house naked in the winter.

HdE · 07-28-2012, 02:08 PM

Not being funny, but I can guarantee my own exposure.

Seriously - getting exposure these days is as simple as knocking up a quality piece of work, posting it online and directing the right people to it.

Exposure is not currency, not by any stretch in today's modern world. And for what it's worth, you can get as much exposure via paying gigs as you can unpaid ones.

Note that I've got no poblem with folks who simply don't have any money to play with - I'm in that boat myself. But the least these guys could do is put some thought into how their offers are worded.

vartemis · 07-29-2012, 06:10 PM

Unless you're being published by Dark Horse, Image or IDW, you're getting nothing in terms of exposure in regards to lettering, so never let them use that excuse. That kind of stuff is for cutting your teeth on, like a tattoo apprentice. Yeah you get it for free, but the first couple are probably gonna look like shite and it'll look like that forever unless you do a cover up.

Otherwise, in the imortal words of Henry Hill and Mike Monteiro: "F you, pay me."

j

Comics Commando · 08-04-2012, 01:21 AM

All good comments...I was offered $5 per page about 2 years ago, I guess it was.

For the record, I've been meeting comics deadlines for 25 years plus...Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, Newsweek....a couple dozen others.

I explained that $5 per page wasn't worth the file management.

Making templates, importing the art, creating proofs as the pages are lettered, making EPS files and delivering them as the pages are approved. This is worth more than $5 per page.

Sadly, looking at a lot of "comics" out there, it's patently obvious that the "editors" behind the projects can't tell good lettering from bad.

And as another poster mentioned: we're the most affordable.

I see tons of books that are rife with missing punctuation--or even extra punctuation that makes no sense. I assume it's the scriptwriter's fault, but any half-decent letterer will correct the script to keep from embarrassing themselves.

I tell small press folks as often as I can--if you can't or won't pay for pencillers, inkers, colorists, editors---at LEAST pay or a pro letterer to give your project a professional sheen that it won't otherwise have. It makes the book look legit in sooo many ways.

Pro letters can make the difference between a book that sells and a book that sits on the shelves.

Anyone with a part-time job can afford pro letters.

Kurt Hathaway
Cartoon Balloons Studio
khathawayart@gmail.com

07-27-2012, 10:34 AM	#1
Static Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: kungfugripstudios.deviantart.com Posts: 386	Quality lettering WTF! If if this person wants quality lettering maybe you should pay quality money. I hate the fact the people expect letterers to work for free. We're artist too, with bills to pay and our time should be valued. http://www.digitalwebbing.com/forums...d.php?t=162428

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07-27-2012, 11:22 AM	#2
Bishop Keeper of random thoughts Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: In your head. Posts: 4,090	I agree. In the past I have always found that Letterers are the most affordable of all the positions, and often the easiest to work with. It's worth paying to get someone that knows what they are doing as well.

07-27-2012, 12:05 PM	#3
HdE I really like beer. Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 152	While I'm not going to comment on THAT particular posting, I will say this: Gettin' REALLY sick of crappy low pay offers just lately. The frequency with which I'm seeing gigs that pay just $3.00 per page or less (!) is really disheartening at the moment. I'm even being approached cold via email with messages like 'Hi! I REALLY like your lettering - could you be persuaded to maybe cut me a deal and do a 100 page GN for about $2.00 per page?' The answer is, and always will, be NO. You want publishable qaulity? You pay me for it. This isn't grousing about not getting the sort of money we'd LIKE to be paid. It's a complaint about not being offered what we're worth. And some of the recent offers have offered pay that's so insultingly low, I'd have thought better of being asked to do those jobs for free!

07-28-2012, 12:38 AM	#4
Biofungus Not for your amusement Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Nega-Earth Posts: 22,083	No offense to anybody but: As far as I'm concerned, "guaranteed exposure" is walking out of your house naked in the winter.

07-28-2012, 02:08 PM	#5
HdE I really like beer. Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 152	Not being funny, but I can guarantee my own exposure. Seriously - getting exposure these days is as simple as knocking up a quality piece of work, posting it online and directing the right people to it. Exposure is not currency, not by any stretch in today's modern world. And for what it's worth, you can get as much exposure via paying gigs as you can unpaid ones. Note that I've got no poblem with folks who simply don't have any money to play with - I'm in that boat myself. But the least these guys could do is put some thought into how their offers are worded.

07-29-2012, 06:10 PM	#6
vartemis Onomonopiaphile Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 478	Unless you're being published by Dark Horse, Image or IDW, you're getting nothing in terms of exposure in regards to lettering, so never let them use that excuse. That kind of stuff is for cutting your teeth on, like a tattoo apprentice. Yeah you get it for free, but the first couple are probably gonna look like shite and it'll look like that forever unless you do a cover up. Otherwise, in the imortal words of Henry Hill and Mike Monteiro: "F you, pay me." j

08-04-2012, 01:21 AM	#7
Comics Commando Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 590	All good comments...I was offered $5 per page about 2 years ago, I guess it was. For the record, I've been meeting comics deadlines for 25 years plus...Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, Newsweek....a couple dozen others. I explained that $5 per page wasn't worth the file management. Making templates, importing the art, creating proofs as the pages are lettered, making EPS files and delivering them as the pages are approved. This is worth more than $5 per page. Sadly, looking at a lot of "comics" out there, it's patently obvious that the "editors" behind the projects can't tell good lettering from bad. And as another poster mentioned: we're the most affordable. I see tons of books that are rife with missing punctuation--or even extra punctuation that makes no sense. I assume it's the scriptwriter's fault, but any half-decent letterer will correct the script to keep from embarrassing themselves. I tell small press folks as often as I can--if you can't or won't pay for pencillers, inkers, colorists, editors---at LEAST pay or a pro letterer to give your project a professional sheen that it won't otherwise have. It makes the book look legit in sooo many ways. Pro letters can make the difference between a book that sells and a book that sits on the shelves. Anyone with a part-time job can afford pro letters. Kurt Hathaway Cartoon Balloons Studio khathawayart@gmail.com