Live the dream. Show off your portfolio and amaze the editor so much, they hire you on the spot to draw their next big series. One of the oldest traditions and the meat of the comic con experience is trying to get hired as an artist. Do you want to live the dream? Here are five things to do at the San Diego Comic-Con to help you make it a reality.
1. Get a portfolio review by an editor: So you’ve got your most exciting sequentials and your hottest pin-ups. And it’s wrapped up in a nice leather-bound folder. Now you can stand in line for hours waiting for an editor to see them! Swing by each individual publisher to get submission guidelines. A few years ago, DC Comics started holding the DC Talent Search Orientation. In lieu of having attendees standing for long hours blocking off valuable con floor walking space, DC started to use one of the conference rooms to set up reviews.
2. Visit artist alley: Look for many of your comic idols in Artist Alley. It’s not only a great place to get sketches and autographs, but it’s also an opportunity to network with industry pros, gain some valuable advice and have your work critiqued. Make sure to be as polite as possible and keep in mind not everyone will have time to give a critique.
3. Attend panels and workshops to take some art lessons: Don’t let your ego get in the way from learning something new. A good artist is one that continues to grow. There are several panels and workshops being offered to con attendees that would help sharpen your skills including:
- Storyboards: Motion in Art—Mark Simon
- Drawing Style and Storytelling Classroom-style workshop with Darwyn Cooke, Brian Wood, Cameron Stewart, Carla Speed McNeil, and Colleen Coover.
- Impact University: How to Write and Draw Comics and Graphic Novels with Peter David, Orson Scott Card, David Petersen, Tom Nguyen and Maggie Thompson
- Painting Dynamic Portraits: Demonstration from Life with Jeff Watts
- Quick Draw – Not so much an art lesson but worth going to. Mark Evanier, Sergio Aragonés, and Scott Shaw! demostrates the fun of improv drawing.
- Dynamic Drawing Workshop with Jeff Watts and Erik M. Gist
- Create Your Own Comics and Manga – learn how to make comics on the computer using Manga Studio.
And don’t just limit yourself on how-to-draw. Learn how to make a career out of it!
- Andrew Pepoy’s Professional Networking Seminar – sell yourself
- Comic Book Law School – Understand copyright and trademark laws
- Comics Arts Conference Session #8: Storytelling and Visual Language—Neil Cohn
- The Hero Initiative: I’m Supposed to Retire on This?!
The full SDCC schedule for panels and workshops is available HERE.
4. Drawing for the kids Get the younglings started early. Sunday is Kids Day and several workshops are geared just towards them!
- Kids’ Day Drawing Workshop: You Can Draw Star Wars
- Kids’ Day Drawing Workshop: Kids Can Draw Cartoons—Kids Can Draw Cartoons with Kristian Sather
- Kids’ Day Drawing Workshop: Basic Anatomy with Billy Martinez.
5. Cruise the con floor: First get some shopping done! Visit the Copic Markers (booth 5236) for very awesome pens and markers (these are my favourites). Corel will be there (booth 5504) to show off Painter (I assume). Check out the endless amount of dealers for other art reference books and supplies. Also, Tokyopop (Booth 3529) will be running art workshops throughout the con. Then make a comic about your time in San Diego. Visit Planetwide Media (Booth 5554) and check out Comic Book Creator. You can win cash and software.
I cannot make it to the con this year, but I wish all of you future comic pros the very best time and good luck!
