Lead Artist for Manga - Character Designs and 1st 5 Chapters (Approx 160+ Pages)
Budget: $5,000 – $10,000 USD
We're looking for a Lead Artist to provide original character designs and produce pages for a potentially long running independent shounen action manga. You will have a very thoroughly detailed story, character profiles, and even 80 or so completed pages of the story to pull inspiration from (though we are not using the older version beyond reference, it's a fresh start) so you'll be able to focus almost all of your attention on creating great looking characters and environments rather than embellishing unscripted dialogue and interactions for filler purposes.
The story features dozens of characters, monsters, and bosses, but to start we are looking for 20 character designs. We feel this is a good first step because we expect the first 2 chapters - intentionally prolonged - to be about 100 pages total. We want to find a talented artist sure, but also have great chemistry with them.
Reqs:
1) You have some manga experience, either reflected in your portfolio or shared with us upon request.
2) Competent at all the required tasks of a manga artist: base illustrations, backgrounds, shading, inking, coloring, paneling, word bubble placement, etc.
3) Capable of drawing complex characters and action scenes to our specifications.
4) Characters are mostly human, but has beasts, monsters, animals, anthropomorphic and other less traditional characters as well.
5) The story takes place in modern era, but has past and futuristic settings too.
6) Vivid imagination. We have very detailed scripts, but don't wish to restrict you from adding your own touches to scenes and characters.
7) If you have to stop working for us, please give us as much notice as possible. Preferably as early in the work month as possible to give us adequate time to recruit a replacement.
8) Assign tasks to assistants and help ensure monthly release schedule is met.
9) You will not have any rights to the IP you are working on, beyond credits and some pre approved portfolio usage.
Speed Performance & Preference:
We aim to be a monthly release, which means at least 20+ completed pages (drawn, shadowed, inked, and word bubbled) a month. Speed is critical. However, we know this is a very demanding ask for an individual artist. As such we won’t have a strict speed requirement, but do ask you to be 100% honest about what you are capable of commiting to produce for us every month and what you would need around you to reach the target goal. Also note any weaknesses you may have as well. Nobody is perfect, we will do our best to fill in the blanks in production from there. Anyone found to be embellishing or fails to substantiate their quality of work, commitment, and/or capabilities will be removed from the project and forfeit any agreed upon compensation.
Notes:
We want to release by the beginning of Q2 2023, but are flexible.
The monthly production requirement does not have to be met immediately upon hire, so long as we are ready for monthly releases by chapter 6/start of Volume 2 and you remain consistent with your monthly commitments. So you will have time to build chemistry with the team, characters, and world you are helping to create.
We have enough content for this story to clear 300+ chapters easily, so there is very strong potential for a long term partnership.
Pay:
Artists will be paid per page or character design completed and accepted.
Compensation per page will vary on the caliber of the artist and how much assistance they require to reach the production goals. Example: an artist that requires many tasks to be outsourced is not as valuable as an artist who has no tasks outsourced.
Questions:
How many completed manga pages (drawn, inked, shaded, and word bubbled) can you complete in a month? What tools, resources, and/or assistance would you need to reach enough for a monthly release?
What challenges do you see in this project, and what would be your plan to overcome them?
Any previous manga drawing experience you can share with us?
The story features dozens of characters, monsters, and bosses, but to start we are looking for 20 character designs. We feel this is a good first step because we expect the first 2 chapters - intentionally prolonged - to be about 100 pages total. We want to find a talented artist sure, but also have great chemistry with them.
Reqs:
1) You have some manga experience, either reflected in your portfolio or shared with us upon request.
2) Competent at all the required tasks of a manga artist: base illustrations, backgrounds, shading, inking, coloring, paneling, word bubble placement, etc.
3) Capable of drawing complex characters and action scenes to our specifications.
4) Characters are mostly human, but has beasts, monsters, animals, anthropomorphic and other less traditional characters as well.
5) The story takes place in modern era, but has past and futuristic settings too.
6) Vivid imagination. We have very detailed scripts, but don't wish to restrict you from adding your own touches to scenes and characters.
7) If you have to stop working for us, please give us as much notice as possible. Preferably as early in the work month as possible to give us adequate time to recruit a replacement.
8) Assign tasks to assistants and help ensure monthly release schedule is met.
9) You will not have any rights to the IP you are working on, beyond credits and some pre approved portfolio usage.
Speed Performance & Preference:
We aim to be a monthly release, which means at least 20+ completed pages (drawn, shadowed, inked, and word bubbled) a month. Speed is critical. However, we know this is a very demanding ask for an individual artist. As such we won’t have a strict speed requirement, but do ask you to be 100% honest about what you are capable of commiting to produce for us every month and what you would need around you to reach the target goal. Also note any weaknesses you may have as well. Nobody is perfect, we will do our best to fill in the blanks in production from there. Anyone found to be embellishing or fails to substantiate their quality of work, commitment, and/or capabilities will be removed from the project and forfeit any agreed upon compensation.
Notes:
We want to release by the beginning of Q2 2023, but are flexible.
The monthly production requirement does not have to be met immediately upon hire, so long as we are ready for monthly releases by chapter 6/start of Volume 2 and you remain consistent with your monthly commitments. So you will have time to build chemistry with the team, characters, and world you are helping to create.
We have enough content for this story to clear 300+ chapters easily, so there is very strong potential for a long term partnership.
Pay:
Artists will be paid per page or character design completed and accepted.
Compensation per page will vary on the caliber of the artist and how much assistance they require to reach the production goals. Example: an artist that requires many tasks to be outsourced is not as valuable as an artist who has no tasks outsourced.
Questions:
How many completed manga pages (drawn, inked, shaded, and word bubbled) can you complete in a month? What tools, resources, and/or assistance would you need to reach enough for a monthly release?
What challenges do you see in this project, and what would be your plan to overcome them?
Any previous manga drawing experience you can share with us?