Suggestions for hiring help?

[angie_draws_things]

I have been keeping my comic going for three years on my own while working a full-time job. As the full-time job's demands increase, it has become substantially harder to get my comics out on time (it is usually a late-night fight against fatigue and time the night before). I have considered paying another artist to help me clean up my lineart and lay down the colors to help reduce my workload, but every time I start looking for help, I get spooked and stop. (edit: I get spooked because I just generally suck at asking for help, even if I am paying for it)

Has anyone else out there paid for assistance with their work, whether it be a one-time or a regular gig? Do you have any suggestions? Dos and don'ts?

[CarltonIsaac]

Try freelance job sites for professional artists. Plenty of them at a wide range of rates and fees, and the sites protect both parties.

[angie_draws_things]

Thanks, I'll take a look at some and see if I find an option that I would be comfortable with.

[Todoyama]

Hey, I have worked with some people until now, for collaboration gigs on Tapas and here are some do's and dont's:
Do: Give trust and make the person that you collaborate with feel good around you /be friendly and be kind.
Don'ts: Do not make the person you are collaborating with feel like he is someone that just works for you. Establish a good relationship with them (be friendly)

In my opinion, if it your first time collaborating with someone, you just have to go trought trial and error, you have to which writer/ artist is more suitable with your personality, work schedule or writing/artstyle.
(Sorry if I wasn't of a big help, I didn't do that many collaborations until now, I am speaking from the experience that ai went trought until now)
If need someone to collaborate with, I would highly recommend posting a collaboration post here, on Tapas, I really like the people from here and since I have gotten on this site, I have met a lot of really talented and hardworking people.

[angie_draws_things]

All good tips. Back when I last collaborated, it was before Gaia Online went to hell, and I spent a lot of time on the site and built a lot of good relationships. After the mass exodus away from Gaia, there wasn't a place as fun for everyone to hang out, and my connections with other artists have suffered.

I suppose I struggle with the idea of investing time into finding that unicorn of a compatible artist, since I know that there would be some that simply don't work out. If I give collabs a try, that may be beneficial since I can put everything on the table and have the interested artist try to find me.

I gave some of the professional sites a try last night, but a couple are not exactly the best place for an artist to showcase a range of skills. I may be looking in the wrong places, but will keep looking. Thanks!

[hakei]

I searched for my assistants on social media and creator-focused discord servers.

It's good to have examples of what you expect, what programs to use, the timeline, etc.
Something like this post: https://twitter.com/SnaiLords/status/1241128725477031937

For lineart you might consider having a test panel or two in the initial search post, so people can draw over your sketch and send it to you.
I've had people submit wonderful lineart works but when it came to mashing with my own style, it simply didn't fit.

Time is another thing to keep in mind too, as someone may draw well but takes a long time to finish may not be compatible in the long run.