Mini-Comic Artists - Call for Submissions!

Hi everyone!

You may remember that in the middle of last year, I put out a call for artists who were interested in doing a paid guest Heartstopper mini-comic. We saw Malacandrax’s comic in September and Pearsfears’ comic will be coming out hopefully soon!

Well, due to all the money we raised in the Kickstarter, I’m doing it again! I'm hiring two artists to create a Heartstopper mini-comic each. 

If you're an artist and are potentially interested in this, the rest of this post will explain what is involved. Please read all of it before deciding whether you want to apply, and if you do, just leave a link in the comments OR reply to my tweet about this OR email me your portfolio/art blog/somewhere I can get a good sense of your art!

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I am looking to hire two artists to create two mini-comics for my webcomic, Heartstopper. These will be posted for Heartstopper readers to see on the Heartstopper sites (Tumblr and Tapas).

What experience do I need? What are you looking for?

You should be a reader of Heartstopper and have a good knowledge of the characters. You don’t have to be from the UK but you should have a good knowledge of the English language.

I’m looking for someone who has illustration and/or comic experience, but that doesn’t have to be ‘professional’ experience - I just want to see that you like art, basically. Don’t worry if you’ve never tried making a comic before - this might be a good opportunity to give it a go!

Why are you hiring artists to do Heartstopper mini-comics?

Short answer: FUN! And also to support artists. 

Long answer: I love comics and illustration and I adore seeing my characters in other people's art styles. As I raised so much in the Volume One Kickstarter, I would love to give some of this money back into the indie artist community. I really enjoyed doing this last time and I want to do it again!

What would I need to create if I was selected?

You would need to create a Heartstopper mini-comic of up to 5 pages. The page dimensions should ideally be 2000x3000px or higher.

You do not need to pitch me a comic idea before I choose the artists - you can come up with your idea after you're selected!

Your mini-comic should tell a distinct, freestanding story and it must be about main characters from Heartstopper (who could be any combination of: Nick, Charlie, Tori, Tara, Darcy, Elle, or Tao). It can be related to the events of Heartstopper or it can be an AU (alternate universe) story. 

Your comic can be in any visual illustration style. It can be digital, or it can be hand-drawn/painted if you have access to a decent scanner.

You can discuss with me what story you want to write/draw beforehand, and I will approve your story idea before you start drawing. If you don’t have any ideas, I’m happy to help! 

It probably goes without saying that the comic should not be sexually explicit or contain any hateful content.

How do I apply? When do applications close?

Please just reply to this post OR reply to my tweet about this with a link to your portfolio, art blog, or somewhere I can get a good sense of your art style and experience. If you would rather contact me privately, please email me at aliceoseman [at] gmail [dot] com, though please be aware that I probably won’t respond unless you are selected! 

I will close applications in two weeks, on January 21st 2019, when I will choose the two artists.

How do I know if I’ve been chosen?

I will contact the two artists I choose directly, so please make sure you are contactable via your social media, whether that's a Patreon account, a Twitter, Tumblr, or you can leave your email address if you like.

If you don’t hear from me, unfortunately I haven’t chosen you this time. (But I’d LOVE to do this again in the future, if I'm able!)

Fee

I am offering £100 per coloured page or £75 per greyscale page for a short comic of up to 5 pages. To do the simple math for you, that would mean £500 for a 5-page coloured comic, or £375 for a 5-page greyscale comic. But you can do less pages if you wish, in which case the per-page rate will apply. 

One page typically includes 3+ panels, but number of panels really depends on your art style so I'm willing to be flexible on this.

Please do not exceed 5 pages because I would not be able to afford to pay you for your time and work!

Payment

Payment is via PayPal only. For tax reasons, you will need to send me an invoice. This can be generated on Paypal if you have a business account, or you can just write one yourself (there are lots of templates online!)

I will pay you for one page in advance, and the rest upon completion of the comic (so two separate invoices will be necessary).

Time frame

You will need to complete the comic by April 30th 2019, which should give you about three and a bit months from when I close applications and contact the chosen artists. Please only apply if you are confidently able to meet that deadline. Completing it earlier than that deadline would be amazing - it’d mean I can post it sooner! :)

What are you going to do with the mini-comic and what can I do with it?

Your mini-comic will be posted on the Heartstopper sites (Tumblr and Tapas). I will decide the precise date once you have completed it. I will of course share links to your own social media when I post your comic and be hyping it up lots beforehand!

Your comic will be posted on my Patreon early (as my patrons are part of the reason I am able to spend money on this!)

You are absolutely free to post your mini-comic on your own online platforms, as long as you credit the characters to me! You may not, however, profit off the mini-comic (e.g. selling it as merchandise). In return, I will not be selling your mini-comic as merchandise (e.g. putting it in a zine or a book). These mini-comics will be created as online free-to-read content only.

I have tried to cover all questions that you might have but please do leave any questions in the comments below. I REALLY look forward to looking through your artwork!