Day: June 11, 2009

“Fillmore” Cartoonist “Lucky to Have a Day Job”

andertoons1 Comment

Mallard Fillmore’s Bruce Tinsley…

…has no illusions about where the cartooning industry is headed.

“I don’t know how many cartoonists are still going to have jobs in the next few years,” he says. “But I have a son who’s 11 and wants to be a cartoonist, and I tell him, you better learn all this computer stuff, because the online world is booming and it’s the future. I’ve talked to more bloggers in the last few months than I have in my entire life.”

OK, yes, you have to know all of the “computer stuff,” but I think more aspiring cartoonists could benefit more from a basic business education.

Know some basic accounting. Get some phone chops. Read a book or two about selling. Because the days of being able to let someone else take care of the business end of things for you are pretty much gone, and frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Hat tip to the WSJ’s Speakeasy.

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The Andertoons Mobile Cartoon Office

andertoons

As you may or may not know, I'm a stay-at-home dad as well as a cartoonist.  My wife is a teacher and she has the summer off, which means I get a little bit of a break from the day to day operations of the Anderson family unit.

Most summers I dig in on cartooning pretty heavy and spend a lot of it in my studio downstairs, but this summer I thought a change of scenery was in order, so I'm setting up most mornings in the local library:

Andertoons Mobile Office

There's still a few kinks to work out (for whatever reason my 1Password file is AWOL today), but I think it's going to be a nice quiet place to concentrate.  And maybe all of these books will give me lots of good ideas.