Cartoonists are specialized artists who use small drawings to illustrate ideas, concepts, text, customers' products, or humorous situations. Many cartoonists are freelancers and may work for a number of clients. Often, their work is syndicated and appears in a number of publications. A cartoonist may specialize in one of a number of areas.
A political or editorial cartoonist uses his or her skill to focus attention on political issues and personalities of the day, local issues, or other community activities and personalities. Political cartoons are not always humorous--many are sad and some almost brutal. The political cartoonists, the fewest in number of all cartoonists, usually have a broad background in history, politics, literature, and human behavior as well as artistic talent.
Sports cartoonists use their talents to depict sports figures and situations. They usually work for newspapers and must have an eye for physical action and knowledge of the fine points of various sports.
Commercial or advertising cartoonists work in the field of advertising. This is a rapidly growing field and one that offers many opportunities to beginners. Most cities have at least one art studio that supplies drawings for local businesses and industries to use in their ads; larger cities have a number of such studios. Experienced commercial cartoonists are also employed by advertising agencies, advertising departments of large industries and businesses, educational publishers, and many federal and state agencies.
Comic strip cartoonists combine writing and drawing techniques to produce a small story in cartoon form. In longer, continuous comic strips or comic books, where a more complex story line is used, the cartoonist often works in conjunction with a writer.
Magazine cartoonists usually work on a free-lance basis by submitting humorous cartoons to magazines. Some specialize in a particular topic such as industrial safety or sales and submit their work to trade magazines.
Caricaturists are basically very talented portrait artists who exaggerate and distort to portray the qualities of a personality in terms of physical characteristics. Caricature is more subtle and usually less kind, than political cartooning.
Motion picture cartoonists draw a series of pictures, or frames, each one differing only slightly from the preceding one. When reproduced on film and projected, the cartoon characters appear to move. More than any other cartoonists, motion picture cartoonists work as part of a team. Some cartoonists draw and paint in the background; others make rough sketches of the main points of the story. Animators fill in these sequences by preparing the detailed drawings of every movement.
One of the newest fields is that of television cartoonist. These cartoonists usually have a solid background in several phases of cartooning-especially advertising and animation-and a working knowledge of television production techniques and requirements.
Places of employment and working conditions
Job opportunities are everywhere, especially for a beginner. Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City provide many jobs in the newspaper and publishing fields, while most motion picture cartoonists, animators, and television cartoonists work in Los Angeles or New York City.
Most cartoonists work regular schedules of 35 to 40 hours a week. Comic strip and editorial cartoonists must meet deadlines. Freelance cartoonists set their own hours.
Qualifications, education, and training
Artistic talent and a sense of humor are the prime requisites. Creativity, imagination, an understanding of human nature, manual dexterity, good color vision, and perseverance are also necessary.
Sometimes talent alone is enough, but a solid foundation provided by formal art training is the best preparation. This training can begin in high school. An aspiring cartoonist should take any available art courses and should follow an academic program as preparation for college or art school. Any opportunity to draw for school or local publications or to make posters for community events can provide valuable experience.
Most art schools provide a few courses in cartooning plus comprehensive training in commercial art; a few offer special programs in cartooning. These are Chouinard Art Institute (Los Angeles), Corcoran School of Art (Washington, D.C.), Chicago Academy of Fine Arts (Chicago), and Cartoonists and Illustrators School (New York City).
Some accredited home study courses provide art training, but these should be checked out thoroughly before a person decides to enroll.
Walt Disney Studios offers a limited number of apprenticeships to artists who have completed two or three years of formal art training. Some large art studios also have apprenticeship programs.
The accumulation of a portfolio should start as early as possible. Samples of a cartoonist's work are always the best way to impress an employer or a school with the quality of his or her work and imagination.
Potential and advancement
This is a growing field with many job opportunities for those with talent and training. Competition is keen, but beginners with persistence will find opportunities, especially for free-lance work or in small art studios. The biggest money is in syndication, but this is the toughest field to break into.
Income
Salaries for cartoonists vary widely depending on the location and type of their work. Earnings range from $200 to $1,500 a week. Syndicated artists working on commission earn much more. Freelance cartoonists earn from $50 to $1,200 or more for a single cartoon, depending on their talent and reputation.
Additional sources of information
Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, Columbus, OH 43210
Cartoonists Guild, New York, NY 10003
National Cartoonists Society, Brooklyn, NY 11229
