When to Erase, and When NOT To

It's been a whirlwind of a month -- I handed in a new book and got it approved. And my newest book is coming out on April 17 -- it's called "Basic Drawing Made Amazingly Easy." It cuts right to the chase for people who never really got an art education, and feel that they may be lacking in some of the basics, from perspective to still life and drawing people.

So my hint for the day is this: Erase, but not too soon. That doesn't mean you should stick to what you're drawing beyond the point where it looks good. It means that instead of erasing every time you make what you perceive as a mistake, draw "over" your work instead. While you're drawing, seek the right lines, until your image gets so messy, you can't tell one line from the other! Then erase. Why do I make this suggestion? Because you interrupt your rhythm every time you stop to erase. Get into a groove when you draw, and try to stay there as long as possible. That's how you break through the sticking points.

Chris

DRAWING & PERFECTIONISM

Just handed in a new book. Guess how many pages? All together, about 485 for this one, which will end up being designed into a standard page count. I worked so intensely...  7 days a week, long hours, for months, to get it just right. In fact, I had it all drawn, and then -- a sudden flash of inspiration and an improved approach flew into my mind -- so I decided to draw it all over again! I kept about 20 pages of the original book, but 465 pages of it are brand spanking new!

I'm not a perfectionist. A perfectionist is someone who never completes anything because he or she can't stand to do anything that isn't perfect - and nothing ever is. This is different. I finish lots of stuff and send it out into the world.

I live in a sort of a continuous creative flow. And when an idea pops into my brain, and gets me excited, I cannot - I simply cannot - ignore it. If I give my best effort, I have no regrets later. Plus, there are my readers. Yeah, you guys. I owe you something; that's how I figure it. If you're going to invest the time to read my books, I want the material to meet - and surpass - your expectations. That's no guarantee, of course, that everything I do will turn out as I envisioned it. But I've acquired a pretty good track record over my career; and I believe this is part of the reason.

So, my friends, if you're battling perfectionism, don't worry! It's not the bad character defect that everyone makes it out to be. Go ahead, be a perfectionist -- BUT -- finish your project, and submit it. What if you get rejected? Every successful writer and artist has been rejected numerous times. If it happens to you before you get an acceptance, then allow yourself to feel bad for a few moments. You're human. Then move onto the next project. But always answer the phone, even when you're feeling bad. You just might find that it's an interested editor on the other line, pouring over your submission.


Good luck in all of your creative endeavors!

Your Colleague in  Art,

Chris

Publishing Your Graphic Novel

ANNOUNCEMENT: You can NOW see 20 of my FREE drawing tutorials on Youtube. They were done for Howcast, a premier How-To portal on the web, which was voted one of the top 50 websites of 2011 by Time Magazine. 

Simply go to Youtube, and keyword in these words:

"Christopher Hart" draw manga

The tutorials will pop up. And you can choose the topic you want. If you like 'em, please post a comment. And thanks!

BLOG

A great many cartoonists, manga artists and illustrators dream of launching their own graphic novel. And why not? It can establish you, and your cartoon or manga character, and spin off a series and licensing opportunities.

One of the main considerations is pricing. Many first-time authors, without writing or illustration credits, are currently self-publishing .99 cent books. Let's suppose you just wrote and illustrated the great American graphic novel. And BAM! -  it takes off, at .99 cents, and rakes in an impressively big number of sales for a book in its class by a first time author: 25,000 copies. (To give you some idea of average sales: the average published novel, in print, sells 4,000 copies; and the average self-published novel, in print, sells around 175 copies.)

This many copies sold would invariably lead you to ask the following question (oh, come on, you know it would) --  What if your raised your prices?

You first have to ask yourself what is the elasticity of demand for a book by an unknoiwn author, priced at $9.99?  They key question is: Have you made enough of a name for yourself that you can raise your price ten fold on a self-published book, and still retain your readership?

At $9.99 it's quite doubtful that you will sell anywhere near 25,000 copies. Or 20,000. Or 10,000. Or 5,000. And that's because, for $9.99, the reader can buy the work of the best, established writers, with the pedigree of a publishing house, and with the confidence that they will come away with a reliable read - not something they might have to toss out. At record stores - when there were record stores - a consumer might buy an album from an unknown band because the album cover looked cool - IF it had a fire sale price, like ... .99 cents.  But not at the same price as other albums by your favorite groups.

Here's the thing: there is no impulse purchase at $9.99. People do not have it in their budgets to spend ten bucks a pop for the excitement of possibly discovering the next Sventlana Chmnakova (say that five times fast). But at a buck a pop, well, why not roll the literary dice?


Bringing our projections down to earth, let's see how much you might make at a $9.99 price, selling 1,500 copies in a year. That would probably yield you around $9,000; while 25,000 copies at .99 cents may yield around 8,750. Neither is going to make you rich.

So which way should you go?

There are many considerations, too many to list here, but money isn't the only one.  Exposing your work to the public, as a first time author, especially if you don't possess the writing credits to get an established publisher to consider your work, is another. Having earned some success as an author is important for a career. And whether you charge a buck or a hundred bucks, a sale is a sale. Authors with higher sales are more impressive to publishers, and to the public at large, than authors with small sales and greater profits for themselves. 

There are many other, legitimiate opinions on this topic - but that's the way I see it. I hope this has been helpful.


--Thanks for stopping by!

Chris

TO SELF-PUBLISH OR NOT TO SELF PUBLISH - CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE MANGA ARTIST AND GRAPHIC NOVELIST

Before I start the Blog, here's an update that might interest you:  I was just selected to be the host of 20 video tutorials from one of the leaders of How-To-Videos on the web: Howcast (howcast.com). Howcast was named one of the top 50 websites in 2011 by Time Magazine. These are free videos, which anyone can watch. To bring up my Howcast videos on a "search," it appears that you need to use the name "Chris Hart," and not "Christopher Hart." This is something I will bring to their attention. Meanwhile, here's the link. I hope you'll check it out:

http://www.howcast.com/videos/498757-How-to-Draw-Manga-How-to-Develop-Your-Own-Manga-Characters

 Okay, now on to the topic:

The term "Self-Publishing" brings with it negative connotations, most notably, the practice of "Vanity Publishing," in which an aspiring writer, unable to interest a publisher in his work, decides to take matters into his own hands, and manufactures the books himself. This requires self-funding; selecting editors, art directors and other support staff; shipping associated with both sales and returns; bill and accounting; storage and promotion. Foreign sales and special sales are often beyond the scope of self-publishing.


The result is often a book that instantly looks and feels "wrong" -- homespun and amateurish. The printing, the layout, the paper and the binding simply do not have the feel of a book from a legitimate publisher. Add to that the stigma associated with self-publishing, and the fact that most book retailers will not stock them, and what you are likely to end up with is, in this author's opinion, a lot of expense, effort, few actual sales, and a garage-full of unsold books.

Of course, there are exceptions. Some self-published books have become successful. But those are rare cases. Yes, the royalties are higher, since you do not have to split them with a publisher. But receiving a greater royalty on the sale of, for example, 500 books - which is far above average for a self-published author - is still tiny. Because of the reduced outlets which accept self-published books; the number of areas of expertise required to produce, sell and promote them; the poor quality of the production,;and the associated stigma, I recommend against it.

Self-publishing - specifically a graphic novel - is a different animal, and features a business model that is much more favorable. More on that next time! Stay tuned.

ILLUSTRATED BOOKS AND E-READING DEVICES

If you have a passion for drawing - whether it’s manga, cartoons, comics, or the human figure, then you’ve found the Blog that’s written just for you.  Every week, I’ll discuss tips on drawing; offer my analysis and predictions about the rapid changes in the publishing industry; offer advice on how to become a published artist; and, of course, give brief updates on my books. So make this a regular stop as you surf the Blog-O-Sphere. No reservations required.

 Maybe you've noticed; but ebooks are soaring as a percentage of overall book sales, from what used to be less than 5% a few years ago, to what many pros, who analyze the publishing industry, believe will be 80% in 3-5 years. One notable exception to this trend is the genre of heavily illustrated books, which include art books, art instruction books (from yours truly!), and specialty books. Their sales, in print, are healthy; but ebook versions, as a sector of the market, have been very sluggish to date.

Although I agree with the experts that ebooks will ultimately - and soon - vastly outsell books in print, I've also recently come to the conclusion that illustrated books may remain popular in print, at least for a decade, if not more. Nonetheless, we are sure to see serious challenges to the popularity of  illustrated books in print, as ebooks are developed that offer a multitude of entertaining and useful visual bells & whistles to each title.

And yet...

There's something about illustrations in print. Art is a very primitive thing, an atavism wedged deeply into the fiber of the human psyche. Anthropologists recognize cave paintings that go back to the dawn of the species. There is an immediacy to seeing art as a physical medium, rather than in a virtual world.  Consider what recently happened to the field of drawing, as an analogy: When computer drawing tablets became highly developed, and then ubiquitous, there was the concern, and the prediction, among many illustrators, that hand-drawing was quickly becoming obsolete, and that we were ushering in a new generation of "click and drag artists," instead of people with real drawing skills.

So what happened? To everyone's surprise, drawing freehand became more popular than ever. It's almost as if there were a push-back from artists, who craved the purity of drawing. Crafts, too, became more popular. Although it's true that many artists do, now, draw on the computer, very few comic, cartoon, or manga artists do vector art. The vast majority of artists who create illustrations on the computer choose to do so freehand, on a computer tablet, with a stylus. But even a larger percentage of professional artists, in my experience, draw freehand on paper, and then do their corrections on the computer.

A similar scenario may be playing out in the parallel field of illustrated art books. When someone picks up one of my Howe-To-Draw books, they want to simply open the book, and refer to it while they draw on paper. The interactivity comes from their drawing experience, and not from any extra buttons or menu options from an electronic reading device.

So where does this leave the manga artists, cartoonist or comic book artists, who wants to self-publish? What are the pros and cons of self-publishing as an ebook versus a printed book - or in both mediums simultaneously?

You'll have to come back to read my next blog for the answer! (I hope you do!)

Chris

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You can reach Chris by sending an email from the “contact” option on this website. Chris reads all of his emails, responds to everyone, and never uses a “form” email.  Due to his busy schedule, please be a little patient when awaiting his response.

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ARE YOU NOT GETTING SUPPORT FOR YOUR ART INTERESTS IN ART CLASS AT SCHOOL?

Welcome to the Weekly Blog of Christopher Hart

Best-Selling Author of How-To-Draw Books on Art Instruction

If you have a passion for drawing - whether it’s manga, cartoons, comics, or the human figure, then you’ve found the Blog that’s written just for you.  Every week, I’ll discuss tips on drawing; offer my analysis and predictions about the rapid changes in the publishing industry; offer advice on how to become a published artist; and, of course, give brief updates on my books. So make this a regular stop as you surf the Blog-O-Sphere. No reservations required.

NEW BLOG:

Taking art class in school, and not finding any support or instruction for drawing the style that interests you, such as manga, cartoons or comic book heroes and villains?

Don't worry -- lots of young students have the same problem in the U.S.A. Don't argue with your art teacher; don't show her your cartoon or manga drawings; just "act" enthusiastic about the style of art, or media, your art teacher covers, and try to get a good grade by following her instructions.



BUT...

At home, and during your free time, practice from how-to-draw books; and if you can, take a few art classes at your local art center -- even if it's not in your style of art. Show your classmates (but not the ones in art class) your drawings, in order to get suggestions, and also, to get some compliments and encouragement on your progress.

Parents are not usually good judges about contemporary art styles...

If you love drawing, and want to go into it as a field, then you should consider an art college - not a regular university. In a regular university, you might encounter the same problems; they may not appreciate commercial art. And their offerings of art classes will be much more limited. But in an art college, you'll find others who have the same interests as you, and draw the same kind of stuff that you do -- in fact, you will likely discover that many of your art instructors will be professionals in your style of art. An art college may offer cartooning classes in addition to foundation courses, such as animation, humorous illustration, comic book drawing, children's book drawing, and even manga. In my opinion, universities are far behind art colleges in terms of what they can offer students who want to become a pro. In my opinion, as a graduate of an art college, you would be far, far ahead of the competition, most of whom are self-taught. In a university, you still have your required classes, such as foreign languages, math, and English, in addition to art. But an art college concentrates almost exclusively in art instruction. As a result, the art college student typically spends about three times as much time actually drawing and creating art. The results are usually quite evident. (And, after graduating, when you start out in the field of art, without credits to show, you will find that you art college training IS a good and useful credit.)

Last point: If you think you may someday want to be a comics editor, publisher, or run your own commercial art business or studio, or license your work, you may want to go to a university, because they offer business classes. Artists who take business classes are less likely to be taken advantage of by employers. In addition, business-savvy artists have a functioning knowledge of how to get ahead financially. Universities also offer writing courses, which can be important, because if you can write, you do not have to split your royalties or fees with a writer. You can write and illustrate your own stuff.

Some things to think about.

Chris

Thanks for dropping by today! I hope you make this Blog a part of your regular surfing.

________________________________________________________________________

You can reach Chris by sending an email from the “contact” option on this website. Chris reads all of his emails, responds to everyone, and never uses a “form” email.  Due to his busy schedule, please be a little patient when awaiting his response.

________________________________________________________________________

Working Like a Crazy Person

Welcome to the Weekly Blog of Christopher Hart

Best-Selling Author of How-To-Draw Books on Art Instruction

If you have a passion for drawing - whether it’s manga, cartoons, comics, or the human figure, then you’ve found the Blog that’s written just for you.  Every week, I’ll discuss tips on drawing; offer my analysis and predictions about the rapid changes in the publishing industry; offer advice on how to become a published artist; and, of course, give brief updates on my books. So make this a regular stop as you surf the Blog-O-Sphere. No reservations required.

Oh boy ... I've been working soooo hard on my new book.  Going on five weeks without a day off, not even a day on a weekend... Went in for a checkup (which was fine), and my doctor asked me if I do anything for fun. I made the mistake of telling that to my wife. Now she's all over me to take a break once in a while. Hey, I sleep occasionally, but she doesn't seem to think that's what the doc meant.

 

Part of it is that drawing can be hypnotic. You can get lost in what you're doing. And the better the book seems to be coming along, the higher you want to raise your standards, to try to best yourself. This can be a chimeric goal, as the harder I push myself, the further the horizon seems to recede.

Nonetheless, every book that I work on is very important to me. It's not only that I want the readers to gain some insights and techniques in the art style that's of interest to them; it's also that I want the book to be a visual "experience." I want it to inspire, to uplift the aspiring artist, to encourage people whose confidence may be ebbing as well as to help to lift the level of artists who are already making good progress.

Well, I should stop now, and maybe do a little reading....

Nah. I'm getting back to work.

Chris

Thanks for dropping by today! I hope you make this Blog a part of your regular surfing.

________________________________________________________________________

You can reach Chris by sending an email from the “contact” option on this website. Chris reads all of his emails, responds to everyone, and never uses a “form” email.  Due to his busy schedule, please be a little patient when awaiting his response.

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