Hi,
About Time Comics is looking for an artist to draw our Superhero/supernatural story, Godsend! You can find out more about Godsend at www.abouttimecomics.com
Check out the cover for Godsend #1 at the bottom of this message!
We are fairly open on styles as long as it's not too cartoony and no manga please.
Godsend has gotten a lot of buzz and seems to be our most popular property! The only problem is I've had two artists drop out of the project!
We can't pay a lot but, we are offering $150 for the first issue (22 pages) and we will also work out a contract for more back end pay.
We are laid back and easy to work with, we do want to see progress though, so, please don't respond to this ad unless you are confident that you can consistently produce work and are driven.
We really believe in Godsend and think that with the right artist, it will be a Great book with endless possibilities. We already have a fantastic writer in place, we just need to fill in the rest of the creative team.
You can send your samples to inflightservice@hotmail.com or contact@abouttimecomics.com
I don't know whether you're aware of it, but offering $150 for a 22 page comic is not a 'paid project' because 22 pages equates to perhaps 110 cartoons, which means you're paying a whopping £1 for every cartoon.
Given a cartoon can take a day to draw, shade and edit, £1 for perhaps 6hrs work is not realistic and certainly is not a 'paid oportunity'. It barely covers the cost of the materials used (paper, pens and ink)
In general, most cartoonists charge no less than £50 a cartoon, some may do it for £20 a cartoon, but that is the base rate. It is usual to pay in the hundreds not the tens for a single cartoon depending upon its usage.
So you're offer needs to be closer to £2,200 to be realistic and even then it's low.
This is perhaps why you're previous artists dropped out of the project. It is too much work. I don't think people realise how much time it takes to complete a single cartoon. It really is hrs and not minutes.
Wow! This is hilarious! First of all and most importantly, if you are an artist looking for work and you see an ad that says "paid" and when you read the ad, the pay isn't up to your standard, (get ready, here it comes) simply do not respond to the ad!
Next, don't make assumptions. I saw one of your post where you recently "researched" why artist charge what they do and why. I've been knowing that for around 20 years. If you did your research properly, you should have found that there are many ways artists are paid, especially in the comic book industry. This can be anything from back-end pay to a page rate.
If you agree to do a job for the specified amount of money, then it is paid.
Saying that this isn't a paid job is like saying workers in the fast food industry don't get paid for their work. Low pay is still pay.
My previous artist didn't drop out because of the pay, they had both agreed on back end pay, and they dropped out for other reasons.
That is why I decided to offer some money up front this time, that way the artist knows they are getting at least something and if the book sells well, they'll get a percentage of that money as well.
Another of your assumptions is that I don't understand how long it takes to draw comics and don't understand the work that goes into them, wrong again, I am an artist and I know exactly how much time and work is involved.
Also, just so you know, I got around 50 or so responses and was really impressed with the quality of artist who submitted their portfolios. I narrowed it down to 4 artists and still had a tough time choosing. But, alas I made my decision and was well pleased, a very professional artist with a great style.
I really don't feel the need to go on but, I will say that I looked at your website and, not trying to hurt your feelings, I really wasn't impressed. You've got a long way to go before you'll be able to tell anyone anything about art. I hope you stick with it and get better but, for now, you should probably try not to insult people who are superior artists and know the industry better than you.
Hope this helps.
ljiles wrote:
If you agree to do a job for the specified amount of money, then it is paid.
Saying that this isn't a paid job is like saying workers in the fast food industry don't get paid for their work. Low pay is still pay.
People who work in fast food joints get paid a LOT more than the pittance you are offering. Demonstrate you're a good writer first or publish some circulation, readership, subscription figures before offering ZERO as a pay rate. And no...$1 a cartoon is not 'pay' .
Re you being a superior artist...I wouldn't know as I have never heard of you or seen any of your art. You may well be. Many are. That's not what my reply was about so your adhom response re my art work was neither here nor there. I am not offering 'art' advice, I am discussing 'fair pay' and I can do that regarding any job on the planet, whether I do it myself or not. I happen to believe talented artists (of the calibre you're seeking) deserve to be paid a proper and fair wage.
And just for the record I was recently paid £150 for a single cartoon...that's 50% more than you're offering for over 100 cartoons. Go figure...
Meanwhile if you are indeed a superior artist I'd be honoured to have you join my cartoonist forum. We have many artists of all levels who can benefit for 'superior' instruction. http://www.cartoonist-forum.com.
The job is paid if there is money involved, period. What you should have said is that the pay is too low for you personally.
Sorry, but it rubs me the wrong way when someone comes into a community like this and begins to tell people that they are not paying enough and asking where are your credentials, etc. The comic book creative community is fantastic. A majority of us support one another and numbers of us collaborate on projects with little or no pay because we love the medium. When one of us is searching for a writer, artist, letterer, colorist , or whatever position for little or no pay, I can pretty much guarantee you(and it should be obvious) that we aren't looking people that make their living doing those things. We are looking for other independent creators that have jobs and families but, work on comics in their spare time with hopes of doing them for a living one day, that's who we want. I'd never expect Jim Lee or Adam Hughes to send a portfolio and say that they'd be willing to draw my book for $150 and whatever back end pay they could get, that's ridiculous! I'd also offer that if you are a professional artist who pays their bills by making art, then it's probably not a good idea to troll message boards like this looking for work.
I read all of your post and it just seems to me that you are bitter because no one is offering the kind of pay YOU think YOU deserve.
You are insulting people and talking to them like they don't know what they are doing! There are many message boards like this one, they are mostly for those of a collaborative spirit, the people who are willing to sacrifice and work together to try and make something good, and it's usually for no up front pay at all, a majority of the post on all of the message boards that I use are back-end pay only if anything.
However, you being a pro should already know this, there are many websites where professionals can go to find jobs that pay more, this isn't one of them.
Just do your own thing and be happy, if you make a living drawing cartoons, that's great! But, don't come into a community like this and lecture everyone here on why we're "doing it wrong".
One more thing, you keep telling people they have no credentials and saying things like "I've never heard of you", well guess what, I've never heard of you either and as for your credentials, like anyone can be published now days, anyone can have a website with testimonials. For all we know the testimonials could be your family and friends, I'm just saying.
This is it for my end of this conversation. I wish you good luck with your art and hope you can continue to make a living at it. Just please don't criticize those of us doing the best we can to get to the point where we are doing our art for a living.
Why would I be bitter. I get the pay I think I deserve (my rates are on my website)
I am paid to draw cartoons. You visited my site, you have seen the testimonials. They are all linked to the authors so call them if you believe they are ficticious. I also have a business profile on Linkedin where clients on linkedin have also supplied testimonials. Their credentials and the testimonials authenticity is very easily checked. Faking testimonials is illegal and if you're doing it...I suggest you don't! It is a very serious offence.
I have ongoing 'paid' projects at 'my' rates.
Your comments are immature and naive.
$1 per cartoon is not 'low pay' it is 'No' pay.
What YOU should say is: I'll cover the cost of your materials...cos that's just about all it does.
End of...
Re not knowing whoI am
Google 'cartoonist services uk' and you'll find out who I am. I am afterall on page 1 twice.
I help cartoonists get the pay and exposure they need and deserve through mutual support. If you need help in this area instead of sharing the 'no pay' ethos, learn from those who know a little about self-marketing and join the gravy train!
I have since seen your work (assuming I looked at the right site as you're not easy to find) and you are very talented. If you're not paid in this endeavour then you are wasting your talents and there are ways and means of being paid for those talents. There are other avenues other than webcomics you could pursue in order to reap an income. The business world needs talented artists for many proejcts. Banners, website graphics, promotional materials that pack a punch...so on and so forth.
Thanks to all of the artists who submitted their portfolios for the overwhelming response to our ad.
We have chosen an artist to draw Godsend.
Thanks for your interest in About Time Comics, we will keep your information on file for future reference.
Thanks for your interest but, I filled this job almost exactly one year ago and the current artist is already working on issue 2.
Thanks again and good luck with your search.
