Interns
Periscope internships are unpaid and last for three months. We often have intern prospects picked out quite far in advance, so please try to get your materials in early and follow up with us.
Spring internships run from March 1 through June 1
Summer Internships run from June 2 through September 1
Fall internships run from September through December 1
Winter internships run from December 1 through March 1
If you’re interested in applying, send us an e-mail introducing yourself, and tell us why you’d like to intern here and when you’d be available. (The competition is highest for summer positions.)
You should include:
- a resume
Include your whole work history, not just art-related. Much of your work here will not be drawing-related, and we’d like to know what other skills you have that could come in handy.
- a link to your online portfolio
If you don’t have an on-line portfolio, make one at Comicspace, Deviant Art, Flickr or any other free portfolio site. Don’t send emails with attachments or links to download sites, and please don’t call.
- at least one reference from a teacher or employer, and their contact information.
If you list a reference, please make sure they know that we might contact them.
Please compose your letter as professionally as possible; grammar, spelling, and manners all make a difference as to whether we’ll consider you.
What we look for in an intern is someone who is energetic, organized and hard-working, with an eye for drawing and color, an ability to play well with others, and an interest in receiving constructive criticism from professionals. Familiarity with Photoshop is also extremely useful. Please note: we are only taking interns with an interest and some experience in drawing. We are unable to take on writing interns at this time.
What you’ll be doing: Most intern duties are what amounts to typical studio gruntwork: erasing pencil lines after drawings have been inked, running errands throughout downtown Portland, performing typical office tasks, scanning art to specific technical specs, laying in flat color in Photoshop. More complicated tasks are given to interns based on their skill, their maturity, their ability to follow instructions and take criticism, and their demonstrated desire to learn. What you bring is what we’ll use.
Housing & Expenses: our internships are strictly unpaid, and we do not provide housing, although we’re happy to help you locate some if you’re coming from out of town. (We’ve had interns from as far away as Germany.) Internships last for three months. In order to cover living expenses, many of our interns take other work, or remain enrolled in university courses.
Attendance Expectations: Internships last for three months. During that time, we ask that you make yourself available for several hours a day during normal working hours (9am-6:30pm) for at least four days during the workweek. You are welcome to attend more often than that, and the likelihood of your being assigned more complex work or finding time to present your personal work to studio members for review increases with the amount of time you spend with us.
After the internship, we welcome our alums to visit the studio on a social basis, but we’re not currently accepting new members or assistants, and desk space is extremely limited.
School Credit: We have worked with currently enrolled college students to earn them class credit for their time spent at the studio. If we accept you as an intern and you provide us with information from your registrar or other appropriate school official, we will gladly fill out any paperwork required.
What You Get: So, you’ll be doing lots of gruntwork for no pay. What’s in it for you?
We’re a studio of almost two dozen professional artists and writers, with well over a century of combined time spent in the comics industry. Working at Periscope is like living in the most useful and exciting part of a comics convention – the part where you get to spend time with people who know what they’re doing, witness their worklife and process firsthand, and submit your own work for professional critique.
Many of our interns receive their first professional work offers during or shortly after their time with us. Others launch their own independent comics projects online or in print, and others go on to complete a degree at top comics, illustration, and other art programs around the country.
For those willing to listen, we can help move you towards fulfilling their potential both as a creator and as a businessperson (because in comics, you need to be both!).
To apply, or to ask any questions you might have about the internship program, write us at internatperiscope@gmail.com
