Serious artist that cant find SERIOUS work...

[Omaik]

Sorry if this is not the place for this, i think it is, but anyway.. i just wonder if im in a very small minority who have this problem, or everyone suffer from this... but ive heard so many excuses that i doubt it. "i had to go to the hospital" "my grandma is sick", "i cant login to my paypal", "i have guests in my house", "im moving to another house/state/country"... im getting hard to impress with excuses.
Anyway, ill post it:

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Hi Everyone.
Im a serious artist and im looking for work with serious people or companies. Im really tired of people delaying payments or thinking that freelancers are rich hobbysts with nothing better to do. Im a working man, i support my family with my work, im not doing this for "the love of art" and i dont wait until im "inspired" to start working. I dont believe in "writers or artists block", i sit down and do my job. I usually take at least 4 to 6 jobs or commissions at the same time, because i know that if i take 1 or 2, if they fail to pay, my family and i are going to be eating dust and grass.
What im looking for is serious writers, creators, companies, whatever, who wants a fast and reliable artist, who are willing to pay, who are also tired of pretentious wannabes and want the work done.
I can do pencils and inks easily, i can also color but im not the best colorist you can find. I can letter pages, do layouts and even write a bit too. I can do a lot of things, character designs, concept art, sequentials, even chibis, fanarts and cartoon animals. I just dont do nudity or gore (some blood or some "violence" is ok). All i ask is for payment, instead of guys who hire first and look for money to pay later.
I dont even charge too much, around $30-$40 for blanck and white inked pages.

Thanks a lot for reading. Hope to be working with/for some of you soon.

Omaik

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So, its just me, or is it hard to find jobs and even harder to get paid?.

Omaik

[DomeSFX]

Originally Posted by Omaik

Sorry if this is not the place for this, i think it is, but anyway.. i just wonder if im in a very small minority who have this problem, or everyone suffer from this... but ive heard so many excuses that i doubt it. "i had to go to the hospital" "my grandma is sick", "i cant login to my paypal", "i have guests in my house", "im moving to another house/state/country"... im getting hard to impress with excuses.
Anyway, ill post it:

-----

Hi Everyone.
Im a serious artist and im looking for work with serious people or companies. Im really tired of people delaying payments or thinking that freelancers are rich hobbysts with nothing better to do. Im a working man, i support my family with my work, im not doing this for "the love of art" and i dont wait until im "inspired" to start working. I dont believe in "writers or artists block", i sit down and do my job. I usually take at least 4 to 6 jobs or commissions at the same time, because i know that if i take 1 or 2, if they fail to pay, my family and i are going to be eating dust and grass.
What im looking for is serious writers, creators, companies, whatever, who wants a fast and reliable artist, who are willing to pay, who are also tired of pretentious wannabes and want the work done.
I can do pencils and inks easily, i can also color but im not the best colorist you can find. I can letter pages, do layouts and even write a bit too. I can do a lot of things, character designs, concept art, sequentials, even chibis, fanarts and cartoon animals. I just dont do nudity or gore (some blood or some "violence" is ok). All i ask is for payment, instead of guys who hire first and look for money to pay later.
I dont even charge too much, around $30-$40 for blanck and white inked pages.

Thanks a lot for reading. Hope to be working with/for some of you soon.

Omaik

----------


So, its just me, or is it hard to find jobs and even harder to get paid?.

Omaik

This post might get taken down because it looks like an ad.

1) It's a dead market and most of the serious writers have left. There are some writers still around, but most of have left because they afford can't today's rates.

2) I feel bad that they didn't pay you. Even I paid my artists. I won't lie I had my excuses, but they were honest ones. Still I would not only pay my artist, but give them an advance if they needed it. Even writers can be scumbags too.

3) You're going to have to do a little nudity and gore if you want to make it far. It's possible to make a comic without any of that, but for if you want to get more work, you might want to incorporate a little nudity and gore. It doesn't have to be a total gore fest or a porno, but it helps.

4) I seriously hope you can find someone. I wish to see more people like you with high spirits getting into the business.

[CHWolf]

Before this thread blows up, one of the few actual legitimate points to be made:

If you get sick of dealing with these folks, become the person who funds the project and hire others to work on *your* concepts, then reap the benefits.

The most common reply to this is "I can't afford to do that."

Neither can the people you're dealing with, and that's wrong for them to do - but ONE of you has to be that person.

If it's not them, it's you or nobody.

[DomeSFX]

Originally Posted by CHWolf

Before this thread blows up, one of the few actual legitimate points to be made:

*Nods in agreement and vanishes*

[Omaik]

Well, it IS an ad i posted somewhere else. i just deleted links and contact info, so it is not "technically" an ad. I know i wont find jobs here on DW that way.

and well... yes, i cant afford to do that. If i could, i would. Its what i want to do in the lond run, i have plenty of stories, concepts, etc etc, but i cant use my time to develop and draw them, with a wife and a kid, and another one on the way. The thing is, i think, that im not the one posting job offers around to say at the end, "my dog has diarrhea, so i cant pay you right now, can you wait 3 months?". The thing that bothers me the most is that it happens so much, that i wonder if its just me and my luck, or what. I know other artists dont have so many problems wih clients... who knows..

and thanks for the good wishes. I wish the best to all comic artists out there. This is a ver hard proffession, and most people outside of it thinks that it must be so easy.

[Biofungus]

Omaik: There are well known, established professional companies that do that. I'm surprised it's not even more prevalent among the struggling creators.

[Hanzou]

Not to sound negative, but I'd recommend most artists to avoid doing small press comics altogether if they can. The pay is weak for the amount of work that you do, and there's superior alternatives out there in terms of pay.

If you love the medium, knock yourself out. However, if you're trying to put food on your table, you're rowing out to sea with three big leaks in your boat.

[Barnaby]

Originally Posted by Hanzou

Not to sound negative, but I'd recommend most artists to avoid doing small press comics altogether if they can. The pay is weak for the amount of work that you do, and there's superior alternatives out there in terms of pay.

If you love the medium, knock yourself out. However, if you're trying to put food on your table, you're rowing out to sea with three big leaks in your boat.

What's the alternatives?

[RonaldMontgomery]

Originally Posted by CHWolf

Before this thread blows up, one of the few actual legitimate points to be made:

If you get sick of dealing with these folks, become the person who funds the project and hire others to work on *your* concepts, then reap the benefits.

The most common reply to this is "I can't afford to do that."

Neither can the people you're dealing with, and that's wrong for them to do - but ONE of you has to be that person.

If it's not them, it's you or nobody.

Omaik,
This is the best advice you'll ever get here.
Find better paying work, even if it's not in your field, to support your family.
Save your off-time for your family and your dreams.

It won't be easy -- but it'll be easier than what you're doing now.

[Omaik]

Thanks Ron. I know, and i would.. but here where i am, im making more money as a comic artist working via internet than what i would make working on a normal job here.. and the sad thing is that its still not enough. I dont know what i would be doing if i werent a comic artist.

I second that question, what`s the alternatives? (within the comics or graphic arts field)

[MBirkhofer]

Many comic artists get jobs in gaming as concept artists. Job security is not much higher there really though. pay is better though. I would need to see you work to really know if that would be a good fit.
Huge influx in indie/phone/mobile/casual gaming has created a huge demand for art though. which does not need to be Craig Mullins, Manley, etc quality.
Going to need to know some of the programs involved though.

Example:
http://jobs.conceptart.org/index.php...or-mobile-game
I do not endorse this ad. I just randomly googled "concept art job". did not even read the entry.

[RonaldMontgomery]

http://www.freelancer.com/ is another.

If art is your calling and it's what pays the bills, it behooves you to diversify your client base. It'll take ramp-up time to bid on jobs, find what works and what doesn't, etc., but I believe you can do it. Just asking the right questions puts you in a better place.

Check out this video:
http://youtu.be/N0QwU5EJn7Q

[Barnaby]

I also live from drawing comics and some other odd jobs at illustration/advertising. All freelance work.

My financial situation might be a bit different because I live with my girlfriend who has a steady income and can cover some worse month, but my advices are:

1) Try to find every site that offers work in Comics/Conceptual Work/Storyboards/Illustration/...
You have DW, ConceptArt, PencilJack, Deviantart and a few more. Investigate. Search the job section in a regular basis.

2) Try to expand your area of expertise.
Graphic design, web design, advertising illustration, anything you feel capable of doing! I even do background sets to a theatre company and paint children's room with super heroes and stuff and I was even asked to draw a tattoo once. Anything goes...

3) Get a gallery online, even better, a site, with your best work in different areas. Put it on you signature if possible. get on those forums, meet people. Network. Spread the word.

4) Organize yourself. I have a couple of Excel files with the projects I'm working on projects on stand-by, how much I still have to do in one project, how much I've done, how much money I'm going to make this month, how I still have left,... every time I reach a certain point, I start looking for new projects BEFORE finishing the current ones. Apply to several because you won't get accepted on all of them, then chose. The trick is to have, at least a 2 months worth of work always on the pipeline.

5) Try to go to a convention. I can't help you much on that department cause, unfortunately, I live outside any convention's circuit, but some guys sell some work at conventions and is a great place to network.


Hope it helps and good luck!

[Hanzou]

Originally Posted by Barnaby

What's the alternatives?

You hit on most of them in your post. I'd also include selling artwork on Ebay or elsewhere. Its a good way to fatten your pockets during the lean times. Just go there and see what's selling and get to work.

Conventions can also be big money maker, but your art style has to stand out from the crowd, or you're just wasting your time. I'm fortunate that I have such a style, so the convention circuit has been very good to me.