Chewing Pencils

This weeks Friday Feature Artist does the ‘haka’ with an English accent. That takes talent - and she obviously has a lot more when you look at her work.

Please put you hands together for my fellow Australian Cartoonists’ Association member, New Zealand dwelling and United Kingdom born Alex Hallatt!!!

NAME: Alex Hallatt
AGE: 37
LOCATION: Lyttelton, NZ
SITE URL: www.moontoon.com

How long have you been drawing cartoons?

I’ve been a full-time cartoonist for 8 years.

What made you start to think more seriously about making some money out of it?

I hated my office job. It nearly drove me insane as one day I went into work and blanked out when looking at the computer. I just walked out and never went back. I couldn’t think of anything else I could do for a living other than draw cartoons. I was lucky in that I got a job with a newspaper for 4 years, which was great training. I also took a course in multimedia, which was very supportive, allowing me to design a web site and work in flash animation.

Have you done any formal training? If so, what and where?

Not for anything artistic, no (my degree was biochemistry). I avoid drawing anything that requires serious perspective…

Matt: Strange, eh? I have degrees in Synthetic Organic Chemistry and Theology…used my lecture time to practice drawing!

Where was your first cartoon published?

My university newspaper, KRED (A strip called “Mosquito Man”).

What materials do you use to create your work?

Dip pen (Leonardt 63.5 nib, made in England) and Windsor and Newton India Ink on 220gsm cartridge paper. Scanned, tidied and coloured in photoshop.

What hardware and software do you use?

G5 imac, Photoshop CS, Flash MX, Dreamweaver (very basic version still running in classic), iTunes to listen to Radio 4 podcasts while I ink…

From where so you draw your inspiration?

Everywhere. Newspapers, radio, blogs, life events. I take a list of subjects and come up with most of my ideas when I’m walking up to the crater rim (Lyttelton is inside an ancient volcanic crater)

What are some of the resources you’ve found most helpful?

The Aussie Cartoonists Association and members like James Kemsley have been tremendously helpful. Also The Wisenheimer (a US cartoonist site). When I was starting out, I found Mort Gerberg’s “Cartooning” book to be packed full of good advice.

What is the best piece of advice you have EVER been given? The worst?

The best would be from my first editor who ruthlessly culled my copy and told me to use as few words as possible. You can get away with good writing and below average drawing, but not the other way around.

I don’t get a lot of bad advice from people in the business, but there are a lot of non-cartoonists who say “This would make a GREAT cartoon” about something that clearly wouldn’t.

Take us through the process you use to create one of your drawings:

For Arctic Circle, I have a strip template which I print out and draw my rough on, in pencil. Once that has been approved by my editor, I darken up the scan in photoshop and then convert the line to 15% cyan. I write out any text with a font, also in cyan and then print this blue template. I can then trace over in India ink and when I scan it in, the blue line doesn’t show up. It avoids a lot of erasing, which I hate doing and which can cause smudges, spots, etc. Then the artwork is tidied up and sized in photoshop, before sending to King Features as a tiff.

How long does it generally take to create one piece?

About 2 hours of drawing time for a daily, but often it is getting the idea that takes the longest time.

What do you find the hardest to draw?

Flying birds - that’s why I focus on penguins (and an Arctic tern who is too lazy to fly)

What do your friends and family think of you being a cartoonist?

Mostly supportive, although I think my mum worried about the fiscally precarious nature of being a freelance cartoonist until King Features signed me up.

What do you think is the best part about being a cartoonist?

Getting to work whatever hours I like. I can take off for a surf or a bike ride for a couple of hours in the day, without having to get permission.

What has been the standout post on Chewing Pencils for you? Why?

I love all the Friday Feature Artist posts - interesting to see how other cartoonists work and it was great to be introduced to the cartoons of Michael Renouf.

Anything else you’d like to say….

Thanks to the Houston Chronicle, the Denver Rocky Mountain News and the Portland Oregonian for being the first newspapers to sign up Arctic Circle!