Chewing Pencils

The longer you are a cartoonist and the more widely your work is known, you will invariably get asked by a pushy parent whether you can offer work experience to their child. The conversation will go something like this:

Parent: My son really likes to draw. He has talent too.

You: So what do you want me to do?

Parent: Share with him all your trade secrets and the contact details of all your clients. Hand over all your profitable projects and ensure his wealth and fame for the future without him having to lift a finger to find out about the business just like everybody else…

Well, maybe I’m exagerating a little, but the fact remains that cartooning is still seen as an easy profession to break into, because all you need to do is draw a few pictures. There is little understanding of the time and energy it takes to land a paying job before you even put pencil to paper. The freelancer, by definition, is a one-person show.

Now I don’t mean to sound bitter and twisted. But work experience in the field of cartooning is virtually non-existent. You may have some luck with the graphics department of an advertising agency or a newspaper, but individual cartoonists are not likely to have the time to supervise a student, nor any work for them to do. There are a few kind hearted souls who take student on board every so often, but in the end the budding artist sits at the kitchen table all week doodling.

The best advice I can give for somebody looking to get experience in the cartoon business is to join up as an associate memeber to your local cartooning organisation, get to know some of the other members, take along some of your work each time you go, and soak up every little bit of advice you can.