Considering drawing for fun and extra cash.

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2006-08-30 12:20am

I was thinking of submiting some artwork to Dark Horse to possibly get a job as a cover artist or a pin up/poster artist for Star Wars related things. I don't really want to draw the comics. Anyone have info or tips on how to go about this other than the obvious and previously stated act of just sending in artwork?

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2006-08-31 05:53am

This is a quick drawing I did over a couple of lunch hours at work. Just thought I would show it so no one thinks I just all of a sudden decided that I can draw for a living. Hope it's not to big.

Post by **weemadando** » 2006-08-31 06:22am

If that is a "quick drawing in a lunch hour", then holy shit yes consider it as a career.

Old Plympto · Post by **Old Plympto** » 2006-08-31 07:21am

IIRC, the big comic companies prefer sequential artwork as submission by untried talent, and you seem to have that in abundance. Their cover artwork are usually given to proven talents or in the case of non-sequential artists, like Chris Moeller and Hugh Fleming, accomplished painters.

In fact it even says in most of their submission pages that they don't look at pin-ups.

As an alternative, you might want to go through the "Joe Corroney Method" as I call it, which is to make a name for yourself with the RPG industry before moving on to bigger things.

Put us as many of your best work on online galleries (like DeviantArt, for example) and then send emails to RPG companies with links to them.

But they usually don't pay as much and work is few and far inbetween, but they would be more receptive to unproven freelance talent than the comics industry. (I got my first and so far my only break with The Game Mechanics' Future Player Companion. It was a rush to see my meager illustrations as interior art while Weta Workshop's Ben Wootten's on the cover.)

You could also hang around RPGNet's Freelancers forum and submit to any open calls from some companies, if they're looking for inked black and white science-fiction artwork, which by the look of your sample there I think would be great for it. And offer to do cover type pin-ups in your emails, with links to samples on your online gallery.

If perhaps you're established with RPG book covers, you could approach Dark Horse, let them know about your work and hopefully that will get your foot in the door.

Einhander Sn0m4n · Post by **Einhander Sn0m4n** » 2006-08-31 05:06pm

Holy shit Havokeff, that's some amazing work for 'a couple of lunch hours at work'!

Tasoth · Post by **Tasoth** » 2006-09-01 04:32pm

That's rather good. Needs a background or some loss of negative space though. (You guys can maul me later)

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2006-09-01 11:42pm

Thanks for the compliments. I know this board is full of hard critiquing MFers

And thanks for the info Plympton.

Post by **weemadando** » 2006-09-01 11:55pm

Fuck, if I need an illustrator for a RPG book, can I throw some commissions at you?

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2006-09-02 01:40am

Sure.

Pick · Post by **Pick** » 2006-09-02 11:03am

No offense intended, but before you consider this, do you have any colored work or work with backgrounds? Sequential artists tend to be good at illustration and lacking in effective color use, whereas for cover artists, exceptional coloring is a bloody necessity (as well as good drawing skills.)

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2006-09-02 01:02pm

I can color but, I haven't used anything other than colored pencils and probably not in about 7 years. I usually don't hang onto my drawings or colored stuff anyway. As for backround... the above was done on a couple of lunch hours at work since that is the only place that I have access to a free scanner oh and I had to eat my lunch too. So the backround didn't get done.

I just posted the pic so you guys didn't think I was going to try to get my foot in the door with stick figures

I guess I could do a complete drawing for a better source to get feedback on. Maybe even ink it. What should I draw?

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2006-09-02 01:04pm

Actually it's been a while since I considered doing this, but I thought that most covers had a colorist?

Tasoth · Post by **Tasoth** » 2006-09-02 04:45pm

Depends. Moeller works with paint and the Preacher covers aren't inked I believe. Acryllic is probably what they use. As for subject matter, DH usually does supernatural things, like zombies and what not, star wars and various other bits, usually actiony or horror based. Go with that.

Pick · Post by **Pick** » 2006-09-02 10:08pm

Generally speaking, most covers are done with digital media or gouache (at least in my experience.) The exception to this is Japanese comics, which often use colored inks.

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2006-09-06 12:32am

I did this today on lunch+. Sorry the image sucks, but the guy who scans the stuff for me at work went home early. I went to Kinko's and was fine with paying $10 to scan one picture and another $6 for the CD, but when the guy told me I'd have to come back in an hour since I wanted it as a JPEG, I said fuck that and took a pic wuith my camera phone. I'll replace it tommorow. Anyway, this one has a backround and a little more detail than the first pic I posted.

SyntaxVorlon · Post by **SyntaxVorlon** » 2006-09-06 09:04am

Looks like he's ready to go fishing with that hat on. You've got some serious skill there.

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2006-09-06 11:07am

The guy's right. You. Are. Awesome!

Tasoth · Post by **Tasoth** » 2006-09-06 01:25pm

Much better then the earlier lunch time drawing. If that were to be inked and colored, that'd be beyond totally sweet.

TheMuffinKing · Post by **TheMuffinKing** » 2006-09-06 07:54pm

Looks great! The power armored guy looks good, but seems wierd to my eye, I can't quite place it...

Pick · Post by **Pick** » 2006-09-06 10:34pm

Looks very nice. Do you have any examples of inked work?

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2006-09-06 10:53pm

TheMuffinKing wrote:Looks great! The power armored guy looks good, but seems wierd to my eye, I can't quite place it...

Maybe because it's not power armour.

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2006-09-06 11:04pm

TheMuffinKing wrote:Looks great! The power armored guy looks good, but seems wierd to my eye, I can't quite place it...

Yeah, Spanky is right. Just plain ol' armor. What you are seeing is the effect of me drawing the character too wide and I drew it darker than the foreground character.

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2006-09-06 11:05pm

Pick wrote:Looks very nice. Do you have any examples of inked work?

No. I usually throw my stuff away when I move or am cleaning. I'll do some though.

Old Plympto · Post by **Old Plympto** » 2006-09-07 12:50am

Not the best I can do during lunch on a laptop but...

Edit: Argh! The colours on his chest are crap. So is the lighted edge of the wall.

TheMuffinKing · Post by **TheMuffinKing** » 2006-09-07 01:00am

It still looks cool! I agree with on the vest, it looks like the brown was just thrown on haphazardly.