Manga is a graphic novel or comic book and any person who has mastered the art of making these Japanese comics is called a manga artist.
In this article, we’ll discuss the qualifications to look for in a manga artist, the skills required, and the top six interview questions to ask when hiring a manga artist. To learn how to find a manga artist, read more here.
Qualifications to Consider When Hiring a Manga Artist
Manga’s popularity is on the rise across the globe. It’s now published in multiple languages to cater to the international market. Manga art is the fastest-growing category in the comic world these days. In Europe, for instance, nearly 50% of the comic book industry was dominated by manga in 2011, and the numbers have increased ever since.
When it comes to finding help with your manga project, it’s essential to note that there’s no degree required in order to become a manga artist. However, a professional degree does help one gain the necessary skills needed to pursue a career in this field. Artistic skills can be built and nurtured right from high school by choosing the right courses.
Subjects, such as writing and literature play a crucial role in creating a compelling storyline. A bachelor’s degree in fine arts or a related course can help in building one’s artistic skills.
Another way to become a manga artist is by earning a bachelor’s degree in manga art from a Japanese university. Thus, when hiring a manga artist, look for candidates who have taken writing courses and literature with a degree in art. A good manga artist has years of practice under their belt. Online courses are a brilliant way to hone up niche skills.
Look for a candidate’s previous work portfolio before hiring them. A portfolio can have professional and personal creations which give an insight into the artist’s work and professionalism. Ask if any of their work has ever been published. Reputable manga artists have websites with details of their previous work.
Click this link to learn about the best place to find a manga artist.
Skills to Consider When Hiring a Manga Artist
When hiring a manga artist, you should consider the following technical and non-technical skills:
- Storytelling—A manga artist must have excellent storytelling skills to create characters with whom their audience can connect.
- Anatomy—While creating manga characters, it’s essential for a manga artist to have extensive knowledge of human anatomy.
- Artwork—It takes many years to learn how to create great artwork. Look for a manga artist with excellent skills.
- Creativity—Every manga requires creativity to make the work compelling to the audience/readers.
- Drawing facial expressions—Facial expressions are a crucial part of drawing manga characters, so the candidate you hire must be able to showcase this skill.
- Professionalism—Being disciplined and meeting deadlines are crucial attributes of a professional manga artist.
- Innovation—Constant innovation is necessary to keep creating unique art and avoid any type of repetitiveness.
- Graphic arts—This skill is essential for those artists who are drawing manga on digital platforms.
- Computer literacy—These days, manga is becoming digital, so it’s crucial for manga artists to have exceptional computer skills to transform their creativity for both types of audiences.
Interview Questions to Ask a Manga Artist Before Hiring Them
While a manga artist expert costs quite a bit of money, you should see it as an investment. When looking to hire a manga artist, you must be prepared with at least the basic knowledge of what manga is and what to expect from an artist. Once you know what manga is, as well as the qualifications and skills to consider when hiring a manga artist, it’s time to prepare the interview questions. Here are key questions you should ask a manga artist during an interview:
How Do You Stay Up-to-Date With the Latest Trends?
This question helps you gauge a candidate’s learning skills and how they keep themselves updated with the latest trends in the manga industry. A good manga artist must describe the different ways they keep themselves informed of the latest trends, such as reading blogs, taking online courses, and engaging with forums.
What Skill Do You Think a Good Manga Artist Must Possess?
This question helps you understand what skills the candidate thinks are required to be a good manga artist. They should be able to talk about the skills and qualities they think are crucial to have a successful career in the manga world.
What Do You Like About Manga?
This question helps you see the passion and motivation of a potential manga artist. There are many reasons one would be passionate about manga. A good artist must be able to discuss why they decided to be a manga artist.
Share an Incident Where You Struggled to Meet a Deadline; How Did You Handle It?
This question can help you analyze a candidate’s problem-solving skills. A good manga artist should share about an incident in the past where they struggled to meet a deadline and the outcome of that struggle. They should tell you if they succeeded or failed in their attempt, and what they learned.
How Do You Prioritize, Plan, and Organize Your Work?
This helps you understand a candidate’s work ethic. A manga artist at work must be disciplined to meet various deadlines. A candidate must discuss their planning process and how they prioritize different tasks.
Give an Example of When You Developed an Unusual Solution.
This gives you an insight into a candidate’s thinking ability and creativity skills. Manga artists face a ton of challenges daily to keep their stories entertaining. A good manga artist must be able to discuss when they thought out of the box and the outcome of their idea.
Final Thoughts
When hiring a manga artist, you should consider a candidate’s technical and non-technical skills, such as how good they are at storytelling, their level of creativity, and their professionalism, before hiring them. Also, you must look at their previous work to see what they’ve produced in the past and if it matches with what you want created.
All of this information will give you an insight into their professionalism and skill level. Furthermore, before hiring a manga artist, you should prepare yourself with interview questions listed above to gauge their work ethic and see if their goals align with yours.
