P.F. Prep Illustration Internship

I was made aware of the opportunity via my professor, who directed me to somebody who was willing to provide an internship opportunity involving the freelance comic industry. After a few email exchanges, I went inside the studio and had a brief chat. It took about one semester after, before I was able to actually get the internship, when I showed him a mini comic I completed.

My supervisor is a freelance pre-press technician, who formats comics, books, posters which aren’t print ready. He cleans up formatting issues, or lettering issues and adjusts space in between.

During my internship, I had other small jobs, but mainly to scan various files in his inventory, which he plans to use for an archival project. Later, I was assigned to be a flatter for a middle grade DC graphic novel at a base pay rate, which I’m most proud of. 

I learned many things such as the inner workings of freelancers in the industry, a new perspective on the lives of such people, their financial experiences, their history I was never aware of in such a small community. I learned a lot about flatting, what pre-pressers are looking for in an artists file organization, and etc.

I definitely feel a lot more secure in my future/career, now having a resource, and people to fall back to when I have questions, as well as a realistic perspective. It helped me understand what I should do in order to be financially stable, and that comic artists/writers/editors come from a wide background, and that I don’t need to limit myself to pursue it part-time.