Another recent ebay find is this booklet from the W.L Evans School of Cartooning.
I’m just discovering the Evans correspondence course, and I was surprised how many great cartoonists got started this way – Gould, Ketcham, Segar… Wow!
I’ve found lessons one and two online, but I haven’t seen this. It looks to be what they’d send you when you mailed away for information; sort of their sales pitch.
There’s some great stuff in here:
"There are more comic pictures being published today than ever before. Every periodical, every newspaper – even the small country weekly has pictures in it. Every merchant, every manufacturer needs pictures for his advertisements – and it’s the comical ones that make the biggest hit."
Those were the days…
"A cartoonist is a power. His audience is the boundless public. He is talked about. His work is admired in society. He meets the most prominent people, and becomes personally acquainted with them."
I never knew I was powerful!
"Now what trade or profession can you learn so quickly and at such small expense? Do you know any machinists? or plumbers? or telegraphers? or carpenters? or dressmakers? or any one working at a trade? If you do, ask him or her how ling it took to learn their trade. Three or four years.. What are their salaries today? is it less than $30.00 a week? $30.00 a week is about the lowest salary the practical cartoonist gets. It’s not the maximum.."
Golly!
Anyway, it’s a great read and there’s some wonderful cartoon examples!
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I'm not sure what Mr.Evans would think about the business of cartooning today, but I'd bet he'd be real surprised at how far plumbers have come since 1913.
I have been having a similar discussion with some friends lately… Many funny little sketches can be what tickle people in different ways. Plus with so much going on in the world to make the outlook bleak, you can't beat cartoons with great one-liners. Something to lift the spirits and pass on to others. Long live the doodling butcher!