Now, I know what some are thinking, “WHAT!? You don’t like cartoonzz!?” But in reality, I grew up loving to watch cartoon shows and reading the massive comic pages in the Sunday newspaper (while drinking my coffee of purely sugar). Think of it as being your career path. There are so many job opportunities like writing for films, illustrating books, or having a strip in the newspaper. It almost sounds too easy to even be a job, but when it comes down to actually drawing a cartoon, that’s when I take a step back.
Like all art careers, you have to work and climb that ladder to success. In other words, some artists struggle to stand on their own two feet after graduating college, and they have to sweat to get a stable career. Being a cartoonist, you are competing against others who are well-known, like Jim Davis (Garfield) and Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes). Of course, not everyone leans toward making comic strips but they can relate in ‘what it takes to be a cartoonist’.
Cartoonists draw and use words to get their message across. For instance, their reason might be for a political, humorous, learning, or even just-for-fun purpose, plus so much more. Needless to say, a cartoonist needs to have outstanding drawing skills plus, depending interests, knowledge of worldly news and good grammar and literary skills. When choosing a major, they must think about personal interests and goals so perhaps majoring in Journalism would be the path to take, if one wants to pursue that type of cartooning. Unless, a school of interest majors in cartooning, then a portfolio might consist of different cartoon strips, figures, etc. As a cartoonist, one must have their own creative and intellectual ideas which are refrained to a short time span, or deadline. A good way to get involved early is to try to draw cartoon strips for a school newspaper. It is pretty much required to be able to work well with people and communicate efficiently. The salary, too, depends on the particular job desired, but it ranges from $50 to $1,500+ per week and an average of about $40,000 annually. To check out what the average salary in your state, click here.
“To be, or not to be (a cartoonist).” I personally could not, mainly because I can not draw in a consistent way to make the drawing always look the same. I find it hard to do so, and there would probably be many noticeable eraser marks of me trying to get it right. While I do find joy in looking at a cartoonist’s work, I haven’t had that “spark” of talent arise in myself to be able to make out-of-this-world comics. BUT have no fear cause I have found a way to help in my or anybody else’s lacking of cartoon fun!
CLICK LINK BELOW! :D
http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/
Works Cited:
"Cartoonist and Animator Job Description, Career as a Cartoonist and Animator, Salary, Employment - Definition and Nature of the Work, Education and Training Requirements, Getting the Job- StateUniversity." Job Descriptions and Careers, Career and Job Opportunities, Career Search, and Career Choices and Profiles- StateUniversity . N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2011. <http://careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/102/Cartoonist-Animator.html>.
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