One of Vertigo’s biggest names is opening a small window of opportunity for all you amature comic artist looking for that big break and helping hand. Five lucky applicants will go through a two week apprenticeship with Sean Gordon Murphy in Portland, ME. Klaus Janson — comic book legend and educator — is one of the listed guest speakers during week two of the comic boot camp.
There are some criteria potential applicants must consider before applying. It’s time to put your money where your mouth is:
1. Submit 5 pages of black and white sequential art (along with application below) to [email protected] . The pages must be inked, no pencils and no “darkened pencils” using Photoshop. I want students who can do both! Because I use traditional tools (pencil/ink), I’m more capable of teaching students who also use those tools, but I’m happy to accept digital inking as well. However, if you work digitally, be prepared to bring your own computer/wacom/cintiq materials.
2. The pages can be from any genre/character/script you like. Feel free to write your own story, or use a professional one you find online (I don’t know where to find them, so don’t ask). The 5 pages must all be in sequence and from the same script.
3. The pages must be done recently–either for this submission or in the last year.
4. Send the files as 200dpi b&w jpgs–nothing too huge, please.
5. DO NOT send pencils and DO NOT send the script.
6. DO NOT use Photoshop gray tones or digital effects–I want to see your work bare.
7. DO NOT paste Sketchup models into the pages–I don’t care if the industry allows it, I don’t.
8. DO NOT send pinups.
9. DO NOT trace photos or Sketchup models.
10. You must be 21 years old to enroll–as long as you’re 21 by February 24th, 2014 you’re fine!
11. International students welcome.
At the end of the class the student’s work will be collected in to an anthology that they can sell to conventions. Sounds like a pretty standard career path for an up and coming comic book artist to pay off an unpaid apprenticeship expenses and $1,000 nonrefundable fee. Comic book classes are pretty rare aside from Janson’s class, The Kubert School in New Jersey, online workshops from Comics Experience and Brian Michael Bendis’ writing class at Portland State. Hopefully this becomes a more regular thing.
For more information visit Murphy’s deviant art page and download the application here.
” Comic book classes are pretty rare aside from … ”
Really? CCS, SCAD, SAW, SVA…it seems like comic book classes are everywhere these days.
This post needs some proof-reading and more importantly fact-checking.
Thanks for the heads up.
Portland, Maine is not on the west coast. :)
Forgive me for the stupid, sloppy errors. My apologizes to Murphy and everyone interested in applying for providing false info.
The article was fine and straight to the point to me. Hit the key points and had the link for it.
There was some errors corrected since your comment. Thank you for the kind words, Mariah.
This is not meant to be bashing in any way. I just hope knowing about these programs helps to broaden your view. There’s always more room for more comic classes!
I second Colleen Frakes about the longer list of cartooning classes out there.
I went to SVA to get a BFA in Cartooning (comic books not animation) and studied under Klaus Jansen, Tom Hart, Joey Cavalieri, Phil Jimenez, David Mazzucchelli and others who I was extremely blessed to be taught by.
Also CCA in SF now has a Cartooning Masters program. Vive l’education du bande dessinée!
Oh, and Sean Murphy is awesome. Thank you for sharing this opportunity!
The last paragraph of the post makes it seem like the entire fee is $1,000, but the fee is actually $2,000 — the first $1,000 is just the initial deposit.
And frankly, “apprenticeship” seems like the wrong word. It sounds more like they’re soliciting students interested in paying $2,000 for a two-week workshop.
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