Spotlight: What I Do As a Comic Artist
Many of today’s popular films started on the printed page — not in novels, but in comics. There is a clear appeal to the illustrated format for telling large and complex stories without compromising the intimacy of the story. And it takes an experienced illustrator to capture those moments. How does it feel to face a blank page every day?
To learn more about the average career of a comic book illustrator, we spoke with Matt Haley . Matt has professionally illustrated comics for over twenty years with DC, Marvel and others, and told us about how he packed his life into a truck for a chance to get into comics.
Tell us a little about yourself and your experience.
I’m Matt Haley. I have been working as a professional comic book illustrator since 1991. Right now I’m illustrating Wonder Woman 77 for DC Comics Digital. In comic circles, I’m probably known for my work on Superman Returns, Tangent: Joker , The Best of Elseworld: Supergirl and Batgirl and many others for DC , Ghost for Dark Horse and The Order for Marvel. In the past few years, I have also done artwork and illustration for a variety of media projects with comic book icon Stan Lee, such as Who Wants to Be a Superhero and Comic-Con Episode IV: Fan’s Hope with Morgan Spurlock. I am also the director of the viral internet hitBlackstar Warrior .
What prompted you to choose your career path?
I never had any questions – I grew up with Neil Adams’ Batman and Steve Ditko comics ” Shadow, the Changing Man” and announced to my family at the tender age of four that I was “going to be a comic artist.” So, I’ve pretty much trained myself to do this by staying in my room and painting all day, every day, often at the expense of my homework!
How did you get a job? What kind of education and experience did you need?
I was in college in New Mexico in 1990 and read a copy of the Comic Buyer’s Guide describing the San Diego Comic-Con this summer. It mentioned that editors from all comics would be looking at portfolios of aspiring comic artists there, so my college roommate Tom Simmons and I decided to make art samples to show them. The 1989 Batman movie was still all over the place, so I reasoned that since everyone and their grandma are likely submitting samples of Batman art, I should pick a title that no one else would consider, so I chose Star Trek: The Next Generation. I wasn’t good at drawing, so Tommy took on the role and did the job masterfully while I was doing the drawings. We made a set of art samples and quit our job, loaded into his truck, and drove to San Diego. We didn’t even have a place to stay or a place to return to, we just kind of dived into the depths! We received good reviews on the show and did a second set of samples, which resulted in my first performance of Star Trek: The Next Generation Annual # 2 for DC (reprinted in The Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Paperback). 54 pages – I was excited and scared at the same time.
Do you need any licenses or certificates?
Just a strong portfolio, that’s all they care about – whether you can draw well and consistently well. A good editor can define professional work even if the actual art style is unusual and consistency is key.
What are you doing besides what ordinary people see? What do you actually spend most of your time on?
Avoid distractions. Drawing (and lately for me writing) is an extremely time-consuming job and I need to cut off the world to focus. I recently turned off the Internet access to the computer on which I draw my drawings, and my productivity has doubled. I spend most of my time sitting, drawing and shaking my head to very loud music on my headphones. I email my editor and other clients, but mostly just paint until it’s time for yoga!
What misconceptions do people often have about your job?
Oh, there are a lot of phrases like “Wow, you work from home, that must be so cool” and “You work with Stan Lee, you must be famous.” I have been a freelance artist my entire career, so I really have no idea what a “regular office job” is. I was the one who saw Office Space and didn’t get the jokes. However, I am probably very spoiled and won’t last even five minutes in a more traditional profession.
People seem to think that comic book artists are rich; it couldn’t be further from the truth! Usually, from hand to mouth, but I would never change that. The artists are very lucky, and they have a lot of freedom, and it’s nice that they don’t have to wake up with an alarm clock every morning! My road to work is about fifteen feet, and I can work in my robes.
What’s your average uptime?
It used to be “work until I fall, every day,” but as I get older, I worked hard to work less hard if it made any sense. I work about twelve hours a day, but that’s not all. Some of them write about various projects that I am preparing. It’s important to work on your own creations, otherwise you can get terribly bored artistically. I work six days a week and try to take one day off. Daily yoga really helps me stay sane and saves my back.
What personal tips and shortcuts have made your job easier?
Transition to digital technologies. I started working in Photoshop and Illustrator back in 1999, but I try to keep up with traditional art materials so I don’t lose those opportunities. Learning how to run my business like a business has helped immeasurably, and I am realistic about the time it can take to create a work of art, so I’m not missing the deadline. Also, I just trust myself more, believing that I have the knowledge and experience to successfully complete a piece of art, even if I have no idea how I would approach it in the beginning!
What’s the worst part of a job and how do you deal with it?
Lack of regular salary. Many artists try to have multiple sources of income by selling T-shirts (for example, this funny Sherlock / Star Trek mashup that I did, that reblogged Wil Wheaton) and sketches at conventions (for example, this poster that I was invited to create for the iam8bit gallery at Los Angeles) is taking over private orders and so on, but I won’t lie – that’s rude.
Also, resist the urge to snack, as you can crave stimulation while you work. I prefer nuts, dried fruit and tea, but sometimes there is a Ritter Sport bar. Mmmm, Ritter Sport.
What is the most enjoyable part of the job?
Actual drawing. Hours of continuous creativity. I watch any movie I want while I work. Looking at the finished page or piece and knowing that you nailed it. I used to call the difficulty of the play “fighting an angel,” but nowadays it seems like art is flowing pretty smoothly.
What advice can you give to people who need to use your services?
Yes, they can visit my site and send me a message via the contact form! I’ve been doing this for a long time so I can usually figure out what a potential client is looking for during the initial consultation. You’d be surprised how many people would want to hire an artist but think it’s hard or the artist will be fickle or fickle, and the truth is, we’re just ordinary people who can paint well.
I would add that most people have no idea what is involved in making art and may not understand how we make our living. Too often people get in touch and ask an artist to draw something for free, using lines like “You love to draw, you have to do it for the exhibition” or “You can pounce on this on the weekend, can’t you? ? “I usually ask them if they are asking their lawyer or plumber to work for free. People are well-meaning, I think they just might not know how to respect the craft because this is a pretty specialized field.
How much money can you expect at your job?
There is no standard. I have rates that I quote based on my experience and my past client list, but as such there is no starting salary; this is what the market will withstand, you know? A comic book artist working for the Big Two (Marvel and DC) can expect to make anywhere from $ 100 to $ 200 per page drawn in pencil, and around $ 75 to $ 150 for ink; smaller publishers tend to pay about half of that or so. These are just general numbers. If you can get one or two pages a day, you can probably make between $ 40,000 and $ 50,000 a year just creating art. Real money is about creating intellectual property that can generate income for you, but in a way, it’s like playing the lottery. Many artists have spouses to support their endeavors, and it can be difficult to support a family solely with your art, depending on where you are in your career. I have no children, so it’s a little easier for me to make a living through art.
How are you progressing in your field?
That’s a big question, isn’t it? Nobody knows. In comics, especially in comics, one of them happens at the whim of the editor who hires you, the marketing department sells you, the buying public (hopefully) likes what you do and buys more. Many “big name” artists today entered the business around the same time as me and benefited from the comic book speculator market before it collapsed, and hence the number has been known since those days. Comics these days talk a lot about the writer; Perhaps some marketers consider the artist interchangeable, I don’t know. I just kept doing it and got into television art, making comic-style art for businesses (a big part of my business these days), storyboards for games, poster illustrations, and more. Comic training is the perfect training ground for almost all other artistic disciplines. “Moving up” can be associated with luck. I think it’s more about not giving up.
What do your customers underestimate / overestimate?
Clients tend to overestimate their artistic and creative knowledge and underestimate the artist. They don’t want to do this, but our culture does not value art as much as playing professional sports or flying on an airplane. Everyone thinks they can draw and write well, so there were times when a potential client tried to control the process at the micro level, and there are ways to cope with this so that the client gets what he needs, and I don’t get a migraine!
What advice would you give to those who want to become your profession?
Don’t give up, but know that you can bring many lives to do this. This is not for everyone. I would advise up-and-coming comic artists to start their own online comics and grow their audience from there. Too many artists think they can go in and start drawing Spider-Man, but there are only so many comics to draw. This is a ridiculously competitive area and not always meritocracy. Submit your work to smaller publishers, hit them there, and see if the larger companies notice you. Creator-owned comics are popular these days and people can make a decent living. Anything I can finally do in the near future, we’ll see. But really, don’t give up, no matter how hard it is. For the right person, being a professional artist can be incredibly rewarding!
This interview has been edited for clarity.