[HIRING] Manga artist for 28-page B&W chapter — right-to-left, screentones, African-inspired fantasy. Full script + design bible ready. $40-60/page, ongoing series.
Paid manga artist needed for a 28-page B&W chapter. Right-to-left, screentones, African-inspired fantasy. Complete script and full design bible already done. Ongoing series — Chapter 2 is already written. Starting with one paid test page.
THE PROJECT
STARS is an original manga-style series set in an African-inspired world where a person's fate is read from the stars at birth — and the boy at the center of it was born with no reading at all.
Chapter 1 follows three people through a single dawn in three different places. None of them have met yet.
The worldbuilding is grounded in real West and Central African culture — architecture, textiles, martial arts, and mythology. This is not generic fantasy with a new coat of paint. Full details go to serious applicants.
WHAT'S ALREADY DONE
You will not be guessing at anything:
✅ Complete 28-page Chapter 1 script — panel by panel, with camera framing, dialogue, captions, SFX, and art notes
✅ Chapter 2 script also finished — this work continues immediately
✅ Story bible — world, mythology, power system, 9 character sheets
✅ Character design specs — age, height, build, hair, clothing, bearing, consistency anchors
✅ Location design bible — 4 environments with assigned B&W visual grammar
✅ Prop/tech spec — full turnaround brief for the protagonist's signature equipment
✅ Costume & heraldry doc
✅ Visual reference / mood board
FORMAT
Right-to-left (traditional manga) · Black & white with screentones · Western comic trim (~6.6"×10.2") · 300+ dpi print-safe · digital first, print later · 28 pages
WHAT I NEED
Thumbnails → pencils → inks → screentones
Lettering — quote separately; happy to hire out if you don't letter
Comfort composing right-to-left
Ability to draw environments and crowds, not just characters — this chapter includes a village, a dense city, and a large interior with many figures
Black characters and non-Western architecture drawn with care and from reference
Consistency across 28 pages
BUDGET & TERMS
$40–60 USD per page — negotiable for the full package and for committing to Chapter 2
Starting with one paid test page before the chapter
Paid in milestones per batch
Work-for-hire: full commercial rights transfer on payment. You're credited and free to display it in your portfolio.
Standard confidentiality — pages aren't posted publicly before release
~5–7 weeks for 28 pages is reasonable to me
TO APPLY — please include:
2–3 consecutive sequential pages from the same story — not single illustrations
Whether you've worked right-to-left before
Examples with Black characters and/or non-Western settings, if you have them
Your rate per page, and what it includes
Software (Clip Studio Paint preferred)
Realistic pages per week
Revision policy
Comment or DM. Script and design docs go out to anyone who looks like a fit.