Shaenon K. Garrity's Journal

Dave Roman's Guide to Being a Freelance Artist
Dave Roman, the comics editor for Nickelodeon Magazine and a great cartoonist in his own right, has published an indispensable guide to making it as a freelance artist and/or cartoonist. Dave knows his stuff, people. As someone who's worked in the comics industry for a while now in various capacities, I cannot tell you how true this advice is:

Get your work published.
It doesn't even matter where. Just having something in a printed magazine or book shows that, if nothing else, you were able to meet some deadline, work to spec, basically do what was needed to get something done. Even if it's a self-published zine/mini-comic, that still puts you a step ahead of someone who doesn't know how to adapt their artwork for the printed page. There are a lot of uber-talented artists out there who cannot follow simple instructions. Lots of editors would rather avoid working with them if possible, and go with someone they know won't need "hand-holding."

Seriously. Even in the less artistic, more workaday areas of comic-book production (like the manga translation, rewriting, lettering and book design I supervise as part of my job at Viz), it's hard to find people who have a) chops and b) the ability to follow basic instructions and stick to deadlines. People who can turn in good--or even passable--work on schedule are gold. I run into the same thing as editor of Modern Tales: it's not hard to find people who can draw, but people who can draw something for an audience on a regular basis? A lot rarer.

How do you show an editor or publisher that you have those skills? You actually produce some damn work. Prove you can do that, and the battle's half won.

This one's true, too:

Don't be a jerk.

Because everybody in the comics industry knows each other, and nobody wants to work with a known asshole.

Anyway, if you're interested in doing any kind of creative work professionally, Dave's post is well worth a read. He has some good advice about sizing up your skills, finding work that fits your strengths, and selling yourself.