Comic book?

[supermark]

Hey everyone well its been awhile that i was in a very bad slump but im hapy to say im starting to get out of it now(if you remeber a previous post of mine). anyways what help me get out was looking at all my old comic book collections (spiderman to be more specific.) and almost instantly i was inspired again and felt like doing my art work again. So to make this a short post i want to know what specifically do you have to do to work in comic books or the like.... i was thinking animation or illustration?but im not sure. can any one help me here, how do you get into comic book work or how do you get the skills other than by yourself. do you need to go to art school for it? what? im not sure. any information would be appreciated. sorry for the hurried post.and one more thing which is harder, making comic books?or being a animator? although yes i know there too completly different things.

[Mirana]

I currently go to SCAD for Sequential Art (Comics and Storyboarding). You might be particularly interested if you like Spiderman, since one of our current profs is Tom Lyle.

You don't have to go to school for comics, but that means you need to have the drive to produce and learn on your own. Also, the school provides a ridiculous amount of connections to help you learn and get jobs (ie the upcoming Comics Art Forum). Most companies do not expect you to have any degree at all, but I will say that having one has helped me get my foot in the door and many times because it's so rare.

I switched from animation to comics because I thought comics would be easier, more satisfing, and a better market (such as it is). An animator has to produce a lot more work to create a single few-second piece than a comic artist for pages. You almost always have to work on a team to produce anything, and it's never your own work--its work-for-hire, in which you own nothing (although if you're looking to work for DC/Marvel, you'd have the same problem). The market in the US also went to crap recently with all the 2D studios closing.

The interesting twist to this is that if you become a comic artist by going to SCAD, they teach you multiple classes in CONCEPT ART, focusing on animation in some cases. In this way, you get the training to work both in comics and animation. But I digress....

[supermark]

so are there other schools who do sequential art or any other suggestions?

[Breakfastburrito]

im pretty sure the art institutes will have something.

[Mirana]

Joe Kubert is the only other one I know of, and they only offer two-yr degrees last I checked.

[Maxine Schacker]

Max the Mutt in Toronto offers a 3 year diploma in Illustration for Sequential Arts: Comic Books and Graphic Novels. It was developed by top Canadian comic book artists and has a strong traditional drawing component. Its also affordable. Check us out at www.maxthemutt.com.