Comic Book Artist

Description: Comic book artists use illustration and words to graphically tell a story or to convey information.

Knowledge Required: Fine art, writing, business, film, communications

Skills: Art and graphic design skills are essential for creating a visually interesting comic. Having knowledge of film, especially storyboarding, will help with pacing and composition.

Career Path: Comic book artists are either self-employed or work for a comic publishing house. They start by taking art classes and building a portfolio. Many artists participate in comic book conventions to connect with industry professionals and to build up a fan base by distributing their work.

Best Cities for the Job: The “Big Two,” D.C. and Marvel, are based in New York City. Dark Horse Comics and Image Comics are based in Milwaukee, Oregon and Berkeley, CA respectively. If you decide to self publish, look for cities that are near comic conventions and have a community of similar artists.

Median Annual Income: National: $44,160 CA: $63,830

Future Growth: The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 9% increase in job opportunities in this field.

From the field:“Comics are at this point in between film, writing, and illustration. You can do so much with the medium but then there’s the fact that it’s just you and a piece of paper… A lot of people in independent comics don’t have editors. In mini comics, it’s so easy to sit down and draw something and then photocopy it and not have all this mediation and filtering.” - Sophie Yanow, Comic Book Artist

Associated Curriculum: Digital Media Arts: Introduction to Visual arts and Digital Design, Unit 3