Chewing Pencils

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Something’s screwed up the formatting on Chewing Pencils which at the moment, I’m at a loss to explain! Sorry if it’s sending your screen into the odd fit or two…

Hopefully it will be resolved soon. It’s been a nightmare week for all things internet at my end - just about ready to throw the computer into the Pacific!

Arrrggghhh!

Tip 5: Develop a Web Presence

This almost goes without saying now - if you don’t have some sort of web presence, then you’re simply not going to get too far with your cartooning career.

But since I first wrote this post, the web has changed dramatically. Simple, static web pages no longer make the grade. Your web presence needs to be continually updated, informative, entertaining and interactive.

Fortunately, all of these things can still be done quite easily with online blog tools and social networking sites. Facebook, for instance, holds lots of potential for you to interact with your ‘fans’ communicate with them directly without ever having to collect their email address, and invite them to online events or real life functions. And best of all, this is all free!

So get out there and get on the web. Matt said so!

Here’s what I had to say in the original post:

The internet has had a dramatic impact on the way we conduct business, and cartooning is no different. In fact, it may be that the internet is the best thing to happen to the cartoon trade since the invention of erasures!

Here are just a few benefits the internet has contributed to the cartoonist and illustrator:

1. Access to resources. With a simple mouse click, we have access to vast databases of photos we can use for reference, online encyclopedias, other cartoonists and, of course, reference sites like Chewing Pencils!

2. New markets have opened up. I doubt any cartoonist twenty years ago would have dreamed of their work appearing in digital form on something called a ‘web page.’

3. We also have new access to traditional markets. Often print publications will have an online version that is updated on a more regular basis than the print version is published.

4. New access to global markets means that you can target potential clients in your niche regardless of whether they live next door or in the outer most parts of Mongolia.

5. On a similar note, the internet means we can potentially get exposure on a world-wide scale.

6. Self publishing is simple and inexpensive.

Some of the more traditional types might disagree with me here, but I firmly believe that a web presence is essential if you want to earn money from drawing cartoons. The first place many of your potential clients will go when looking for a cartoonist is no longer the Yellow Pages, but Google. If you have no web presence, they will never find you.

At the very least, your web site should be an online folio that contains examples of your work and your contact details. At the other end of the scale, your web site may have a shop front to sell your work, a daily blog, forums and feedback forms.

For the beginner, the idea of setting up a web site can seem a bit daunting, and while some of the jargon and technical aspects can be a bit confusing, most cartoonists with a scanner, computer and internet connection have all they need to get ‘online.’

Here are a few tips to help you establish a presence on the World Wide Web:

Continue reading ‘Tip 5: Develop a Web Presence’

NAME:MJ
AGE:44
LOCATION:Troy, Missouri
SITE URL: http://fantasticgraphics.googlepages.com/home

How long have you been drawing cartoons?

Since 1979, 29 years now. But who’s counting? Time really flies when you’re having fun.

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

When I was approached by an editor that wanted to publish some of my work.

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

No, I’m self taught. By the end of my High School years though every class on my schedule was an art class. During lunch I ended up going to all the lunch groups. As soon as this was discovered by the powers that be I was informed I couldn’t do that so I graduated early and set off into the world.

Where was your first cartoon published?

It was in a publication that ran in Missouri that has now ceased publication, The Paper Chase which ran the first FIDDLESTIX cartoon 1988. The original toons were all B/W in a one-shot format. This is where I got the name of my studio. So I use that as a tribute to that time. Paper Chase Studios.

What materials do you use to create your work?

Now there’s a long list. So I’ll break it down. I’ll use any basic materials as well as professional supplies.
Pencils: Berol 3B, General’s No. 497 5B, General’s No. 555 Layout, General’s 2H, and HB. I also use Bic mechanical pencils
Pens: Nothing fancy, Pilot V5 Precise, Pentel Micro, Bic Tuxedo Black.
Paper: Strathmore 9×12, and 14×17 300 smooth Bristol Board. I also just started using Canson 9×12 150 smooth. I’ll also use regular acid free 8.5×11 for some of my editorial cartoons.
Erasers: Factis OV12
Along with all the other basic supplies such as rulers, protractors, etc.

What hardware and software do you use?

I currently use a majority of HP products all the way down to the flatbed scanners. Software I use is Illustrator, Photoshop, I usually always revert back to using ArcSoft hardware though.

From where so you draw your inspiration?

Daily life is usually where I’ll draw my ideas from. I enjoy drawing and seeing people laugh at the characters I’ll create. My inspiration to continually draw comes from my friends over at The Panel Mammals.

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

The best resources are found from other creators, especially those that have been doing this for a lengthy period of time. I’ve also found decent methods from a few fresh start-up individual cartoonists.

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

The best advice I was ever given was to continually practice, practice, practice. The worst, believe it or not was from an editor that continually tried to change my artistic style and views. I learned later in life that they were just trying to be helpful. The best advice I’ll pass along to your readers. Practice, practice, practice, and listen to an editor you have submitted something to. These two things will greatly enhance your chances of getting material published.

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

I’ll archive ideas throughout the day on a laptop. Then later in the evening I’ll settle behind the drawing board to begin my process. First I’ll sketch out my ideas, and characters on a pre-made layout template depending on the cartoon I’m drawing. I currently have four different layouts one for each strip or one-shot. After sketching the main characters into the panel or panels, I then go back and add any shading into these characters. Then I’ll move onto backgrounds, and foregrounds. When I get the panels finished with all the main portions done, I’ll scan the cartoon to convert over to a digital process. I’ll usually finish any details that are needed on the sketch digitally first, then colorize each panel. After all this is done I’ll add any text digitally, which includes word balloons. When the cartoon is finished I upload it to my syndicate for distribution. That is a basic rundown on the process here at PC Studios for creating a cartoon.

How long does it generally take to create one piece?

I try to work in a time frame of four hours per each strip or one-shot. Sometimes it may take up to six hours though which really leaves me pushing the other strips or one-shots at times. This usually isn’t a problem as the strips are finished well in advance of publication dates. But if it is an editorial cartoon, this will cut into the weekly output of material that my editors expect on a regular basis.

What do you find the hardest to draw?

Usually it is getting a caricature of an individual to look correct so that it is an easily recognizable likeness. I also have problems with trees.

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

They never really comment on it, except if the process is eating into the time that should be spent with family or personal time.

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

Meeting the fans at conventions or signings who enjoy reading your creations daily. I also get a kick out of the hate mail, or in person rantings of general dislike for my views that is generated by the editorial one-shots.

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

I really enjoyed tip no.11 for aspiring cartoonists. This really made me stand back and look at what I was doing. Keeping me on my toes about not letting the cartoons consume my life. This was beginning to happen until I found that tip which made me look to streamline my tooning process to allow time for personal daily life.

Anything else you’d like to say….

Thanks for having me as a featured artist right here on Chewing Pencils. Thanks to all the various editors I have worked with. Thanks to my syndicate Newsblaze in Folsom, California (Alan you’re the Man). Thanks to The National Free Press where I’m a staff editorial cartoonist (Trevor I appreciate you running The Bad Apples strip). Thanks also to Newropeans Magazine for giving me exposure across the great pond. Thanks to Mr. Nick Anderson (The Houston Chronicle’s editorial cartoonist), and Mr. Gary Varvel (The Indianapolis Star’s editorial cartoonist) for exposure to their readers. All the guys at The Panel Mammals (Some of the best cartoonist friends I have). A HUGE THANKS to all the fans that support, and read The Bad Apples, Bushwhacked, FIDDLESTIX, and IT’S A JUNGLE OUT THERE. You fine folks are the best, Toon In and Toon On, See you in the funnies.

Being the young, hip and with it cartoonist that I am (ahem),  I’ve been playing around with Facebook for a while. It’s lots of fun - and a bit addictive - but more importantly, a good way to keep in touch with a network of friends and collegues.

So if you’re on it, add me as your friend!

And if you’re not, get on it. I need all the friends I can get!

Tip 4: Develop a Folio

Sometimes this feels like the only link we have left with traditional cartooning. There’s just no way around it - you HAVE to have a folio. But how that folio is presented has changed dramatically. When I originally wrote this post, it seemed that the big black folio was still the way to go. Editors seemed to like to see things they could touch and hold.

But in the time since I first wrote this post, there has been a multitude of websites that will host an online folio for you. Some charge a small amount, others are free. Plus, things like small laptops, light weight picture viewers and even portable dvd players have all meant more convenient ways of showing your work to potential clients.

Have a read through and let me know if there’s any other methods you’ve been using to present your folio to clients.

It is a simple fact that nobody will hire you unless they can see the sort of work you do. Developing a folio gives you the opportunity to show off a bit and tell the world, or at least a potential client, what you are capable of. It communicates how well you can communicate a message, what sort of style you have, the sorts of characters you use and, ultimately, whether you are suitable for the particular job a client has in mind.

Before offering some tips on how to get a folio together, there are a few things you should not when it comes to folios.

Do not collect everything you have ever done and stuff it in your folio. If you do, you won’t be able to carry it and a potential client won’t be bothered reading it. If you can carry it, you need to do more work.

Do not put your folio together and think it’s done. A folio is not static, but changes depending on the client, the business they’re in and the type of project they have.

Do not confine it to the physical. Most cartoonists will have a big black folder thing that they have dragged around the city looking for work. There is still a place for this, but a folio must now be in digital form on the web.

Do not rely on your folio alone to get you work. While this may happen occasionally, the folio is only part of the marketing process you will need to employ to be successful.

With those things in mind, here are a few tips to remember when getting your folio together:

Continue reading ‘Tip 4: Develop a Folio’

NAME: Violette Clark
AGE: 53
LOCATION: Surrey, B.C., Canada
SITE URL: www.violette.ca

How long have you been drawing cartoons?

I’ve been creating cartoons since I was a child however when I was in my early 20’s I began to create political cartoons and gag cartoons and submit them to local newspapers.

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

I wasn’t very good at anything else……nothing else gave me the juice that cartooning did.

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

No I don’t have any formal training apart from taking a few art classes in College when I was taking psychology and sociology.

Where was your first cartoon published?

Wow….that’s going back a very long way. I think my first cartoons were published in brochures for non-profit associations. I did so many so can’t remember which one. I suppose the first REAL important place was the Edmonton Journal Newspaper and then the Now Newspapers in B.C.

What materials do you use to create your work?

Today I use a mechanical pencil to sketch out my work and then I use Sakura Micron pens to ink them in. I use simple cardstock (which you use for your printer) to draw on.

What hardware and software do you use?

I use photoshop to color in some of my cartoons. I also use a PC (one day I’ll get a Mac).

From where so you draw your inspiration?

I get inspiration everywhere….listening in on conversations – get snippets here and there. Nature is a big source of inspiration – I go walking and things pop into my head or I see a squirrel and want to draw it in a funny situation, or a truck passes by with the sign “two small men with big hearts” moving company and instantly I see a cartoon. You only have to open your eyes and open yourself to your subconscious mind. I think that ‘s why going for walks is such a great thing. Also I enjoy looking at other artist’s work. This inspires me and spurs me to create my own interpretation of things. A quotation can inspire a piece of art or cartoon. A failed relationship, depression, ecstasy…..these feelings seem to find their way into cartoons and they’re therapeutic too!

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

Well I have a ton of art and cartooning books that go back 30 years or so! I’ve found them a great source of help. The Artist’s Market Handbook has come in handy too. Something I find immensely helpful is google. I can google anything for example I google “cartoonist’s market” and bring up a ton of sites. When I began cartooning 30 years or more this incredible tool didn’t exist! It’s the best!

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

Best advice was to draw draw draw! Worst advice I guess was to give up art and just get married.

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

Well I get the idea and then I begin to sketch in whatever is handy – it could be the back of a Chinese food placemat or a paper tablecloth at a restaurant. Usually I’m home and I grab a sketchbook or a note pad and draw my idea RIGHT AWAY before I lose it! I’m actually creating a little book right now that I call the Idea Factory so I can capture those elusive gems of ideas! Then I transfer the sketch freehand to a piece of cardstock with pencil and ink it in. Once in a while I use a light box – but rarely. Then I either scan it and colorize it in Photoshop or I use water colors (twinkling H2O’s) or watercolor pencil crayons to color it in.

How long does it generally take to create one piece?

It usually takes me about 1 or two hours depending on how elaborate they are…..some take less time

What do you find the hardest to draw?

I’m not great at drawing animals and machinery.

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

Some friends are happy for me and some think I should get a real job. My family – my Mom wants me to paint seascapes and landscapes – you know – the stuff that sells? My creative kids are pleased that I’m doing what gives me juice, in fact they help me – my son created my website and my daughter did some of the graphic design work.

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

The best part about being a cartoonist is having the ability to convey what’s in my head onto paper, it’s also about making people laugh or inspiring folks (sorry, I can never pick just one!). I love to be able to illustrate my own writing or crafts. Oh here is another best part – the commute, which is only 30 seconds……and I can stay in my jammies and work! YAY!

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

Well I just discovered it the other day and I love it. I think the posts on marketing one’s work are very helpful and sometimes the mention of other cartoonists and their process and life are great. Chewing Pencils Top Ten list is awesome. I think it’s good to keep things in perspective like number 11 states. When I had kids in my 20’s I created art with them around ALL THE TIME in fact they often sat and drew with me or created crafts with me. They were my number one priority. Today my daughter who is 31 is the Art Director of a company she co-owns as well as a graphic designer and my son who is 29 is an Indie computer game creator (his own company). They ended up being creative and I believe a large part of it was because they were surrounded by art materials and lived in a very creative environment.

Anything else you’d like to say….

I guess I’d like to say that it’s a great idea to mentor kids in art. I mentor a 10 year old girl. Her self-esteem has risen not to mention her artistic ability. We get into the most amazing conversations while cartooning and art making. Creating cartoons is a wonderful way of expressing yourself, making a statement and putting your energy out there for all the world to see. It’s a wonderful medium which has been a saving grace for me.

Thanks so much for letting me share my passion with you!

Again, just for fun…

Characters should never be forgettable. Your readers should either love them, hate them, feel sorry for them, empathize with them, be repulsed by them, cheer them but never, ever forget them.

Character development is hard work, but when the time is taken to do it properly, your work seems to take on a life of it’s own. Stories seem to jump out at you as your little characters begin to live.

There are two main parts to character development. First is the drawing aspect (what they will look like) then there is the behavioral aspect (how they act and talk etc). Both require lots of time, thinking and practice, but the results are always worth it.

ONe of the blogs I’ve enjoyed reading recently is Pete Emslie’s The Cartoon Cave. Pete is a master of character development with over 30 years experience in animation. If you don;t believe anything I’ve written here, visit his site a nd learn from someone who really knows what they;re talking about!

Here’s what we covered first time around on Character Development:

Most of the time we think of character development as something only comic book artists, cartoon strip artists and book illustrators need to worry about. While this is certainly true, developing characters is something that all cartoonists need to come to grips with.

The characters that populate our art are what grab our readers attention. They connect with our audience and speak to them the message that we are hoping to convey. Sometimes they are lovable. Other times they are rude and obnoxious. At all times characters have a role to play and thus must be worked on and developed so they do that job properly.

In the American film industry, the Academy Award for best actor/actress is really an award for the person who portrayed the most developed character on screen. Think about recent winners - in every case they were able to act in such a way that the role they were given became a real person. They gave their characters quirky habits, distinctive accents, particular attitudes or unique burdens. If they had simply read their lines and not developed the character in any way, the movie would be a boring, box-office flop.

The same goes for cartoons. The characters that populate our artwork must become alive for our cartoons to have any impact and hold our audience’s attention. Bland characters are a fatal blow to a cartoon strip artist, and even a spot/gag cartoonist will be looking for work if blandness appears cartoon after cartoon.

Continue reading ‘Tip 3: Learn to Develop Character’

The Friday Feature Artist is an opportunity for any cartoonist, from the very beginner to the very professional, to share a littl about how and why they do what they do. Anyone can be part of it, so if you’d like to feature, send me an email and I’ll send you the questions!

NAME: K. A. Polzin
AGE: 43
LOCATION: New York, NY
SITE URL: http://kapolzin.wordpress.com/

How long have you been drawing cartoons?
I always liked to draw as a kid, but I began drawing cartoons in 1993, when I was 29.

What made you start to think more seriously about making some money out of it?
I read an interview with a cartoonist - I forget who it was now - and he was asked what the secret was to getting published. He said “you copy the shit, you mail the shit.” I realized it only cost the price of a stamp to submit something. Not long after that, I sent out my first packets of submissions.

Have you done any formal training? If so, what and where?
No, and honestly I’m not very good at drawing. I have what you call a “primitive” style.

Where was your first cartoon published?
After I sent out my first set of submissions, Spring Hill Review bought two. I was pretty lucky. With my second round of submissions, I included a tear sheet from Spring Hill Review as well as some postcards of my work, so I was feeling pretty confident. The second time I didn’t sell any, and I realized that I had been assuming I would.

What materials do you use to create your work?
I use acid-free drawing paper with a smooth finish. I use drawing pencils and Pigma Micron pens. I also use a ruler, erasers, white-out, an Exacto knife, glue, etc.

What hardware and software do you use?
I use a souped-up laptop PC. I use Photoshop to work with scanned drawings. I never use a tablet. I have done the layout for some pieces in Microsoft Publisher. It’s not a flexible program, but if you’re doing something that isn’t complicated, it can be very fast.

From where do you draw your inspiration?
Things people say and do. The news. People Magazine.

What are some of the resources you’ve found most helpful?
“The Artist’s Market,” which lists publications that buy cartoons and illustrations. Scott McCloud’s “Understanding Comics.” The Internet.

What is the best piece of advice you have EVER been given? The worst?
Best advice: “You copy the shit, you mail the shit.” I can’t think of any bad advice, but people are always telling me they have a great idea for one of my cartoons. Sometimes I suggest that they draw it.

Take us through the process you use to create one of your drawings:
First I make a rough draft. Then I start the cartoon by sketching it out in pencil. Then I draw it with Pigma Micron pens. I make corrections with white-out and sometimes by gluing a small section of drawing paper onto the piece. Sometimes the completed drawing is the master. Other times, I scan drawings and lay the piece out on the computer, so that the computer file is the master.

How long does it generally take to create one piece?
Most of my cartoons are 6 or 8 panels long, and they take a few days to complete. I make a a rough draft, usually with the basic idea sketched out, but often with no clear idea of where it will go or how it will end. Then, in the process of creating the final piece, I make a lot of changes and find the ending. I’ll often leave pieces for days with some panels unfinished while I think about what would work best there.

What do you find the hardest to draw?
That’s one advantage of not being an accomplished artist. I draw everything about equally well, so nothing is particularly challenging. I will sometimes use Google images to find a photo of something if I can’t recall exactly what it looks like. Often, it’s an animal.

What do your friends and family think of you being a cartoonist?
I publish a zine called Other People Exist, and many of my friends and family members are subscribers. Most of them like my drawings, and some even take me seriously as a cartoonist.

What do you think is the best part about being a cartoonist?
I’ve always enjoyed writing short funny pieces. Cartooning is the perfect form for the ideas I want to express. Sometimes they even get published.

What has been the standout post on Chewing Pencils for you? Why?
I’ve enjoyed them all, really.

Anything else you’d like to say….
Thank you for the opportunity to talk about cartooning.