National Cartoonists Day

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In case you haven’t heard, today is National Cartoonists Day. It’s been pretty hard to miss with all the National Cartoonists Day sales at the Mall. I think government workers get the day off too.

Seriously, here’s the scoop: The Yellow Kid, the very first color comic strip, was first published today (May 5) in 1895. Gradually the comics became a staple in every newspaper in the country, and hence today has been designated as National Cartoonists Day. Although the internet revolution has created an uncertain future for comic strips, it’s hard to dismiss the impact they’ve had on American culture. I grew up on classics such as Bloom County, The Far Side, and Calvin and Hobbes. Maybe later today I’ll pull out one of my old paperback collections and read through it for old times sake. My hunch is the humor will still hold up strong.

Of course, cartooning goes far beyond the newspaper funny pages. Animation, greeting cards, children’s books, illustration, even toy and game design, are all heavily saturated with the work of talented cartoonists.

So don’t forget to hug a cartoonist and tell them how much you appreciate them!

Stay Tooned! Magazine

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I just received the very first issue of Stay Tooned!, a brand-new magazine for cartoonists from editor John Read. Since the magazine Cartoonists PROfiles is no longer gracing newsstands, Stay Tooned! is stepping in to fill the void. The magazine is published quarterly, and you can order issues or subscribe online. A copy of issue #1 is $10, or you can subscribe to five issues for $40.

This is not a skimpy magazine. It weighs in at 88 pages, chock-full of content and light on advertising. The layout is easy to read and there’s plenty cartoon eye candy. Other than a few photos that printed too dark, it’s a terrific first issue. There are loads articles and interviews from top-drawer talent:

Interviews:

Regular columns:

…and contributions by Daryl Cagle, Brad Fitzpatrick, David Fitzsimmons, and Richard Thompson.

Subscribe or purchase a copy. You’ll be glad you did.

Thinking About Inking

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After viewing my last post, artist Robert Miller wrote me and asked:

What do you use to ink your art? These are cool rabbit illos!

I thought his question would make a good blog post, so here goes.

Earlier this year I bought a Cintiq and started inking everything digitally (more on that below), but for many years I experimented with various inking methods on paper.

Pen and Ink. I first learned how to ink by using a dip pen with Hunt 102 nibs and a bottle of good-old India Ink, and inked my drawings on smooth bristol board. This was back in the late 80’s, before computers, when cartoonists were still using rubber cement and x-acto knives to create layouts, and inkers used white-out to fix their goofs. I used the Hunt pen tips for many years, and with them I was able to get a clean, cartoony line.Read More

New Blog: North Central Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society

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I’ve had the privilege of being a member of the National Cartoonists Society for about five years now. Since I live in Minneapolis I belong to the North Central Chapter. Most of the NCS chapters are centered on the coasts, where you can find a high concentration of cartoonists in a relatively small geographical area. Since this is the midwest, our chapter is quite large geographically. It covers a multi-state area from the Rockies east to the Mississippi River and from the Dakotas southward through Oklahoma.

But there’s plenty of talent to go around.

In addition to a website, our chapter now has a blog thanks to the efforts of chapter member and blogger extraordinaire Tom Richmond. Members will be posting their recent work and commenting about, well, whatever cartoonists talk about. I’m looking forward to taking part when I can.

Lately members have been posting artwork from their latest Christmas cards and promotions. Check out the chapter blog here.

Advice For Building A Career As An Illustrator Or Cartoonist

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My friend and fellow illustrator Paul Fricke recently sent me a great link:

Advice for building a career as a freelance artist and/or paid cartoonist by Dave Roman

Dave Roman has been working at Nickelodeon Magazine for the last nine years. He is also a frequent lecturer at the School of Visual Arts. This article summarizes his advice for art students just starting out in illustration, comics, and/or cartooning. I’ve been freelancing for over ten years now, and I agree with what Roman has to say. His article is packed with good advice for the beginner (or even the not-so-beginner).

Along the same lines, here’s another great article I’ve blogged about before:

17 Lessons on Freelancing by Megan Jeffery.

From The Archives: How To Be A Cartoonist

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Since I’m still swamped with freelance work and no time to write, here’s another re-post from the early days of my blog, way back in 2005 when only three people were reading it. (Readership has since doubled):

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Chris Browne (pictured) of “Hagar the Horrible” fame has posted some advice on how to break into cartooning. Should make an interesting read for all you aspiring cartoonists out there. Cheers!