In cartooning there are a number of downs. It isn't the easiest job on earth if there is such a thing. I get offended by the parents in particular who call up wanting me to give their son a chance or some work experience because they are at the end of their tither. "He's a fantastic drawer and I really don't know what else to do with him. He hasn't been doing very well at school and he wants to leave. All he wants to do is draw!". That is the next most irritating* thing I hear. Everyone draws as a kid, it's a natural thing. Why do these parents associate cartooning with something that is simple and easy. It is far from the truth. When I was in employment by animation studios we were paid almost in servings of rice to produce an obscene amount of precision artwork on time every time or you don't get paid. My first pay packet for a week's worth of inbetweening was $60. That wasn't long ago that wage either. Freelancers make up for 90% of the countries cartoonists. What I suppose I found to be so agitating was that these parents don't consider the insult they are giving when their fledgling Picasso expects to get a career boost by someone who seriously worked their ass off to get even halfway up the celebrity cartoonist ladder. Do they not understand that you need excellent Business and Communication skills, Administration knowledge, a committment to a life of hardship. For some the passion for the industry is overwhelming and they inevitably find themselves along the secret career path to cartooning. I don't have the time to piggy back some teenage kid uninterested in committing himself to our ranks when he more than likely will take off and become a plumber or a heaps sick skater. I've been there before as a teenager and took it upon myself to learn the ropes the hard way. I have refused the past 2 years to advertise in the Yellow Pages as I resent the long list of calls for work experience. On the other hand ...
If you feel that you are passionate enough and would simply die or worse if you discover your life not worth living not being a cartoonist then ... get work experience somewhere they use cartoons already. Get a position learning the printing process and how much time is spent in colour correcting artwork for printing. Learn business etiquette, do a marketing course. Get experience in Public Relations. Learn to become a business person and understand why and who would appreciate your contribution as an artist.
If you make it to become a cartoonist and join your colleagues in the Aust Cartoonists' Assoc. then I look forward to the day we meet over drinks at a national awards night. It can be one of the most rewarding experiences you can imagine becoming a professional cartoonist. Just don't take your job or the profession of others for granted.
* The first is cartoonists being interviewed saying they've been drawing since they were a kid . Really? I've been walking since I was a kid, wasn't until my teen years did I learn to stand still. It's a stupid comment to make and really highlights how unprofessional you are. Interviewers are asking when the real decision was made to be cartoonist, not when you felt like drawing first.
** Freelancing is an old medieval English term referring to a Knight (with Lance) or mercenary for hire. So - Free being available to anyone and Lance referring to a weapon.
hello! my name is Terence in Gr.5 and i need information on
what equipment you needed to draw,and how did you became a cartoonist please.......thank you!
my e-mail is bigmt94@hanmail.net
I am look for a place where i can watch and learn how cartoonist draw n colour for work experience i find cartoons a hard 2 draw but fun 2 draw bcoz i draw manga n usually its copied but i am still trying to draw my own manga which have no story-line of what-so ever... i am pathetic a colouring and need help on colouring. so if you can help me please email me.
Hi my name is Rheal Hamilton and I am fourteen years old in my first year of Highschool. I love to animate and first got started when i was eight drawing teddy bears and what not. When i was twelve i got into sketching and drawing pictures of Dragon ball Z pictures that i collected off off the internet. I now have stopped and now started to draw and create my onw characters with friends of mine. One of my friend colors, another writes etc. But what i want to do is make my ideas come to life i am sure that i can do it and more. i already have a very complex story line and have mastered my character. I want to know if you can help me acheive my dream and make my chracters come to life i know i will need a lot of training and i am willing to go the mile and more, so if you have any advice or can help me i'd appreciate it( because im really really good!)I have some really really good ideas and i know for a fact that i can become come one of the great one me and friends of mine. we are all dedicating our lives to anime and we dont intend on missing out so please give me something to work with! im confident that my hit will be better than most shows out now like pokemon, Digimon,sonic, Dragon ball and dragonball Z, sailor moon, card captors, spongebob, and more! thank you for your time and please give me a shot and i f im not good( i highly doubt that) you can forget about me! i am so sure i can do it! contact me back at my msn hotmail that well stated at the top left hand corner THANKS!
Rheal Hamilton
I am doing a asdan course at schooland I need to do voluntary work and I was wondering if you could send me some info about any local place in Witham where I could do my voluntary work
I would like to talk with a cartoonist because it has been my dream since I was really little to be a cartoonist. And I think my cartoons are fantastic and you will really be impressed. Could I have your address so that I could send in some of my drawings.
Hello my name is Asher am very good
at drawing manga i've been doing it
for years i hope to be a cartoonist
when i get older i spend my young years
watching old cartoons like pizza cats
and Pokemon and DBZ and stuff so am quite good
the drawing skills run in the family i
take it very seriously and not to
brag but am really good at drawing
so if you need help on drawing Anime and manga(mainly) just ask me
hi,
mi name is Enoc and I want to know how do I get mine work out there.
please let me know I draw manga.
I am currently investigating cartooning as a career and want to understand the rates that a novice cartoonist could expect to charge for a cartoon. I understand that it may depend on many factors, such as the size and style of cartoon, the fame of the artist and the publication printing it. I would like to get a general understanding of the impact of any relevant elements on the rates that can me charged.
Can anyone help me, or suggest how I could find this out?
Best to contact the Australian Cartoonists' Association. www.abwac.org.au
hey
i'm 14 years old, and i've wanted to be a cartoonist since i was 12. whenever i tell people i want to be a cartoonist they laugh at me :( which sucks..but i'm still confident. I've always been a good drawer and can draw realistic as well as cartoony. My art teachers have always been impressed with me and i have a good imagination (i used to write stories which were v. popular with teachers at school). (dont mean to brag).
also i write comic strips alot, which combines my drawing and imagination skills. i wrote an entire series of comic strips called Mick and Madge once which all my friends loved. They said i should've got it published but it was rough and i didnt know how. Can you tell me how i can have my talent noticed, because i really want to make it big, and i know its hard, but i'm willing to put everythign i've got into being a full time cartoonist because it's my passion and ambition