Are all of you full time artists?

[stickyfish]

Are you guys full time illustrators/comic artists for a living? I've seen some impressive stuff and just was wondering. Well, I know Kazu is but what about the rest of you?

Full time, I'm a web designer even though I love illustration more... but it pays the bills for me to work on my illos at night.

[Mr. Average]

I'm an architect. I don't know if that counts. I consider it a kind of applied art - not really "Art" art, but kind of half-breed, when all the engineering and such is added into the mix. Comics are what I do to relax. If you could call it that.

--M

[kstipetic]

I'm just out of college and trying to break in to the comic world. I work on comics and illustration full-time, and while it does earn me some money, it's not enough to pay the bills yet. Luckily, my husband has a job as a teacher and is able to support us.

ps - Architecture is totally art! At least, I think it's beautiful...

[squirpy]

trying to get there! I end up doing a lot of motion graphics freelance to pay the bills, but I'm slowly getting more and more jobs doing stuff for animation, which is what I really want to do.

[thirdeyeh]

Not a full time artist. I do work a lot of freelance work. by day however, I'm a stock broker and work in investment guidance. I actually get a lot of work done, surprisingly for what I do all day. lol

[Joost]

ICT consultant by day, comic maker by night. I guess there are very few people who can actually make a living of making comics.

[stickyfish]

Yeah, it sounds hard to be a comic artist full time but it's cool to see that everyone can make the time for comics even tho it doesn't pay the bills. That's true love to me!

[PerryDS]

I operate a full time design business. Manage and coordinate Flash projects, do 3D modeling, website design, print design and illustration. Have been working on a graphic novel, but it is a challenge to find the motivation to solely focus on it and get it done. Last few years has been very good biz wise, but the realities of the shifting economy are beginning to creep in.

[Reagan]

Officially, as in on paper, I'm designated as a Marine Corps Combat Photographer, though in practical application I also do fill in the role of a Combat Illustrator. Right now I'm doing mostly photography (which is fine, since I get lots of down time to draw my own stuff at work on my fancy DoD-provided Cintiq), though when I deploy I'll most likely be doing a lot of both. So yeah, I kind of work full time as an artist still.

[Tyler]

I did freelance illustration full-time for a few months right out of university. The job didn't jive too well with me. I'm just not a business man and the business side is really the make or break issue for freelancing. I did alright but the level of stress involved was too much for me to handle. It wasn't fun.

Right now I work a bullshit nothing job to pay the bills and continue to toil away at a 3 years in the making graphic novel. I suppose I could get a job doing full-time graphic design, but I am concerned that if I commit to that, I will not longer have the motivation to get right back on the computer after work to write comics. It's easier if the money job has nothing to do with art for this reason.

[kennethhunter]

I will be soon but I'm still working on the fundamentals, mastering those babies. I lift boxes for a living. It's not stressful and it doesn't drain your energy too much!