Awareness of current affairs and issues in the world is very important for artists, as Valerie Forgeard (2022) said in an article ‘It is important for artists to educate themselves about the issues they advocate for, as their influence is usually much greater than that of most individuals.’ Art is often used as a voice and it can be extremely influential to the masses so the impact of the art should always be considered as well as the message it is communicating to people.
Copyright laws ensure that illustrators and their art is protected. The illustration itself can be copyrighted but not the idea and concepts behind it, nor can a particular style be copyrighted. Being the copyright holder of your illustration, you are in control of how it is used However, when you sell or hand over your copyright you are no longer in control of how the illustration is used. According to section 201 of the copyright act ‘if, therefore, you create a comic with working for a publisher, the copyright belongs to your employer, unless your employment contract states otherwise.’ Implementing something called a creative commons license, can ensure the illustrator gets full credit for their work however it is used and also on how it is used, as long as it is
agreed by all parties If a comic is produced by more than one person collectively they jointly own the copyright unless agreed otherwise.
An issue in the industry is how much time illustrators are given to complete the project. ‘The Problem is
the schedules. They’re too fast, too short and place too much wear and tear on an artist’s body and mind’ Nilah Magruder (2021). Asking for a longer more reasonable schedule, however, is often received with pushback from editors, publishers and agents. The result of these demanding schedules causes artists to work long hours in order to meet these deadlines. ‘Injury and chronic pain are common within creative professions’ Nilah Magruder (2021). For freelance artists, there is no company-provided health insurance so they must pay out of pocket for medication and treatment.