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5 Artist Portfolio Tips

15/5/2020

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Hey Folks! 

We recently put up artist submissions over on our email: submissions@mythopoeia.us. We went through all of the regular comic channels, which to us looked like /r/comicbookcollabs, Deviant Art, the Facebook group Connecting Comic Book Artists and Writers, and the old stomping grounds of Digital Webbing! 

Looking for artists is always a fun experience for us. We love looking through portfolios and seeing what kind of new talent is out there. That said, thought I'd explore a little what we think makes a good portfolio and what should be included when looking for art jobs. 

So all of this is just from our experience over the years and our preferences. There's not a single format for these things. Okay? Alright. Here we go.
​

1. Read the Instructions

The instructions are always the first test to any job postings. Oftentimes employers will ask you to format your email in a specific way and to only send samples to a specific email. Make sure you follow the instructions to the letter. 

For our submissions, we will only look at the email: submissions@mythopoeia.us. If you send us a direct message or send your portfolio to other emails we will ignore them for the most part. Don't do that. Sometimes we'll ask to give the email a specific title. This is a test to make sure you follow the instructions.

​For any sort of job or formal application, make sure to always read the instructions carefully. 

2. Send Only One Portfolio Link 

Your submission should consist of a short cover letter and a clear link to a professional portfolio. Your portfolio should be easy to navigate and contain all of the samples you'd like to show on one page.

Oftentimes, we'll get multiple links to individual art. While we still look at those portfolios, it leaves a bad first impression. We go through hundreds of portfolios every time we post. The easier you make it for us to go through them, the more favorable our opinion is. 

Chances are if you send multiple links we'll only click on one of them, and oftentimes we don't click on the first one.  The only way to make sure we see what you want us to see is by sending one link, clearly indicated in a cover letter or as an attachment. 

3. Include a Cover Letter

Introduce yourself and how you found the job posting and why you think you would be good for the job. No need to go crazy here - maybe 200 words maximum. Still, it's nice getting a feel for who we're talking to and is much preferred over just a blank email with an attachment.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, don't write an entire essay. Like in life and dating, if you make it known you want something really bad it can come off as desperate. 

4. Make a Good First Impression

We can tell within ten seconds whether or not a portfolio is going to make it to the next round. That's why we recommend keeping your portfolio simple and clean and to make your best samples the most prominent.  Although separate from the technical aspects of art, if you show strong design skills in the layout of your portfolio it shows strong visible sensibilities which is always a plus.

5. The Art is Everything



At the end of the day it's about the art. If you have the goods, the above is sometimes optional but still an indication of professionalism. Make sure you have a varied portfolio that shows different aspects and techniques. For comic sequentials, here's what we think is important:

  • Framing
  • Expressions
  • Anatomy
  • Movement
  • Background 
  • Perspective

If you're looking to work in comics, we highly suggest having work that covers the technical know-how above. We recommend having between 5-8 piece in your portfolio. Anything more than that probably won't get a look. And although we're not artists ourselves, we usually can tell when there is a technical deficiency in work. 

A common mistake we see is relying two much on one character / two character composition in the form of pinups or covers. Those are great, but make sure if you want to work in sequentials to show you can frame and draw perspective too. It doesn't necessarily have to be a sequential page, but we need to see that in your work. 

--------------------------

Thank you everyone who submitted! We love seeing artists work and wish we had time to respond each and every one of you.

If you'd like to see what some good looking portfolios look like, check out Pixpa's Article on Artist Portfolios here! 


Hope this was useful to somebody. Keep working on honing that craft!

Ray
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Artist Alley: The Unparalleled Steve Dillon!

22/8/2019

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Cheers, Steve!
His career was extensive, and his talent was unparalleled. The fact that he worked for every major comic company around today tells you how far reaching his talent was. Sadly, Mr Dillon is no longer with us, but the artwork he left behind will remain firmly in bookshelves of comic book history and in our memories for all time. 
​Dillon was born in London in 1962 and raised in Luton, Bedfordshire. He was the oldest of three siblings, a sister younger by three years, Julie, and a brother younger by nine years who is cartoonist/costume designer, Glyn Dillon.

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Artist Alley: The Twisted World of Junji Ito

23/7/2019

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Today, folks, I want to take you down to the lowest level of Hell for you to witness the imagery that could only be conceived by the twisted genius of this man's magnitude. He has been lorded across the west as being the, ‘Japanese Clive Barker’ a title he truly has earned, but his work is in no way derivative of his.

I want to take you into the macabre world of Junji Ito.
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The man himself, along with a few of his creations
Junji Ito was born in the Gifu prefecture of Japan in 1963. He was inspired from a young age by both his older sister’s drawings and the work of Kazuo Umezu. Ito first began writing and drawing manga as a hobby while working as a dental technician in the early 90’s. 

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Artist Alley: The Craft of David Lloyd

4/7/2019

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David Lloyd has long been one of my all-time favourite comic artists. Ever since reading V for Vendetta as a kid I’ve always enjoyed getting sucked into the worlds that were crafted and coloured by this man, so today I want to write up a bit of history about this man and a bit more about his works. Enjoy!
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Looking very smug and rightly so.
Lloyd was born in Enfield, London in 1950 taught himself how to draw people, and how to draw strips. He began his career in comics in the 1970’s drawing for Halls of Horror and for Marvel UK where along with writer, Steve Parkhouse Lloyd created the pulp character; Night Raven. 

David Lloyd started his first project with comic’s legend Alan Moore in 1980 when they worked on several issues of Doctor Who, featuring such issues as ‘Black Sun Rising’ and ‘The 4-D War’, where the Doctor is pursued by the dreads Special Executives. 

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Artist Alley - The Humble Genius of Darick Robertson (The Boys)

11/6/2019

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He’s the man who's brought to life Spider Jerusalem, Conan the Barbarian and the X-Men. His ability to co-operate with writers and allow their vision to inspire his artwork, is second to none. His portfolio has entertained and inspired millions. It’s fan boy time, lets talk about Darick Robertson. 

The son of a mechanic, Robertson grew up in San Mateo, California and did not attend a single college art class. He was, however, driven by a creative passion that exists in many but is pursued by few. He taught himself how to draw with the child like hope that one day he might be good enough to create comics, not for fame or fortune but just so he could have what all of us want to have, really – a job that he loved.
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The man himself
He is now in his 50’s and has been bouncing off the walls about one of his proudest co-creations being bought to life on the small screen. ​

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The Boys, cover art

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