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Dwayne my friend, for the first 21 years of my life I thought I would do something in comics as a profession. I seriously thought these guys rolled in bucks. Then I got a call from Joe Kubert himself telling me I was accepted into his school after they saw my portfolio. I honestly thought I was on my way, so off I went to Dover, New Jersey for what I surely thought was the next chapter in my development. It was an experience for sure. I found out more than I wanted to know. So many of these brand name artists from Marvel and DC did this stuff ON THE SIDE. Many had other jobs and this was supplemental income. Then I had a class where people came in from all aspects of the art world to explain what they do and how they were making it. One day we had this artist come in that could paint photo real. This was back in the mid-80's before it became a more common place today. It blew my mind. I had never seen anything like it. I think this was the same day I found out most of my most beloved artists were not making it as well as I thought. Anyway, I asked him where he was working and how successful was he. His answer? " I'm currently unemployed." That was it. I was done and I knew it. I always thought (naively so) that I could draw comic panels for eight hours and go home with a nice paycheck. Not so. So many of these artists that are legends in this industry never made it in the financial realm like they did in the recognition arena. Fame does not equate to money. So I retired my dream and went back to Louisville and finally got my business degree in '91. A slow process to be sure because it was not tied to anything much that I loved at that point.
So while I certainly don't have your incredible skill sets, you are far from the first person I have seen with amazing skill to not reap the benefits. It's wide spread and it's a crime, honestly. I remember seeing Bernie Wrightson...remember him and his incredible pen and ink of Frankenstein? Anyway, I asked him how that all came about and what a big job that must have been. Turns out the majority of that he was doing at home FOR NOTHING. He just had it in him to do it and started work on it. Finally someone saw a number of pages he had done and commissioned him to finish it. But it's not like he got rich off it. He just got paid like it was a normal job and he was done. The ongoing joke he always had with pals whenever I would see him for many years after was whether he had his power cut off at his apartment that year. A common problem he had in trying to make basic ends meet. So most artists are very much under appreciated, and always underpaid.
Next time you get a chance, look around in your home at really anything - Your TV; Your vacuum; You VCR; Your coffee maker; Your keyboard; Your monitor; the chair you sit in. You know who designs those? Industrial designers. They are artists just like you as well. But they get paid to draw up this stuff. They don't know how to make it work. Engineers come in for that. But the artists design everything we touch today. Even medical devices. None of them get credit for THEIR designs because when they go to work for these companies, they sign away their rights to the company the day they start working for them. Their ideas belong to the company. In many cases, one of my friends (going back to my high school years), could not even include those pieces in his portfolio! And this guy did work for BIG companies like Coke, Sony, General Electric, and even Ford. So it never fails to sadden me when I hear this, but it's the cries I have seen throughout my life. All I can tell you my friend is you ARE very good and I think I speak for many of us when I say I never grow tired of seeing your amazing gifts and hope you will continue. You DO COUNT! Unfortunately companies don't want you to count it on your bottom line.
So while I certainly don't have your incredible skill sets, you are far from the first person I have seen with amazing skill to not reap the benefits. It's wide spread and it's a crime, honestly. I remember seeing Bernie Wrightson...remember him and his incredible pen and ink of Frankenstein? Anyway, I asked him how that all came about and what a big job that must have been. Turns out the majority of that he was doing at home FOR NOTHING. He just had it in him to do it and started work on it. Finally someone saw a number of pages he had done and commissioned him to finish it. But it's not like he got rich off it. He just got paid like it was a normal job and he was done. The ongoing joke he always had with pals whenever I would see him for many years after was whether he had his power cut off at his apartment that year. A common problem he had in trying to make basic ends meet. So most artists are very much under appreciated, and always underpaid.
Next time you get a chance, look around in your home at really anything - Your TV; Your vacuum; You VCR; Your coffee maker; Your keyboard; Your monitor; the chair you sit in. You know who designs those? Industrial designers. They are artists just like you as well. But they get paid to draw up this stuff. They don't know how to make it work. Engineers come in for that. But the artists design everything we touch today. Even medical devices. None of them get credit for THEIR designs because when they go to work for these companies, they sign away their rights to the company the day they start working for them. Their ideas belong to the company. In many cases, one of my friends (going back to my high school years), could not even include those pieces in his portfolio! And this guy did work for BIG companies like Coke, Sony, General Electric, and even Ford. So it never fails to sadden me when I hear this, but it's the cries I have seen throughout my life. All I can tell you my friend is you ARE very good and I think I speak for many of us when I say I never grow tired of seeing your amazing gifts and hope you will continue. You DO COUNT! Unfortunately companies don't want you to count it on your bottom line.
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