OFFICIAL Top Cow Talent Hunt 2016 Discussion Thread

[CBR News]

Hello!

This thread will serve as the Top Cow-sanctioned official discussion forum for all matters relating to Talent Hunt 2016. Feel free to discuss your submissions with your fellow participants, or ask questions of Top Cow President and COO Matt Hawkins -- who will stop by this thread periodically as time allows.

Full rules, submission agreement and sample scripts are available for download here.

Thanks, have fun, and good luck!

[givesight]

Can i still participate even if I have not entered in the past? I would like an equal opportunity. Also, do I need to provide pencil work? I would like to introduce a new work flow and use my 3d tools to enhance my 2d work. I will be providing work all the way to color. Thanks

[SaraKpn]

Can i still participate even if I have not entered in the past? I would like an equal opportunity. Also, do I need to provide pencil work? I would like to introduce a new work flow and use my 3d tools to enhance my 2d work. I will be providing work all the way to color. Thanks

Hi, of course you can participate. Only 2 of 8 winners must be previous entrants. And yes, you can use any technique you want, though the info form says: finished pencils, pencil to color work, digital painting or pencil/ink/ink wash combo for black and white publication. Last time, lots of people including myself, submitted fully colored pages. As long as the storytelling and art quality are decent, you can use anything from pencils to painting and 3D I mean, Stjepan used 3D in his work, so...

[givesight]

YES! thank you so much. Stjepan's work is out of this world and I would like to have a similar approach. I am geared up and ready to lay down some fire!

[Lightningmax]

The admonition to show not tell is one that is given many times to comicbook writers. However, we have to understand that saying in context: Comicbooks are a visual medium, so showing is possible, but there are times that context is necessary.
As an example let’s use one of scripts for the contest:
PAGE 22
PANEL 3
Push in to the shelf behind Apollo IX. There is a framed photo of the Pisces constellation. (Pisces is associated with Cupid and Psyche in Roman mythology)

I have read plenty of mythology and I didn’t know this fun fact. So someone in the story should have stated it. I forgot the book at home, so I don’t recall, but an object of importance should be shown early and possibly referenced sometime through the story. I don’t think it was shown until that panel. So maybe Psyche says it to Eros or Apollo sometime during the story, then the item has context.

[Shrike]

The admonition to show not tell is one that is given many times to comicbook writers. However, we have to understand that saying in context: Comicbooks are a visual medium, so showing is possible, but there are times that context is necessary.
As an example let’s use one of scripts for the contest:
PAGE 22
PANEL 3
Push in to the shelf behind Apollo IX. There is a framed photo of the Pisces constellation. (Pisces is associated with Cupid and Psyche in Roman mythology)

I have read plenty of mythology and I didn’t know this fun fact. So someone in the story should have stated it. I forgot the book at home, so I don’t recall, but an object of importance should be shown early and possibly referenced sometime through the story. I don’t think it was shown until that panel. So maybe Psyche says it to Eros or Apollo sometime during the story, then the item has context.

I don't think that's an error. Remember that the purpose of a script is not to provide information to a reader, it's to give instructions to the artist. The extra information is there so that the artist knows it's important and doesn't leave it out. Some readers will pick up on it and it becomes a nice Easter egg, and most won't get the reference but it doesn't take anything away from the story at all. Having someone mention it on-panel feels to me like a distraction from what's going on and you only have 22 pages, there's no sense in wasting any of that space on trivia. But everyone has their own style preference, I suppose.

[Mike Gutowski]

Thanks for sharing the notice about the Top Cow Talent Hunt. This time will be my 3rd year in a row to enter. Looking forward to the opportunity as a writer.

[JesseG]

Im kind of confused about what you guys want exactly, first you say you want pencil pages, but then you say stuff like "if you only submit pencil pages" like there is a choice or an option or its not what you really want..., but you also say its got to be in black in white because its going to be published in black in white, so... no color allowed? Im confused, help!

Im down to do it how ever you want, im just not sure what you want exactly, im able to write, pencil, ink, color, and word balloon myself, but if you just want me to do one of those things thats fine to, I just need to know before I start doing pages.

[Lightningmax]

Im kind of confused about what you guys want exactly, first you say you want pencil pages, but then you say stuff like "if you only submit pencil pages" like there is a choice or an option or its not what you really want..., but you also say its got to be in black in white because its going to be published in black in white, so... no color allowed? Im confused, help!

Im down to do it how ever you want, im just not sure what you want exactly, im able to write, pencil, ink, color, and word balloon myself, but if you just want me to do one of those things thats fine to, I just need to know before I start doing pages.

Either
Just pencils or
Pencils and inks (Black and White) or
Pencils and Inks and Computer Color or
Completely digital art (Computer painting) or
Completely painted art (water color) or
Completely painted art (oils) or
Colored Pencils or...
other techniques

It is about telling a story with artwork that can be reproduced by standard printing practices. My advice is to show the stages because you might gain work as a colorist or inker over someone else's art.

[Attila Kiss]

Im kind of confused about what you guys want exactly, first you say you want pencil pages, but then you say stuff like "if you only submit pencil pages" like there is a choice or an option or its not what you really want..., but you also say its got to be in black in white because its going to be published in black in white, so... no color allowed? Im confused, help!

The guideline states that Top Cow is looking for 2 artists who can do finished pencil work, as opposed to a layout artist who provides the art only in a rough form. Obviously, sketch won't be sufficient. Your pencil art has to be ready for ink. Further it states that finished pencil art can be enhanced, with colors by traditional or digital means, or it can be inked, possibly even ink washed.

HOWEVER, if you can't (or don't want to) enhance your pencil work in any other way, THAT IS OK, too. Your submission is still welcome, BUT in the case you submitted pencils only and you are the winner, you can't chose who is going to ink over your penciled art. You will be consulted about it, but the final word and decision regarding the ink and the inker will rest with Top Cow, solely.

Hopefully, this made it little bit clearer.
Good luck JesseG.

[StuRase]

Hello.

Thanks for providing such a great opportunity for writers and artists looking to break in. I had a blast researching and writing for your characters. I submitted my first-round script on October 5th. I was wondering if I should be expecting a confirmation e-mail. Or if there way some way to verify that all the files got through and everything looks good.

Thanks again.

Stu Rase
princedelight.com

[SaraKpn]

Hello.

Thanks for providing such a great opportunity for writers and artists looking to break in. I had a blast researching and writing for your characters. I submitted my first-round script on October 5th. I was wondering if I should be expecting a confirmation e-mail. Or if there way some way to verify that all the files got through and everything looks good.

Thanks again.

Stu Rase
princedelight.com

Last time, we all got a confirmation e-mail after the talent hunt was over. The winners will get a second e-mail some months after the final deadline. This time though, everyone who submits before January 15th will also get a feedback e-mail, giving you time until May 15th to adapt your work I hope that clears it up.

[Davidsw]

I am excited to throw my hat into this ring but I am having trouble finding where we actually post our work.
Is there a way you can post a link on this forum to the page where we display our work. ( maybe that has already been done but I could not find it )

Thank you

[UseableID]

I know this is a basic question (I may have even missed the answer) but to which email address do I send my submission? And by what time is the cutoff on January 15th,2016 to be eligible to recieve the one paragraph feedback? Asking because I'm tweaking stuff a little bit and do not wish to miss that deadline.

[zylcho]

submissions@topcow.com (it´s on the pdf :P)