The Secret

A lot of the people coming to a pro for a review are looking for the secret. That magic process, paper, tool, or gimmick that will get them in. The truth is that the only "magic process" that's going to get you in is hard work. Hard work, patience and realism. Sure, there's always going to be one or two superstars who made it by having that magical combination of luck and style. If you're banking on that for yourself-- well, I'll be seeing you at McDonalds. Those people that do make it by "magic" are usually flash in the pan artists who rise fast and disappear just as fast. The guys that stick around- Jim Lee, the Kubert Bros., David Finch, Frank Quitely, etc.- those guys worked hard for years on obscure books before they made it big. Nobody points to Jim's Alpha Flight or Punisher runs as being classics in the history of comics- but that's where he cut his teeth, where he learned his trade. (I use Jim as an example because his is the work I'm most familiar with.)

If you're that young hopeful artist who's trying to break in, the only real trick I can tell you are to learn to separate your ego from your art as much as you can. Be honest with yourself. Is the work you're producing something you'd buy yourself? It's a difficult perspective to get, but it will serve you well. As you become more experienced your perspective on your own work gets better. When I was twenty-two I had it all figured out- now that I'm thirty-three I see I have a lifetime of work ahead of me before I get anywhere near "good." I've heard stories of artists such as Robert McGinnis keeping stacks of his old paintings in his garage because he saw no value in them. Jim would come out of his office with pages that would make the rest of us dumb with awe and yet he would be able to point out stuff he wasn't happy with.

"Style" will get you nowhere. If you tell us you are trying to develop your style you're fooling no one but yourself. People who are concentrating on style are actually trying to cover up their own deficiencies. I don't care what you may think, a strong foundation in the basic principles of drawing is the ONLY thing that will get you work. If you have strong foundation in perspective, anatomy, basic rendering, and story telling your style will naturally develop out of that. Stop looking at other artists styles and get out the basic drawing books.

It took me two years drawing nearly eight hours a day before I got the call to intern at Wildstorm. I must have gotten about thirty rejection letters in that time. Honestly I was about ready to give up. Every pro I know has a similar story. Keep at it, concentrate on the basics, do the best you can, and you'll make it.