“The first couple of years you don’t make enough to pay the bills. The next couple of years you barely make enough to cover the bills. And then a couple of years after that you make enough to pay the bills. 🙂
“I think a lot of people go work for a company and then jump into freelance. From what I’ve heard it makes the transition easier. Although if you have a lot of support (financial…) and are ready to tackle the market head-on then you might want to go for it.
“The first thing you need (after a portfolio obviously) is a list of people to send submissions to. I would suggest you get a copy of “Artists and Graphic Designers Market” by Writer’s Digest Books. [Note this covers the US market].
“You should also get a hold of “The Graphic Artists Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines“. This is a great reference source for pricing and what to expect in each industry.
Luc Belanger (Advice posted to the egroup, small_press_comics: used here with his kind permission)
Luc’s Home Page: http://www.gingerillustration.com/comics.htm
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Creating Comics