A Cartoonists New Philosophy Of Cartooning
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by: RickLondon
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Word Count: 986
I entered the business of cartooning in March of 1997 having no idea what was to come. Before I embarked upon this mysterious venture, I decided it would be to my advantage to consult with top cartoonists around the country. I was surprised how many of them were open and available to speak with me were. Fortunately, I was both too young and naive to know NOT to bother the masters. So when Charles Schulz picked up his phone, I started asking the five journalistic Ws (Who, what, when, why, and where). His (and others) advice turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. I was starting to develop a philosophy of cartooning even though I had not even yet begun my amazing adventure into online cartoon merchandising.
Why did Schulz become a cartoonist? Like me, hed tried just about everything else and didnt do it very well. I asked him if there was any money to be made in such a venture. I could almost see his smile on the other side of the line. He assured me there was plenty, but not to expect it in newspapers. He told me that even if you do get syndicated, the money is still just pennies per newspaper and that the smart way to approach it, that is, to look at it as a career, is licensed merchandise, such as tees, caps, mugs, etc. He told me he made millions more in licensing than in publishing.
My artistic skills are mediocre at best and I told him so. I added that my vision was to create a cartoon that had the same offbeat type humor as Gary Larson, but with a more artistic flair, not as "cartoony"; It was to be a color cartoon in which the artwork, for the most part was more fine art than cartoon art, and that I wanted a different look and feel to each cartoon, but a theme, focused on wordplay and picture-play in which, at times, the viewer might have to take a few moments before the "aha" effect came, that is, if the viewer so desired (to actually like the cartoon).
Schulz assured me that nearly 20% of all cartoons we see in the newspapers are team efforts that is, an artist and writer, and that if I did not feel my own artwork was up to snuff, to recruit an artist to draw my concepts. He also encouraged me to read as much as I could about Walt Disney because what I was about to attempt was actually a Disney model without animation; he actually called it Disney meets Gary Larson, which was a bit flattering to say the least.
After these incredible conversations with Charles Schulz, I started getting other points of view from other cartoonists who I felt "had arrived". Most worked in similar genres as The Far Side, such as Leigh Rubin (Rubes), Dave Coverly (Speed Bump), and Jon McPherson (Close To Home). I was astonished at their openness. Leigh Rubin and I became good friends and talked quite a bit. He seemed to lead me the rest of the way regarding the "business side of cartooning". He had become syndicated worldwide, with several published books, and he did not seem to mind that I was just beginning. He simply had/has a big heart. will never forget that kind of generosity and his willingness to lead me in a direction that made it work for me. And of course the same is true for Charles Sparky Schulz (Sparky by the way was what he liked to be called. That was the name of his favorite dog, a Schnauzer; and I knew I liked him right away. I have a tendency to hang with fellow animal lovers, and Schulz also talked with a tremendous splattering of witty banter; a type I didn't often see through the eyes of Snoopy, which was meant for family viewers. Schulz had a sense humor that seemed more Monty Python-ish.
A "common theme" persisted regarding the philosophy of cartooning, among all of the artists. That is, Sure, you must make a living in this world, but keep the day job. Cartooning is a labor of love, and, a few make a living at it. One must approach it with a very open mind and a love for making people laugh, and to be flexible, as the Internet at the time, was changing the whole nature of the comic strip biz.
Pragmatic advice is hard to find. How did "Sparky" know the Internet was changing? How did he know it would change how we perceived cartooning? I knew about "vision" and that some people "saw" things others could not, but could he be this brilliant? He was. Licensed merchandise became even more of the key to making it work than Sparky Schulz had felt; and he had seen it coming. Today, though my cartoons appear in publications worldwide; mostly trade magazines, college textbooks and on websites, the majority of my take is from the sales of funny gifts and collectibles. When I look back over the past twelve years it has all becomes a blur. I have had the opportunity to work with some of the world's top illustrators of cartoons. I wrote/they rendered.
Though I know it has been hard work, just as I was told it would be, I also have been very lucky. I became what might consider "a success" in a strange business, when told, chances were as good as winning the lottery, even less so if one was/is not such a great artist such as me. But I continue "the battle" as, in some small way, I figure if just one person laughs a little more in his or her day, due to something my team created, the world is just a little better as well.
About the Author
Rick London Founded the Internet's #1 ranked Offbeat Cartoon, Londons Times & numerous peripheral stores featuring Cartoon Collectibles
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