How To Make a Career as a Graphic Novel Artist or Comic Book Artist

How to make a Career as a Graphic Novel Artist or Comic Book Artist: The craze for comics is unreal. The graphic novel industry is more than a century old. But with the rise of electronic gadgets like television and smartphones, the lucrative market of comics saw a downfall. But in recent years the comic book industry has regained its lost glory after the arrival of Superhero Movies and Series. Which has resulted in providing a boom to the falling industry of Graphic Novels. However, the conventional market of graphic novels can’t be matched in today’s internet age. There has been a decline in the number of readers but the internet has opened many other doors for comic book publishers and creators.

Graphic Novels and Comic Books

Graphic Novels and Comics are often termed the same. A Graphic novel can be termed as a work of fiction which is made in the comic-strip format. The two fall in the same category and do have similarities. However, graphic novels are large with complicated storylines (as novels refer to a long story format). But mostly the two are works of nonfiction. The American comic books in general are referred to as Comics.

Work of a Comic Book Artist

The job of a Graphic Novel Artist or Comic Book Artist has been there for a while. This job profile has been a highly popular and a known profession in countries like America, South Korea and Japan. In Japan the comics or graphic novels are referred to as Manga and in South Korea it is called Manhwa. The market of comic books or print cartoons has been a lucrative market in these countries. But with time and internet explosion this industry (comics) has turned into a global phenomena. The sector has skyrocketed and opened new doors of opportunity. Today anyone and everyone can become a comic book artist.

Skills required for the profession

The profession requires some important set of skills to excel in the field. Comic book, graphic novel, manga, and anime industries are very fast and rapidly growing fields in the entertainment and media industry. So, let’s discuss about some essential and important skills required for the profession of Comic Book Artist.

Firstly an individual needs to have the basic idea of the cartoon and comic book world. It’s easy to turn your passion into your profession, especially in the creative fields. If you are new to this field you need research and take a deep dive into the unknown and amazing world of cartoons and comics.

Apart from this an individual at least needs to have basic skills in drawing, comics illustration, fine arts and basic knowledge of graphic designing. A person who seeks for a career in this field should be able to explore things, observe everything around him and the creativity to use the imaginations and thoughts for storylines and characters. For an artist the connection between the pen and paper should be divine. You should be able to convert every thought in the head into an illustration on paper.

Few Options for Professionals or individuals seeking for a Career in Comics & Cartoon Industry

• Comic Art Professional Society
• Comics Professional Retail Organization
• National Cartoonists Society
• Graphic Artists Guild
• Association of Illustrators
• American Institute of Graphic Arts

Career and Scope

Remember this profession isn’t a cake walk, there is a lot of competition in the field of Comic Book Artist or Graphic Book Artist. It’s very difficult to find a permanent job in this profession. As the big publishing and animation companies or organizations mostly hire reputed or highly skilled professionals. You have to establish yourself in the market. Only after establishing yourself, you’ll be able to get big projects or be a part of some leading organization.

Creativity, professionalism and uniqueness are three major aspects that will help you in sustaining and growing in this field. Most illustrators or Comic Book Artists prefer Freelancing as a career option. The profession offers you a paycheck according to your skills (there is no minimum or maximum), all depends on your skills. A good portfolio and networking can work wonders for freshers and less experienced professionals. The field is very lucrative and will only grow with time. 

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