Intro to Coloring alum Pippa Bowland discusses how the class and instructor Chris Sotomayor equipped her with the skills to build the career she has today.
Bowland says: “It didn’t take long before I started to get offers of work from Dynamite & 2000 AD. I just keep updating my samples, constantly going through in my head what would Chris (Sotomayor, class instructor) do? Every page I do, Chris is like my judge.“
Love says: “We’re in crisis mode. The encouragement is very kind and sweet and patient. Brandon Seifert started a specific mental health thread for how we’re getting through this. Another member started a thread on home schooling and parenting.”
Pitsirilos says: “One of my many hats is I’m a volunteer librarian. I draw these awful comics in my newsletter. A fifth grader asked me, “Is it going to be on Webtoons?” So I knew if fifth graders were asking me about it, I had to look into it. Comics Experience comes in and I get that validation from the webinar with Reilly Brown. It’s an untapped market and we gotta get ahead in the game…
“Are there different sectors of society that might support you that you aren’t thinking about. When my Webtoon is released, it follows a graffiti artist and graffiti artists will be into it. Who can be part of your coalition and campaign?”
Long-time Comics Experience member and colorist Emily Elmer Walker discusses how the community has been a safe space to give and provide creative feedback.
Walker says: “It’s a safe space, the best way I can put it. It’s a very relaxed place. You can say things and not worry about too much judgement. You can put out your criticisms and see each other from different perspectives.”
A key aspect of the Path to Publication is finding the publishers you and your work connect with. Kenny Porter discusses how to find a home for your comic book, whether it’s subject matter is superheroes, slice of life or anything that stirs your creativity.
Porter says: You have to ask yourself, where does it actually fit? Instead of trying to fit a round peg in a square hole. The story you want to tell: who is the audience who wants to read it? Just because someone wants to do comics doesn’t mean they want to do superhero comics, or slice of life, or vice versa. There’s way more options now. It’s a big thing to learn now that the market is more open.
Porter says: First thing I asked when I’d post it: were you excited to read it? People who reviewed it would tell me this is where it trailed off for me; this is where it doesn’t bring the same heat or energy; or it doesn’t tonally fit, or someone’s dialogue didn’t sound consistent. It’s great to have people as a sounding board who have experience in the same medium as you.
If you’re looking to join as a writer, you’ll get a community of people from all kinds of backgrounds, who’ll give you feedback you can take to the bank, as opposed to someone who may not be familiar with the art form. It was the only way I could get feedback that was useful and take to heart, as opposed to bringing it to a class somewhere at a college.
I did have a lot of interaction with the pros. I got great feedback from people like Kyle Higgins, gave me a lot of great script notes, helped me with plotting and structure. Afterwards he let me ask him a bunch of questions about pacing. Fred Van Lente helped me build scenes, characters and how to keep them consistent. Wouldn’t have had that without Comics Experience backing me up.
