Recently in Learn & Earn as a Cartoonist Category

Visits to conferences, going to workshops, attending launches, networking in the local comic book store or just simply talking to a colleague. You always have the intention of just interacting, or with one thing in mind. And yet you come away with more than what you went for in the first place. Many times had I gone to a conference, given a talk at a conference or seminar with the intention of learning or teaching one thing. Yet I leave with something else. These are lessons that come well after school, after college, apprenticeships, training or even University. They're not full courses, they're a few sentences long. It feels like getting a mini degree in a matter of a few minutes.

Here's an example, and it's from a DVD I bought some time ago as I enjoyed it so much.

No thinking - that comes later. You must write your first draft with your heart. You rewrite with your head. The first key to writing is... to write, not to think!
Sean Connery, Finding Forrester

Even a film can give you a mini degree. These few lines from the movie have provided me inspiration when i've needed the most.

Dream on Silly Dreamer is a Documentary about the death of Disney’s hand-drawn animated films. On March 25, 2002, 200 artists were told they were being replaced with computers and that Disney was going to follow the money instead of leading with tradition.

It's always interesting reading the background information to a company so you know what you are dealing with. Here is an example for you to look at, Disney investors annual reports 2006. You're not going to get any gossip from it, but it's a read to sift through. If you're up to corporate politics you'll understand the financial position and gain they've had since Pixar and Steve Jobs came on board.

Just realised I hadn't uploaded a cartoon for a while. I was at the doctors last night getting a check up so I thought I'd post this cartoon I did recently. Apparently local doctors here in Sydney are using the internet more often now and quite often use it to assist in diagnosing or getting more information on rare cases.

I'm responding to what many freelance ask me when we get together or simply communicate over email. The common question amongst many has been what do I charge. I've written before about how to calculate your time and there are some set prices recommended by the Australian Cartoonists' Association. I thought I'd cover another area that I'm sure will upset some as I reveal another secret that freelancers keep to themselves.

It is perfectly okay to ask for a budget. When a client calls to get a quote you should always ask if they have a set budget to adhere to. In many cases a corporation is given guidelines on expenditure and the more intelligent client will work with you on enhancing what they get given their budget. Still there are a lot of clients out there that are newbies to the scene and are very cautious when they are asked for a budget. Their belief is that your quote will match their budget rather than you giving them a price up front for the task.

There has been a real boom in the industry or change in what companies we are now dealing with. Public Relations companies are now starting to expand in to traditional areas that would normally be covered by Advertising Agencies or Direct Marketing companies. Unfortunately with this comes staff who are unfamiliar with how to deal with the creative industry and tend to talk or haggle their way to get a quote.

Too many times in the past year have I had the unfortunate circumstance of having to deal with clients who have no clear defintion of what the final product is they want or what they are trying to achieve. Gone are the days of being given a creative brief that could be quoted and fulfilled without hesitation. Now the trend seems to be that an idea sparks a thought which is passed on via chinese whispers to a staff member who must now complete the project with no real idea on budget or goal set in place.

Here is something that I hope will set in place a way of weeding out the clients who will be worth working for. Lets find those who have a budget or close to one in mind. At least they know what talks.

If the client cannot answer what their budget is, try asking this...

What has been spent on similar projects?
At least this will give you an idea if they have done something similar before.

What is the annual budget and how does this project fit into it?
Here you're asking for a measuring stick ie. if they say the budget is $100,000 per year then you can roughly estimate how much they're used to spending.

You need this information to provide an accurate quote. If this seems to become an issue sorting out the money side of the commission then it is a safe bet that the job will be a painful one. Every client I take on board now must be organised enough to be able to inform me of a rough budget, timescale and a brief that I can work with to create the final product without hassle.

My maternal side of the family come from Patea, New Zealand. My Grandfather taught me leather carving before he passed away many years ago. I've recently gone back to some carving to help break my routine up. So for those who asked, when I ain't drawing i'm carving leather. And yes this is a Tiki.