What is the usual turn around time for artists when they are given the commission to do illustrations for articles?
I'm curious to see how fast they must work.
I'm also kind of curious about the art direction in issue number 144. The Muster of Morach Tor two page spread has the guy's head right in the gutter where the two pages meet, completely ruining the piece. And do you just farm out your illustrations wholesale to this Udon group? They're in almost every issue.
Contributor
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What is the usual turn around time for artists when they are given the commission to do illustrations for articles?
I'm curious to see how fast they must work.
They usually get about a month. Looking at my calendar here shows that yes, from the day we write our art order to the day they are supposed to turn in the art is roughly one month.
They usually get about a month. Looking at my calendar here shows that yes, from the day we write our art order to the day they are supposed to turn in the art is roughly one month.
How many illustrations are commissioned to a single illustrator during that one month time? I notice that many times a single illustrator is turning in several pieces.
Creative Director
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For Dungeon, the artists generally have about a month to do the illustrations. For an adventure path, we always use the same illustrators, generally going with a team of two to three so that the entire path has the same feel to it. That leaves two other adventures to do, one of which we always have UDON illustrate since they've got a large studio of artists working for them AND they understand the feel of D&D. Which leaves 1 adventure per issue that we generally go to another artist to illustrate.
For the wide illustrations we do to open non-adventure path adventures, the gutter sometimes swallows some of the art, which is why we try to order art that has a left and a right component with not as much going on in the middle. But since it's generally an artist's instinct to put stuff in the middle of a piece, it seems, sometimes this doesn't work out as well.
It sounds like the necessity for uniformity throughout the adventure path and fondness for UDON reduce the diversity of artists. Perhaps the magazine could be richer with a less-standard set of illustrators? (Not that it's not great to begin with!)
what is udon?
Thanks for the info, Mike and James. I was just curious.
what is udon?
Udon are Japanese noodles.
HTH ;)
Besides noodles (mm...noodles), they are a studio of artists.
I have wondered about Udon myself, as some of the pieces are of differing quality. Makes sense then, that it is a studio.
To Mike and James or anyone in the know:
I am an artist too. I have been doing freelance RPG stuff for a couple years. I looked around on the site and in all the writing guidelines I found only one small mention of submiting art portfolios to "Dragon". Is there a different place to submit for "Dungeon" as well? Is it more of an umbrella type thing, where, I actually submit my stuff to Paizo instead of to each magazine separately? I noticed recently that each mag has the same art director, but I was hesitant to contact him directly. Didn't want to rock the boat on submissions guidelines.
Thanks.
Hi, Dire Satyr,
I wouldn't presume to answer for Paizo, but here's the standard way to solicit illustration work in the gaming industry (along with some unsolicited advice). Given your RPG-illustration experience, you likely know all of this, so I apologize for overshooting the mark. But it seems questions about this topic pop up on these threads fairly often, so here's what I learned in the school of hard knocks.
Email & Website. Email the publisher or the art director specifically (if you know his or her email) with a query that directs him to your website. If you have one or two images that rock or would particularly catch his eye, it's okay to include them as small-file attachments to the email. In one or two sentences, explain why your work would be perfect for the publisher and express your enthusiasm. If you don't have your resume on the website, list in one sentence in your email the most notable companies you've worked for and projects you've completed. At the end, say something like, "If my work doesn't suit your present needs, I'd be grateful for any criticism or guidance you can offer about my work."
If you don't have a website, attach up to three images and offer more upon request. (I got a cartography job from DUNGEON this way.) If you don't have a resume yet, that's cool. Everybody is new at some point. But it sounds like you do from your RPG freelance work, so highlight it. Emphasize why your work is perfectly suited for the publisher and back it up with the strength of your images. But build a website soon. All of the publishers prefer the ease of perusing your work online.
Above all, be polite, friendly, and professional! No goofy jokes. Fewer words are always better than more. If you get any response, say thank you enthusiastically.
Never Get Discouraged. Ever. Don't be disappointed if the first publishers you solicit show no interest. Everyone racks up oodles of rejections early in his or her career. Few publishers give feedback, but some will. Take it to heart! This is their industry. They know what they want.
Hit Multiple Publishers. Make a list of the publishers who advertise in both DUNGEON and DRAGON, check out their products, and solicit work from all that interest you. Build a record of good work with others. Be patient! Re-submit whenever you have a collection of new, better work, whenever the art directors change, or every three to four months. Perseverance is key.
Go to Conventions. Most big gaming conventions like GenCon and Origins and some fantasy & sci-fi conventions have art shows and guest artists. Go! Meet people and show your work. At the biggest conventions, representatives from the best gaming companies will have booths. Stroll over and introduce yourself. Take these things: (1) a business card with a killer image on it along with all contact info and your website's address; (2) 8 x 10 glossies or 8.5 x 11 top-quality prints of your work with your name and contact info on them; (3) CDs with all your best images on them as big jpeg files, word files with your resume and an artist statement (if you have one), and your name & contact info written on the disk (offer disks in brightly-colored jewel cases, of course). Pass them out like candy. Keep a log of who you meet with brief notes on what you discussed. (After a big convention, the faces, names, and companies of folks you met will blur; you need to recognize them when they call and remember what you chatted about.) Meet the artists too. Get criticism from the pros. Build enthusiasm with the other fledgling artists. You never know what contact will lead to a job.
And best of luck! Here's to seeing you in DUNGEON soon!
Thanks Ashenvale,
You seem to know your stuff too. Good advice for all. It was pretty interesting. I left school for a year or two and started doing the freelance thing. I learned more in the year doing that, than I had in the previous three years at art school.
I have been to Gencon and Origins a few times. Most helpful to hear the feedback and to get confidence enough to put your stuff out there. So I would recommend that to anyone.
I have my website up, but unfortunately it is not complete. That has actually stopped me from sending out my info to new editors. I am getting to the point where I may do it regardless of it being finished.
Thanks for the encouragement.
Thanks also to Mike, for putting those names up. I think they'll hear from me pretty soon.
Dire Satyr
You seem to know your stuff too. Good advice for all. It was pretty interesting. I left school for a year or two and started doing the freelance thing. I learned more in the year doing that, than I had in the previous three years at art school.I have been to Gencon and Origins a few times. Most helpful to hear the feedback and to get confidence enough to put your stuff out there. So I would recommend that to anyone.
As somebody that's getting out of art school in about two months, I'm glad to hear that. A friend has said as much, so it's good to hear a second opinion.
Hey Dire Satyr, I'm not a big time publisher but, I do have a little art project that I need some help on. I am looking for a very particular style, so if there is any way you could show even a glimpse of your web site (or direct me to your published art) that would be cool.
GGG
Great Green God,
www.clearandsunny.com/ryan
Glimpse all you like. By saying it isn't done, I really only mean that I need to update my recent professional work, still lifes and figure drawings from school, and some comic pages I have been working on.
James Keegan,
I noticed in another thread that you were in art school somewhere. I just went back and finished up my degree in December. It can be overwhelming to think about sometimes, but I wouldn't want to do anything else. Good luck with school.
Hey Ryan, fantastic work! Everybody, check this guy out! Ryan, your figures are glorious and compelling, your compositions fluid and imaginative.
I find your compositions in Arthur, Fangshield, and especially Angel Against the Horde entrancing. Vampire Hunter is a lesson in how to explode the stasis of an isosceles triangle composition, usually the most stable and therefore unmoving in art, with circular motion and twisting action. In Acros in the Leaves, you balance the negative and positive spaces elegantly with shapes that are never static. I also enjoy the titled perspective of Drow & Dwarves and Outlander.
Bori Hunter captivates me particularly, with its startling use of background forms to compliment the center of attention. The echoing triangles of the figure and the cool negative space prevent the green’s brilliance from overwhelming the figure, allowing it to stand as a shocking eye-catcher that then effectively points me into the figure. The jagged diagonal of the tree spikes likewise echo the claw print, creating a sense of cadence that only the repetition of similar but not identical shapes can achieve. These formal elements add complexity and power to its simple, clear narrative.
Your narrative elements in many works intrigue and capture me, from the moment of crisis in Luth Defends the Helpless to the haunting promise of By the Trees. You have a spectacular sense of linear design that you combine with strong anatomy throughout.
(A quick thought on your bio: Drop the observations that commercial deadlines frustrate you. Everyone knows they frustrate everyone. We don't want a publisher to mistake that for a suggestion that you miss deadlines or compromise your work to meet them.)
As a whole, with a tad more finish, I’m betting your work would not only suit DUNGEON to a tee but would rival the work the UDON studio regularly presents.
Thanks for the praise Ashenvale.
I know what you mean about my bio. I have rewritten it at least half a dozen times and I'm still not happy with it. Check back soon. I started making progress on that update last night and I'll have it up in the next two weeks or so..
Thanks again.