Lead Webcomic Artist (Action, Urban Fantasy, Cyberpunk)
Remote
Storygrounds Team (HQ) – Webcomics /
Contract /
Remote
ABOUT THE ROLE
We are currently seeking a contract Lead Webcomic Artist to work on an original Action IP. As lead artist, you will spearhead the style as well as visual storytelling and help develop the next beloved story world alongside a creative team.
For this project, we are crafting a wrestling-focused action series set in an urban fantasy setting that captures shonen anime and East Asian webcomic aesthetics. The ideal candidate will take advantage of vertical scroll to create dynamic composition and coherent motion, all the while creating visually appealing, emotionally expressive characters. This candidate will excel at rendering close-quarters combat scenes that may include half-human, half-animal characters, and ample motion, as well as special effects. There should be a focus on choreography, panel composition, as well as character design consistency throughout.
As a platform, Storygrounds is exploring new ways for creators and their fan communities to connect in more collaborative and impactful ways. You will be a pioneer in helping to make the webcomic space more connected.
*Open to Paid Assessment
WHAT YOU WOULD DO
- Partnered with a writer, you will work alongside the Storygrounds team to develop an original webcomic IP within the action genre.
- Create high-quality, consistent, vertical scroll comic episodes (40-70 fully colored panels per episode) delivered on a weekly basis.
- Adapt to an established artistic direction that best captures the project’s character cast and setting of the project’s world.
- Contribute narrative ideas and help enhance the project’s overall visual storytelling.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Must have a portfolio demonstrating the ability to create consistent, high-quality comic art in the shonen/action genre.
- Aptitude to work with and interpret an established art style. NOTE: A specific style will be provided by the Storygrounds team during testing.
- Expertly balanced tones between intense action, drama, and whimsical comedy.
- Help build an imaginative world that combines modern, urban, cyberpunk cityscapes with fantastical, circus-like flair occupied by visually distinct factions.
- Must be able to confidently render a cast of non-traditional, animal-human hybrid characters.
- Must be available to commit to a given project for at least 9 months with potential for extension.
- Familiarity with webcomic storytelling and anime aesthetics as well as their distinct genre staples/tropes is REQUIRED.
- Embodies a collaborative mindset, allowing for flexibility on how a story and/or episode is visually told.
- Must be able to provide properly organized and layered files (Adobe Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint) according to company specifications.
- Team player who can communicate punctually and professionally.
- Contribute to a positive work and team environment. Able to attend occasional kick-off and sync-up meetings during Pacific time-zone work hours (9:00 AM - 5:00 PM).
- Must be able to communicate effectively in English.
NICE TO HAVE
- Have worked on webcomics productions OR have a demonstrable portfolio of comic samples.
- Have worked in a professional capacity on an art production pipeline within video games, animation, or equivalent.
- Have experience working across other webcomic genres such as slice-of-life, romance, drama, comedy, etc.
- Has worked on a well-known webcomic series.
- Enjoys shonen stories and their unique elements.
- Fan of Wrestling (ex. WWE).
