I know the rate isn't great, but I'm broke enough as it is...if it helps, consider it an indication of how hard you'd be expected to work on each page. ^^;
ANYWAY-- hello, all. ^^ Many of you've probably seen me around the forum, and if so, you probably already have an idea of how I write and whether or not you might want to work with me.
You may also have heard of this project-- Enigma Youchien-- which I have spoken about here a couple times. Mostly to beg for inspiration...but after all was said and done, I did go ahead and write the script.
And then it sat in my documents folder for 8 months because I simply don't have time for it...and frankly, I'm tired of that always being the case for so many of my ideas. I think, now that I have a steady job, it might be worth it to be a little broke if it means I can finally start telling these stories.
And in any case, I've attempted enough collaborations here to know that it's entirely possible that I won't even find anyone I want to work with. ^^; Might as well gauge the talent pool and see what's out there before I decide I can't afford it.
So, without further ado, here's the rundown:
Genre: Slice-of-life
Synopsis: This is a series about a bunch of supernatural kindergarteners just...doing things that little kids do. ^^ They play games, they make up stories, they get into arguments over silly things, and the young adult humans who work at the kindergarten try their best to keep up.
It's sort of silly and comedic in the way that kids themselves are-- randomly and often unintentionally-- but it's mostly meant to be sweet and heartwarming, with a little character development along the way.
Like, imagine Nichijou, but with a smaller cast, fewer locations, and starring kindergarteners instead of high-schoolers. That's basically what this is. ^^;
Format: You're the artist; you decide. ^^; But the scripts are a little on the long side (100-200 words); I don't think you'll be able to squish them into 4-koma or anything.
'Season 1' (which is the only season we're gonna worry about right now) contains about 14 scripts, and ideally I'd want to do one episode every 2-3 weeks and finish within a year. I can be flexible about the schedule (god knows I rarely get anything done on time) but I don't want to drag this out. If you don't think you can do at least one 3-page/9 to18-panel episode a month, please do not apply. ^^;
What I can provide:
-Full scripts! ^^ Like I said, I finished writing the series a while ago. Rest assured that this project has a concrete end, and there won't be any extra unexpected work for you to do.
-Lore...I don't think there'll be any time or place for much lore within the comic itself, but I do have it, and if you think it'll help you understand the world of this story I'll share it with you.
-An occasional rough sketch...I don't intend to do much drawing (I mean...I'm paying you to do that) but if something in the script just doesn't make sense to you, I can draw out what I meant if it'll help.
-An occasional illustration! Like I said, the format of the comic is mostly up to you, and if you're one of those artists who does a cover for each episode or something like that, I'd be glad to draw a few of them myself.
-Credit, of course. ^^ I do plan to host the comic on my account(s), though.
-Any hypothetical profits from this project will be split 50/50. Just for the record.
What I expect:
-Communication: a Google Doc, Discord, or some kind of space where we can share and store text and images would be ideal, but apart from that I'd like to check in from time to time, at least so we both know we're still alive. Or if you're leaving the country or something and won't be able to draw for 3 weeks...I wanna know about stuff like that.
-Autonomy: If you can't come up with funny reactions or expressions to draw without my help and advice, please do not apply. If you're not comfortable working with 'cute' scenarios or children's dialogue, please do not apply. If you intend to change this project into something else that you are comfortable with, please do not apply.
...I've just had some bad experiences with potential collaborators saying they can do * things *, when what they actually mean is they can do the highly-specific versions of * things * that they happen to be familiar with, and I end up having to explain to them and convince them that other genres/writing styles also exist (
).
TL;DR Please, for both of our sakes, come into this project with at least some relevant knowledge and expertise of some kind. I'm not going to pay you to be your teacher.
What I want RIGHT NOW:
So, if you're interested in this, hit me up (you can talk to me in private through a DM if you prefer), introduce yourself, and most importantly, show me your work!
Full comic pages would be ideal, short comic strips can work; if you have nothing to show except wordless illustrations I may still consider you, but you're on thin ice. T3T I will consider both full-color and B&W/limited-palette work.
One of the most important things I'm looking for is an appropriate art style. ^^ It's got to be cute and inviting, and considering the pay rate it should probably be relatively simple. Backgrounds will be needed occasionally, but considering the conversational nature of the scripts they'll probably be negligible a lot of the time.
Below are the character designs I doodled last year (btw, that's basically the entire cast). So something vaguely like that is what I'd like to see. And if these sketches look way out of your skill level or particularly high-effort to you (as in, it would take you several hours to replicate one of them)...please do not apply. ^^;
Please ask if you have any questions; thank you and good night~.
