Andertoons Professional Cartooning Workshop – Chicago

IMPORTANT DATE/LOCATION CHANGE BELOW!!!

I’m pleased to announce the very first Andertoons Professional Cartooning Workshop!

It’s a full weekend of in-depth cartooning with me. We’ll cover everything from writing great gags to the nuts and bolts of selling cartoons.

You’ll leave educated, energized and inspired to achieve your personal and professional cartooning goals.

NEW DATES AND LOCATION!!

It’s going to be held May 2-3, 2020 at the Homewood Inn & Suites in Schaumburg, IL.

It’s now being held May 16-17, 2020 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Schaumburg, IL.

Class will be from 9:00 AM – Noon and 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM both days.

There are only a few spots left, so make sure to grab your spot before they’re gone! (Sign up below.)

Attendees will receive:

  • Individualized attention and advice
  • Workshop packet
  • Your work featured on the Andertoons blog, Instagram & Twitter
  • The COMPLETE CALVIN AND HOBBES! (Thank you to the good folks at Andrews McMeel Universal!!)
  • Assorted Andertoons books

What will be covered:

Introductions

Mark will discuss his career path, writing and art influences, share some cartoons, and establish goals for the workshop. Attendees will get to know each other.

Writing

  • Research, free association, topic choices
  • Editing for clarity, brevity, and impact
  • Pitfalls to avoid
  • Group writing exercises
  • Individual critique, advice & encouragement

Art

  • Layout and composition
  • Finding and improving your style
  • Tools and techniques for efficiency
  • Pitfalls to avoid
  • Group art exercises
  • Individual critique, advice & encouragement

Business

  • Building a website that works
  • Search engine optimization
  • Marketing yourself on and offline
  • Running a small business
  • Why you need to fail

Group Show

Share your workshop cartoons with the class

Q & A

Ask me anything

What Does It Cost?

The cost is $500 per person. A $100 deposit will hold your spot. The balance will be due April 3, 2020.

Rooms are available beginning at $89 + tax per night. Lunches and dinners are on your own. (There are a ton of great places to eat nearby.)

If for some reason you’re unable to attend, I’m happy to refund your money if a replacement for your spot can be found.

About Your Instructor

Mark Anderson has been an independent professional cartoonist for 20 years. His website, Andertoons.com, is widely recognized as an industry leader.

Mark’s cartoons have been published in:

  • Reader’s Digest
  • The Wall Street Journal
  • Forbes
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Saturday Evening Post
  • Barron’s
  • Woman’s World
  • and many more…

His corporate clients include:

  • GE
  • GM
  • NASA
  • Intel
  • Microsoft
  • Pinterest
  • Walgreens
  • National Geographic
  • Scholastic
  • and many more…

Mark has been a featured speaker at the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben Awards, the Kenosha Festival of Cartooning, two Success in Comics seminars and Toonfest. He teaches cartooning classes at schools and libraries nationwide and has self-published 7 books. Mark has written for the International Journal of Cartoon Art, had a gallery show at the Prairie Center for the Arts and has a cartoon in the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

Sign Up Now!

This is the real deal. Be prepared to stretch creatively and go deep into the business of cartooning.

Again, space is limited to only 10 cartoonists, AND WE’RE ALMOST FULL, so don’t miss out on this unique opportunity!

Click below to pay the $100 deposit and grab your spot. The balance will be invoiced on April 3, 2020.

Chon Day’s Misguided Missiles – 1955

Chon Day's 1955 Misguided Missiles Cover

Chon Day is one of my favorite cartoonists. His seemingly effortless line, his economic composition, and his gently funny writing are things I aspire to every time I sit down at my desk. So when I ran across this odd little Travelers Insurance booklet with his cartoons peppered throughout, I knew it was something I had to get and share.

While the tables of data opposite each cartoon (types of accidents, weather conditions, sex of driver) are interesting in a historically kitschy way, the cartoon genius of Chon Day is timeless. Enjoy:

Chon Day's 1955 Misguided Missiles 1
Chon Day's 1955 Misguided Missiles 2

That’s not an easy scene to compose or draw, but Day pulls it off with ease.

Chon Day's 1955 Misguided Missiles 3

I love how blasé the passengers are. So much funnier than a wild reaction.

Chon Day's 1955 Misguided Missiles 4

Look at how little of the car is drawn. Look at the pose on the guy on the hood. Good heavens!

Chon Day's 1955 Misguided Missiles 5

A really nice visual gag, and I love the building in the background.

Chon Day's 1955 Misguided Missiles 6

Love that motorcycle. Wow!

Chon Day's 1955 Misguided Missiles 7

Cows and cars are both on my list of things I’d rather not draw, but Day makes it look easy.

Chon Day's 1955 Misguided Missiles 8

A nice quiet gag, and a beautiful wash.

Chon Day's 1955 Misguided Missiles 9

The expressions on everyone’s faces are just right. And the sense of action!

Chon Day's 1955 Misguided Missiles 10

That’s a great joke.

Chon Day's 1955 Misguided Missiles 11

Not a gag you could do today.

Chon Day's 1955 Misguided Missiles 12

I think this is my favorite cartoon in the book. Amazing art and such a terrific gag!

Chon Day's 1955 Misguided Missiles 13

This one takes a minute to get, but it’s worth it. And, again, look at the city implied by just a few lines.

Chon Day's 1955 Misguided Missiles 14

Look at her shoes – that’s not an easy angle to get right. And the way the cars contours are shown with wash. And the beautifully quiet gag. Wow. Just wow.

I hope you enjoyed those as much as I do. If you want to see some more, check out my appreciation of Chon Day here.

My 2015 Reubens Talk

A few weeks back I had the honor of speaking at the 2015 NCS Reuben Awards in Washington, DC. It went really well and was well-received, so I thought I’d share it here in case you missed it or weren’t able to attend.

BTW, there were questions at the end, but I left those off. If you have questions feel free to drop me a line.

2015 NCS Reubens – Washington, DC

This year the National Cartoonists Society held it’s Reuben Awards in our nation’s capital, Washington, DC at the Omni Shoreham. It was an amazing weekend and I was so honored to be one of the featured speakers.

2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - Hotel
Presidents, Sinatra and the Beatles have stayed here. And now I have too!
2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - Our Room
Comfy!
2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - The View
Lots of space to pretend to work in!

First up was an event at the Library of Congress for King Features’ 100th anniversary. Then it was back to the Omni for presentations.

I was up first and I think my talk went really well. I made a recording of it and I’m hoping to post it in a week or so. So stay tuned!

Other speakers for the weekend included Juana Medina, Doug Mahnke, Nick Galifianakis, Brian Crane, Mort Drucker, and a panel hosted by Ann Telnaes.

2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - Presentations
No, that’s not Brian Crane in the photo belly dancing
2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - Mort Drucker Standing O #1
Mort Drucker getting a standing O at his presentation

I think one of the most exciting parts of the weekend for me was meeting Mort Gerberg. He came to my presentation and came up to chat with me afterward. His book, Cartooning: The Art and the Business, was a gigantic help and influence to me when I was just getting started. I was so thrilled to meet him. What a wonderful and kind man.

2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - Me & Mort Gerberg
Me & Mort Gerberg

I also met tons of other people who wanted to chat about my presentation. Everyone had a lot of questions and I was so pleased to talk with them!

2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - Phil Judd

Later that night there was a cocktail party and I got to chat with tons of people including Anne & John HambrockAdrian Sinnott, Ken Krimstein, and Brigid Alverson.

The next morning was a trip to the zoo. It was just a 10 minute walk away!

2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - Panda
This panda really liked that popsicle
2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - Meerkat
Meerkat taking a break
2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - National Zoo
I don’t remember what this is

Saturday evening was the big awards dinner with a pre-show cocktail party. Again, I got to chat with so many nice people including Tom Richmond, Tom GamillBrian KellyTom Stemmle, John Glynn, and Mo Willems.

2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - Mo Willems
Me & Mo Willems

And of course, my best pal Mike Lynch!

2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - Mike Lynch
Me & inky pal Mike Lynch

The awards were terrific. (Click here for the list of winners.) Jason Chatfield did a terrific job hosting!

2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - Jay Kennedy Award
Derek Desierto accepts the Jay Kennedy Memorial Scholarship
2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - More Mort Drucker
Another standing O for Mort Drucker

The next day I spent touring DC a bit. I’ve never been here before and really wanted to take it all in.

2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - White House
The White House
2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - WW2 Memorial
World War II Memorial
2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - Lincoln
Lincoln
2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - Washington Monument
The Washington Monument
2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - Air & Space Museum 1
Me & a Saturn V engine
2015 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards - Air & Space Museum 2
Mooning astronauts

Well, that’s it. Huge thanks to Tom Richmond and the NCS for inviting me, the lovely Anna for helping things to run smoothly, Latisha Moore for keeping everything organized, John Lotshaw for calming my nerves and making my talk run smoothly, and everyone who was kind enough to take the time to chat with me. What a wonderful and exciting weekend!

Hey, Go Buy Raconteur #6

Mike Lynch Raconteur #6

Cartoonist, inky pal, and all around good guy, Mike Lynch, has the latest issue of Raconteur available for purchase now at his blog!

Contributors include:

  • Isabella Bannerman – SIX CHIX KIng Features comic strip
  • Brian Fies – MOM’S CANCER and WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE WORLD OF TOMORROW graphic novels
  • John Klossner – New Yorker cartoonist
  • Mike Lynch – You know me. I do this here blog.
  • Mark Parisi – OFF THE MARK newspaper cartoon panel

You should totally go buy this right now before they’re all gone. Seriously, they go really really fast. Are you still reading this? I said they go fast! What is with you, man?!