Comments on: Tips for Becoming a Professional Cartoonist - #8 http://www.chewingpencils.com/2006/07/24/tips-for-becoming-a-professional-cartoonist-8/ Helping to turn a drawing hobby into a cartooning profession Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:31:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Robert Timmons http://www.chewingpencils.com/2006/07/24/tips-for-becoming-a-professional-cartoonist-8/#comment-8180 Robert Timmons Tue, 11 Sep 2007 19:01:39 +0000 http://www.chewingpencils.com/2006/07/24/tips-for-becoming-a-professional-cartoonist-8/#comment-8180 Hi. Matt. I have been reading your 10 points to being a cartoonist. I have enjoyed the read. I am an artist who only has come to cartooning in my later life. I spent most of my early years in the fine art of painting teaching and starving. Being an artist is a choice, one should as you say have a day job. That being said I must confess I wish I had started cartooning in my earlier days. When I was a kid laying in front of the radio listening to the Mickey Mouse Show and Steve Cannon..all I did was draw and dream of being a cartoonist. Well, for better or worse I am one now. I have a website hope you will check out my efforts and let me know what you think. We all need a few strokes cause Lord knows it's a long time between paychecks for your cartoons. I hope you will keep up the encouragement to those starting out and remind them they are doing something that comes from simply desire. Cartoons are the basic expression of our cultures..History shows us that we will always put it in to a cartoon. Robert Timmons (Robbay) Hi. Matt.
I have been reading your 10 points to being a cartoonist. I have enjoyed the read. I am an artist who only has come to cartooning in my later life. I spent most of my early years in the fine art of painting teaching and starving. Being an artist is a choice, one should as you say have a day job. That being said I must confess I wish I had started cartooning in my earlier days. When I was a kid laying in front of the radio listening to the Mickey Mouse Show and Steve Cannon..all I did was draw and dream of being a cartoonist.
Well, for better or worse I am one now. I have a website hope you will check out my efforts and let me know what you think. We all need a few strokes cause Lord knows it’s a long time between paychecks for your cartoons.
I hope you will keep up the encouragement to those starting out and remind them they are doing something that comes from simply desire. Cartoons are the basic expression of our cultures..History shows us that we will always put it in to a cartoon.
Robert Timmons (Robbay)

]]> By: Matt Glover http://www.chewingpencils.com/2006/07/24/tips-for-becoming-a-professional-cartoonist-8/#comment-44 Matt Glover Tue, 25 Jul 2006 07:44:56 +0000 http://www.chewingpencils.com/2006/07/24/tips-for-becoming-a-professional-cartoonist-8/#comment-44 Good stuff again Gerry. Thanks for adding it! I found the saying 'no' thing quite hard when I started, but you're right, it feels good to be able to say it now! Reminds me that I am a professional. Good stuff again Gerry. Thanks for adding it!

I found the saying ‘no’ thing quite hard when I started, but you’re right, it feels good to be able to say it now! Reminds me that I am a professional.

]]> By: Gerry http://www.chewingpencils.com/2006/07/24/tips-for-becoming-a-professional-cartoonist-8/#comment-42 Gerry Mon, 24 Jul 2006 16:03:32 +0000 http://www.chewingpencils.com/2006/07/24/tips-for-becoming-a-professional-cartoonist-8/#comment-42 Hi Matt- Once again an excellent column on the cartooning biz, I just wanted to add my two cents on the subject of working "on spec" or "for exposure". I have a very simple rule of thumb, and it's this: only work for free when it's YOUR IDEA to do so. NEVER work for free if someone approaches you about it. This way you'll only do spec work on things you personally care about, a charity, a local church, your kid's school group, or your personal projects. I guess the rule is bendable if it's your kid's teacher who approaches you, fr'instance. However, this allows you to rule out book "authors" who offer to pay you when they find a publisher, or writers who are creating the next "Peanuts" if they could only line up a willing cartoonist. An added bonus is that it's very therapeutic to sometimes just say "no" without a lot of hand-wringing and second guessing yourself. Hi Matt- Once again an excellent column on the cartooning biz, I just wanted to add my two cents on the subject of working “on spec” or “for exposure”. I have a very simple rule of thumb, and it’s this: only work for free when it’s YOUR IDEA to do so. NEVER work for free if someone approaches you about it.

This way you’ll only do spec work on things you personally care about, a charity, a local church, your kid’s school group, or your personal projects. I guess the rule is bendable if it’s your kid’s teacher who approaches you, fr’instance.

However, this allows you to rule out book “authors” who offer to pay you when they find a publisher, or writers who are creating the next “Peanuts” if they could only line up a willing cartoonist.

An added bonus is that it’s very therapeutic to sometimes just say “no” without a lot of hand-wringing and second guessing yourself.

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