Comic Book Artists
Overview
Introduction
Comic book artists tell stories through the graphic images they create. They team up with comic book writers, who create the characters, plots, and dialogues for the artists to illustrate. Some comic book artists write and illustrate the comic books themselves. Whereas cartoonists’ work is short form, either a single panel with a caption or several panels with some dialogue, the comic book artists’ work follows a narrative; they create images in sequence to align with a story.
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
The U.S. Department of Labor classifies comic book artists under the category of "fine artists." It reports that fine artists who worked as independent artists, writers, and performers earned average salaries of $66,180 in May 2023. Approximately 10 percent of all fine artists earned less than $28,390 per year, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $135,420 annually.
The field of c...
Work Environment
Comic book artists work in art studios in companies’ offices or in their own art studio at home. They work alone or share studio space with other artists, writers, and creators. Their work space is comfortable for drawing, with sufficient table space for art supplies such as pens, inks, and paints, and for a computer. They often have shelves filled with comic books, art books, and other types o...
Outlook
The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that employment for fine artists, including comic book artists, will increase 4 percent from 2023 to 2033. This is about as fast as the average for all careers.
The outlook for the comic book and graphic novel industries will be good. Comic book fans will continue to purchase comic books and seek out new artists. Marvel and DC Comics movies and TV sh...