General advice for aspiring manga creators

[dvandom]

Talented artists are pretty common, meaning that editors often base hiring decisions on other things, trying to get the best total package possible. This means that you want to work on things that may not seem immediately relevant to just being an artist...most notably how you write.

"But I don't plan to be a writer," you may say. Yes, but you still need to communicate with your writer, your editor, et al. If I have a choice between two artists of equal quality, and one of them writes emails that are painful to read, I'll pick the other one. Misspellings, bad grammar, lack of punctuation, excessive use of textspeak...all of these things can make you look like a callow youth and reduce your attractiveness to prospective employers. Even if you are a callow youth, you don't want to come across as one.

I try to at least skim every post made here, to check for inappropriate stuff, and I see a lot of writing styles that would make any editor cringe. I mean, if you could do a search and replace on your post turning every "lol" into a comma and still get a post that makes sense, you might want to consider just using the commas in the first place. And I'm not picking on any one of you here, it's pretty common.

---Dave

[maniac086]

Good point, Dave.

Just the other night, I received an email from a potential client in which they told me that not only were they impressed with my work, but also my "level of professionalism" in my initial letter itself—all because I simply take the time to actually think about what I'm writing and apply proper grammar and spelling.

I myself have to cringe while working for many of my clients (most of whom are self publishers or going through a vanity publisher), because most of the time their emails are so riddled with bad grammar and misspellings. Honestly, it does lean me towards not being so eager to take on their future projects, but since they're fitting the bill, it's a little different story.

[drpepperpro]

Are you going to sticky this?

Well anyways, here's some advice from me:
Something that might be useful is knowing how to use Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress. They're basically programs for making layouts for books and posters and such. So ya just useful skills to have in the world of publishing and graphic design. Also knowing how to make a webpage might help, since you could put your art skills to another use if needed. So for that you would want to know some basic HTML and how to use some kind of WYSIWYG web page creator.

Of course you could go more in depth in either of those fields, but there's not much point if your main goal is being a manga/comic artist.

[nimvoker]

I agree with all of you, I believe what you said is absolutely true and even logical. However, those are just a few of the many many points Writers & Artists must consider.

Writers should become masters of grammar, but not only grammar, text structure and the "taste" of it too. For writers, choosing an artist is not as simple as it sounds, they don't just look for a skilled artist, but one that can do team work. Imagination is also very important, as important as knowing how to convey it to others. While the artist can be very skilled doesn't mean a writer will choose them.

Basically, Team Work is as important as knowing what you are doing. ^^

[ericfleck]

I have to agree with the point about bad grammar and misspellings. How hard is it, really, to press the " Spell Check " button at the bottom before you send something?

Thanks,

Eric

[mangaka009]

If good artists are so common, how come I'm the only one on this forum? Ahahahahaha!

[Caliber Mengsk]

Jan 5, 2009 16:02:28 GMT -5 mangaka009 said:

If good artists are so common, how come I'm the only one on this forum? Ahahahahaha!

O-o Someone has what is know as a "God Complex". You know, where they think they are hot stuff and don't have to be courtesy toward others. Might I ask that you calm down a little and keep the arrogant comments to yourself?

(**Note: While I have no say over it, being aggressively arrogant is a very good way to get banned on many forums. It's a suggestion to be polite just because, but I know of many forums that would have already banned you just from the comments I've seen today. This all is just a suggestion/request to be a little more polite. It would make me feel better about the world if you could.)


Anyway, to be on topic.
While spelling and grammar helps professionally, I also find it better on forums anyway. Chat speak gives me a headache. Is it really that hard to type for instead of 4? Just throwing my two cents out there.

[jelmobu]

Yeah, don't pay mangaka009 much mind. Feeding the trolls only makes them hungrier.

[dvandom]

Mangaka009 has been banned.

---Dave

[monkeydlogan]

what did Mark Crilley go to college for?

[thetode42]

I try to use proper spelling and grammar on everything, no matter what. It helps gain respect with peers, honestly.

[NaTsue-kun]

That's right!, good spelling helps you to gain respect, not just only with the people that is working with you, even more with the first looking from other people that don't know you!. It doesn't mind that you must be boring or talk a lot to say a simple thing. You have to get the point as simple as possible, and use simple words. You won't look smarter using complicated words, so watch out!, if you're gonna do that and miss a few words, you'll become a fool for the people that is listening you , you can still being funny!!.
I think it's better to ask and learn than talk and talk about something that you don't really know very much about.
Unfortunately for me, I've been 3 years without read or write very much in English, so... I've to practice and make a full grammar rules review. jejeje, Sorry, I know that there is many mistakes, but...realy, I have a lot of time without it.

[udash3c]

This may be a little off topic, but this title really makes me want to share this:
One of the best (and terrifying) advices I've ever come across in my life. From H.R. Giger's agent to an aspiring artist:

"I'm an aspiring artist and a big fan of Mr. Giger's work, and was wondering if you could possibly give me some advice? Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated, particularly if you could guide me as to what courses you feel would be of most benefit to me."

Dear Aspiring Artist:

Here is my advice. Think of it as a five-year plan:

Take whatever courses you find the most interesting.

Study closely the work of the Old Masters.

Stop making art that originates only from your own imagination.

Stay with one technique until you perfect it.

On any given day, always be in the middle of reading a book. When you finish one, start the next. Fiction, nonfiction, biographies, autobiographies, history, science, psychology, or how to build a kite. Anything but go easy on the comic books.

Buy and read the first 6 pages of newspaper every day and also the editorial commentaries. Skip the entertainment section. Su Doku is fine. Do the crossword puzzle.

Fill up a sketchbook every month with pen or pencil drawings of the world around you, not from your imagination.

Buy a book on figure drawing. It's the only art book you will ever need.

Until you can draw an accurate portrait of someone, you don’t know how to draw.

Stay away from the airbrush. You'll never master it, hardly anyone ever has.

Visit every museum in your city. Often, until you have seen everything in it. Every kind of museum. Not only the art museums but, of course, those as well.

Forget about contemporary art by living artists, at least for the next few years.

Stay away from most art galleries. Go to art auctions. That's where the real action is.

Learn to play chess.

Take a business course.

Talk to you mother or father at least once a week.

Stop going to the movies until you have rented and seen every film on this list. www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/the_complete_list.html

Do not watch television unless it’s the news or documentaries.

Do not use an Ipod.

No video games, either.

Learn a foreign language.

Learn to cook.

Spend 8 hours in a hospital emergency room.

Save up money so you can travel to a foreign country within the next five years.

Do not litter.

Avoid politically correct people.

Vote in every election or never dare to utter a political opinion. You are not entitled to one.

Buy a digital camera and take photos every day.
If you see nothing interesting to photograph, you will never be a good artist. Keep only one photo of every ten you take. Delete the rest. It will force you to learn how to edit the garbage from your life, to make choices, to recognize what has real value and what is superficial.

Visit an old age home.

Listen to classical music and jazz. If you are unable to appreciate it at least as much as contemporary music, you lack the sensitivity to develop into an artist of any real depth.

Go to the ballet. Classical or Modern, it doesn't matter. It will teach you to appreciate physical grace and the relationship between sound and movement.

Wake up every morning no later than 8 AM, regardless of what time you went to sleep.

Learn to play a musical instrument.

Learn to swim.

Keep your word.

Never explain your art. People who ask you to do so are idiots.

Never explain yourself. Better yet, never do anything that will, later, require you to explain yourself or to say you're sorry.

Always use spell check.

Stop aspiring and start doing.

This will keep you very busy but it can't be helped.
In my opinion, this is how you might, possibly, have a shot at becoming a good artist.

Hope this helps,

Les Barany




This is may be a little rough for many people, but this is targeted to those that want to pursue art as a career. Of course, this can also be a bunch of guidelines on being a better person, but for the long run, this truly sums up all that can make a person respectable. I treat this as my Ten Commandments. Hah.