Advice for Comics Artists

Some perspectives (by artists for artists) on networks and financing of independent comics projects on/from Latin America with a focus on equity and social justice.

The information included here was collated by CORALA in conversation with the project artists.

Some of the main financing challenges:

• Lack of culture of national support for independent comics.
• Little production and distribution of independent comics.
• Little institutional and editorial interest in disseminating new independent and local comic authors.
• Preference of national publishing houses for superhero comics.
• Few spaces for promotion and dissemination for single-authored, independent comics.
• Institutional funding (for example, from ministries of culture) tend to only cover creation, but not publication or printing.
• Limited international support that does not cover additional expenses such as food and travel expenses.
• Obtaining equipment and supplies for independent self-publishing.
• Few opportunities exist in the field of independent comics.
• Little dissemination and few access channels to information about funds and scholarships for independent comics.
• In addition to inequalities and discrimination due to racialization, gender, sexuality, class, etc., which are experienced within the world of comics, in several countries comics are seen as a “minor art”, and are often appreciated more abroad than at home. This also affects access to resources, support, and so on.

Some financing strategies:

• Establish contacts with other comics artists.
• Participate in support and dissemination networks.
• Find out about financing options through institutional economic stimuli, for example, from ministries of culture, for creating illustrated books for children.
• Find out about sources of support from international spaces (for example, La Casa de Autor in Guadalajara, Mexico, which provides a program for developing a comic project, a space for a residence, and a workshop to print the final work).
• Establish complementary hybrid financing modes, for example, combining self-financing complemented by institutional support or collaboration, production, distribution and/or dissemination agreements with independent or other publishers.
• Carry out collaborative projects with independent publishers, through pre-agreed exchanges that benefit all parties involved. For example, donating the rights to a work to an independent publisher in exchange for a considerable number of printed copies of the work. This type of exchange works well both locally and internationally.
• Disseminate and make your own work known through self-publication, whether in print and/or on networks and digital media, of small comic pieces and fanzines, so that other publishers, editors, groups, researchers with access to institutional funds, etc., can get to know the type of work you do and the topics you develop.
• Search the Internet constantly on pages and social networks, search with keywords related to artistic residencies, scholarships, programs for writers, comic artists, scriptwriting workshops, etc.
• Create your own independent comic publishing house as a collective with like-minded individuals.
  • For example, in the case of Peru, “Ediciones Deformes” created by Cristina Zavala together with other illustrators. Through Ediciones Deformes they have been able to take their work and the work of other Peruvian authors to various national and international comic circuits: independent publication fairs, graphic festivals, book fairs, etc. https://www.instagram.com/edicionesdeformes/

Some strategies when seeking funding for presenting and structuring comics projects to highlight their impact on culture and social justice:

• The way to structure a project starts from a conversation with people and collaborators who share the same interest in culture and social justice. Sometimes this type of comic work is done collaboratively in a team that includes scriptwriter(s), illustrators, anthropologists and/or historians. The sum of their effort makes the creation of the comic possible.
• Investigate and become critically informed about the topic you want to work on with a social justice approach, and base the idea you want to develop on that research; outline a script, and draw some scenes, characters and reference images.
• Once the project is assembled, collectively look for sources of financing, whether seeking institutional or other types of support, such as entities that are interested in or working on these issues, universities, funds from ministries of culture, etc.
• You can also look to establish direct communication with editors of different types (independent, institutional and others), communicate the proposal and the social justice approach of the project to them, listen to their suggestions and those of others, establish agreements, and agree on a work and production calendar. Think about launching, promoting and distributing the work in ways that are consistent with the project focus to generate the greatest possible impact and reach.

Dissemination networks and professional contacts in the field of comics, both in Latin America and globally:

• Participate in illustration and comic fairs and events, both locally and internationally. Participating in these spaces can help you get to know emerging authors, establish contact with artists, independent publishers and other people interested in independent comics, learn about recent material that does not circulate on the internet, as well as find out about group or collective initiatives.
• Participate in workshops, artistic residencies, etc. and attend presentations, launches, talks and other events and activities related to independent comics.
• Visit cultural spaces and bookstores where independent projects related to the world of comics are promoted.
• Try to follow the work of independent journalism groups and/or collectives, which in some cases are committed to telling their reports using illustrations and comics.
• It is also important to visit physical and online spaces where activities related to social justice issues that interest you are carried out, to inform yourself and/or to establish contact networks and/or potential collaborations.
• Being part of projects that include more countries and social contexts is important, since collaboration on equitable terms between different places and people expands ideas, networks and scope.
• Social networks like Instagram can be used to communicate and stay up to date with new releases and editions and to get to know other artists and works. In the past, other networks were used such as Facebook, blogspot, Tumblr, flickr.
• Establishing direct contact with other comics artists helps to share individual knowledge.
• A useful option is to set up a network to share information, disseminate information and organize joint initiatives, since in many cases comics artists work alone most of the time.
• In the case of creating a network, group or collective, it can be helpful to have the participation in the team of someone who is a kind of cultural manager of comics (it does not necessarily have to be an artist), who knows the local artists, who reads all types of comics, and who is exclusively dedicated to inserting comics into the cultural sphere, and who is in charge of searching and detecting possible funding for independent comic projects.
• It is important to go out and expand beyond the world of comics, for example, participating in other activities that interest you, such as creative writing, animation, short films, etc. This way you can meet people with whom you can exchange information and other opportunities that can serve as a source of inspiration and ideas to develop comic projects.
• Travel, participate in international fairs, prepare your own material and go out to share your work. When you are already a recognized artist it is perhaps easier for your work to have international exposure; but when you’re starting out, you have to go out and look for spaces yourself. Draw a lot, publish a lot.

Some reflections on how to address the social inequalities that are rooted in the world of comics, in terms of racialization, gender, sexuality, class, etc.:

• Continue opening platforms for the discussion of the experiences of creators and editors in relation to these topics.
• Apply those experiences in scripts and illustration.
• Search local history (texts or oral) for experiences that address these thematic axes from the perspective of those who lived them (and ideally who fought against inequalities) to potentially adapt them to comics.
• Organize collaborative workshops in agreement with the communities involved. For example, Corala organized some activities in which these topics were discussed, images of comics were circulated for reflection, comics were produced in response to old and/or racist comics, and a space for expression and collective reflection was generated.
• In cases of collaboration, it is very important to reflect and agree jointly and consensually with the interested parties (for example, the community with whom you work) over all aspects related to the comic that will be made: creation, production, administration, dissemination , uses and purposes of the comic, etc. As well as the operational and administrative aspects, authorship or co-authorship and other production credits, etc., this also includes the creative aspects, such as voice, point of view, narration and who will narrate, style, and so on.
• As a comics artist, start by reflecting on what is perceived to be failing in society; stop thinking only about yourself for a moment and look at others, observe the people, those around us and reflect, think about how we could improve, be more critical.
• Think about projects that start from critical reflection on what position we occupy socially in terms of racialization, gender, sexuality, class and other social inequalities. As inhabitants of Latin American countries, we constantly live in political crises, as well as the injustices that develop on a daily basis, racism, lack of quality in a health system, gender violence, etc.

Some additional ideas that may be useful:

• Try to establish networks of trust that allow comics artists to stay with colleagues and friends if they require a place in other countries or cities. This really helps to better understand the places visited on comic-related trips.
• Create collaborative files where information about graphic fairs, samples, etc. is announced and shared, in an Excel that is available to everyone to consult or add information. It could be through https://sutty.coop.ar/ or an equivalent, so that it is protected.
• Investigate the past: 20th century illustration, modern and classical art, illustration and animation from other periods… some people think that there could be an oversaturation of information on social networks, which in certain ways can tend to standardize drawing styles.
• Try to get to know the people – artists, writers, etc. – who you see as key references. Receiving feedback from people whose work you admire can be very beneficial.

Some useful online and offline platforms, groups or communities for Latin American comic artists:

• Casa del Autor, Guadalajara México. It has a program to develop a comics project, a space to stay in for the duration of the project and a workshop to print the work; It does not have a financial fund for other types of expenses such as food and travel expenses.
• Chicks on comics https://www.instagram.com/chicksoncomics/
• Ediciones Deformes: https://www.instagram.com/edicionesdeformes/
• Editorial Tren en Movimiento, Argentina
• Espacios Ricos Jugos, Guadalajara, México.
• Festival Carboncito: https://www.instagram.com/festivalcarboncito/
• Festival Entreviñetas https://www.instagram.com/entrevinetas/
• Festival LEEME https://www.instagram.com/festivalleeme/
• Gremio Gráfico Autogestivo, Argentina
• Grupo de Autoayuda de Dibujo. Account in which members make digital graphics for Pictoline. It can be helpful for staying updated and learning from other artists. https://www.instagram.com/grupodeautoayudadedibujo/?hl=es
• Librería Arcadia Mediática, Lima. Perú.
• Librería Punk, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• Rat Fest: https://www.instagram.com/rat_fest/
• Soma Publicaciones https://www.instagram.com/soma.publicaciones/
• Taller Colmillo, Colombia
• Zineteca, Colombia