Break In Now., Art as a Career Options

[Talzhemir]

I'm going to skip discussion of what education you want/need, and cut right to the chase. How can you get hired?

1. For computer-related pixel-art on a casual or short-term basis, the first place art directors look is here: GAMASUTRA. Artists post resumes and links to digital portfolios. A well-stocked Deviant Art site may be sufficient for this purpose. Gamasutra is a very basic raw place to hang your "artist for hire" shingle.
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/jobs_display.php

TIP: A custom web-page of your own that doesn't look professionally is often best. Why not a slick web page with a snazzy background and beautiful font choices, obviously made by someone you hired? Because you're not selling their web-page-making skills; this is about selling YOU. If you ARE a web page designer, though, clearly credit the page to yourself-- not to some imaginary company with a charming logo that's really you.

2. For longterm hiring, NCSoft and Nintendo and EA Games and others go to Mary-Margaret.com. Mary-Margaret is THE agency that ethically matches companies and creators. Artists, coders, and others for hire don't pay any kind of fee or cut of future earnings. The companies who are hiring pay the fee.
http://mary-margaret.com

TIP: Say no to the "headhunters". This is less common today but it still occurs. A headhunter offers you a job in exchange for a cut of your future earnings, usually called a "studio fee". The headhunter may have previously posed as the officer of a non-existant art studio. They instruct the company not to post the job opening because that would supposedly "drive up the artists' fees". The artist is naturally flattered that "a studio" would seek them out but get no actual benefit from the affiliation (except maybe, a reputation as a naive sucker).

3. For short-term illustration jobs, mostly black-and-white but also color, the pencil/paper/dice RPG industry is quietly thriving. Much of the commerce takes place in the digital world, through sales of digital editions (always .PDF files) and print-on-demand mail-order. There are other venues for artists but if your interest is keenest for fantasy & science fiction, the RPG industry is a good place for you.
http://rpgartist.com/ Artists for hire
http://rpgwriter.com/ Writers for hire
http://rpgnow.com Games, games, games! From Wizards of the Coast & d20 to small press

TIP: Deviant Art is wonderful-- but Deviant Art isn't prospective-employer-friendly. It's mostly meant for enjoyment and for print-on-demand sales of prints and posters. What it lacks, that I, as an Art Director need to know, is your terms and rates. As an example, you can see my friend Jeff's terms and rates here:
http://www.io.com/unigames/rates.html

4. You could conceivably do all your work from home. It's good to get out, though, and meet other artists. Science fiction, fantasy, and furry conventions all do a world of good for us. There's the art show, which lets you sell your works for no fee. Then there's a region, either a quiet hallway or a room set aside, for artists to sit at tables like dealers do. Some conventions charge for this service but most don't; if they do, it's usually a very small fee. Try it, you might like it. I especially love doing custom commissions on-the-spot of people's RPG characters. Other artists can't stand doing that, though.

TIP: Keep two non-digital portfolios. For some people, the best way to see your work is on computer, of course. A web page can be discreetly passed along if multiple people are involved in a hiring decision. There's still a good reason to have two books of your physical art.

The first is your finished art, your prospective commission patrons. Most conventions have an area known as the "artist's alley" where artists may sit at tables and offer to do commissions, for free. You need to create this portfolio gradually, over time; it's very awkward and difficult to construct one overnight. Keep multiple copies, photocopy or printed scans, in transparent pages of a folder (you can get these at Kinko's).

The second is for your most interesting preliminaries. It's things that, while they wouldn't sell as a print, do offer valuable insight into your skill and versatility as an artist. As an Art Director, though, I usually want to see a great deal of non-digital stuff. Here's what I'm thinking: "They're good at architecture but can they draw expressive faces? They're good at Final Fantasy-style heroes but can they draw a realistic horse?

They're good at figures but can they also do backgrounds? They're good at single figures but can they handle a scene with a group of interacting figures? They're good at swords and castles but can they create a futuristic car that makes car-enthusiasts drool? They're good at realistic kittens but can they create a monster that scares gamers and other artists?"

5. If you're just starting out, if this all sounds daunting, relax. Your toughest job for now is, simply learning to take care of your finished art. You need a container that can't be damaged by baptism-with-Coca-Cola. It has to be kept in a place where nobody is tempted to pile other stuff on top of it. If you keep your stuff in folders, it has to be big enough to hold them. It should be out of the way enough to be safe-- but not so out of the way that you forget it or it's hassle to utilize it (so, the top shelf of your closet isn't appropriate).

TIP: Do your work on cardstock, not the paper you also use in the printer. It's not as transparent as regular paper, so also invest in a light-box from an art store. Cardstock works just fine for tracing with a light-box. (not advertising, just for informational purposes: http://www.dickblick.com/categories/lighttables/ )

TIP: Non-artists sometimes aren't aware that one thing artists need, besides pencils, markers, pens, paper, and the like, is containers for preserving their stuff. You might ask for binders and sheet protectors for a birthday present. (not advertising, just for informational purposes: http://www.officedepot.com/browse.do?N=201439 )

Merry Solstice, all!