Trae EON Co aCe Om RP ED. betty Oeik ——}: 4 SS, ee R page design “ montage ‘equipment ta start with, butin nvaluable ora numer of tasks TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT Drawing boards These can vary from a simple pivce of plywood or hardboard toa specially made free standing drawing board with plasticized finish and parallel notion device attached. You can also get drawing tables which allow you to angle the Wwark surface (itis worth, keeping. an eye out for second hhand studio boards and tables). But you do not have to go to sophisticated heights if {you are comfortable at the living-room table or even in an «easy chair with a board to lean ‘onin front of you, that is equally acceptable. However, if you are working long hours, hunching over a board can ‘cause back trouble, Ifyou do investina studio drawing board, ask about a suitable chair fo go with it, with swivel motion and supportive back- rest Lamps You need a good light source, especially if you cannot work indaylight hours. A tabletop adjustable-arm lamp is what professional artists use, which sives you strong, directed light srriving from a wide choice of angles. Instead of pointing thelamp directly at the work, you | Light box provides a beiter line or tone to | of fresh blades in stock — dull may find iteasier on the eye to | A light box: simply a it read through normally non- | ones just waste your time bounce the light off a white screen that enables you to see | transhicent paper or thin Ti you do need to cut wall nearby. The slight through opaque paperand | board; this is because through heavy board, buy a diffusion makes the light less] originals to trace elements, photocopy toner is more sturdy craft knife with harsh and the work less tiring. | fromadrawing orreference | opaque than graphite. You can | disposable or interchangeat An ordinary bedside ightis_] image, or rework details tobe | also usea light bux to work blades. If your work regular usable, and you can get collaged into the artwork from amessy, sketchy rough | involves cutting complex, daylight” lamps to fit. Regular | Light boxes are relatively and trace off finished version | iregular edgesand curves, a light bulbs give offa slightly | expensive, but a good dliectly in ink, knife with a swivel-head might yellow glow, so color work that | investment; sizes range from bean advantage. This is not looks satisfactory by that light | 82x Tin tabletop boxes to | Knife cheap, so consider it only if may appear very differentin | large studio light tables. For | You will need a sharp knife for | you hel it ight eave you time daylight. If your workis tobe | occasional work ofthiskind, | anumber of obs-alwaysusea| dnd aggravation reproduced, beatin mind that] however, you can use knife in preference to scissors, a process camera sees the window with the daylightas | Unless you are doing heavy- | Cutting mat olors in conditions much ur light source; itisjust not | duty cutting on thick board, an | This is oseful though not more like daylight very convenient to draw excise or frisket knifeis the’ | essential -the back of a If you have Fluorescent against a vertical surface, ideal tool, Handlesand packs | drawing pad will do. But a mat lighting in your workroom, an | Ifyouneed to trace froma | of blades are generally isa good investment and you individual lamp may only be | sensitivedrawing, you will | available from art supplier can obtain a translucent one for necessary ifcast shadows area | find thata dark photocopy The most useful blades are the problem in the immediate angled straight edge for cutting anda curved edge for scraping. Always keep plenty work area, General studio materials ‘The items shown here are ‘general studio materials ‘commonly used by designers and ilustrators.TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT Bifieg on lightbox atime- | and fasten the lid, eaving the achesivais thetmditional gine | only gt one chance to lay Sevingand eficient paint to sate tne in pastesup studios, | them down, and can Sembination, especially ifyou although the convenience of | reproduce asa yellow tone; the Sfedoing helayoutoswellas | Blue pencit Spray adhesivehas widely | matteinished, vetack types ‘tavring the cartoons The fact that the process ttken od. The ubbertypeis | reprosuce better and an be ctmierter ac voopaculintia | ittermcenestittedier || eliiccecnitien katie Process whi tinecan beused foadvantage. | rather messy. Forsmalhscale | edges attract dirt that may TThsthick,opague, purewhite | When you noed to mark sling the te adhesive show up in photographic tnadiumis what professional | somethingon your cartoon | stcksreadiyavailableat_ | copying Mists use tocaver up that snot part the final | stationery stores are pertectly | — Gummed paper tapes used Ghistakes. You nightthink that | drawing the boundary ofa | adequate and easiertouse | only to stretch watercolor Maense white paint sachas | tone, forexample, or an than wet adhesives paper before laying color douache or potterwhite would | optional border-alight blue | Whenyouuseagive-stick, | washes Soak the paper in Bpaswellcreven typists | pene (or marker) can be pushituponlyenoughio. | clean water and tape toa onection Nuid, but process | fhoughtofasinvisible, Blue | Showvatinyrimofadhesive | board with tips of gummed fihiteisspecally matetobe | pencilisalsocaled noncopy | abovertheplasticcase. This | tape alongall sdes, Paper omeraftendly, Youcan se | pencil andbiueleadsare | proventswasteand you don't | exparals slightly or theothermaterials, but thisis | available for mechanical Knock offlarge pieces that you | dramatically when wet better pencils, But check with your | don’t need, depending on its weight and Itdoes havea tendency to | publisher that this s suitable composition, but shrinks again dyin the bottle. Dor’ throw it | before you use it ‘Tapes asitdries, and the tapes, away ifthis happens, just add Drafting tape is low-tackand | ensure it stays flat. Once ‘asmall amount of clean water | Adhesives docs nodamagetoadrawing | stretched, it will dry back toa Forpasting down patches, | surface, Masking tape is usable } flat, smooth surface every time mounting drawings on board, | inanemergeney, but more | itis wetted. and for callage or paste-u likely to affect surface finish you need some kind of reliable | Ordinary clear adhesive tapes adhesive. Rubbersolution | are usually very sticky, so You Rubber-soluton adhesive Isaneconomical choice fortrequentpasteup worko patching Lowtack adhesive tapescan be uses tosecute, mask ‘or repair artwork Aglue stick ishandy it Yyouonly need touse ‘Adhesive ccasionalyTECHNIQUES THE DRAWING PRINCIPLES, TECHNICAL ADVICE, AND STEP-BY- STEP DEMONSTRATIONS IN THIS SECTION ARE DESIGNED 7O COMPLEMENT THE PREVIOUS SECTION AND ENABLE YOU TO BEGIN CREATING YOUR OWN CARTOONS.ANIMALS two ways. Often they area Kind of prop or gage feed fora ridings horse or an elephant, Grtaling tow dog ora. But they camalso be the subject of thecartoon, the character that the viewer dente seth, hike Snoopy the dog, Gard the cal orthe megastar Mickey Mouse These two functions aso tend to indicate ways of presenting animals, When they are secondary players like, though their shapes characteristic features are caggerated. Used as main subjects, they are more ikely to beanthropomorphized fourdegged creatures are made tostandup on their hind lees and use their forelegs and paves ike human arms and Fands; their faces have clothes, shoes, and other such yeutsimplly or distort you heed 1ohavea clear sense of how itlooks and moves realistically 30 that you can interpret the shapes. You 24 should also be thinking about how the kind of animal you choose assists your “storyline”; with an elephant, for example the fact that itis huge and Jumbering is often part of the joke, buta cat ean be weird and fuzzy or superior and sleek, so whal is itexpected to contribute to your cartoon? A key aspect of simplifying an animal, especially na stip where it has to move and be seen from various angles, is to use simple modular shapes which you can easily reorganize into different relationships. These are typically circles, ovals, and cylinders; the more complex ‘musculature and joints are reduced to Fluid lines and curves. To create a tense or aggressive character, convert toangular shapes, Sealy oF folded skin, raggedy ears, and spiky fur or whiskers can be sluperimposed on basic forms. ee FURTHER INFORMATION, Body Language, pages 38-99 Devices, pages 58-59 Figures, pages 68-71 Movement, pages 92-95 ‘Simplification Ii you have trouble draming an animal face, take a simple face ‘and draw around it the animal's ‘most dominant feature, such as the lion's mane or the cat's, whiskers. Basic faceasic components ‘On this page. 2 dog's body is proxen down into modular parts. This exercise involves pbuilding a mental picture of the og like a three-dimensional construction that can be viewed from any angio. Once the basic ‘components are assembled, they can be combined and recombined tomake a fepertoire of active and ‘expressive figures. YY The body of he dog constructed using simple modular shapes. Themain bady is horizontally angled, curved cylinder, or bean shape. ‘A The front viow presents the basic forms in cross-section’ the bean-shaped torso becomes a circle. 4 Inthe three-quarters view. standing the neck ishidden behind the head. -¥ Altering the angles of the torso shape and the leas produces the begging posture. = “4 The upright legs balance the tilted torso as the neck and head reach toward food. > Unbalanced legs as the dog pertorms a leap. ANIMALS {A Sitting: the hindquartors rest ‘between the hind legs, ‘A The tumed body combines the front view (ar left) and the three-quarters view (top left),ANIMALS, Anthropomorphism ‘The modular shapes of the dog ‘shown on the previous page ‘are no longer restricted toa purely canine form. Through ‘engaging in human actvitios the animal figure becomes anthropomorphic, withthe body ‘erect and siting on 2 seat Instead of crouching. The dog's hind legs become human feet ‘and ts forepaws, like hands, ‘can grasp things. The shapes ofits head take on the features of the human face. The animal figure expresses human {gesture and may wear human clothes. Playing a saxophone involves a human distortion ofthe anthropornorphic head, A Anthropomorphism becomes e ‘more comic in drect ratio to the “humanness" ofthe activity, such as when the cartoon «animal wears glasses to read. ‘A. Bowling puts the cartoon ‘animal in postures impossible fora real dog, “4 Skating makes the canine cartoon figure balance as the human, with forelegs extendedANIMALS: Man into animal f ‘A Just as an animal can assume human ‘A Consider how you might The addition of ears, ‘A. Use the dominant form, afew extra touches can make 2 onray the runningman nose, andtailcomplete characteristics of the human into any animal you choose. Here asananimal, perhaps by _theillusion. The hands animal you want to the rounded earsand circle atthe tipofthe changing the feettopaws. are suficiently pocray, inthis case the hose have created an instant teddy bear. ‘generalized to be read Jong snout and thick, as paws, fleshy tail ofthe aligator. Woman into animal e A Here the transformation from female 14 For the more “feminine” ‘A. To turn gir into cow, the wings of the bow human to teddy bear has involved form ofthe cat, the feet have become homs and the fest have Changing the ciotnes as well as adding have been reinstated spread into hooves. A nice touch of rs and turning feet into paws. and a slinky stiped humor is provided by the hands holding skirt chosen. ‘out the skirt, as though in amazement atthe unusual attireFur and feathers, scales and skin Animals have very distinctive markings. These don'thave to be accurate but you can use them to identify your character. Animal expressions Just use your imagination and the cartoon forms of an animal's face can express all human emotions. DupietyRy Varistors oa atu SYS: : ; a ee Pes 4 SESE ture ah ; I Gis loon M Errore ticnror es Beratatichyarom cs ar ee fo Hi oy e Za SorrovAul Lavohing Tred but contented Happily exhausted Gesture and movement Body language is as important ‘95 facial expression in toling the story. Gestures such as. hunching the shoulders of placing a hand on the chin can Convey both emotions and thought processes Hatching ceverides “ Sef econ ou Dear ed pani l 2»ANIMALS SWIPEFILE ‘This swipetile contains a range 5 of images by different 3 ‘cartoonists for you to copy or adapt. Uso ittohelp youto oxplare ideas about styl, technique, and characterization, @ Lightweight interior shading and vanable ine gwe aisreet for ‘A Recognizably a real cat shape, but simpitied to the point of being not quite real for cartoon purposes, “Thick ur shown by broadly crybrished Batty urand whiskers are diawnwth shor, ‘A. Asimple drawing buta relatively naturalistic bear — note that the powerful mass of A This at's stance is heavily anthropomorphized: nose in air ‘and arms on hips give him an ‘arrogant, invincible manner. head and shoulders is, definitive. ‘Subtle ne work and lear colo washes ‘compement the rotmenerte ‘ectures ike re baby ouch and tne cis short ferelogs Sophisticated sive 4. Clothing a humanized caarfoon animal is not unusual, but this one has the works — eyeglasses, cigarette holder, ‘and medallion make him a stereotype of a stereotype. ‘A. Akangarco is pear-shaped {and like no othor animal, so it ‘works in virtual silhouette x»ANIMALS, tne qualties erent fut Emphasize any tanding feature, ke gated snou th Y Few real snekes have a head angled abruptly to the ‘A. Some animals hardly need body, but this is standard in ‘uch input from the cartoonist — cartoon snakes to add the shape of an anteater is character funny on its own and gets a friendly treatment here Coit and pation ean bea wacky version based on someiea ot ee ‘A Animal caricature, making the mast ofthe long lop-ears land the gooty teeth Sold blacks create a ‘tect negative baience Towle chapes A This drawing takes a fairly ‘alist view of the barrel- Tiny, loose stokes in shaped body and slender legs, blackand.ecor give but the horse's face has @ eo the huge more-thar-animal expression in bloodshot eve its sinuous lines and big blue, long-lashed eyes. ) 4 44 Swit, spiky brush dcawing, « breaking the lines on the jagged Shapes, economically captures {A Animating the normaly non Seals are cartoon favorites, the started movement ofthe ‘animate produces a try providing alot of simple but bir monster in this goggling clam. telling detallBACKGROUNDS There are several important Cquestions you need fo ask ourself about the background {your cartoon. Does it represent the ral world, & ercotype ora fanasy? Should itbe there atal iso, how much of to you want to show? Isitjust placing your Characters ncontex, of providing astage.on which The actual sizeof your cortoon may restrict howe BSockaround detail. Bearing in mind that you want tose he Scone raplaly, simple indications may be sficlent horizon line, acouple of perspective lines, or aloose Patch of tone or texture, Basic perspective cements show there people aren relation to theirsueruindings ad can help to place them in a large or snalspce yon te sound or precariously high uy iniheale Simple perspective maken sense ofa scene, setae you ty oak it theidea can collapse. Stereotypical settings bring inall sors of associations the Same characters ae given diferent stores bythe dlseriptive nature ofthe background, such as two men ima desert with an oasis inthe distance, orthe same two men 2 narrow prison cell Occasionally, the background ‘wall thats visible, with a word balloon coming in to comment ‘on the situation, Narrative Itis possible to convey mood partially by applying light or calor to your characters in a telling way, buta welldrawn background does much more, An interior or exterior furnished with Suitable props can add a narrative background to the cartoon story, as well asa physical on suggesting a whole way of life fora iemporary crisis situation The background is usually 3 stage setting for the characters, but can sometimes have a role inits own right, such asa storm, flood, or tidal wave. If your background isa famous place, you don't have touse all oft, certain features are instantly recognized by readers familiar with the location ~ the dome of the White House, or the railings and gates of Buckingham Palace. Buildings are difficult, unless you have a flair for architectural drawing. ‘Technically, itis easiest to use photographs, and copy or trace Inline the features you need, But forall kinds of backgrounds you need to be able to dravy the overall situation and its props; the key to this is good observation, Once you get into the habit of using your sketchbook, you will ind that drawing backgrounds and background details becomes second nature, and you can soon spot the essential details that will make Your drawing work For unfamiliar or exotic settings, Keepa file of magazine clippings. FURTHER INFORMATION Perspective, pages 98-101 Stereotypes, pages 108-109 Building a background The purpose of a background is, to show your reader when or where your characters are. Graphically, this means drawing the surfaces that surround a figure in order to convey all the information necessary fora ‘929, Treat the background as it itwore but rom the figure ‘outward, graduelly shapes around your character. This is ilustrated as a stage-by-stage process in the series of Srawings right, below, and immediately opposite ‘A. Show that your horizontal ‘ground isnot empty. Make itn ‘A. Ground tne floating figure on horizontal surface, A simple horizon line is enough. environment: break the horizontal with a vertical tine.‘A Distinguish the environment =tumnitinto a location. Use pictorial detalls and props to dotine time and place as precisely, or as vaguely, as necessary, WS — ME. a Z Z ‘ADramatize the drawing. jraduated tone to ad weight, Render areas of black or solidity, depth or mood. BACKGROUNDS. Reference material Photographs are the most frequertly used sources of reference for cartoonists. Below are two principal ways of using / them for background h architecture. ‘A Reference is used as picture: the shape ofthe castle and the viewpoint of the photograph are transterred directly. There are minor changes, but the Important difference isin how the cartoon image is rendered Y Reference is used as information: a preconceived cartoon image takes minor incidental detail of the Empire State Building rom the photograph of Manhattan's skylineBACKGROUNDS ‘Tolling the story ‘Once you nave builtup the ‘background graphically, you need ta consider what you want itto ell tne reader about the Characters you might place init Details of place and location algo provide information on who the characters might be and what they might be doing. The pictures on these two pages show the same two figures, frst inblank space and then against a series af five different backgrounds. Inthe first picture, all the reader can know about the characters is that they are female and male, young, and dressed casually The scene is an urban stroot. The silhouetted skyline suggests ‘evening, and from the absence of cars or other people we could assume ito be Sunday. The two characters are looking around as ‘hey cross the street, which they would be unlikely to doin a city, unless they were visitors. Thus the background makes these figures look like a young couple away from home in a kids-in-tho- big-aty cartoon, a ‘The figures are put against a tropical background. Theirpresence together on an idylic, vacatior-brochure, deserted beach hints at a possible vacation romance, This indoor setting could be any time of year, as the TV studio lights would be hot enough to permit the wearing of light clothing ‘The difference between the dress of the foreground figures and that ofthe program presenters in the background distinguishes the former as members of the audience — perhaps game-show contestants,‘The positioning ofthe two figures atthe top of the airplane Fred Astaire's pointy nose and long chin lend themselves perfectly to caricature, The ‘exuberant dance movernent expresses both profession and personality. Simple, sold black shapes are appropriato fr the rather formal clothing <4 The archetypal cowboy John Wayne, caricatured at a period beyond his prime, when the formerly craggy features have softened and rounded. The artist has done @ good job of ‘verlaying hatched shading on the circling lines ofthe face without destroying the form,Ina lot of cartooing, economy essential, When drowing lathes, you cannot capture all the detail 50 you need toask Zonvey. nthe dothing ose, Ses hang from the Body? Is itstretched showing the form underneath, Wee leggings oa Sug Ushi Iyitmportantto shove that the cothing sti and starchy, oran Kem that eepsis aren thape? “Another aspect of clothing in cartoons is fo signaling the typed pesanyou are portraying. Figure out simple odes for rample, the base Shape an features ofa includes lot of accurate detall— youars basically looking fran Enambiguows “shorthand” description. On the other hand, ome tli deta ads tellectvecharaterieation = fora bag perso, the clothes tay appear diy and sch may have alot owes and accessories, Clothes can tery directly indicate socal sates The shapes of lothing and the ways they relate tthe bexiyean provide lot of information about implied Comic tip where the image Changes fom frame to ae, Hore itis helpful if you have kept things simple, so you can ‘easily work out how the clothes would stretch or drape differently as your character change es position FURTHER INFORMATION Figures, pages 68-71 Stereotypes, pages 108-109 <4 When you are using simple line work, concentrate ‘on the shapes of the clothing land any accessories or patter detail that emphasize the character, lke the ite gil's ‘cute bow, short skirt and ankle socks (Ie) or the chet's traditional stipy garments (below) “4 Scribbled fiber-tip line wraps the clothing around the body. The colored pencil work emphasizes the way the clothes just form an outer skin tothe body shape.A Baga, casual coting hangs loosely from the body. Malercolor wash adds 0 the casual feel, CLOTHING 4 Inthis sequence the shading and pattems are important to. the movement. Watch how folds follow the bend and stretch until the accordion effect of the upside-down pose. The flared ppants emphasize direction in Jeg and foot movements, and their stipes widen over the lit curves and narrow into the shaded folds, € Shapes and colors help to build @ personaity. This person's clothos ara bright and slightly wacky, giving her a ‘simple charm.SWIPEFILE This swipette contains a range of images by different ‘cartoonists for you to copy or adapt. Use itto help you to explore ideas about style, technique. and characterization. ‘¥ Whatever shape this woman hasis lost in her sturdy coat, 4ivert one continuous all-around ‘curve by the plaid pattern, conveyed! fab = Bo asa pet dog the world? > Baseball cap ‘and mobile phone specifically basic teenage dross code “4 This stye-victim has ital \wrong~ the clothes don’t fit ans his shirtis wrinkled and staine: ‘Clumsy shoes complete a Picture of fashion disorientation ‘4 An old-time cowboy typically wears a checked shirt and baggy, rumpled chaps, > Comfortable clothes, as all the smoothly drawn ines end shapes suggest. The pattern is inessential but livens up the drawing abu, heavy > A Supergirl lookalike has the ‘basics right —color co-ordinated with underpants outside her tights ~ buts she steady Tha matching hat doubles enough on those heels to save‘obviously @ more expensive option at every stage —a/w film, plate making, and printing soit is not always: within budget, There are two basic considerations for the cartoonist: the aesthetic understanding of how to use color and the practicalities of telling the printer what you want 2 drawing or isa functional ‘element ofthe image. IFthe color works fully asa descriptive element, you do not have to puta lot of line work down before you start working with your color medium. Decorative color, on the other hand, needs a strong linear structure; the black-and white drawing should work perfectly in its own right, and value, which is the degree of lightness or darkness. You car make use of these properties, and the visual relationships between different colors, to give sparkle and definition to your cartoon. There are tlements of color theory that you can learn and use deliberately, but you also cquirean understanding of color through practice. | ae erie) ieeptevecs gs: emcees Percy Seabees ote i aaah ee = tors raeleopaend cor hase eivaan ry ee a combined Green —usvaly Yetow Botined as cos! but rea te Then very bight oF ntense Toned, so good forrighlgnting ‘A This shows the breakdown of the tonal variation applied to diferent colors. Cleary, each {gradation ofa single color provides contrast with gradations above and belowit ‘Aswith hue, you can make of similar onal quality and ‘saturation. A series of design handbooks is devoted to isting such combinations. Some artists use these for coloring their cartoons or stripscoLor cen, intended some photocopies ofyour | oniyfourclors—mnagenta_) The cial coor does not have mihedrawingordaw | drwingandveatcoior | Ged) evan (las vellonsand. | taken tom the orginal tiontofocalpoins. | sppicationstecey.Youay | back =exasenel ny, even | tears can nchne the color ousreabieouse | iacaittiespontinaty when | dots Theonginalimageis "| areasa grey ornonsepre ae ftanonecoiorina | oucametoceoringthe inal | phetoraphialy sree and | tonesand the poner pats ere soften, | Image uty panningin.” | Soincarepraduced which, | them ontoa cor pa ietohmityourpakette; | advance you avid making | bresk down every colorand Wifthedmingis. | emorsthathavetobecoeted | tonal varaton infos fated ssallcoor | up, which the camersmay pk | percentage mv of process Se hoki together. Otagsin when thecartoonis | Color If fourcor printngis thesporarsecond | repraduced.Wateclorsthe | avaibleto you, there rc tbe predetermine by | ideal medium for app mito theclorrangeand sherorcientaci | decortwecolor diet, sits | techniques that you can ase, to be the same transparentand does not, but this is the most expensive | SURTHERINFORMATION’ fowtth pucaton. | trate the ink hie farm freproducton Spat” | ne g wash, page Modecide where and how to. | ‘The four-color reproduction | coloris cheaper, as there is Lie SMa Bale BOF sppiydecoratvecocr tke” | proceseworksby evexprnting | only onecoler fm tobe made, Limited color When you have a limited color cons Dramatic contrast fange youcen choose omake Parting elo workin Szlhemony cresting Fy heer i ra ree into harmonizing and Contastngflssot > Yow ana viet re nig temperate an one corirastcomplementaris,itup with pure white. Orange tints reat to yelow. Two o three r@aled colors with one compete opposie is a classic Of picking a dynamic color remo. > Green, biue and violet run in ‘on the color wnieo} aiid are cool colors, so the A inthis at-colored, Combination is restrained and ‘schematic arrangement, there We. Violet only on the sno shading to give depth, so figure makes him stand out the contrast of warm and cool does the jo. > Acombination of warrvicoo! ‘and fowhigh intensity color in which the hues are also {gradated to shade form and depth,COLOR Color in print Two.r thes colors Four colors ‘There are many ways to get {rom a piece of finished artwork + toa printed color copy of your cartoon. None of them should affect how you invent your gags Solid black (100%) Black Specialcoior Cyan Magenta Yelow Back but each can influence the kind of artwork you produce andthe ¥ Printing a single color~ Printing two or three colors 4 W In the four-color process, way that you draw it usually black — is termed usually involves printing black you produce full-color artwork Inmost eases, the method by monochrome printing. Most plus oneartwoexttacolors. whichis separated which your anworkis ‘newspapers and magazines electronically into an image reproduced will be the result ot contain monachrome sections made of magenta, cyan, yellow, cost considerations, given \which include cartoons, For ‘and black dots. where yourcartoonis intended these, you can draw line toappear. artwork, line and wash, or use Below and opposite, he percentage tints, as below. principal methods of print Teproduction are explained with ‘examples using a simple black- @ @ @ and:-white image of astronaut ‘and goldish bowl and applying 0% 20% 50% 70% 90% ditferent ways of preparing Itfor : Printing in coor ‘A. You can choose spot colors fom the extensive ranges of inks available as solid colo, Specifying color reproduction {A.A simple line drawing is 44 The printed image shows the inorder hat you don't A Invi the image follows the marked with non-reproducing ine drawing withatitarea—havetotouchyourcriginal areas of color indicated on the Die, invisible when scanned, to inserted photographically artwork, youcan attach an photocopy. However, where indicate a tint area. following the areas ofbue on veray‘and mark color ont _‘hand-separated colo is used, the orginal artwork as a quick guide forthe ‘most color appears fl tke a origination house. patchwork quit 32‘A Acommon method in preparing your line artwork for oloris a "mark-up" on overlays with color areas blocked in and percentage tints specttied — | 4 Full-color artwork is the most Pee method of icing color cartoons for Publication, even though this, Means reproduction via the ®pensive four-color process ‘A Marking up allows you fairly tight control over the placing and density of spot color, or your choice of extra colors, ‘when your cartoon is ‘commissioned for two- or three- ‘color printing. ‘A Four-color reproduction ‘enables printing from the whole range of chromatic and tonal variation. The disadvantage is that solid blacks can sometimes look patchy. Laying colorttints ¥ Atintcan be asingle color, cor acombination of inks. Spot Color is the most widespread Use of tints for cartoonists. Unlke the four-color process, this only allows a limited choice ‘of colored tones. Two colors is defined as black and a spot color. 2c0lo1 coLor 4.colorY Use color for clay. Here objects are citferentiatod by filing the white areas ofa black- and-white image. This swipetile contains a range ‘ofimages by diferent ‘cartoonists fr you to copy or ‘adapt. Uso to help you to explore ideas about sty, technique, and characterization, The natural fade ofa shy israveroed fo helghien contrast wih theloreground tee Y Here the envious green is Inserted ina picture otherwise colored quite naturalistcally, smphasizing the storyline." Fedigreen Q mplomentary 6 cata 2 wnereases tocus > Acommenton ‘unhealthy lifestyle — the man’s grayed Coloring makes it ‘obvious that a dist of burgers (attended by flies) is doing him 10 good at al The fed tongue makes amar greedy local ontinthe fray lace, Clothing Colors and ‘Shading sek 10 limited range fred, bie, ray ‘4 Local color is used in this image, but selectively. By leaving a background white, you can focus attention on what is essential fora gag,pp Thisrolativoly Famiod coo" craving taste conrastot ostes red and sen. to create om intrest and anighting Cad bie- green fighigning on Dlck's as Y Solid rod always tonds to zoom outof a picture, ands particularly dynamic on black, butthe yellow tral eads the eye backto the home planet > Dark colors can be relied on to add malevolence The artisthas ‘graded rich Blues into the black ink washes. “4 Bright primary colors, contrasted with the muted umber of the boat and padale, draw the eye to the panicked figure of the boatman, > Against the loosely applied blue of the, sea, the shark's tight aray implies ‘sold object in turbulent waterLeet cated ‘an cut out a patch around the error and stick the fresh paper to the back of your arework. The second method is better if you are doing.a large ‘Correction; sometimes you need to rework up to half of the drawing. On inked artwork, is ideal iF you can arrange the patch to fitinto an existing outline, which conceals the cut edges, ‘Todisguise a patch ~ the ‘camera may pick up a cast shadow from the edge ofa stuck-on section - smooth down the edge with your fingernail, then “puddle” some process white along the join to soften it You have afew options for correcting your work when something yoes wrong erase tr scrape tft, covert patch it Theapproprate technique depends on what medium you are using and the area ofthe artwork that needs correction Erasing penclis relatively xsi expecally waterproof ink is relatively dnc Be Careful not todo anything that ) slamages the paper surface so ‘much that you cannot redraw cleanly. If you are working in inkon a very smooth surtace, you may be able to seratch back the line witha frisket knife ‘8. useful technique for ing line qualities and ‘A Small errors where ink has ‘smeared out from the line are easy to cover. Make sure the inkis completely dry before brushing undiluted process ‘white evenly over the smudge, working carefully up tothe line, Using process white tlinatng svall errors, but tansutable for erasing large Comection fui isn't usually pure white, sobs careful you {sea cover-up method on color artwork: Process whites fn opaque medium thats invisible tothe process camera “use it in preference typists correction fluid or white’ m owache Patching canbe done in one of wo ways: Either you can stick lean patch of paper Over the particular seetion of Sour drawing and ink ont it {let the adhesive dry betore You star damp paper may tear Gr spread the ink ine). OF you Patching from above ‘411 This motnod can be used to ‘correct part ofa drawing. Cut a piece of paper sightly larger than the area to be corrected, stickitover the artwork, and ‘redraw the detain pencil before inking the lines in style with the rest. > 2 Flatten the hard edges of the paper patch by running your thumbnail along them firmly. NN ‘4.3 Load a brush with process white and brush it thickly across the smoothed edge to “fil the fein, Dornot brush along the ledge, work at right angles toi. > 4 Inthis image, the arist has. ‘sucessfully added shoes to a figure that was originally barefoot. The correction will ‘ot show up at allin a line reproduction,scons | , ) A 2 Apply adhesive to the back atthe drawing and lay itdown, evenly ona fresh sheet of paper. Smooth it out carol, making sure it does not buckle > 3 Pencil in the details of he lew background, than go over wih pen and ink, if you hink any ofthe cut edges ¥ound the original outines HOW Up too stronaly. smooth hem down and paint with 8 white as shown posite 4.1 Toaltor a large area of your ‘drawing, such as awhole background, itis easiest to cut ut the good part of the drawing and stick it to clean ground, Use a very sharp tisket knife blade and cut around the shapes just outside the ink line. CORRECTIONS Scratching back ‘41 This technique can be used ‘ona smooth-surfaced line board or paper. The artist hhas penciled and inked this The eves are about haifway down the head seen straight on, and the nose divides itin half widthwise, Drawing this kind o grid helps you to visualize where features sitwhen you see ahead from different angles, Using the Vortical axis and the horizontal divisions, you can plot the position of features as the head tums not realistically), with proportions and features that rake sense; and the ability to alter that face to convey particularexpressions and Actions sadness, pleasure, pain, shouting, nodding, Even though in cartooning, you can simplify or exaggerate toa great degree, it helps to get the basic shape and proportions right. The Schematic drawings shown here will help you to identify the position of features, and their relationships to each other. You then need to practice turning the head and face to different angles, with the arrangement of features following logically fom the viewpoint selected, Faces can be round, oval squarish, pear-shaped, The shape can help to give your character an identity. Then there are details relating, to sex and age. In comic strips, where the characters are often relatively realistic, women and children typically have less detail on theie faces than men. Extra marks on the face tend to suggest the heavier musculature of males, so for women you have to find economical way’ of showing, for example, crow’s feet patterns and laughter lines. With expressions, there are various useful conventions based on observation, Pleasure pulls the features upward, Sadness pulls them down: Ansicty or fearis often conveyed by rounded shapes Starting eyes, open mouth, But there are subtle degrees of variation for expressions, ever inthe simplified langaiage of cartoons, A teachin we use consists of asking jents to draw someone crying, When they have done that, we ask them to draw someone who is sad. Usually they have used up all thei ammunition on the first Grawing, and have to think very hard about how else sadness can be conveyed. Bee FURTHER INFORMATION Body Language, pages 38-39 Caricature, pages 42-45 Devices, pages 58-59PACES Age and gender 44 Those crawings show some basic aitferences. Achild's forehead is igh, the nose very small and unformed. Young people have firm features and fften rounded, "puppy-tat” flesh, but wth age, bones and muscles are more visible. In men, the jaw and brow are typically Reavier than in women, With increasing age, the skin begins to pouch and fold downward, A simplified grid > Tho facial rid shown ‘Opposite can be similarly plied to a very basic cartoon face. Even though the features, hhere aro quito unroalistic, you can see that the same shifs in osition occur as the head ‘changes angie=) FACES SWIPEFILE ins arange of images by different cartoonists for you to copy or adapt. Use itto help you to explore ideas about style, technique, and characterization. ‘4a For extreme expressions, a wo tealstic face can be drawn with exaggerated features ry } ) (e = G, ‘4. Expressions dominate in these fel-tip pen drawings, portraying (irom top) nonchalance, rage, and insolence )) “4 The hand is essential in reading this drawing ‘asa yawn, Without the oS f= hand it appears more 2a ‘A. Eyes and mouth double as. ike song, peaceful and sleeping expressions4 This face is a suppor tor props that describe the character—shape of glasses frames, hairstyle, even the style ‘of shin colar. ‘A Similarty of heads and faces mark this pairas a couple, > The bland face normalizes \ deviant cress style ‘A Prominence of ‘nose and lip fil ut the features of a bbusybody. > The turn of the head gives this limpassive face a story to tell > allthe features are realistically —~ _ positioned, but this, we face is deliberately elongated and L unnaturalistically colored, > This drawing makes use of Contrast and shock tactics. The Ugly, inelegant face contradicts ‘expectations raised by the dainty “feminine” styles of hair {and costume,Feer Feet are notoriously difficult to draw; even rigorous figure artists may fudge on the issue Itis not always the actual structure of the foot itself that ‘attses problems, but the need toshow feet standing firmly on the ground, forming the ‘contact point between the figure and its surroundings. Ideally, ny to pick up simple idea about how the foot is put together, asin the drawings here, then consider how you can articulate this in your own drawing, according, to what the feet are doing. Feet can be fairly expressive and may become a sort of “sideway's” gag ina cartoon like hands, for example, the feet can be expressing something different from what the face seems to be saying, Feet are commonly covered up by shoes. Here again, the shape and gravity relates to the Shape ane movement of the foot, though you can approximate. FURTHER INFORMATION Clothing, pages 46-49 Hands, pages 76-79, Drawing feet A> 2 Rendered 11 Consider the foot as a set —naturalistically, the stepping -¥'3 Use the modular ‘of modular parts, constructed to foot supports the balance of the construction ofthe feet to think allow the body to balanco body. The examples of footwear about how the articulation of Upright on an even surface. are designed toemulate both their pars, seen trom a variety step and even surface. cf angles. can function ‘expressively in your drawing 4.4 You-can adapt this way of thinking about the construction (ofthe foot to building the kind of exaggerated shape more suited to.cartooningrer Y¥ Acollection of expressive feet This swipefil contains a range of images by different fartoonists for you to copy or ‘adapt. Use itto help youto explore ideas about style, fecnnique, anc characterization, ¥ Footwear is gendered, although feet are notFIGURES hands will approximate! with waist and mid-thig respectively You can gather material by sketching people at home oron the street. Television, magazines, and other people's cartoons also give you useful information, Look for typical, obvious elements short, tall; fat, thin; upright, stooped; young, old. The posture and apparent energy ofa figure can say something about who the person is, Pay attention to clothes, hairstyles, and accessories: not only the detail of what people choose to wear but how it relates to showing off or disguising their physical attributes, ‘The drama ofa cartoon, especially comic strips, often slepends upon foreshortened limbs or whole figures, exaggerated gestures, and Implied movement. These complex subjects are treated under separate headings. ign Hthe human figure attracts the Jeye over and above any other subject in an image, because we naturally associate with the human element. Soa quietly craven figure doing nothing in the comer of your cartoon has the potential to become a focal point. Keep this in mind when you decide who should appear in your cartoon frame and what they are contributing. Ifyou find figures difficul to Jdrave, here the conventions of [cartooning are on your side, because you can, and perhaps should, simplify or distort, The basic proportions of the human igure are considered to be about 1:6-7 head to body length. A ratioof 1:4 gives you Ja more compact, dumpy [person (but this the correct proportion for children, whose heads are relatively large); a thin, tall, awky person might be 18 or more, Be careful when you are including two or more people that their relative proportions have some sort of eonsisteney, otherwise the craving may scem incorrect and out of scale. Unless there isa comic reason to distort immensely, you need to [preserve the relationship of body and limbs as well ‘whether a person is tall and stretched or wide and ‘compact, their elbows and FURTHER INFORMATION Body Language, pages 38-39 Clothing, pages 4-49) Faces, pages 62-65 Feet, pages 66-67 Focus, pages 72-73 Foreshortening, pages 74-75 Hands, pages 76-79, Movement, pages 92-95 os Texnen proportions Few human beings conform strictly tothe standard ‘proportions, but itis helpful to know how the “basic model ‘works, as this helps you to recognize and play up individual differences, as shown in the three drawings here (center right). You might, for example, want to exaggerate a key feature, such as a small head, big feet or particularly Jong legs. Bear in mind too the obvious differences between the male and female figure. The ‘schematic drawing of a man shown here could be adapted toawoman by making the shoulders and waist narrower and the hips wider. The proportions of head to body are more or less the same, though women’s heads tend to be smaller. Body types Even when much of a person's body is obscured by ciothes you can convey the basic figure type. You may findit helpful to ‘make schematic drawings. Y The thin, unmuscular body and narrow shoulders aro stressed by the obvious weight of the shopping bags. Overlarge head and angle o neck empnasize narrowness of shoulders Large feet contest win bony ankiasFIGURES ¥ The most obvious dilerence in proportion between child and adult is tho sizo ofthe head, 5 which here as been deliberately exaggerated. ‘as have the rounded eyes. ¥ Awel-muscled body in loose Y Tight clothing —or minimal treated asthe subject of éiothing can sometimes appear clothing such asa swimsut—Is caricature. simply ft, so choose revealing ‘2 good choice when fainess is. Glthes suchas T-ohrs, &y Short ight sleeve reveals bulana cer poned shoesFIGURES, Aging ‘The human figure changes dramatically with the passage from babyhood to adulthood, the most noticeable difference boing in the relative proportions cof head and body. In iate-middle and old age people alter in shape rather than proportion, either accumulating fat and spreading in certain areas or becoming stringy and skinny. Posture typically becomes more hunched, and flesh begins to sag, producing pouches and The diaper proctaims this 2 The head s still large in ‘The plump child has become a baby, but equally sodoes the proportion the body, but more thin, uncertain young man, with large head and rounded limbs. revealing are the posture and typical sloppy dress, awkward clothes thumb in mouth and posture, and adolescent spots. slipping shorts. reasonably fi, muscular, and Ten yearslater, the smile stil Life is less atractive now, and The body has shrunk, making broad-shouldered adult male, _hopefuland the expression ‘face and figure are beginning _the feet and hands appear confident and ready tofacothe alr, butthe beer-belly has their drooping descentinto old unnaturally large, andthe head world become pronounced age. sno longer carmed upright¥ An exaggerated walk conveys showy character. “ 2. CE FURTHER INFORMATION Movement, pages 92-95 Perspective, pages 98-101 ‘4 As the viewpoint shits, the tops of both eylinger and ‘spaceship appear larger, their bases are relatively small, and the'r lengths are increasingly truncated, > The forms ofthe cylinder and the spaceship are dramatically foreshortened to measure about half oftheir length in side view.FORESHORTENING Foreshortening the figure pis follows the basic principle Qfnearlarge and far'small. This, {easier you break down the shapes into basic building blocks of spheres, ovoids, cylinders, and cubes. ‘A You can use foreshortening to accentuate the drama of cartoons, by stressing the depth ff picture. The foreground character's foreshortened arm, ‘uns through several depths of piature, combining the division between foreground and background with focusing devices. ‘A The hand held up in anger is, ‘set of curved cylinders and ‘voids. To draw the cartoon Version, star with a close-up of the hand and draw back showing smalier proportions, to givea SD effect “When you are fareshortening the child's figure, start with 2 very large sphere for the head Even without foreshortening, children’s heads and faces ‘are drawn proportionately larger than adults > Foreshortening makes the dramatic object the biggest in the drawing, “The studded boot is the beginning of tho drawing. The rest of the figure is drawn back from this in Perspective.HANDS borrowed from cartoon Basic shapes ‘Ahand held out flat, palm or animation. They are shown | Hyouthink of ahandasbeing back toward you, is relativoly ‘with only three fingers, which | strictly segmented, ike arobotic. simple to define as a sel of rakes them easier io draw and | construction it makesiteasier basic shapes. ‘makes the shape less to work out shapes and angles. complicated oF crowded in A throe-fingored hand can be gestures until you get them down pat Cartooning also hasa tradition of simplitying hands, as expressive as a five-fingered ‘one, but if you use ths kind of simplification it must be cartied through the rest of he drawing,Hand gestures Hands aro very expressive both inife and inilustrations, icularly when in contact with fhe face. As those oxamples ‘show, simple but effective ‘awing solutions can be found Inany sive. Thisis a tense and threatening gesture, expressed by the claw: Tike outer shape, Hand and body gestures Lean’ stand it ‘Ths gesture is more powerful than a single finger pointing but more ambiguous. The ink ‘drawing technique gives ita tough texture The sausage-shaped fingers are unrealistic, butthe beckoning-finger gesture, reinforced by speed lines is Well, can't you get it back?” Inths firm “stop” gesture the hand is given an exaggerated backward slope, (One hand waving— and the wabble lines cheerfully provide the to-andt-fro mation, easly understood. : #3 § “How can tise happenin? I hang it up thre Wnt id Io seit it? HANDS Hands holding objects ‘When you draw a hand holding something, look for the way the fingers curl around the object, and try to ingicate how tightiy or loosely tis hold, however simple the shapes you are Using fo describe both a ‘iSWIPEFILE ‘This swipetle contains a range ol images by different cartoonists for you to copy or ‘adapt. Useittohelp you to explore ideas about style, technique, and characterization. etal helps to ‘lin form ane roc ‘A Even line weightis applied to an accurate outline, with angled fingers slightly foreshortened, “4 When a hand is holding a ‘pen or pene, the main pressure ison the index finger. Hang and aun paral Inieracking AY Event y\ Rounded 1 thehand tipped (obvious what ‘A A chubby hand has less flexibility; note the smooth curve (ofthe paim toward the fingers, thumb Minimal interior styized hands must make Tight wrekles show pressure within te naios = ‘4. An outflung hand has quite an odd shape, the palm becoming very wide but less deep, i > This power, ‘Compact shape ‘gains muscular weight from variable line partly shadowing the curves, ‘A Hands and fingers can be Simplified; here the interlocking hands forma triangular shape. Heat shadowing heipstoshow discon inthe fingers the most simplified, they are doing, A In itferent gestures by the ‘Same character, keep basic shapes and details consistent,HANDS Aloose-titing ‘love coarsens, theoutine shap Atghtitng ove smooths —s ‘A With finger joint and palm creases, this glove Istreated like a soft buter skin tothe hand. ‘A The bulkorfit ofaglove determines the sensitivity of grip and movement. Y This lexed hand gains ‘movement from sketchy lino ‘and shading in fine flber-tip pen, with color wash giving form. ‘A Ian object being heldis important, make sure hands are atrangedto show itotf clearly. Tre Sent finger > When ne outine grt tot isso heavy. the sha Scaleisdray Arathor unnatural grip, heavy. the shape eee ‘again designed to show needs to be equally strong, the whole object. Re a ‘A The pressure needed to rip, the paper is made clear by the way the bottoms ofthe fingers bend outward ¥ Apointing hand is easy to read and dynamic, however simpitiod ‘A Asurprisingly doicate gesture froma simple, strong rawing,hena pencil drawing is reproduced as line only, sorte of the subtleties may be los FURTHI INFORMATION Light & Shade, pages 86-87 Stippling, pages 110-11 Thisisa method of depicting | Types ef hatching shading that creates three The pictures on this page imensionality and mood in a | illustrate the diferent ways in black-and-white drawing wich you can combine layers Simply described, it mean at hatching to create varied working ina series of parallel | densities of tone. Below are lines, traveling fairly evenly in | details exempiltying each ne direction, Crosshatching is | ‘method, taken from the main a "doubling" of the technique. | picture, right Having put down a set of lines you hatch over them more or less. at right angles to intensi the valu his sounds somewha d and graphic, itcertainly doesn’thave to be. Hatching | "a Hatching drawn in tho and crosshatching can be Sirection ofthe light source Orderly and regimented if renders the unit side of a moon, desired, but the technique can} with a secondary layer sso ised treays with tines’ | tuguoaing recon (eet arbtde casemate Wiad) paseatny ele may be raggedly finished or cleanly hard-edged, The black and white combination forms | "4 Grosshatching combines the effect of gray mid-tones; | yriform strokes, overlaid at the depth oftonedependson | anglesto produce a netlike how widely spaced are the balanced texture of lines, lines and how heavy or fine Apart from being an expressive way of shading, this has the advantage of reproducing as line rather than ving, hatched ines 2d Crosshatching defines the Signify direction of surfaceson direction and surfaces of boxes. terrain and boxes, notably on along with foreground and the moons, ackground terrain. Multiple hatching is used to distinguish the bottom box ofthe pile from the crosshatchad ground. certain kinds of print produ ‘of hatching create a lid grays. Inworks equally | dense texture where tone finally wellin pencilor ink, though | takes over from linearity, tion that you don't useHatching shapes and forms You can killa cartoon drawing tsith the wrong sort of hatching ‘The illustration plus details polow and right show hatching asintegra tothe image. ‘A The mad nun’s form is Picked out by lines at ight fngles to lines radiating trom the candle flame. Hatching in context > Themail car ofatrainis being robbed by stereotyped masked Western bandits, Hatching is used sparingly to aitferentiate parts of the picture by areas of tonal density and to hold the action at its center. However, the basic hatching types outlined on these pages are put touse here, Short contour lines follow the Cunvature ofthe root and the metal side of the car. The mall ‘uards' uniforms are hatched by caretully drawn horizontal Hines, contrasting withthe short, fngled strokes hatching the bags behind them. Inthe foreground below left, ahorse's head is hatched in narrow horizontal lines, contrasting with the wider ines ofthe guard's Luniform, ‘A Hatching follows facial Contours and shadows, A Lines fan out from the flame {a tonal ground for the image. ‘A Crosshatched drapery Ssuperimposes angled lines, 10 show the hang of the garment. The direction of he lines in hatching is crucial. The image lives or dies according to ‘whether a crosshatched cartoon shapes the objact or merely makes a pattern. ‘A. Contour lines following neck, chest, and facial features, impose a patter of lines which algo defines mass and volume. HATCHING hatching adds simple tonal value to the hues ‘which distinguish the parts of this mage, ‘A Muliple hatched areas ‘overlay hatching. Note limited contour hatching on cheeks, chest, and shoulders.INSPIRATION Cartoon ideas can come from anywhere: something catches yourattention or makes you laugh, and seems wortha Visual comment. But itis hard getting started, especially if You feel under pressure to be funny. So keepin mind that jokiness is not an essential Feature of a cartoon; it must havea grain of truth or satire, but doesn’t have to producea belly-laugh. Leatning from others Stealingsomaone ela's ideas is obviously bad practice professionally, but it isnot Bd way to learn your craft. you see some cartoons where You lke the foe or comment, bat you think they arent wel r y drawn, ty reworking them yourself You can also do this fitha cartoon that you particularly admire. The proces of thinking Hover and deciding how you could present it differently develops fiseful habitof analysis Copying from the media in any form = animated cartons 2s well as staticones pots you in thearea of copyright, which itiseasy tobreach, 0 use copying only as form ct pavatepracice nd don’teven sk adapting an existing ea forpableation. Looking and listening For original work, however, your sources are your every day experience, including ‘what you see and hear in the broadcasting media, You might have been ina funny or interesting situation that seems ‘worth a comment, or been told about one by somebody else. If Someone tells you a good joke, you might think of turning it into astrip of two or three images. You need to write it down and pare it down, because you don't want a lotof writing on the cartoon itself Some Very famous cartoonists can draw brilliantly but have no sense ofa storyline, so you can also try working with a ‘wards-person” who helps you to develop the sequence. A joke delivers a punchline, and for a single cartoon itis usually the moment of delivery that is visualized, Focus strictly fon the main event, and climinate any distracting lead. inor surrounding detail Rambling jokes can be very funny in conversation, but take} too long an the page. Surrealism isa type of humor that depends on non sequiturs oF unexpected juxta positions. Usually a person either has an inclination to this, kind of humor or does not: itis hard to develop it objectively FURTHER INFORMATION, Observation, pages 96-97 From idea to finished art ‘On these pages. two artists have developed cartoons from the same given theme of the Empire State Building. Mooncat, top, and Rachael B ‘bottom, take the theme from initia rough notes and pencil sketches to final full-color mage. ‘soneary tine ors sourcectideas rate Gener ol mmoscle non 2 theemore ss Soiseact | “Ore F5s, Pai d «QO 1) Aterejetng king Kong, thechb the runaway, an the (2 Wor ade mats, one cea, d “) tes chosen the ceteing Hy bung Like Mooncat, Rachael Ball begins with a sketch of the building. However, characters ‘dominate her cartoons. Increasingly, figures are introduced and the building The paste-up, above, is Copied onto a thicker paper and the image finished, right, wth watercolor washes to give the ‘appearance of an infitable Empire State Building > inthis cartoon, it'snotthe [Fy a : Choice otidea which gvesthe |B asex! thet of tbe Cowie he Buildin image its final form, but the favriea-woyld Khon his free idenblly choice of characters. The V Empire State Building is both a ‘symbol and the setting for a sidelong take on American society. Mol 2 garde g uty Sood Jane Burke, duture Presideut of te tnited- [onsale fie fe ee Jane was x fierce Mati Royale | Aud firm belek cm emptal punched ‘A More rejected characters, > Sketches forthe final image.LETTERING Pocket cartoons and political or topical features in newspapers nd magazines often consist of actraing witha typeset aption, but hand-eteringis stllan important feature of Single carfoons and strips, This must be clear and legible fay leering styles areal wery well, but readers il only torso ord for slong, Consistency isalsoa vital feature; any variation in size and proportion of lettering Should haves logical eason, Such as emphasis or display it you are no good at lettering, don’t be tempted to make do, For commissioned ‘work, tl your client that the Ietering should be dane by somebody else, or figure ot another way ofapplving i Such pasting in high-quality ‘word processing (don’t use typewriter srpt, which looks tacky), Poor lettering distraction and cannot be Compensated by the most brian drawing, because i competes too strongly withthe drawn message. Lattering naturally attracts the reader's attention, Practice hand-lettering very assidaously. Fill pages and pages with ttre, swords, and Eentenees, paying carelul attention fa propentions and Spacing (ot incvidl eters, a words, and lines). Keep working at it unt you come to a point where you have achieved speed and accuracy, and the lettering remains consistent whatever you do, There are various conventions for presenting, vwritten material within the cartoon, Speech balloons are usually ovals, rectangles with rounded comers, or irregular shapes billowing horizontally around the words, Thought balloons are like clouds, with Undulating outlines, Loud or unexpected exclamations are sometimes put into balloons with zigzagging outlines, Captions that comment on the action that, are not directly spoken by the character in the Frame-—can be put into rectangular boxes at top oF bottom of the cartoon, Always write out the lettering before you draw the balloon; don’t start by defining, the boundary and then writ into the shape. Make sure that pointers from speech and thought balloons go straight to the right cartoon character. If more than one person is speaking within a single frame, make it clear in what order the words should be read. Balloons have a sort of artificial, ‘gravity; the first word balloon Should be highest in the drawing and farthest to the left, the last is the lowest and farthest to the right. In languages that read left to right, that isa given rule that you shouldn't try to break For emphasis and sound effects, you can use fancy Jetters in black and white, or color if youare allowed it, There areal kinds of possible variations, including outlined letters, exploding letters, or heavily shadowed letterforms, Lettering that needs to stand ‘out can work very effectively in white on black. When you use color, make the colors of sound Slane shan) "FURIE INFORMATION Line spacing “4 Typesetting has instruments, such as the depth scales which ‘measure lines of type and the spaces between them, IF YOU WANT To Do YOUR OWN LETTERING DRAW PENCIL-LINES— FOR-SPACING 3 ¥ In standard comic lettering, 4 the nearest equivalent to the depth scale isthe Ames guide, ‘which helps you draw evenly spaced parallel guidelines for ‘as much lettering as you are likely to need in one balloonLetterspacing UN EVEN TCO WIDE Tee TIGHT CORRECT Like the drawing of characters themselves, the spaces between letters make your words. Getting this right feeds pracice. Ifthe spaces between letters are irregular, ‘pen or too tight, the result may be that your letters strain legibility oF do not form words. Emphasis There are two types of verbal ‘emphasis in comic strips. One iscontained inside balloons or Captions and emulates the elivery of speech. The other is the sound effect, loatng in the Picture area and visually fendering auditory ettects or Furman utterances, 4 Sound-ottect lettering: the ‘Faphic equivalent of an ®xplosion Balloons ‘A Lettering containing dialogue and thoughts usually separated from a cartoon's Picture area by enclosureina white graphic space with a linear border: the word balloon, The speech balioon’s tll points from the center of the balloon tothe mouth of the speaker. AND. THEY ALL SOME! GET. 4 WILL YOu TusT RELAXES {A In word balloon emphasis, boiditalic letters are a way of both fine-tuning the meaning and of producing graphic ‘A More effect lettering, this time used fora human ery, LETTERING Basic balloon shapes > Clockwise from the top: thought, speech, exclamation, ‘and caption. Ty adapting them to convey expression Sound-ettect lettering Sound-oftect lettering does ot have to obey the strict ‘graphic rules that govern words inside balloons and captions. Use any type that sults your cartoon.LIGHT AND SHADE You can usea variety of techniques for applying, shading to your drawing, and the method you choose may depend on whether the ‘eartoon is for reproduction and what are the limits of the reproduction process. That should be made clear to you in the brief youare given for the work. With regard to the visual qualities of shading, and what itadds to yourimage, you need to think very carefully about what function it serves, or whether you need itatall, Shading relates to the three dimensionality of objects and spaces and also to the mood. and atmosphere of an image. You might use it for modeling ~ giving form and solidity toa figure, say ~ or for developiny thedramd of yoursetting’ Visually, shading can be any degree of tone from very fine, light grays to dense, continuous black, Experiment with lighting Investigate the effectiveness of shading by making some drawings of real objects or scenes with a definite light source (experiment with different media too), Look for the ways the light and shadow explain the shapes of things, and pay attention to cast shadows, which provide the 0 Different techniques for creating shadows ‘On this page the same object is rendered in three different ways, to show the effect of Using different techniques to create shadows relationships of objects to the spaces they occupy, and can contribute a dramatic, almost abstract element. Then make the drawings again from memory, $0 that you have to consider the logic of the shading in relation to the light source. This way you develop a notional sense of how it ‘works that you can apply to Imaginary situations. You can break the rules more easily once you know what they are. For example, you ‘may draw a cartoon in which someone is strongly lit from above, but you don't choose to show the cast shadow on the ‘ground, This mightbe justin Order to simplify the drawing, or it might havea narrative function, to make the subject surreal or sinister. “4 Black and orange ink are applied with a brush, producing Clearly defined areas of color, with very stark shadows both or the chair and on the ground. “A fino pon tine combines with ppencil color to produce a rendering with great tonal variely. Shadows are ‘crosshatched and multiple hatched, and added toby layers of blue pencil -< Green pencil coloris layered [onto the broad black lines of feltsio pen. This combines ‘somo of the starknass of the brush drawing, top, and the tonalily ofthe fine pen drawing above. The broad fett-tip ‘permits simple hatching on the legs and back ofthe chai ar FURTHER INFORMATION Hatching, pages 80-81 Stippling, pages 110-111Rendering different light consider when choosing how sources: you lignt your cartoon, The same line drawing of a Generally, lighting in cartoons female figure is rendered five and comicstrips can be likened times, Each drawing examines to set lighting on a movie and in how the figure is molded by _the theater, or the lighting of an shadows cast from adiferently instalation in an art gallery. It angled light source. plays the double role of ‘The five angles represent the _ iluminating the forms of figures, rmain basic variationsin ight and objects, and of making their source which you arelikely to purpose visible. From above: thsi the From below this isthe least ‘angle of most natural ight natural ange of ght. often fandot street ighing Usedin old cartoonsto hoht stage perlormer. Tha whale top area othe face is inshadow From both sides: the light sources pany cancel each ‘thers shade This alee ‘Secure whare elected ¥ght ilurinates the oppeste ‘ida ofa igure rn ight From right: the figures ett at's Blocked fromthe tight source by tha mass of From eft: the light cass the ‘hebody and rendered in figute's aght side ino tonal ‘coors shating one even unformiy tone 7LINE AND WASH This method of shading cartoon drawings combines ‘elegant, clear ine with simple ‘gray tone. Itisa highly Sensitive and accurate form of shading in black and white, suitable for subtle or delicate Subjects and for creating atmosphere or texture, ‘Technically, you apply the line workand allow itto dry, then ‘brash in the gray on selected areas ofthe drawing, using heavily diluted ink; so the line work needs to be waterproof Awash spreads more evenly if the area is already wetted with clean water —ideally, use separate brushes for water and tonal wash, to keep it absolutely clean. ‘As with spot color, you can alternatively apply the tone in nnon-repro blue, and the printer «an prepare the plate mechanically so that the blue marks print gray. This method is used mainly in editorial and politcal cartoons and provides different effect, but its roots are in the tradition of lineand wash drawing, Be cautious and economical when applying grays direct. Use one ready-mixed pale or mid-value gray; dark grays may become darker oF fillin as solid black when reproduced, ‘This is especially likely when, the original is being reduced in ws size for print, which is usually the case, As you become more practiced in the technique and itseffects, you may be able to develop a more variable painting method ‘You can use washed tone simply to avoid leaving a line eating too fragile and open to shade or model space and form or to create loose, fluid textures such as clouds, reflections, and half-shadows, ‘where a heavy, holding black ‘outline is inappropriate ae FURTHER INFORMATION, Color, pages 50-85 Light & Shade, pages 86-87 ‘Simple wash The more simple your line drawing, the more simple your washes are likely tobe as a result ‘4. One simple, mi 'sall that's needed to set this dinosaur cartoon against its blank white background. The slightly loose application keeps the image lively. Veriable wash This sequence shows how different gradations of a wash are built up from light to dark, letting tones bleed sot into ‘each other rather than creating hard-edged shapes. The artist hhas vignetted the wash around the light source, grading ‘outward irom the street lght's central pool of brightness. This throws the background into deeper shadow and the figure Into sharper relict 1 The tine drawing must be in waterproof ink and completely ‘ry before you start work. Wet the paper with clean water and introduce a pale gray wash, 2 Use smaller areas of wash to strengthen the shapes. When adding cast shadows. make them much deeper in tone. 3 Be sparing with tonal detallin the figure directly under the light. only needs a suggestion cf shadow to show how the form ‘curves away from the light, 4 The gradual, wet-into-wet build-up of wash technique permits an extremely fine Control of tone and texture.ing mechanical tints BRatiernative to applying tone Meashist0"Tay” one oF more eal tins. Thishas ct advantages, chil wnchieratho Mrchanical method retains the Sharpness an clr of your ine Grawing, In wash, the tonel Varely of your drawing is eproducad by photographing ro whole craving ~incuding the ines as halfone dots By contrast, atintisafat area ot dottone. I's Sichanical because i's included separatey from your hand-drawn artwork. Tins ome in varying denstes, tovally neasuredin increments Gften percent. Fight, the same Srawing s shown wih avarely oftns ‘A Two light tints are used on This foreshortoned view with Theschematc figures show armstulyexiendedhas aking = Giferentkinds o!movement. of refall momentum which ¥ Wen this pose is tumes Whatover ne siyloin which you oule;be moving up down, z into a basketbal payor, tis may choose o crew such ‘obvious that the movement isa figures provide the basic oy nf leap, nota fll building blocks for you to use, a y Y The body counters movernont ofa lat im by ‘opposite movement of aright, and vice versa. In a running pose, arms and legs move ‘Y The cartoon character's uid, Aiythmically in opposite ja simple shapes obey the same directions. rh rules of opposite stresses. BryMOVEMENT SWIPEFILE v OG This swipetile contains a range of images by citferent Cartoonists for you to copy or ‘adapt. Useittohelp you to explore ideas about styl, technique, and characterization ‘A. With only one hand on the (ground, the figure is about to topple. ‘A Angle of body indicates this ‘again unlikely tobe the perfect handstand 4 The energetic ballet Sr maverent of his forale we) Sie nsaepdimace 5 zZ ohne boay fight : ra BN Zé pastel and pen speed ines emphasis > Thetit of the body is so extreme that balance ‘cannot be regained. The body in space. Hold a finger a e > Speed of movement shown a by lost shoe, and terror by B bem any helo oe = bulging eyes, clawed hands and, hair standing on end.MOVEMENT pp Bentlegs and forward thrust Fitorso mark the figure as a skater an Matching the color of ‘A Tho offect of gravity is indicated by the presence of speed ines and by the distance between falling figure and ground, 4 Movement inthis image fartetson the positon ofthe The player has angled his body in readiness for a kick > Inthis ine drawing of arunner, color has been added rapidly, accentuating the implied movement. angle af he too from the vertical ¥ Horizontal lines of horse's body. flowing mane, unseated rider and speed lines combine inan expressive image(OBSERVATION A cartoonists jobs to observe and comment. Style and technique ean be developed just through practicing your ‘drawing, but the raw material ‘Sketching from life Drawing rom observation isa way of heloing you remain fresh ‘and less prone to graphic cchés. The sketchbook ‘drawings assembled here show how regular practice is not oriented to the production of finished images but to the drawing process itselt. They also indicate the importance of seeking out ikely places to find your subjects. of your carton comes fm the real world. Keeping a sketchbook enables yo To pater vast amounts of {information and inspiration Which you can dave upon for Whole images or incidental details in your work Start to develops habitof scibblin things dawn as you se them — a sketchbook is ikea visual diary of your day-to-day nce the point of this cexerise i information- fathering, don’t try to take Your sketchbook notes in Eartoon form, oF you wil find that you have eliminated This pencil sketch of arow cat nouses includes Interesting attention io brickwork A sol graphite penélisthe ‘useful material too early. Note down what you see as accurately and expressively as ‘you can in the time; an eye for the important feature, and the technical ability to capture it, improves with practice. Look out for the characterful people, descriptive poses and gestures, typical orunusual settings, and useful props. Ifyou are pushed for time, you don’t have to draw everything: take ‘written notes as well to remind yourself of how people behaved or how the situation developed, and atmospheric background such as colors and lighting. (Ona practical level, keep it simple, Your sketchbook should travel with you every where, ready for use ata moment's notice. Buy a small, sturdy sketchbook, hardback or ring-bound, containing ‘good-quality drawing paper. Make sure you are equipped with a penal, fiber-tip pen, oF ballpoint at al times. Precision and deta ate the keynates of this pene Abuiding witha | taterbatmar | compact, stonger shape seemsa | better cnoce, and offers alot of > Thisis a simple visualization interesting sketch, before any research is, incidental detail done to find the location, An actual example roughly sketched on location supplies the basic shape of the araning A The picturesque character ofthis building made ta strong candidate for the final choice ‘A. The cartoon had to be black- mechanical tints to deal with the and-white only, so the artist shadowy night effect. The ‘chose to use ink line with solid clouds are treated with crayon, blacks and twa types ofPERSPECTIVE The classic ystem fo crating anitlsion of three dimensional space and frm on 5 two-dimensional surface, perspective canbe used ina Simple cr complex way in cartooning, but invariably inereases the impact of he raving. To a certain extent, the effecis of perspective can be judged by ee, but giving Yyoursel a base gid to work to Takes the rondering easier and ‘moreconsistent Tf your cartoon characters are nothowninany context as Solated figures ora headto- hea arangement~then you don't have to worry bout Perspective. Butas oon as you Rave an implied background space or situation, the viewer will subconsciously expect to Enferm o basic res ot Perspective, because we have Freon taught toread spatial information in this way, Total distortion or “non-real” space need to have justification in thecartoon idea Vanishing points Perspectives based ona horizon line, which may be ‘observed or notional, and one ‘or more vanishing points fixed ‘on the horizon. In one-point perspective, all horizontal lines receding from the viewer go to cone vanishing point. Verticals 9 ae fixed, and horizontals Parallel o the horizon remain Forizontal. Theis the equivalent ofooking straight dawn the set; the roadsides appear to converge onthe Horizon, and houses lining the street appear smaller with increasing distance. In to" pol penpeciv you uve distance rom each other on the horizon receding horizonfale go tone or other point Thisie illustrated by the Ides of standing ata srel corner able to see down two Streets atone “Three;point perspective enables you toemphasize distance upward or dloventard. Te works simlaty to two-point perspective, bul vertical also converge on a ‘ishing point. If they Converge upward, youhave shat is known asthe worms tye vive Imagine being a cree ees Ecrne building, able to see dvin two streets and up the front ofthe building Simultaneously Qhisis nota formal kindof vision, asin such a situation you ten to focus on things sequentially rather than allatonce)- In the Serial or bind'seye view the third vanishing point is below the building, sothe walls 2ppssocinverge dra re are pratical problems stuclng palpate Cae our drawing is lative Emulate The vanishing nts in two- and three point perspective ae typically ofthe Paper foran extenor view, for Example you bring them In more dowely the distortion is Smmense. A building never recedes fo single point Always hast havea base oit iooks unreal However, you can use the principle broadly fsa guideline, without setting Up complicated arangements {Clocate vanishing points hallway across your studio ‘Once you have set upa perspective for an inttior or Exterior view, allobjects and Figures are governed bythe arrangement Peopleon the street, for example, sppest smaller they get farther Sway, their heeds and fet touch converging lines of recession at any given level Insidea room, the walls and ceiling recede in perspective, so doesa table in the middle o) the room, so does a box on the table. (One-point perspective is far the easiest method to use, and in terms of cartoon shorthand, itdoes an effective job. But it ‘you are looking for mor sophisticated and/or realistic effects, you may need to ‘grapple with two- or three point perspective. The ‘examples given here show you the basies of each order and its applications; if you are specially interested in systems of this kind, you can easily fine further information in specialized perspective manuals FURTHER INFORMATION Backgrounds, pages 32-37 Focus, pages 72-73, Foreshortening, pages 74-75 Viewpoint, pages 122-123 ‘The horizon tine ¥ Perspective alers as soon ‘as you move your viewpoint, because the Norizon line, which dictates the vanishing point or points, is your own eye level. I ‘you are drawing from memory ‘or imagination, invent your viewpoint and make it consistent‘one-point perspective > Draw ahorizon line— fepresenting your eye lovel— fed fh a vanishing point on it he farther the points to one ide, the more objects on that '3de are compressed. Vertical planes that face you are drawn flat-on and undistorted. Lines teanthen be drawn back from tomers and edges to the vanishing point to create the s1d0s ofa cubic shape that recedes directly away from you. Ina sold shape you see the Lundorside i te object is above the horizon line, the top piane it the object is beiow. But you can aso treat thom as hollow forms. Make construction ines in penell, then ink the appropriate shapes, > Inthis street scene, the Notional viewpoint is directly in the center, hence the central vanishing point. the artist Were to move to the right, i would be left of center. > Simple one-point Perspective does its job well here, explaining the spatial Context ofthe characters Without presenting complex ‘drawing problems. Note the Cartoonist has not slavishly followed the rules of one-point Perspective but the drawing Works nonetheless, This side compressed at ‘lose tovanishing er eet | L on ern Vanishing point PERSPECTIVE This side expanded as further away ror] vanishing pant Horizon Vanishing point Funny ting abt that Keith Best he ons only interested ove hing.PERSPECTIVE ‘wo-point perspective > Intwo-point perspecive, site Hotion vanishing points at ether side of the horizon line. You then begin cubic shape with the closest vertical edge, from which both sides recede. Relation to the horizonline silfixes viewpoint Lev. ight VP {rom above, below, or level. Cube looked at from below Cubelocked at from above Horizon Fight VP pa A Inaninterior, youwould get outside the frame, on which distorted view if both you can plot fat surfaces in vanishing points were onthe perspective, such as tabletops Paper. Butyou can make agrid and pictures on a wall suggesting line covergence 4 Aclassic example of two- point perspective. The left-hand fedge of the steps lead off to the leftthand vanishing point, and the side ofthe podium gives oft tothe right. 100lane PERSPECTIVE ~ ‘three-point perspective er > This enables you to give a fore dramatic impression of ‘and depth. Planes follow opve feeading lines not only Hotizon sing convergence left or st, but also downward, f your ewpointishigh Lott VP Le ve Fight ve eve Lett ve J ‘A Exterior scenes canhavea sharper inciine because the overall spaces and forms are Greater, The guidelines here show the distinct slant inward at the top. Added drama is introduced here because the buildings are on a ill The aerial or bird's-eye view, resulting in downward ‘convergence, would make the tops of the buildings visible, as, Botlom VP. inthe furniture, left > This quirky cartoon adapts three-point perspective toa Bormann \ (terrae a The verticals slope inward, to the cats’ play—who can see Some way beneath the drawing, \PRESENTATION AND PUBLICATION Maal PUBNICATION ‘There are some cbvious Publishing categories that em idea age for resentation of your work, but ny area of lastation works inghly competitive ane yo netd to tinkabout the portunities se broadly 35 posible Newspapers and magazines Forthese publication, a= well as specified cartoon pages OF Colm, material may be needed for filler, say, ia story falls short. Takes look at what Kind of cartoons diferent publications include, the rawing styles (line, tone, oF Color the average nimber of eartaons roprosuced in an Reference libraries provide you with two sources! research: one, a ange of newspapers and magacines Keptin general stock forlocal readers induding current and Back numbers; two, reference manuals for artists and writers ting the addresses of publishers and publications Rationwide. Beware of just Picking outa magazin ile td sending material on Chance. Ii egy for an editor frart director to spot that you havent the fist dea of what their publication iste ty to find out what they want 102 When you think of magazines, you may get an mage of commercial glossies, joke and puzzle mags, or Journals with serious political and social comment. But keep {an eye out for smaller ‘operations such as fanzines and in-house newsletters that might be good starting points, Ask around your friends and local contacts for further ideas. # Local newspapers © National newspapers Weekly national magazines Monthly national magazines Special-interest magazines ‘Trade papers and magazines Local stings magazines, Fanzines In-house newsletters of local businesses and institutions Cartoon illustration Books of cartoon collections are mainly restricted to famous names, and itis unusual for jgeneral books to be fully General nanan books sometimes feature cartoons as lees or oconvey editorial information ilustrated in cartoon style, unless by a big name to help publicity. But itis not unheard Of, and you can research the possibilities in this area. There Are also some opportunities in advertising, design, and ‘merchandising. You can start by aiming for direct involvernent with local businesses which might need, say, a logotype ora drawing. fora promotional fier, or look up art agencies and design ‘groups listed in contact, irectoies. ‘© Adult non-fiction publishers ‘© Children’s book publishers ‘© Comic book publishers © Artists’ agents ‘© Advertising agencies Design groups Tlustration studios Syndication agencies These are agencies whose business itis to distribute certain types of published ‘material to various media outlets within a defined ‘geographical area, nationwide or worldwide, A number are dedicated to hard news stories and pictures, others handle th lighter side of publishing, including items such as featur articles, horoscopes, and cartoons. Generally, you will need to be professionally well established before your work has syndication potential and is inadvisable to send unsolicited original materia Record-keeping All graphic artists an illustrators will advise you tha! at first you can expect io paper ‘wall with rejection sips. The ‘only solution is to persevere. ‘There is nothing to prevent you from reappiying to a publisher after alapse of time people's requirements and tastes change, and your work will aso have progressed, Targeting different publications YY The overall layout and style of newspapers and magazines often naturally makes room for ‘one-off humorous cartoons and topical cartoons. General non fiction books also sometimes se cartoons.However sendingthe sre Fr back to someone who bas fecenily rejected it addressing Gtioan outdated contactor Besing up the covering letters phen you are sending several fatchesareall signs of lack of ofessionalism. itis worth Beping careful records of what you have sent out and Iwhat wos the response, along, the following lines: nd the company he or she | orks for. Bist of work supplied. Photocopy the cartoons for four own reference and give them titles or numbers that Bbiccan easly record. tis Important you Know what you have shown towhom, and Whether oc not work has been Dublished and should not be ent out again. © Date work was sent out responce received publication Uateifacepted date when rejected work was returned 2 Payment agree for ation, Reep invoices and counts ofincomeand expenses a separate records Presenting yourself Presenting yourself effectively involves some inal expense, but when you are contacting busy profssionals, it helps you to claim atention. A Printed letterhead ean be used Esa compliments slip and for invoicing, as wellas fortes, IF yon are prepared for some entra outlay, a business card is handher forthe recipient 9 Keep ina phone o ed fle thana leer shet The least expensive way to producea leternend isto rani Sf yourself ona good-quality ‘word processor. This wl iit Your choices fer layout and palace Ifyou wantto inelide logo or cartoon with typeset name, address, phon fan ete, you can doa camers- ready layout for commercial’ Printing, Get several printers Sokes costs vary widely ‘A well designed Signatur, logo, oF smalls cartoon gives clear identity that sticks Inpeople’s minds. Once you have artwork, you can use and reuse for any Kind of personal stationery, or even for display ad in alocal or ade Paper ’s you have cartoons published, you might keto Produce maiLout sheet Showing several samples with your letterhead o logo. Good. Suality photocopies may be sidequate for hs, but you tanta large quantity it maybe Sheaper to print The Cartoonist hasan advantage tveratherilustators in that PRESENTATION AND PUBLICATION Recipient Ply Shing weekly Dare Salmon, Art Editor arwons | Bate | Accepted | Rejected | payment | Publishing cow ond ‘ie numbos 204 118,14 20,22, 260 | March 3.10.29, Jon os issue zeus ag Garoom | bas | Acad | nee at sumed 36,7, | Son) 7,20 | 3,6, 1420, 14) 202 22 Cataloging cartoons cartoon into print. Include ‘A Keep acaretulrecord ot information such as whether the Wwhatyounave sentoutand artwork has been returned ‘whether or not you were payment and pubkcation date. Successful getting the Going about it information. Telephone to Toavoid wasting time, check an address ifthe effort and expense, follow a company is unfamiliar to few simple guidelines when you. making your contacts: "© Study the areas of special © Makesure youhavean _interestin the publication up-to-date address forthe and the way their cartoons publication oragency you are presented, to make sure areapplyingto. Eventhe that both thestyle and largest companies can move content of your work will be premises and reference appropriate. listings sometimes Sending toa named republish outdated editor or art director is tru more effective than enclosing a generalized Cover note, When deciding sy ‘who to target, keep in mind thatthe eitoril conten of your cartoons may beas importants the drawing ye Forlegeseale journals, check whetherPRESENTATION AND PUBLICATION you can usually show off your work very well without any color, which greatly adds to print costs, Pitching in person In most circumstances, you do not need a personal appointment to make initial contacts, Where cartoons are basically throwaway items, as innewspapers, you may not meet the editor face to face even after you have started to supply work. IFyou are trying toenter the field of book or advertising illustration, however, presenting directly toan editor orart director provides a better opportunity for both of you to see what the other might have to offer The golden rules are to make an appointment in advance, by telephone or letter arrive on Ee include these in your portfolio. Pitching by mail Whenever you send tuncommissioned material to someone, you are adding another small task to their workload. You need to make a ‘good impression quickly, so this means presenting your work directly and cleanly Take time to construct a brief, businesslike covering letter which you can use as'a standard form for making new Contacts, Ifyou want rejected ik returned, enclose: | | addressed, stamped envelope. ee Be careful not to misrepresent your work by sending poor photocopies. Selt-promotion Make sure that the illustrations ‘A Letterheads and business | are sharp and black, that the cards should be functional and atthe same time catch the art director's eve. Organizing a portfolio ¥ Ideally use a small portotio time, and make sure your Containing plastic sleeves which portfolio isorganized. Do not | protect and display work. You lunload a sea of paper scraps on | can then arrange your cartoons someone's desk and hop they'll be struck by your talent and originality. Professional presentation is part ofan ilustrator's skill Ii you have printed samples qualities ofthe drawing show up well, and that captions or speech bubbles have clean contrast and even tone. You should expect that whoever receives your work will deal with tin a professional manner. However, it occasionally happens that by accident or dlesign, submitted work gets into print without the artist being notified. A good-quality photocopy can be used as an briginal. If you are worried about this when sending off precious samples to an outfit whose reputation you do not know, you can photocopy on red paper, which registers similarly to black on a process camera, so preventing reproduction from the copy. ina suitable sequence, relate images to each other, and fp over pages easily to make points as you discuss work(Oops! Check speling or ask trend to double-check, tog—tryt0 na You eanbiow yourown trumpet but dont versa a! “asking rather lot ‘wy should they bother? Iogible signature arg thename shoud be ‘typed beneath he signature Dont forget t include yauronn aaatess, as (wal asthe address of therecipient Covering letters How toputanant director's back up {above}, anda cover letter to ‘get you noticed (let). Selecting work © Consider the readership ‘of the publication you are pitching to, and make sure your samples have the right Kind of tone and content for that market, © Keep up to date with personalities, fashions, ete, especialy if your work includes caricature, social satire, or political comment. Update your own reference sources frequently so that PRESENTATION AND PUBLICATION Guidelines for comic strips ‘A For strips in instalments, show several finished samples and include a brief narrative {reatment plus roughs for strips tocome later. Presenting comic strips A strip feature isa long-term commitment, so you need to ‘prove you have an idea that can run. Editors like to stay head of things, and if vou get ‘a commission you may’ be asked to providea batch of ‘material in advance to cover a ‘numberof issues. There is 0 heed to submita large batch as your original application, but you need to be prepared to ‘your work refleets an “ongoing interest in your chosen subjects. ‘© Getall aspects of your sample cartoons right do rot Send a poor drawing because it Mlustrates a good joke, or vice versa. The person on the receiving end ‘wants to see punchy, effective, finished work, nota promise that you will get better given a chance.PRESENTATION AND PUBLICATION work up further ideas quickly Sizing up artwork this is acceptable. Sin visualae future stp Drawadagonalfromthe | 6 Words are captions and resent several nish totlom'ettcomer trough the | Speech bubbies tobe samples to show that your topnghtand extenditbeyond | handwntten or typeset, id Stang syle competent and the etengie, outdivecty on the artwork or omsstent, that you ean Keep presented on overlay sheets? Up the presentation of a 2 Fee find out if there va ‘arate in diferent poses Standard fs or fase to Sind context and that your Spotty t gre out howe faglines ornanatve atealo tng i wil take you to ESntinuously high standard Canplte the ata an wha TEyour ease storytling | You've gotajobt othe printed piece wilbe, | Stisworthat an hourly ate strgcutintoinsaliments, you | you hivestbmited orton | andwhethertheeditorwants | * Roughs~youmay be howd not daw the whole tng | copies and something is the orginal tobe samesize or | asked to present rough toreproduction quality. You” | selected allyouhavetodois | larger Sketches showing mre than Canprovide ished amples | send the originalartworks It” | Rlediom-isthisablack- | oneapprosch, ora pencil together witha bref narrative | yoursubmmsionsinspire | and-white piece or color? If | rough forapproval before you treamentofhow thestory | Someone tocommission work | blackand white, iitfor | Satta finished version. Minor Contimucs Youmightalse | onaspesiic topic makesure | reproduction nine ony (hard | amendments, i equested, are includeroughsforacoupleot | youtind oatall you ned to | biscksand whites) orcanPall-| part ofthe ob, but fa cent Stripstocomelaterinthe | Know about thejob before you | tones ays) beincaded? fit | thanges the original idea and Sequence ifthese wouldhave | start Iscolorisitful-color artwork | swants you to rework the may Sanitaalinmdoran | © Sanger cecwial| ceaepise wears Satstantaly, ry to renege revestng twit thedimensions or proportions | needed fo indicate color tints? | your terms Base material itis 2 Desaimes ix the dates for Sometimes essential to present | supplying rough andior Frombristto printed plece | artworkonflexiblesupport so | finihed artwork and meet Noumaybeghenawriten | thatitcanbe wrapped entoa | your deadlines atall cot. I Grvetbal bret MaKe sure You | drumvwhenscannedfor | You feta proposed deadline Understandexacty whats | reproduction. Iryoupreterto | certainly unrealisie, ether requited before youbeginwork. | sergidaribourd,checkthat | megoiste an extension up ¥ Revised pencil roughs, showing amendments and refinements, The next stage is togo to finished artwork. purweder nae Water ‘A. You will usually be asked to ‘supply pencil rough for approval by the art director. Minor amendments may be requested at this stagerefuse the work do not ht tmingas an excuse befaing to deliver pelying Gnished atwork myou are sending orginal Gri the cent, make sure wel protected, both by Bese paciaging and ty pe mal service that you oe: Spec postage ates fansare contents and Sipe liery am persve,Dutsoisloasol your presous package rished artwork usually Bie rind witha mask, oe rae, bordering the ge anda protective cover Bepercracctte sheet over the Bask, the artwork tsa hasa broed border, youcan attach mat frame with wo-sided Pape: Otherwise, postion the Jano on atacand ond tach the matand cover sheet othe board J) teavot ese nwork ‘being crushed in the mail, send ‘4 Your cartoon inits printed form. Check to see i's part of |Your contract that you get a opy ofthe finished book, itima cardboard-backed tenvelope or slip a piece of cardboard into an ordinary envelope to make it rigid Your signature You will have noticed that famous cartoonists usually make sure their signaturesare prominently displayed. These are often designed asa kind of logo, as well as simply identifying the artist. Start by deciding who you want tobe. You ean use your full name, first name, or surname only, or an invented “pen-name" (in Which case make sure your invoicesalso show the name that will enable you to bank the payment). Avoid anything too Similar to someone already well known, Contract terms Many publishing agreements are surprisingly informal, but you should ask fora letter of agreement confirming the conditions of work, deadlines, and fee. If your wy Straight dealings Ince you have agreed a fee and deadline, itis up to rou to keep to both. You have no right to more time ‘or money just because the ‘work takes longer than you estimated. Ifa real disaster may prevent you from delivering on time, let the client know as soon as you do, so he or she can cancel ‘orreschedule. 1 Stick to the brief, Even if you havea “better” idea halfway through a job, you provide wnten confieation, ou can make your own job Sheet outlining the brief and terms discussed, and send it inc This sa safeguard, for ny reason, the tems seem to change a the work progresses, However, its worth remembering that most people favenointention of disadvantaging you —the want the work and will pay if You perform competenty Informality sine you fel confientof the situation Make sie you know the position with regard to Sxenerchip ofthe original Srworkand its copyright. You have the right to return of the artwork unless you have Signed something that says otherwise, Copyright will Usually be with he publisher, foradverising and Book igtration work, youmay be asked toanign copyright PRESENTATION AND PUt ICATION eiceiee scan whatthe enthuse i S hivaysbe politeand Courteous, even iyo are treated unary ~i¢e never feed dest bam your idges > Oe tok ice the's werk or pubieation to insealorpoenial dee Tinakera Ged ieyerestar i youtalk youself up at Shather peor’ serpenoe and your cent or ele eee woul do the same tothe, totally, so the image can be published in any market your client enters without further reference to you. Alternatively, yyou may be Surrendering Fights to specific uses only ‘Check contract terms carefully with regard to this issue, so that you know exactly what you have agreed to when you sign. FURTHER INFORMATION Strips, pages 112-121STEREOTYPES: Cartoons are fll of stock characters, but the kind of Stereotypes that might cause ‘offense are rapidly disappearing, There are borderline areas where it can be difficult to tell whether something that makes you laugh could seem offensive to Costume and settings Each of these stereotyped figures is pictured with props ~andin the kind of background setting which reinforces their stereotyping. They are inseparable from thetr settings and vice versa. ‘A The schoolteacher in cartoons is identitied principally through costume and expression archaic dress and fan unbending manner. 10s somebuay else, but you need Toavold red ot assumptions shout what particular groups Sriypeset people are ke generalization and there are Certain conventions which we ccolly “read” and understand, though they eae no relation fo reality. The prisoner iva st Covered with arows and the burglar’ striped jersey and mask ae shorthand ofthis ind thelr origins are Ohacae, but the vital Symbolism picked up by new generations Rowever, Hbrarians re now rarely dowdy people wearing pince neeeyeplasses, and iene longer particularly appropriate toshow them as suche but big business is often represented ‘A The garbage manis the stereotype of the happy working ‘man, grimly toiling for the good ‘of sociely. Hard physical labor has made his body big. His habitat is an idealized suburbia ‘comprising row upon row of identical houses. bby rather faceless men in suits, and that image works slightly slfferently ancl more acceptably Uniforms are useful stere typing because they identify without personalizing. You need to think about the function of your drawing, why you want to generalizeand what your rendering is saying, Remember that all, ‘generalization is potentially ‘offensive to someone, and you have to decide where you draw the line Settings can also be stereo typical the desert island with the single palm tree, identical skyscrapers in a moder city, fr the rocks and bristling cacti that symbolize the Old West. Shorthand symbols are valuable because yout have to ‘A The stereotype of the nurse is identified by her uniform and sox. Although not all nurses are female, this has become a stereotype that is readily Understoad, The uniform ties, the figure visually into the institution of which she is a part, and the bed-idden patient stresses her occupation, set your scene very fast. But rather than depend on ancient clichés, you can develop aset ‘of types in people, settings, or props that is based on your ‘own observation of the world around you. Unfamiliar Subjects can be gleaned from television, magazines, and ‘other media sources, Sir FURTHER INFORMATION Clot Figure g, pages 46-19 pages 68-71 ‘A Burglary may not be an ‘official’ profession, but a burglar isa professional in his way. Typically, he isa creature fof the night, straying into the ‘prosperous homes from which fhe would certainly be excludes inthe daytime,STEREOTYPES / SWIPEF le a vinyl dise \ am 4 oe Beasts since \ Earoorsis or YouNocopyor A Thestreovype rocky note Le, ‘A.A stereotype cartoon ghostis human form n outline, almost resembling a baby fechnique and characterization. the musical genre. Thewrestor cute A rough, hay, me ae t a fue older wha 7 While including ‘A Abusiness executive, allthe necessary sometimes referred to simply as ‘costume and context "sul," Is defined by uniformity fora spaceman of dress, stereotype, this image plays with ‘convention, The exaggerat ‘A The cowboy is identified by {A The figure ot he wrestler, seulate 6 — his Stetson, boots, and lasso, ike the superhero, also iohty rendered ‘as well as by the background, Stereotypes male bodily with rocks and cactus, Characteristics, > The superhero genre figure, satirized here, stereotypes mainly male bodily characteristics‘STIPPLING Stippling isa form of non. directional shading, consisting, ‘of masses of small dots or Similar marks, The marks don't k sized and shaped ~ if you want that effect you are better off using mechanical tints re to be even or regularly Stippling can contain any kind of small-scale mark, such as tiny splotches, ticks, hooks, blobs, or even miniscule: images. The effect you get depends partly on the materials you use, ‘Non-directional shading is both an advantage andl a disadvantage in draw rolatively quiet and lunobtrusive; it doesn’t drag, your eye across the page, but it tends tobe fairly static, even serene. Linear shading is more dynamic, butif you wanta calming etfect of variable tone stippling is ideal, Itis not suitable for speedy subjects, such asa train whistling dawn {track ora person flying down, a slope on skis, butitisa good atmospheric device and a you can fill, and so on. That Subtle modeling method. Itis | sway the tones blend naturally avery accurate way of and you can create tonal resenting photographic | gradations by leaving some tonesand excellent for Areas relatively apen and fillin ncicental detail like the bloom | others more densely ‘ona person’s cheek ora mark fon their clothe The process of filing areas of your drawing with stippled marks is time-consuming and can be very tedious if you have tocover large areas, But avoid ‘open field of random marks all ‘over the shape; where you see ‘gaps, staet to fill them; then You see smaller gaps, which Hatching, pages 80-81 Light & Shade, pages 86-87 Texture Stippling is an excellent method {ormitating certain textures. but remember that you need to build up the forms as well, so take care not to stipple evenly all over the drawing ‘A Aquick method of tipping is touse astencil brush, of a bristle brush with the hairs splayed out. Use the minimum Of paint orink onthe brush, Rough stippling 1 This technique ts good for rugged characters. Draw tin pencil ornon-repro blue frst then start dashing n short pen strokes in dark shadow areas, roughiy following the same direction, Mottled stipple 2 Work down the drawing, then | When the sti ae marks are {go back and overwork the ‘drawn out into short lines, the darkest tones, Leave the ink | results simiar to shading. ‘outing unt last.i STIPPLING fine stippling Fris technique has a very radu Dulld-up, s0itis Bévisable to know what you re aiming for. Make a pencil sketch as a guideline (below) todecice how to treat cifterent j1eas of the image, Here the fis has usod gray paper for the sketch to act as a mid-tone, with hatched shading in pencil Zand highlighting in white crayon, 4 Lay in rough line work to form the basic structure. Keep the drawing minimal at this stage, '50 you donot pro:judge the {onal balance f “ fl f, | AW Ut [Lax anette” lckinthemain areas of 3 Goback over the whole “Repeat the process of Stason mini ctsmaie Shape, ewaing te stpolng igi al ovr crv wiheveryipotepen. _tpBuidupdenay tone end mating the dt pater more, Space eriereclseyin | stonghan he on. yo oep donse where you se any rough oop shacons suchas eround the dos ne and sepatae so saps, but preserving high Eenose anc bho Meter owsrot into Sides Thehale olathe, tet ih Biabak paar ¢ssea nth yeaa hove ioompnasize the smoothly stippled tone,STRIPS, The strip cartoon, or comic strip, isa long-established tradition of cartooning, but its status and presentation have been changing, Strips now vary from three-frame newspaper funnies, whi essentially throwaway items, to.up to 9 pages of narrative in picture-strip form, in what has become known as the graphic novel ‘A major difference between the strip and the one-shot cartoon is that the strip includes the element of time. You can develop the idea of a strip sequence simply by writing down some basic aspect of your lite~ your background, such as where you were born and who your parents were; ora mundane action that you perform day-to- day, like peeling a potato -and then focusing on the important dliails which you could visualize ina few pictures. If you find it intimidating to Work on itasa sequence of images, do them singly and paste them together to see how they work. The usual organization is multiples of three images, arranged in tiers, Stripsare not illustrations to story; the visual and verbal ‘elements are tightly knit ina kind of tosand-fro dance between them; one doesn’t ‘work without the other: As with single gags, you need to find the active moments in the story: what is exciting and ‘what isnot; what needs emphasis or not; who does what fo whom, The narrative hhas subjects and objects, and ina developing sequence itis ry important to make these relationships simple and striking (One aspect of this is keeping your characters absolutely’ recognizable, whether they are Anatomy af a comie strip page Y Acomic strip pageisa series of juxtaposed panels, the components of which are ‘anatomized here, showing how each combines to make up the page. cartios dalague or back'o tno picture by a tail ora row ol elipses The soundattect isa bold, onomatopaeic background acon. Asyou develop stip characters, draw of until you nc that person Inside ot and upside dove Because sips are unfoingin time ikea movie, but have no real movementor sound, you Words feature gy in stripy and deciding how they Funetions part ofthe overall complete aivision ofa contans picture, word “gut sound ese everything including the butine border provides aealigraphie The space between canbe nomare than simple cing ine styling and character of your idea. Do you need captions lundemeath, as well as dialogue in the frame? Or do caption and commentary fit within the image? Make sure you keep to the basic principle ‘of immediate impact and explanation - don’t complicate matters for your reader. I you are looking for along, term commission fora stip, remember that it may ran for many years, using three or more frames day. A one-joke Ser area ola panel and may extend across The caption usually certains the aration inico simply won't sustain the peposure;youhavetcreae | Ghiactrsand stations that Kan change and develop, orbe ised ina variety of ways.A Be pesrconist works ken ovelist or playwright ather kana typeof Visual stand-up Peomic Some people prefer te size in cther story o Pactures but you are inthe Bongest postion you canbe bath author and att In etal ters, you gel a Tip taken for publication, you may be asked to supply hatches that keep your publishera month ahead - it's alot of work, but deadlines are all-important, On comic books, there may be vast numbers of people working on different aspects of the same visualization, just because the timings so tight. A Comic strips in daly | fevspapers are usualy ates only part of a page. Such strips fan be just a singlo row, or “tier” of three or four panels. This is eminently suited to the {929 strip In this sort of format, you use the first panels to sot up the gag and put the punchline in the last panel 4 Those Pigiots exompltios the use the six-panel ‘grid commonty found in ‘American comics. ‘Structurally follows a similar ‘dramatic formula to the single-ier strip, above, ‘except that you have four panelsin which to setup the gag, This allows you more interplay between characters. sTRis (Characters in trips function ike characters in a movie or play. They are a cast: a group of figures held together by the traits which simultaneously distinguish them visibly rom tone another. Drawing them, you play a role similar to that of a casting director. A The “cast” of charactersis Clearly defined, This is a group (of uniformed police officers: visually, a group of uniforms with cifferent heads on top. The distinctions between each figure are reduced to shape and tone of hairstyle, facial features, ‘and decoration of uniforms, ‘A Ina comic stip you must draw your characters many times from many angles. From the outset, you must have & ‘mental picture of your “cast” in three dimensions. A good tip is to draw a model sheet for each characterSTRIPS The breakdown sma on Whether you have just two pane's or many pages tofillwith Your strip, the first stage ints Constructions the rough breakdown, Some cartoonists prefer to pencil out “thumbnail” ‘sketches at a fraction of tho finished antwork's size. Others ‘compose their sequences at the size their finished art will be reproduced. Either way the aim isthe same: taking ascripted or 4 The less space youhave, the tune their “payoff ines. Such merely visualized continuous tighter your scripting must be. strips are usually scripted in ‘sequence, you literally breakit Some gag cartoonists script___batches of a week or more, In children’s comics, above left, you may incorporate the distinctive attrbute of a character graphically into the title, and make it part of the character's name. In amore realistic stip, left, you might use the title to familiarize the reader with the main character and important narrative elements, Fight, the itl is the name of the leading characters. right use in an “establshing’ panel, It suggests an outdoors ‘scene, a sunny atmosphere, ‘anda past period. Ali figures are shown at medium distance. Right, panel six establishes the 4 Allthroughthis strip, he _ indicated by speech balloons position of characters siting artistas packed inasmuch __ pointing tothe front of a house, ‘round a dinner table, sothat information as possibie to build sting tin relation to a cemetery. panel 7 can feature a close view a sense af place and person. In This is followed by a cose view Cf the sinister MrMoodus with panel three, the conversation _ ofthe two girls that registers surplus deta omitted. between the children is litte mare than their expressions. 44. The background to an ‘overhead view grounds your figures and shows the layout of ascene, tisaclassic ‘establishing” image, supplying general details of ocation or ime. “The pictures in most comic strip panels contain three: ‘quarter views, usually in ‘combination with other types of view, as here in panel three, Such images include general detail of features which you ‘may have to lave out of an ‘establishing picture ora close-up.srRIs Pictorial depth Three panels of @ humor strip are enlarged and studied in detail for what they reveal about the way in which the ‘conventions of pictorial depth function in strip sequences. Tm SURE THAT THE PARGIC LIGHTBULB IS ONLY A SILLY FAIRYTALE ‘4 Characters arein he ‘midground, inthe act of walking. The background establishes a light, fantasy setting. The sweep ofthe path recedes behind thom and describes the direction from Which they have walked. No Message confirms whether or not they are approaching. For this, we will have to refer to the next panel, T Agree. No-oNe'S: EVER FOUND IT. rmidground: they are ‘approaching. Retrospectvely this indicates forward ‘movement in panel one. ‘A. There are differences at all dopths of the picture. The path’s direction has altered. The figures are largerin the also changed to show less detail 0 continue with the same ‘amount inthis pane! will make the picture too cluttered. ‘A. The characters are larger stil, and almost in the foreground, Here thay tencounter the foreground figure. The background has‘Transitions > Alter very ttle between ‘The kinds of transitions you can panels and you can focus on Jinake ina comicstrip are as minutiag. The positions of the Waried as any format wi ilalow foreground figure in bed, and {your drawings tobe, The the layout of the background, Hlustrations on this page remain constant. This strip is Jnclude some of the most typical about the changing of the “types! transitions be found foreground characier’s inthe formats of gag and ‘expression trom alarm to horror ‘continuity strips. as another character arrives at the door. @ ty > J) oF ‘A Position the caption tp of each panel and Teader uses it first to int the scene. gains the: atthe border agains the notional the cinematic frame of a camera iterpret_ shutter. Here, the panel status of transitions imply the horizontal TV voiceover. By slowly movement af acamera pan. altering the viewpoint, play the framing of the you can panel {A Choosing the moment of action to illustrate is crucial Look at what the reader isn't shown by the pictures in these panels. There's no image of the second figure bracing his arms and logs to strike the fst. “There's no image of the first figure falling or ofthe second turing to go. You make a whole ‘sequence through the images you choose as ifs parts, “4 Between panels two and three, and five and six, the backgrounds change compietely, signifying differences in place or time However, the figure of Rodney Crumpet is present in both two ‘and three. In other words, his Character has moved directly from one location to the other ‘and the surreal fagade of \Vulpine Villas replaces the relatively undistinetve interior of ppanels one and two. Inthe ‘scene-change between panels tive and six, there is no Continuity of figures, With this type of scene-change, your reader won't expecta ‘consequence: as fin this ‘example, Rodney were about to burst in and tak his cattlo-prod.Layouts Ifthere is @ rule in comie stip layout, I's that the more space you have, the more you do with It In the case ofa one-tie strip, your main job isto decide how you are going to put he panels, nex! to each other. Fora stip sequence that runs over a page ‘or moro, tho structure of tho whole page becomes integral to the storytelling process. On this age are five sequences showing different relations of panels in tiers and in the overall page layout ofa story stip, ¥ This layout follows the. pattern of auniform grid, The viewpoint and very sparse background change negligibly ‘concentrating the reader's altention on the anthropomorphic insect over inking > This singl-tior strip solves the space problem of the gag cartoonist by reducing the content toa simple exchange. Escentialy the same but for tho differont animated gestures that ‘make up the anthropomorphic dog's reply, the three center panels are crucial to the gaa's sot-up. > Incontrastto the above, this gg strip follows a more conventional layout. The fist, and biggest, panel contains an establishing picture with details of setting necessary forthe gag desert, sun, sweltering heat, {gas station, This folowed by ‘he gag itself: question in panel ‘wo and answer in panel three. YY Images introducing each ‘main participant, plus a logo. are followed by a ong, three- (quarter view ofthe train with silhouettes picking out the relative postions. Thisis.a tite ‘sequence but it has integrated into itself elements of the story V]warcan |All CC CONPIMONE Do FOR YA?) 15 oN THE B-BLIN Y These panels are decidedly out by surrounding the outline non-standard in shape, size, the diving figure. The curved and design. The L:shape ofthe panel shapes create guttors large panel dominates the lay-_ which suggest waves.TRIS rds > This stip sequence shows Thore are three principaltypes the figure of alte girlina Jofyercalingredientincomie matador costume riding a grips. Word balloons contain rocking horse. In panel one, thought and dialoguo. Captions JEEOOP!, separated from the include fist or third person picture space by a jagged ration. Sound effects render balloon, is read betore the: [Eonicforms phonetically. The repeated CRICKETY CRACK ot Fexampleshere all acknowledge _ the horse being rocked. Note [the "gravity" of stip reading in how the sound effect letering [which everything is scanned works in the pictorial space of a @ the sequence of pancls ona _ panel. Effect lettering can bo [page! from lefttoright and from cropped by the panel border top to botiom. just ike elements of the picture. YY Where you position order to pose a question, S aieriaiys | Ra Ee ES extensive dialogue inastrip, shapes apart ot the balloon Teese” Me meena ee ae you must bear in mind the order border over the balloon ai CaP inwhich balloons willbe read. containing the answer. Panels Quite complex arrangements three and five show overlapping can emerge, such as the spit _ balloons, used here to ensure. balloon in panel tnree which, in that dialogue does not mix. eked ng "rele s ARSENE 4A Funning narration beneath a inside the picture area. In pane! panel border is an archaic four, a speech balloon is nique. You can use it placed, asf were an etfect, on ashere, toevoke an the floo to indicate dialogue Old-fashioned “voice.” Unlike from the shadow of The bove right, sound effects and Penguin's unseen figure. Dalioons are crisply containedSTRIPS Stages of production (On these two pages, the essential stages in the development of a comic strip are outlined using the example of a story written by Alan MeKenzie and drawn by Stove Parkhouse. Ituses the mode! favored in the production of some comics, where writers approach publishers with an idea independent of an artist Ifthe ideais acceptable to an editor, the script willbe accepted on its own merits ‘A Betore laying out pages you can draw a model sheet of characters, so thal you know what they ook like from various angles, in postures and in appropriate costumes. ‘Sometimes this process is. > The scriptis laid out in a standard format listing panel rrumber, picture description, captions, dialogue, thought or sound effects. This method puts some onus on the writer to break down a sequence visually. Another popular ‘method isto describe the action that takes place on a page. to paass this toan artist, and to ‘write the definitive scrip later. referred to as “charactor ‘design.” Ithe characters are 10 be ina series, they may be drawn from descriptions in the water's story proposal, before a word of the first episode is scripted. ‘A The artisthas drawn an outline breakdown of where the panels are to fall on each age, numbering them and showing borders, with writen, notes on how the script may be altered to improve the flow.‘A The pencil stage. More detail Attho ink stago, all linos ang ‘required you are passing _black areas must be clear, thistoan inker than fyou are however loosely t inking it yourself ‘A Final anworkinciudes the For artwork thats in fll color, captions and balloons. For ine artwork, as here, lettering is ‘ay with registration drawn on patch-paper and marks to ensure that nothing luck directly on the inked page. slips outof place.Viewront A cartoon can be treated asa picture of something happening one step away from the viewer, or you can draw your audience into the frame almost as participants in the action, Similarly, the viewers Sympathy and association with the charactersand events within the cartoon can be to some extent directed by the cartoonist, by organizing the composition in a way that Suggests how they should see ity not just what they see. Take the example ofan encounter with the potential forconflict an argument petiween a married couple, or employer and employee; two [gunfighters lacing each other, a pairof animals squaring, uap fora spat. If you just show these characters centered within the frame, the viewer is an uninvolved onlooker and the situation seems equally weighted. To draw the viewer in, you could bring one of the protagonists right to the edge fof the frame, seeing the other beyond and as if from the fist petson's point of view. To Suggest that the combatants are unequal, you could just cone of them taller, fatter, wiscle-bound; oF you ould give your viewer 3 worm's-eye view, so that t nearer contestant looks huge and towering, while the other isdistanced alittle more and therefore appears in a relatively normal scale Some people have no trouble visualizing things from different angles, while others ave to toil away with perspective guidelines and gids. But taking a tinexpected viewpoint can give much greater impact to you! cartoon, underlining the point or inserlinga subversive FURTHER INFORMATION Backgrounds, pages 32-37 Viewpoint and impact ‘A This confrontation remains Girectly between the two protagonists: youas viewer | wate tke amove, toma | ~ ‘comfortable distance. The characters are symmetrically positioned and equally defines In scale and detal. ‘A This dramatic and interest {angle puts the viewer inthe lin of fire. The figures overlap, but distance fs created by accurate handling of tone and scale.¥ The so-called “worm's-eye ‘or ground-level viewpoint literaly heightens the drama, Here the shapes that create the leaning stance of the foreground figure, seen almost foreshortoning to work convincingly. 3 Mm ‘A. The way these figures are Cut offby the frame in close view explains a huge difference Intheir heights. That part of the Joke works without any caption. y ¥ The character looming out ot the frame, right in front of the Viewer, gets the harder definition of heavyweight ine.THEMES ONE WAY 70 LEARN HOW 70 CARTOON IS TO LOOK AND SEE HOW OTHER PEOPLE DO'T. THIS GALLERY SECTION EXHIBITS A VARIETY OF MEDIA, SUBTECT MATTER, AND S7VLES IN FIVE OIFFERENT GENRES.