Tag: advice

Things I Wish I’d Known Starting Out

andertoons5 Comments

Mike Lynch’s recent blogs on submitting and whatnot got me commenting that I wished there’d been this sort of information easily available when I was starting out 10 years ago.

So, for the record, here’s some tips for those of you just beginning:

  • There is no standard gag cartoon size – don’t even think about it.
  • Get a Mac – save yourself the headaches.
  • Do what you think is funny – OK, you gotta do business cartoons for HBR, and you can’t always be bashing management (AKA the readers), but don’t try to figure out a market’s formula or slant. Make yourself laugh and let the markets fall where they may.
  • Good writing carries bad art – work on your drawing, but, above all, work on your writing. Good writing is so much rarer then good draftsmanship.
  • The Artists Market books are a waste of time – that is unless you’re looking to do lots of glass-making themed cartoons and be paid in copies.
  • Cartoon editors aren’t what you think – often they’re committees, or interns, or, I dunno, whomever. But, in general, cartoons aren’t top priority, and there’s nobody with the sign “Cartoon Editor” on their posh corner office door. Also, cartoon editors change all the time, so get used to it. A good cartoon editor is rare; love them while you can.

There. A little post Columbus Day realism for ya! Enjoy!

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Today’s Writing

andertoons3 Comments

One of the tricks I use when writing is to scan the newspaper for catch phrases and/or idioms I can twist around for gags.

Today, went quicker than most (about a half hour for four gags), and I thought with the extra time I’d show you how it went:

Writing1



I just sorta scribble down words and phrases as I find them, and then go back to the paper for more.  As I’m reading and scribbling, stuff ferments a little and ideas start coming:

  • "Job Security" is one I’ve done a lot with, so no surprise that there’s nothing there today.
  • "Sexual Tension" for some reason brought out the Sidney Harris is me.  I thought it would be funny to have sexual tension as part of some sort of complicated formula.  A little later I thought of the male and female symbols, and it all sort of fell together.
  • "Legal Maneuvers" brought the Heimlich maneuver to mind, and although it took a little to whittle down the caption, I think it worked out nicely.
  • "High Profile" wrote itself, and I have no idea why my sketch of a man in profile includes a ponytail.
  • "Track Record" was percolating for a bit with a man interviewing in track shoes, but it never really materialized.
  • "Boxed Wines" went nowhere fast.
  • "Hall Czar" came from a headline about a "Telecom Czar."  "War Czar" is abuzz right now, so I thought taking it down to a kid’s level would be a good way to poke some fun.  It ended up a little more political and topical than I like to get, but it is what it is.

Here are the gags rewritten for further marinating in the ol’ idea box:

Writing2

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The Gag Cartoonist’s Business Plan

andertoons9 Comments

PlanGot this in my email the other day:

Hi there,

I am a product design student from Wales, UK and I am working on an assignment where I have to come up with a business plan. I just wanted to know what it takes to set up a business in cartoon illustration, and what it involves, as this is an area I have great interest in. What do you do that sets your business apart from other similar businesses?

I’d be very grateful for any information you could offer.

Thanks very much for your time.

Normally I just ignore stuff like this. I get a fair share of “tell me what all your markets are and how I make money” emails, but the above note seemed nice and it gives me an opportunity to blog about the business side of gag cartooning.

Let’s see… Business plan…

I’ve used the phrase before, but to be honest, cartooning isn’t the kind of business where you get your idea, get a loan, set up shop and hope to make a profit in a year or two.

Here’s some advice on how I’ve done it so far (I say “so far” because it’s a precarious job and I may very well be wearing an orange apron next week while directing you to the key copying guy), and I’m going to keep it more on the financial end of things:

1) Keep your day gig as long as you can

I worked for a screw manufacturer, a metals distributor, and an auto advertising website for a combined total of about six years before making the leap, and even then it was with the caveat that I juggle cartooning with being a stay-at-home dad.

Being a professional cartoonist most realistically means fitting it in, even when it’s your only source of income. I drew cartoons early in the morning before work, on my lunch hour and at night for years. Now I do it while the kids are at school, and on the weekends.

2) Things you should buy

As I said, cartooning isn’t business as usual, but there are some things I found helpful starting out:

  • A decent computer – My first was an Emachine that came with a printer, monitor and scanner for $500. It was a piece of crap, but it worked. Get something you can afford that gets the job done. You can get that tricked out Mac later.
  • Some sort of website – When I started out blogs didn’t exist yet, so I built my first site myself. It was horrible. Now there’s all sort of options from a blog with ComicPress to Tumblr to Rapidweaver. Keep it on the cheap, but make it look professional.
  • Reasonable art supplies – Cheapo printer paper, a pencil and something other than a Sharpie will get you a long, loooong way.
  • The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker – You can get the paperback for about $30. When I was starting out I raided about every library in the state and read every book of cartoons I could find. This is more or less a one stop gag cartoon education.
  • Mountain Dew – You’re gonna be up early and stay up late. Coffee is good too.

3) Things not to buy

Even more important is avoiding unnecessary expenses. Don’t bother with:

  • A drafting table – It’s nice and it makes you feel professional, but no one cares what you drew the cartoon on. I worked at a coffee table in my living room for almost a decade
  • Mailing lists – Don’t waste a grand and upwards for hundreds of markets that couldn’t care less about cartoons. Use the library to find the biggies, read cartoonists’ blogs and websites, and just plain hunt around.
  • Business cards – I had 1000 printed up and used about five. Plus, your style is going to be changing a lot early on. A total and complete waste.
  • NCS membership – You need to be earning at least half of your income off cartoons to even apply, but as much as it’s a great place to meet other cartoonists, it’s largely social, and certainly not neccesary to work as a cartoonist.
  • How-to-cartoon books – It’s not rocket science here folks, and if you can’t draw a little already, you shouldn’t be looking at a career in cartooning. Most are outdated.

4) Watch your money

Anyone will tell you most businesses fail early because of accounting issues. Know how much you are making, spend as little as you can initially, and track it to the penny. Generally artists don’t like the business end of things. Learn to be good at it, or be an instant success and hire an accountant.

5) Stick to it

It’s hard, it’s discouraging, and you’re going to fail almost constantly. But if you love it you’ll keep doing it because, in the end, no cartoonist really does it for the money.

 

 

Creativity Q & A

andertoons3 Comments

creativity

I recently had a student email me some questions about creativity for a class. I get a fair amount of this, and normally I don’t respond, but for some reason this one got through.

Anyway, for what it’s worth, here’s the creativity Q & A:

1. How do you define creativity?

Working with what’s available to make something new and unique.

2. Do you believe that each person has the capacity to be creative? Why?

Certainly. Not everyone is a painter or singer, but I think everyone has the ability and the desire to create in their own way. I think deep down we all want to say ‘This is me. I made this.’

3. How did you find your creative niche?

It sort of found me. I love to draw, and I love being funny. I’m also a fairly adept musician, and I floundered at that for years, but in the end cartooning just sort of manifested itself.

4. Do you think creativity is innate or learned? Explain.

Both. It’s one thing to have that flash of wonderful inspiration, it’s quite another to shape that into something meaningful or useful, or to come up with something on a deadline.

5. Who or what experiences have inspired your work?

Cartoonists Peter Arno, Charles Schulz & Bill Watterson, comedians Bill Cosby, George Carlin and David Letterman, a few wonderful teachers along the way, and, of course, my family.

6. Have you always wanted to do what you are doing? If not, what made you decide to start?

Yes. I started tracing the Sunday comics pretty early on. I’m lucky that I had some innate abilities, and people along the way to point that out.

7. Does spirituality and culture play a role in your creativity? Explain.

Culture plays a huge role in what I do. To be a humorist is to be an observer. I subscribe to a ton of magazines, watch a fair amount of TV and surf the internet a lot. You need to be informed to be funny.

8. How important is education to your creative process?

A good sound liberal education is the base of what I do. To be a cartoonist you have to know a little about a lot.

9. How do you deal with creativity blocks?

Often you can push through them through sheer force of will. Other times you just have to wait it out. There’s no set procedure, but after a while you learn a lot of little tricks.

10. Do you believe that it is important to be accepted by others as being creative or is just doing what you love to do enough to justify your work? Explain.

I think we all want to be accepted and acknowledged for our creations, but I don’t believe it’s a necessary part of being creative. If you want to be a singer, sing. Want to be a cartoonist? Draw cartoons. Being a professional is another layer entirely.

I hope I come across well. I tried to be substantive and brief without getting too self-helpy.

Again, normally I just don’t respond to these because, honestly, there’s about a million more creative and successful people than me, but I thought these were fairly well thought out questions

So, there you go. Any thoughts?