Find your way into Comic Designing

What is Comic Design? What are its applications/Uses?
Comic design is very useful in
• Visual Storytelling of ancient, historic or folk tales
• Test bed of new characters in the market
• Important visual communication tool for all marketers
• Dissemination of public information (e.g. traffic rules)
• As a step towards creating movies (i.e. storyboarding)
• Tool for direct engagement of children and teenagers
Why should students opt for Comic Design as their career option?
Students who love creating characters and scenes could opt for Comic Design as their possible careers. This would be one of the most satisfying options available to them.
What are the growth prospects in this industry?
Initial salaries could be nice though growths may not be much due to present lack of avenues. Very few comics get made out of india and outsourcing is rare.
How has the sector fared in the past one year?
Not much data is available for this sector yet.
What is the pay-scale? (Bottom up) – Initial stage, after 5 years, after 10 years etc
Starting pays could be nice, about 12-25K per month though prospects for growth may not be that high except for a few select artists.
What are the skills/aptitude required for the job?
A person who is highly imaginative and has very good sketching skills. A deep study in anatomy, perspectives, gestures, and posing is required. A knowledge of camera angles is also very handy too.
How can one become a Comic Designer? (What to do after Class12 in order to become a Comic designer)
Take up a good course in sketching, maybe alongside animation (especially 2D)
What are the pros and cons of the job?
Singly this would be a tough line to pursue, since standalone comic artists may not be in a huge demand. Do be ready to work as a graphic designer, web designer etc too. Some smart artists club it with 2D/ 3D animation. Highly satisfying to see your work in print. Nothing beats the high.
Can you name some of the best/good institutes in India/Abroad to study Comic Design from?
There are many design institutes but one must ensure that they are getting into the right course. One can get into NID/ Shantiniketan or JJ, but they are not actually equipped to train a good comic artist yet. Very few schools in India are equipped to train to the level required, and I am proud to be associated with one such school (Arena Chandigarh) which follows an international methodology for Sketching Training that ensures that every trainee is able to make a reasonably good portrait within a few weeks. Thereafter they must go for gesture study and finally progress to comics. It is a misnomer that anyone with good sketching can do this. A deep study of anatomy and perspectives is required. And only some select people graduate to creating characters.
How to enter the field (what courses to pursue at the UG, PG and Diploma level)
Best is to take Sketching alongside animation since both are highly related. This opens the field for you to many more fields, especially as a storyboarder. Do a good sketching course alongside animation (2D or 3D) as mentioned above.
What are the job prospects?
Jobs as a standalone artist are few and people may land up as newspaper cartoonists or animators. Thereafter growth is steady.
What are the main entrance exams, if any, to prepare for?
Not many except for NID, Shantiniketan, JJ etc. Others not yet.