Next, take the foam corners and place them on the four corners of the frame. Take duck tape and start spinning it around to fix the corners in sequence. Do this first to the width and then to the length. Now comes the wrapping part. You will need business wrap nylon. Simply wrap the frame like you would wrap a sandwich until you are feeling you get some good resistance. At that point, you are just about done. Shipping oil paintings is simpler if the painting is framed as the frame acts as a stabilizer and protection. I usually put a thick piece of foam core about half an inch or one eighth of overboard and back it so it overlaps all of it by at least 0.25 inches on all sides. Tape these together soundly so that the painting is tucked between them.

The frame offers a space between the top cover and the painting surface so that nothing touches the top layer – this is what we want. Then put the whole thing into a box and pack paper around it in order that it doesn’t move within the box. This methodology is good for all but the most careless mail handling. Very valuable paintings should be shipped by an expert art moving company, but a lot works don’t need the white-glove treatment. Luckily, there are less expensive options available. If feasible, transport your paintings un-stretched and unframed, to supply the maximum cover against damage. Roll the painting around a strong card tube, paint side in, wrap it in bubble wrap, then encase the entire in a second, bigger tube. If this isn’t possible, for example, in the case of paintings on board, you could be in a position to employ a “mirror box” available from most shipping-supply stores. Pad this box with corrugated card or bubble wrap. When you uncrate or empty a painting, save the crate or packing items in case you want to ship it again.

If your skill is of a high standard and you have confidence in your work why not volunteer with a comic book publishing house. This is probably my most important advice. You will be in a commercial environment and will be working with talented individuals who can help you. Without an immaculate Portfolio you are going to struggle finding an interested employer let alone volunteering. Concentrate on your Portfolio and use examples of your work that really show off your skills. Your Portfolio should showcase your range of skills to the employer this is important even when looking for volunteering positions. Your selling yourself so be confident.

When you have a website up and running with your comic book art you can contact comic book publishers and direct them to your website. Join forums to do with art, and leave interesting posts, and make sure you have a signature at the bottom of each post with a link to your website. This is very important as professional comic book artists will find your post eventually and will have your website link at the bottom. Go to Conventions and network with Publishers. At first just introduce yourself and make small talk, and mention that you have your portfolio with you, you should have no problem making professional relationships this way, although make sure you are prepared in advance.

Once the drawing problems are solved, it’s then a question of consciously choosing how you want to draw. For example, many artists cannot draw realistic pictures using pencil. When the drawing didn’t turn out the way they wanted it to, they say it’s abstract art, or they’re trying to symbolise the subjects. But we all know the truth. There are times when drawing a realistic picture is much better than symbolic drawing, so we can’t run away forever. Sooner or later, we’re going to come face to face with the same set of problems.

But the good news is, once you undersand the basic problems of pencil drawing, you’ll learn that they’re not that difficult to overcome. And if you can learn to overcome these problems, you’ll also find it easier to overcome problems associated with color, since the problems are similar in nature. The number one problem to pencil drawing is control. Artists can’t draw what they want to draw because they don’t know how to control the drawing tools properly. But how difficult can it be to control a pencil? It’s easy if you know how.

For instance, you can vary the pressure of the pencil to shade with a whole range of different tones. You can choose to work with a blunt or sharp pencil, or decide to hold the pencil differently. These are all techniques related to pencil drawing. So don’t jump the gun, be patient, and learn to draw well with pencils before moving on. After all, part of drawing is about problem solving, and if you can’t solve your pencil problems, you won’t be able to solve your painting problems. That’s why pencil drawing is an essential skill to acquire.