Where is the actual book art? I applaud your investment and your story has me intrigued but the art is everything in a graphic novel and I'd love to see it!
Notes on costs for writers who are interested in commissioning an artist:
$150-200 a finished page is a completely reasonable expectation for finished sequential art whether you use a classic comic workflow (pencils -> inks -> colorist (often separate person) or full digital paintings (like Saga). Traditional painted comics like Esad Ribic's Silver Surfer Requiem would be quite a bit more (I'd probably charge $300 per painted board) and you'd still have to letter them which is an art unto itself.
Concept art varies wildly, but you can get great digitally painted land/city/sky scapes for $100-150 from American artists, character sheets with turnarounds may be a bit more and you often get what you pay for there. Covers vary the most, $300 will get you something amazing it will guarantee you a full 8 hours a work. Talented artists love to WILDLY exaggerate the time it takes to make things because so many casual artists are out there boasting/time-lapsing their 60-hour photo-realistic drawing of Ian McKellan. Part of what makes an artist a pro is that they can do A LOT in 60 hours.
Most illustrators work in multiple mediums and styles so be sure not to overlook someone based on a small sample size. The best advice I can give is to hire a professional, someone who paints/draws for a living -- that person is far more likely to understand the tremendous effort and time it takes to make a comic book a reality. Don't find someone who made a great pin-up, find someone who can tell a story. Find someone who shares your vision and excitement and pay them a small amount ($75) to do a test page so you can agree on a shared vision/style/feel. Educate yourself about good and bad comic art, talk to working artists. Go to cons and look around, not just in the alley, find those guys with 100-200-300 square feet that are able to make a living painting incredible things because they often want to make comics but have to paint everyday to pay the bills and if someone comes along and hands them $150 a page, they will be happy to blow your mind because it means they don't have to do the worst part of being a professional artist: finding work. I know 10 of those guys and you won't find them pandering for work, they are already working.
redturtleblue4 karma
Where is the actual book art? I applaud your investment and your story has me intrigued but the art is everything in a graphic novel and I'd love to see it!
Notes on costs for writers who are interested in commissioning an artist:
$150-200 a finished page is a completely reasonable expectation for finished sequential art whether you use a classic comic workflow (pencils -> inks -> colorist (often separate person) or full digital paintings (like Saga). Traditional painted comics like Esad Ribic's Silver Surfer Requiem would be quite a bit more (I'd probably charge $300 per painted board) and you'd still have to letter them which is an art unto itself.
Concept art varies wildly, but you can get great digitally painted land/city/sky scapes for $100-150 from American artists, character sheets with turnarounds may be a bit more and you often get what you pay for there. Covers vary the most, $300 will get you something amazing it will guarantee you a full 8 hours a work. Talented artists love to WILDLY exaggerate the time it takes to make things because so many casual artists are out there boasting/time-lapsing their 60-hour photo-realistic drawing of Ian McKellan. Part of what makes an artist a pro is that they can do A LOT in 60 hours.
Most illustrators work in multiple mediums and styles so be sure not to overlook someone based on a small sample size. The best advice I can give is to hire a professional, someone who paints/draws for a living -- that person is far more likely to understand the tremendous effort and time it takes to make a comic book a reality. Don't find someone who made a great pin-up, find someone who can tell a story. Find someone who shares your vision and excitement and pay them a small amount ($75) to do a test page so you can agree on a shared vision/style/feel. Educate yourself about good and bad comic art, talk to working artists. Go to cons and look around, not just in the alley, find those guys with 100-200-300 square feet that are able to make a living painting incredible things because they often want to make comics but have to paint everyday to pay the bills and if someone comes along and hands them $150 a page, they will be happy to blow your mind because it means they don't have to do the worst part of being a professional artist: finding work. I know 10 of those guys and you won't find them pandering for work, they are already working.
Good luck. Show. us. the. art.
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