As you plan your conventions and shows for 2020, especially if you are going to a BIG show where you expect to meet with publishers, there are some things you should know.
You need a portfolio that shows off EXACTLY what you want to do, not a hodge-podge of random things.
1 – If you want to do sequential art, you need to show both INKS and COLORED final pages. Not super important that you have lettered pages, but inks AND colors lets people see your strength and where they will slot you.
2 – If you want to do character design, you need multiple turnarounds of KNOWN characters. This shows you can stay ON MODEL, which is what a character design person is looking for, and what almost anybody is looking for who is hiring you.
Yes, you should ALSO have original characters to show your creativity, but you want to show a company that you can work in THEIR WORLD. If they don’t know your character, they have no idea if you can stay on model for theirs.
3 – If you want to work on licensed comic work, then you need a portfolio with KNOWN characters in sequential, so they know you can stay ON MODEL. If you want to work in science fiction, you need to show some ships and weapons. If you want to work in fantasy, you need to show some characters.
4 – The big jobs in animation and video game work are in backgrounds, character design, and props, so if you want to work in those industries and break-in, you should be able to prove you can do backgrounds, props, and character design.
5 – Another way that tons of artists make their living is through storyboards and animatics. If you want to do storyboards, it’s a whole DIFFERENT portfolio, which can show how you would storyboard a KNOWN show.
Again, good to have both an original sample, but also a show that everybody knows, but storyboarded in your style.
6 – Depending on where you want to work, you’ll need samples in different styles to match the companies. Drawing Sonic and drawing Solid Snake are very different, and most people can’t do both. If you can, show it off.
Are those a lot of portfolios?
Yes, but how much do you want the job? You only have one chance possibly all year to sit down with these people. Besides, you don’t need an obscene amount of work in any of them. If you can do 3-5 characters, a few backgrounds, a couple of pages of props, 1-2 storyboard samples, and 2-3 sequential samples, you should have a pretty good base for somebody to say “send me more,” which is the goal.
7 – Bring some sort of something to leave with people, or leave on the free merch table. You’ll be meeting a lot of people, and you won’t want to trade with everybody, but trading is fun and a great way to build a bond,
One of the most fun things I’ve seen is a person who made a comic about his work, and by the end, you learned more about him as a person and what his comic was about. I very much liked that one.
8 – If you know what you want to do EXACTLY, then make sure to double down on putting that in your portfolio. People WILL appreciate it if you have an entire portfolio dedicated to awesome work in one world.
The 2020 con season will be here before you know it, and THIS is the time to prepare.
Don’t be caught off guard.
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