How do you find an artist?

[Chroma]

I've been trying to find an artist to help me with a comic idea I had, but I'm struggling to find a way to get my idea out there. Forums didn't seem too promising from what I've found, and I don't really find many artists out there seeking a writer such as myself. I've written a synopsis of the story, but it still doesn't seem to garner much attention. How do you find an artist to help create a webcomic?

[gateofselidor]

There are a lot of writers out there looking for artists, so it's no surprise that you're going unnoticed in the sea of writers with comic ideas. The easiest and fastest way? Offer money. Producing comic art is very time-consuming and requires a lot of skill to do effectively, and not many artists are going to offer that for free, but very few writers are willing to pay.

Beyond that, try starting with short stories (ten pages or less is ideal). An artist is much more likely to to commit to something short, and it will give you some examples of your writing in an actual comic format to show off when you're searching for someone for a longer series.

[Michelle]

Ditto money. As in actual fair page rates, and not $10/page.

Failing that, the best way to find an artist is to form a collaboration. It's really hard to bring someone on to your project if they have no creative input or payment. You might find someone willing to work with you, but artists who don't have an equal stake in the project are more likely to find themselves too busy to work on your idea. Starting from the ground-up with someone means you're both invested in the story.

Of course, this is hard if you don't really know any artists. So forge some genuine artist friendships and see if anyone would be willing to collab on a project with you. Ideally a short one for starters-- don't make your first collaboration a 50-chapter epic.

[J.Z.Castillo]

DOLLAH MAKES ME HOLLAH! Yeah, it sucks if you're broke, but that's mainly it. Also, post your story here! I have been known to do projects I feel a connection to regardless of the money. If they interest me enough I might take a chance that it's going to pay off on the long run. So, yeah, don't miss your opportunities lol

[katverwho]

Another thing you can do if you have a little money, a lot of story, and are willing to compromise is to write your first work as a novel - and hire an artist for a few illustrations. Focus on your writing, take it around to friends or better yet, a writers group. Though an illustrated story isn't the same as a comic by far, it can entire artists to know that you're a writer who can tell a good story and knows how to think visually with good scene descriptions. Having this work out and available will let future artists know who they'll be working with. It also means that the NEXT time you want to hire an artist, you have the option of kickstarting their payment, and you'll have previous work to show potential backers the quality which they can expect.

Still, I think that starting with a short story - which is an incredible challenge in and of itself - is a good starting place for hiring an artist.

[eslameldeeb]

problem solved!
@mrjonzap here is gonna collaborate for free no matter what the story is about XD XD
'nugh kiddin'

i think most artists on Tapastic are already busy with their own series or already collaborating with a writer
have you tried to check freelancing websites for that matter?, you can find dozens of professional comic artists who work online for other writers
i heard many people favoring these kinds of websites

i wish you best of luck

[Chroma]

Thank you! I'll be sure to check them out!

[Chroma]

Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely keep it in mind. Writing a shorter story does seem like quite a good way to start.

[Chroma]

Got it! That makes sense. Offering money would definitely help, so I'll do my best to offer up some form of payment once I get the word out there.

[Chroma]

Oh, that would definitely work! I have experience writing in novel formats, so that would be easy to work with! And even if I didn't find an artist, then I would have a novel, which is still a good way to get my story published on Wattpad.

[Chroma]

Oh, okay! You can find an advert I had written up for the series right here! I can offer payment, although it would start fairly small but get bigger based on a Patreon page I would create.

[J.Z.Castillo]

Oh, I like that story quite a lot! However, I really suck at steampunk/victorian art, I never truly go the grasp of it, I would do some character designs though! That I can do, not sure about carrying the entire story out since it's not my strong suit :/

[Chroma]

Oh, that's fine. Being perfectly honest, this isn't my only comic idea. I keep a journal where I write down any ideas of a story, from the plot to the characters.

So if you wanna maybe hear an idea more suited towards your style, I could show one of those off instead! And I'd be carrying the story, no worries.

[jasondeano]

ny artists out there seeking a writer such as myself. I've written a synopsis of the story, but it still doesn't seem to garner much attention. How do you find an artist to help create a webcomic?

Go to DeviantART, Tumblr, comic hosting communities, anywhere. Pick one you like and contact them about the job offer and payment. (make sure they have the right amount of availability/talent/tools to your desire). If they accept, then congratulations, you have an artist.

[El_Psy_Congroo]

Hey, so I've been trying to brainstorm a solution for people having this very trouble and I'm test running a project on the forum you can find here.

The concept is for community members to come up with short collaboration projects in a fish bowl environment. The incentive is not monetary but that everyone's contribution is credited at the end with links to their other works: webcomic, blog, illustrations, and basically whatever they want to advertise. Its also a good opportunity to see if there is someone you want to collaborate with since you get an opportunity to actually see them in a creative process.

I'm doing a test run to see what works and what doesn't, and ultimately create an outline for people who want to start their own threads using the same formula. The final stories would be hosted by a Tapastic group dedicated to these projects.

The story "seed" I provided in the test run has the option of a steam punk setting, if you are interested in building on it. Since you said you have a number of ideas in a journal, perhaps you may even want to start your own thread. I would read the thread I linked above though, in case you want more ownership of your stories (an understandable sentiment, as an artist) since this would share credit among many people.

I recall someone saying on the forum that they appreciate direct PM requests for collaboration as opposed to general collab posts. You might be able to use this both to get yourself known as a writer in the community and to find artists you may want to work with.

[Kayke]

I recall someone saying on the forum that they appreciate direct PM requests for collaboration as opposed to general collab posts.

Haha that might have been me. I think that if you're a writer your time would be better spent doing research to find artists who's work you like and contacting them directly than posting a thread and waiting for someone to bite.

It might seem like more work, but in the long run it's the more professional way to go. Consider yourself an art director looking for an artist's who's style matches the mood of your story. When you find someone, contact them and explain your story (briefly! just like an elevator pitch and a page number) and ask what their page rate is. The worst that could happen is it's out of your price range.

[El_Psy_Congroo]

It definitely was =]

[kkralo]

Did someone mention www.DigitalWebbing.com ? That's a big job board where artists are climbing over each other every time someone posts a paying gig. I've tried a couple times to get hired thru it but competition is fierce. Also I've hired a flatter and a letterer and found a few colorists by posting my jobs there.

[Wolven_Sister]

Surprisingly, I found a number of the jobs I've gotten hired on through Facebook. And by joining their groups, but be sure to join the groups that promote to connect artists and writers together. Groups like: "Comic book writers and artists," "Connecting Comic Book Writers and Artists Art Gallery", "WANT LIST -Comic Book Writers/Artists/Publishers", etc...

And you don't have to be very detailed. If you say it's a paid gig, artists will come flocking to you in droves. But I suggest not paying an artist full upfront (unless they have a very good reputation behind them, or have plenty of samples, or if you worked with them before and trust them). Post a little bit about the project, the art styles you're looking for, and if it's colored or B/W since there are so many artists out there who have different styles. Also if you say for them to send you a PM and the ones that DO send you a PM, are the ones serious about it. The ones who just comment in the comment section without following that step will most likely waste your time since they didn't take the time to follow that one simple procedure.

Just some ideas c:

[sushy00]

You can also try out DeviantART's Job Offers forum if you have a budget to hire an artist.