by Matthew Russell - Posted 5 years ago
Yes, Vigilantes, we're back with the final solution. I didn’t want to leave you hanging going “Why won’t you give me the answer to my problems!?!” Don’t worry. I’m here.
Side Note: I just Googled “Final Solution”. DON’T!!! That is not what I am referring to. It has nothing to do with that.
How can you go about getting a comic completed and not stress? Communication.
With the internet today, there are so many different ways to find an artist. Indeed (if you have the money), Facebook, LinkedIn, or even Craig’s List. Upwork.com is a great resource. Hell, I once found a great artist on Fiverr. Finding an artist is easy. Finding the right artist is hard.
Review their portfolios. Don’t just look at prices. Read reviews on their work, their turnaround time, their professionalism.
Once you found an artist that you like, befriend them. I found this to be one of the key components. Talk often. Get to know them.
Hit them up on social media. Have a chat with them. If you can get along with them set a tentative schedule to meet up. Even a quick Skype will suffice. It doesn’t have to be formal. “Hey, how are things coming?”
At first, I demanded transparent communications and strict scheduling. I once went as far as setting up an account with Asana. Asana is a web and mobile application designed to help teams organize, track, and manage their work.
At the request of the artist, I realized this was a little overkill. I agreed and ended that program. Then he refunded my money and said I was too anal retentive. I couldn’t do anything other than agree and apologize.
Eventually I found my stride and decided to mix business and friendship. I can now work with artist of all caliber and have a great relationship. Even after the projects are completed, I can still remain friends with them and even recommend many of them to other writers.
Well, it's simple. It works because there is now some incentive to get things done as well as a date that you have to hold yourself accountable. It also isn’t stringent like my Asana days.
It is simply a check up. “How are things coming?” The usual response is something like “Going smooth mostly. What did you want for this section? Blah Blah Blah.”
Also, if they miss a meeting since we are friends on Facebook (or some other social media), I will get notifications if they are at the hospital or something like that. In those cases, I simply wish them well because they have become my “actual” friend.
I give all of you Vigilantes full rights to copy my method. Get to know people. Become friends and not just in the social media aspect. Care about each other. You will be surprised that this might just work for you.
Don’t let things go too long. Check in with them about once a week. You can push it to 2 weeks but I wouldn’t go further than that. Good luck.
Well, lets keep this just between us for right now. Don’t tell anyone but on our system you can message each other. Yep, we are making it so you can work together to create a comic. We are working on a forum system so that you can find your fellow creators.
I wish I can tell you everything that we have on our wish list to make it so everything you could ever want comic related is right there! If I did, Joe, Jared, & Frey will kill me, so that is all I’m saying at the moment.
Talk to you soon, C-ya later!
