Wanted: Comics Artist

Beef up your art portfolio. Scriptwriter is seeking graduating students of illustration or fine arts, to bring to life a short story using the comics format. Twelve plates/pages total. Applicants should be comfortable with pen and ink, and have a good instinct for visual storytelling. Looking for styles similar to Jim Scancarelli (Gasoline Alley), Adrian Tomine (Shortcomings), or Tom Batiuk (Funky Winkerbean). Publication guaranteed. Rate is $30 per page.

You must be at least 18 to apply. Send a cover letter, samples and your CV to John Smith through .

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Instead of going through the usual comics want ads for talent, why not try the career/job offices of colleges and universities? The advantage: students of illustration aren't there for the heck of it. Illustration isn't only a hobby, it's a chosen career. They're not going to moonlight this. They're paying dollars to learn about it.

When you tap into this student pool, you know they've already gone through the training. You know they have an acceptable level of discipline, geared towards professionalism. It's important that you start with a small project--it won't demand too much of their time while they're finishing school. And you have to pay them as well.

Tapping into student talent also gives you access to a lot of non-superhero and non-manga styles, a bonus if you're writing under a different genre. When you place a want ad, specify the styles you're looking for, and a list of established artists who use the style.

Try it out: contact the nearest college, university or art school and ask about their policies about posting want ads on campus or through their online bulletin board. Or try to get in touch with the student organization, and see how receptive they are to working on "graphic storytelling or comics" projects.