Some advice for those thinking of submitting to CBI3

[Brandon Hanvey]

With the call for submissions in a couple weeks, I thought I'd give some advice to potential contestants. These are not the official rules. Just some helpful hints and suggestions.

What CBI is looking for in a finalist?
Basically we are looking for an amateur comic artist who has talent and style in creating comic art. They are basically almost ready to break into the comic industry. They just have not gotten to see the right person at the right time to get hired.

What will the judges be looking for during the call for submissions?
Most of the judges will be looking for talent that can create industry quality comic art. This means that sequentials are a must. If you do not have any sequential samples, some judges may not even consider you for a finalist.

While covers and character designs are a good thing to include in your samples, outstanding sequentials are the thing that could put you in the final ten.

There is no one style of art or genre that the judges will be looking for. While superheroes are a strong part of the industry and here at CBR, we are looking for someone who can pull off more than just tights and fights. Previous final round challenges have involved romance and slice-of-life stories as well as superheroes.

You also have to be ready for the challenge. You basically have to be ready to meet a weekly deadline for about 2 months. Missing a deadline means you are out. We understand most of the people entering have day jobs and things come up in life. But this contest is a test to see if the artist can meet a deadline and turn in quality work at the same time.

I hope this helps some people wondering about CBI. If there is anything you would like me to clarify, I will do my best. But understand that I can not tell you all the rules and info about CBI3 until the official rules are released on Spetember 4th.

[W.Blankenship]

Do you have any suggestions for the number of samples we should include, or should it just be a link to a deviant art gallery, or something to that effect? Just so I can have that prepped.

3!LL

[Brandon Hanvey]

Do you have any suggestions for the number of samples we should include, or should it just be a link to a deviant art gallery, or something to that effect? Just so I can have that prepped.

3!LL

There is no magic number to get the judges to prefer you. But you do not want to overwhelm the judges with too many samples. They will be looking at a lot of samples in a short amount of time so it would be best to pick your best samples to wow them right away.

Try to think of submitting to CBI as if you were showing your portfolio to an editor at a comic-con. You don't show him/her a ton of samples because their time is limited. You show them enough to show them your talent.

Personally I would go for around a dozen or so sequential samples of which show various different types of scenes and genres and around 6 or so covers and/or character designs/illustrations. Again this is my personal preference. Some people like a little more and some like a little less.

[Lexs]

thx for the advice ;)

[Brandon Hanvey]

Another bit of advice.

You do not need a fancy website or image gallery to show off your pieces. Though it is recommended to have the pieces in a place that is easy to use and navigate.

Some previous finalists have even used online image hosting sites such as photobucket and yahoo photos while some used their own webiste portfolio. As long as the pieces are easy to view and look through, your comic art talent is the thing that will bring you to the finals.

[Brandon Hanvey]

Another thing to keep in mind is that you will be asked to use your real name as your screen name if you make the finals. It is okay if you signed up with a different name already, the admins can change it for you.

[Jonathan Hickman]

Do you have any suggestions for the number of samples we should include, or should it just be a link to a deviant art gallery, or something to that effect? Just so I can have that prepped.

3!LL

Show only your strongest stuff.

I can tell you from last time (And since a lot of the same guys, including me, will be doing prelims again) A LOT of very good people will be entering this. My cut down list was over 40 people last time, and when it's that large, and you've got to narrow it down, any little thing is enough to get you kicked.

If your best is 3 sequentials and 3 covers, I go with that over mediocre work.

Just my opinion...

[Brandon Hanvey]

Jonathan gave a good bit of advice in another thread. Make sure the website where you post your samples can handle the amount of people viewing them.

Some of the free hosting sites such as geocities, have very small bandwidth capacities. A lot of people, other than just the judges, will be looking at the site in a short amount of time which can cause your site to go down and not be available for the judges to view.

If the site is down while a judge is viewing it, they will pass you by. Some judges may try again later to view your samples but that can not be guaranteed

[W.Blankenship]

Thanks for the advice guys.

Peace,
3!LL

[Brandon Hanvey]

Just to drive it home. This year's contest will mainly be about drawing comic scenes.

If you do not have sequential samples in your submission, you most likely will not make it to the finals.

[frbarba]

Just to drive it home. This year's contest will mainly be about drawing comic scenes.

If you do not have sequential samples in your submission, you most likely will not make it to the finals.

so is it okay if i first post some pin-ups first for the selection/elimination and sequentials later when the finals begin?

[Brandon Hanvey]

so is it okay if i first post some pin-ups first for the selection/elimination and sequentials later when the finals begin?

Nope. You will most likely need sequentials into order to be one of the 10 artists who compete in the finals.

Since this is a comic art contest and the finals involve creating comic sequential pages, the judges will be looking for people who can create sequentials.

Clarification: While sequentials are needed to get to the finals, there is nothing that says you can not post only illustrations/covers/pin-ups in the call for submission round. You just will probably not make the finals.

I'm not trying to scare away people from entering. I'm just trying to let people know what this contest is about and what the judges will be looking for.

[frbarba]

thanks brandon for all the help, we really appreciate it especially me although right now 0% ill even make it starting day 1

one last thing, how many sequential samples do i need? if say, i submit 4 seq. does it mean that they all have to be all related in a single story or should it be each one is a differnent event/scene sequential? (argh, ugly english)

and how many eliminations/selections are there before the final 10 begins?

[Brandon Hanvey]

one last thing, how many sequential samples do i need? if say, i submit 4 seq. does it mean that they all have to be all related in a single story or should it be each one is a differnent event/scene sequential? (argh, ugly english)

There is no exact number that will get you to the finals. You need enough to show the judges your talent. For some, that is anywhere from 3-12 pages and some even more.

Again showing a wide range of scenes is the best to show that you can pull off various types of stories.


and how many eliminations/selections are there before the final 10 begins?

There is only the call for submissions which is open to all which will last for about a month. The judges then choose 10 from the available submissions to compete in finals.

[frbarba]

thanks so much ;)

[Brandon Hanvey]

Another tip about the deadlines.

The typical CBI schedule is that the assignment is given on Wednesday, and the artist have until Monday morning to turn in their pages. Voting is on Tuesday. This means the artist have 5 days to turn in their work. If you miss the deadline, you are automatically out of the contest.

Assignments can range from 1 to 4 pages. The first assignment of CBI 2 was a 3 page scene.

This may seem a little much considering some people can not work on the assignments full-time due to work/life, but we are looking for someone who can work under a deadline and create quality work at the same time.

[prismablue]

So, sept 4 through october 4th will be the time to submit the tryout artwork to qualify for the contest?


I ask because i wanted to do the work to submit during that time, to make sure it's most representitive of what i can do at the time.

[Brandon Hanvey]

So, sept 4 through october 4th will be the time to submit the tryout artwork to qualify for the contest?


I ask because i wanted to do the work to submit during that time, to make sure it's most representitive of what i can do at the time.

The call for submissions starts on September 4th, and the finals start on October 3.

I'm not sure if the submissions round lasts for the full month's time since there needs to be a cut off time so the judges to make their decisions and for J. and Jonah to check-up on the proposed finalist.

I'll check and see if I can get any confirmation on that although you may have to wait for September 4th for the full rules and schedule.

[Brandon Hanvey]

I did some checking. It seems the submissions round will last from Tuesday, September 4th until Friday, September 28th.

Although the official schedule will be announced on the 4th.

[prismablue]

Thank you brandon.

[frbarba]

btw brandon, is this gonna be a one-time submission? i mean once youve submitted your entries you can no longer submit another?

[Brandon Hanvey]

btw brandon, is this gonna be a one-time submission? i mean once youve submitted your entries you can no longer submit another?

During the call for submissions, you can post a link to you samples once. You should be able add or change it up to the cut-off date. Once the cut off date has past, the judges will look at the provided samples and choose the 10 finalist.

Keep in mind that you should wait until the official rules and requirements are announced before making any real plans.

[J. Torres]

During the call for submissions, you can post a link to you samples once. You should be able add or change it up to the cut-off date. Once the cut off date has past, the judges will look at the provided samples and choose the 10 finalist.


Actually, judges start working through the submissions once people start posting. First of all, it could be too many submissions to go through at the end. Second, who can resist waiting?

They'll probably go back and forth between the various submissions throughout, but I'd try to make the best "first impression" possible. If you're not ready, don't post until you are or close to it. When I was on the "selection committee," I'd look at someone's online portfolio and bookmark it if I saw something that impressed me. If not, I never looked back. It's really the only way to do it when you have to go through 100+ submissions in a few weeks...

As for when we start accepting submissions, we were scheduled to begin on Tuesday (the 4th) but we may be delayed a day or two, but we'll try (stress try) to make up for it towards the end. In any case...

Tell all your friends! It's almost here!

[Brandon Hanvey]

Actually, judges start working through the submissions once people start posting. First of all, it could be too many submissions to go through at the end. Second, who can resist waiting?


True, there is no telling when a judge will be looking at your samples so it would be best to have your final samples up when you post them and to have your samples available during the whole submission round.

But if you notice something that needs changing or updating, feel free to do so. But keep in mind, a judge may have already looked at your samples already. Judges will not post saying who they have looked at already.

There will be a separate thread of none judges (ie the CBR community) to comment on the submissions, but those will be unofficial comments and have no barring on who gets into the finals.

[W.Blankenship]

Thanks guys. I'm getting a better idea on what to put it, and better, what to leave out.

I'll have my stuff up on the day.

3!LL

[gmsalpha]

I think my submission is going to be hotter than two rats making love in a wool sock. :D

Haha. I heard a guy say that on the radio to describe the weather in California for the Nascar race last night. Too funny.

Anyway, my submission is more than half way done. I figure a really really good drawing of Batman's hand should get me into the top 10.

Nah. I'm waiting on the official submission guidelines to put my final portfolio together. In the meantime I'm drawing sequential pages.

Good luck to everyone! :)

[Brandon Hanvey]

Nah. I'm waiting on the official submission guidelines to put my final portfolio together. In the meantime I'm drawing sequential pages.

Good luck to everyone! :)

There is no real detailed guidelines in terms of the portfolio needed in the submission guidelines. That's why I decided to use this thread to give an idea of what the judges may be looking for.

[frbarba]

i clearly understand that the judges will be looking/judging a thousand submissions from many participants and as jonathan stated/suggested, why not limit the submissions to only 10 pieces max?

[gmsalpha]

I don't think there should be a maximum. When you look at peoples' work, you can tell from a couple pages if you like their stuff so if an artist wants to post 20 pages, that's fine. But it's very doubtful that they will all be seen, even if they're fantastic. There's just not enough time.

I personally am going for 5 pages of sequential art and probably a character sheet. That's my pre-guidelines package, but it might change slightly.

Man, I'm excited!

[Brandon Hanvey]

i clearly understand that the judges will be looking/judging a thousand submissions from many participants and as jonathan stated/suggested, why not limit the submissions to only 10 pieces max?

People can post a link to as many pieces as they want. Most people can tell from a couple pages pages if they want to look through more or to skip to the next submission.

There is no guarantee that a judges will look through all your samples. That is why you should pick your best work to showcase your talent.

[Sean Izaakse]

I'm not gonna deny that this is all really intimidating. But I'm looking forward to the challenge. Thanks for the tips. They're helping alot.

[MartinRedmond]

For free hosting I strongly suggest using http://flickr.com it's free, clean, easy and pleasant to navigate.

[Jonathan Hickman]

For free hosting I strongly suggest using http://flickr.com it's free, clean, easy and pleasant to navigate.

! >> Seconded!

[Brandon Hanvey]

Comics Should Be Good article with Jonathan Hickman about CBI.

(http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2007/09/04/jonathan-hickman-on-comic-book-idol%e2%80%a6-what/)

[gmsalpha]

One more piece of advice. If you think you have a good shot at making the top 10, save your sick days at work!!!

I have 7 days left this year, 5 of which are already set for the week of Christmas, but by golly, if I get in, my mom can visit ME! Lol. I know there will be some tight deadlines and some massive time-consuming projects so the best I can say is make sure you can devote however much time it takes to CBI without getting fired. Nobody wants to be DQ'd for failing to meet the deadline, and I don't mean Dairy Queen'd. Hey, that wouldn't be too bad, would it?

I'm fully expecting to drain my vacation days during my CBI run if I'm chosen and I recommend anyone else who competes do the same. Not only will I drain my Vacation days, but I'll drain several Mountain Dews and Starbucks Iced Coffees.

Also, I agree with Jonathan Hickman's article that was posted by Brandon. Pick a horse and rally the troops around him or her. Don't try to tear anyone else down. Just build up your guy.

I think the professional critiques are going to be awesome. It's hard to get better when all you hear is "Man, that's soooooo good. I can't even draw a stick figure" from your co-workers and parents.

[icarus]

! >> Seconded!

Thanks for the advise! I'm looking forward to seeing this take place.
Also, I just listened to your interview on around comics and I'm looking forward to Pax.

[Brandon Hanvey]

One more piece of advice. If you think you have a good shot at making the top 10, save your sick days at work!!!

Wow. Hardcore.

[W.Blankenship]

Don't have to worry about sick days, thankfully, and have the freedom to readjust my schedule in case I make it, and I have ample sequentials that I'm happy with, so I'm a bull out of the gate this year.

And best of all, no kids. I think I'll even throw out the cats for a month.
3!LL

[W.Blankenship]

For free hosting I strongly suggest using http://flickr.com it's free, clean, easy and pleasant to navigate.

Thanks for the suggestion!

3!LL

[MartinRedmond]

Well it would be neat if most applicants used that site because on top of being clean and ad free, the fact you can't change the navigation automatically makes your portfolio easier to look through. It makes the presentation look more professional too regardless of html skills.

You can also use http://comicspace.com as well though I am biased towards flickr flickr flickr flickr flickr (http://flickr.com).

[frbarba]

first time to use photobucket, is that good? availability/visibility-wise?

[Brandon Hanvey]

first time to use photobucket, is that good? availability/visibility-wise?

Photopucket is ok. It may not be the easiest to navigate. Plus the do have a bandwidth cap on he free account that only resets every month. So depending how many people view your samples it could go down.

[icarus]

so what's the best site, flckr or deviant art as far as bandwidth goes?

[Brandon Hanvey]

With any free service, there will most likely be a bandwidth cap.

As for which has the highest, I don't know for sure.

I know Flickr's free account has a pretty high one, but I don't know how it compares to other services.

One way to get around the bandwidth cap is to use multiple services. When you enter, post a link to one of them. If it goes down, then switch the link to another.

[frbarba]

ok, thanks bran! ;)

[Jonathan Hickman]

Thanks for the advise! I'm looking forward to seeing this take place.
Also, I just listened to your interview on around comics and I'm looking forward to Pax.

Forgot that was up... Thank you, sir.

[Sean Izaakse]

I don't think I'll be able to get any time off so I may have to fake an illness. I can see there being long nights and waaaaay too much coffee to pull this off.

[MartinRedmond]

If you really believe in your skills you can always shell out about 10$ a month for a domain with unlimited bandwidth then cancel if you're really that broke. You can have it activated in 24 hours.

[dancj]

I'd avoid Deviant Art. It's banned by my company's (and I suspect loads of other companies') firewall - so you'd likely be restricting the number of people who can see your art. That said I guess at this stage it's only the judges that really matter

[davidbovey]

If you really believe in your skills you can always shell out about 10$ a month for a domain with unlimited bandwidth then cancel if you're really that broke. You can have it activated in 24 hours.

Definitely the best way to go. Although my site is in need of an update because I've been lazy and using blogs more often than my actual site.

[W.Blankenship]

A friend of mine is putting up a no frills, CBI specific gallery for me as we speak on my site, which hasn't had much other use anyway, so now bandwidth isn't a worry. Thanks for the idea Martin, you're still a fave. I was showing my fiance' your CBI gallery the other day, which I'm sure is dated, by now but still very good stuff.

edit: checked out your site. Lotsa new good stuff, and some that I remember.

3!LL

[kalorama]

With any free service, there will most likely be a bandwidth cap.

As for which has the highest, I don't know for sure.

I know Flickr's free account has a pretty high one, but I don't know how it compares to other services.

One way to get around the bandwidth cap is to use multiple services. When you enter, post a link to one of them. If it goes down, then switch the link to another.

OR

Can people post the same samples on multiple free sites and list the links to all of them in the initial post, with instructions that if one is down try another one (thus saving them having to frequently check to see if a site has exceed the limit which would, in and of itself, eat up bandwith)?

[Lexs]

Yep that's a nice idea, hope it'll be possible.

[Brandon Hanvey]

OR

Can people post the same samples on multiple free sites and list the links to all of them in the initial post, with instructions that if one is down try another one (thus saving them having to frequently check to see if a site has exceed the limit which would, in and of itself, eat up bandwith)?

A problem with that is that more people will use the other sites at first if you list them all upfront which may lead to all of them going down.

By only posting one site at a time, you can save the bandwidth of the other sites for when the one goes down.

[kalorama]

A problem with that is that more people will use the other sites at first if you list them all upfront which may lead to all of them going down.

By only posting one site at a time, you can save the bandwidth of the other sites for when the one goes down.


Good point. I would think/hope that stating upfront that the samples are exactly the same on all sites might cut down on people clicking on multiple links only to look at the same thing, but if people always did what made sense the world would be a much different place.

[m_trembley]

Is starting a blog not a good idea?

I have no idea how much traffic a normal blog can take.

I have a site set up using blogger that even a computer idiot like me can use.

Does anyone know anything about bloggers ability to handle traffic?

[Brandon Hanvey]

Is starting a blog not a good idea?

I have no idea how much traffic a normal blog can take.

I have a site set up using blogger that even a computer idiot like me can use.

Does anyone know anything about bloggers ability to handle traffic?

A blog should be fine. Again with any free service there is usually a limit though I'm not sure what Blogger's is.

[infurnari]

Hey, aspiring artists! I don't know if this has been covered in the forums yet but I thought I'd bring up a little tip. On your links, please link directly to your artwork and not to the mainpage of your site. Everybody who wants to apply for this needs to make it as easy as possible for reviewers to find the good stuff! There are already a lot of applicants and you can't assume that reviewers will happen to click through all your pages in your gallery and look at every single image. Please edit your gallery selections to your best work. That way you can control what we see and make sure that you put your best foot forward. I love looking at all of the art here but I can't look at all the samples on everybody's page if everybody has 6 pages of art. If there are 20 images that you feel are your strongest work, then make a gallery of those 20 pages and link to that page directly. As a reviewer, I'm seeing a lot of websites with lots of pages of artwork and I feel that the artist would be best served if they took more control of my viewing experience and gave me a selection of their finest. I would hate to have missed the next art star because I didn't happen to look at the artist's best work. Best of luck to everyone. I'm excited to see all your amazing work!

[J. Torres]

And I'll say it again... SEQUENTIALS!

Up front. Not buried on the second or third page.

Also consider the image size. Just looked at some stuff that was so small I had to squint to make out faces. Not good.

;)

[the goddamn batman]

How work safe does your submission need to be? Obviously nothing pornographic, but are naked bodies ok if it's, you know, artsy?

Thanks.

[Brandon Hanvey]

How work safe does your submission need to be? Obviously nothing pornographic, but are naked bodies ok if it's, you know, artsy?

Thanks.

Well if you were submitting your portfolio to a publisher, you would want to include samples that had material that was fitting for that publisher.

I say people should try to keep things as "clean" as possible. Artfully done mature content is fine, but outright excessive violence and sexual themes are probably not the best way to go for this contest.

[the goddamn batman]

Fair enough. I have something I'm working on, but it's got some breif nudity and some blood, so I wanted to make sure that was kosher before I posted it.

Honestly, I don't have an interest in drawing capes and cowls (which might be where I loose if I make the ten.), so my art and few comic pages lean in different directions... like uh, art. And naked bodies are ok in art.