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9 Tips if You Want to Make a Living Drawing Comics

The era of superheroes is not over yet. Thanks to such big brands as Marvel and DC, comic books and everything that results from them is being widely popularized across the whole world. This is why drawing comics has long become a rather fun hobby to have.

But, did you know that it can also be a great source of income?

With a wise monetization strategy, making a living drawing comics isn’t that hard. In this article, we have gathered the top nine tips that will take you from zero to hero and help monetize your creative potential.

Ensure You Have a Lot of Free Time

Just like any other job, drawing comics will likely take most of your time if you want to make a living off of it. Thus, first and foremost, you have to ensure that you have enough time.

If you are still a student, a perfect solution would be to find a reliable academic helper. If you have a place where you can go and ask “please, write an essay for me,” you will save up enough time to devote to your professional growth. So, be sure to consider this option.

Things can get a bit trickier if you have a full-time job but want to change your career. In this case, you will have to rely on wise time management in order to have enough time.

Master the Craft

Next, once you have plenty of time for honing your skills and turning comics into an actual source of income, you need to ensure that you have mastered the craft.

If you’ve been doing this for as long as you remember, that’s cool. But, even if not, you can master the craft relatively quickly. Before it starts to bring money, you’ll need to ensure that you know all the drawing basics. If your skills require improvement, consider taking some courses for honing them.

Self-Publish

Now that you have all the skills and time to devote to drawing, let’s move on to monetization tips.

First and foremost, the most obvious way to start making money by drawing comics is to create and self-publish a book. Luckily for you, in the 21st century, self-publishing is no longer something unattainable. All you need is a reliable printing company and a few dozens of copies to get started.

Pro tip: If you want to minimize investment and risks, you can consider selling your books based on pre-orders. This way, you will only need to print the copies that have already been purchased. Thus, you won’t lose your money.

Submit Works for Newspapers

Though this tip may sound a bit too outdated since newspapers are no longer read in the 21st century. However, it is still a good way to make money with your art.

Many small and large newspapers publish comics for readers’ entertainment. And many of them are willing to accept submissions from young artists. Therefore, it is a good way to earn some quick cash. What is more, this is also a great way to get your art noticed. Even small local newspapers typically have a well-established audience. So, it is your chance to get yourself out there and grow your fan base.

Look for Jobs With Established Companies

If you want to turn your passion into a well-paying, full-time job, a great way to do this is by landing a job with an established company. There are plenty of companies engaged in creating and publishing comic books, and they are constantly hiring new talents. So, this is another way to go.

However, one thing you should note is that getting hired as an artist right away can be quite challenging. Most often, you will have to start with entry-level assistant jobs. However, once you get hired, you can work your way up to creating your own strips.

Create Your Own Website

Want to play it solo? Then you need your own comic website!

In today’s digital world, you can monetize pretty much any skill using the internet. So, if a long-term perspective of going from the bottom to the top in an established company doesn’t sound too tempting to you, consider going digital!

You can create your own website where you will publish your own strips and work on growing your fan base. We won’t sugarcoat it, growing your own website to monetize it is also not that easy. But, with some persistence and effective strategy, you have all chances to succeed!

Try Freelancing

Becoming a freelance artist is another great tip if you want to make a living doing what you love.

There are many great platforms for freelancers. To name a few, there is Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer, and many other trusted sites that connect skilled professionals with thousands of potential customers in nearly any industry. And the comic industry is not an exception.

Be ready to start with small rates and rare orders. However, freelancing is really about building your own name. Thus, if you can demonstrate yourself as a reliable, professional, and talented worker, you can grow into a full-scale freelancer with a solid reputation. And that’s when you can start getting real profit.

Use Social Media to Your Benefit

These days, social networks like Facebook or Instagram are great for business as they put you out there in front of millions of potential customers.

We encourage you to use social media to your benefit. Regardless of whether you decide to work for a company, publish with a newspaper, or deliver services as a freelancer, social media can help to expand your outreach and build a larger fan base.

Bonus Tip: Leverage Additional Streams of Income

Finally, one more tip we have for you is not to stop on a single source of income! It is great if you can manage to start earning from your art. But, it will also not hurt to gain some additional streams. For example, from making screen prints, graphic posters, or even merchandise with your most popular strips.

Now you see that there are plenty of ways to make a living from drawing comics. And there are even more options that weren’t included in this article.

Using these tips, you should be able to monetize your talent and skills. So, go ahead and pursue your dreams!

About the author

Tom Smith

Please note that articles by this author may be in collaboration with other companies.