Getting In Touch With Your Cartoonist Within

I have heard it said over and over again if you are not a good artist, don't even consider the notion of being a cartoonist.

I love cartooning but I'm not a great artist. I can write as well as the best of them. Thanks to some of the leading cartoonists in the country, they showed me how it can be done, without even drawing a straight line. Their names are Leigh Rubin (Rubes), John McPherson (Close To Home) and Dave Coverly (Speed Bump). The year was 1997. My confidence level was at an all time high. My pocket book at an all time low. Could I make it? Would there be landmines? The best and worst was yet to come.

Starting even the most socially acceptable stable business can be difficult. Imagine a 44 year old who couldn't do much else well deciding cartooning would be his way up the corporate ladder, so to speak. That is the beginning of my story. It goes downhill from there.

I also can't tell you how many times I nearly "threw in the towel". A day did not go by that I was not certain I could never do this again. In 2001, I suffered a major heart attack, and was for certain I would never create again. Oddly enough, the opposite happened. I was more productive than ever after that event.

No neon light went on that said, "You've made it. Artists will start seeking you out now. They simply did. It was a process. It was slow. But it happened.

So do you have to draw to be a cartoonist? See above text. Of course not.

Not all cartoons are meant to be funny. However, if you are billing your cartoon as a funny one, I might suggest you either be funny, or have a funny ghost writer.

One does not have to stop with a cartoon site. There are ways to produce revenue from them, such as making Ecards, creating a membership site, or selling the cartoons to magazines and newspapers, but the big money is in merchandising and licensing, that is, creating products, or letting others do it, with permission to use your cartoon images.

Planning, studying, researching, and finally doing, That is really all there is to it. When you hit obstacles and challenges, and you will, don't be afraid to act even if it means making mistakes. Because if you learn from those mistakes, you will do it right, or at least better next time.

The tell yourself you know you are going to come across rejection. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. I cannot begin to tell you how many rejection letters don my walls. I remember the first one that was from an angry New York literary agent. I wanted to do a series of cartoon books and queried agents (before I was even a little-bit well known). I received one letter back; it was the one I sent her and she merely wrote at the bottom "What do I need with another failed cartoonist?". I braced myself for the emotional blow and kept going, knowing that Margaret Mitchell had over 40 rejection letters for Gone With The Wind. Isaac Asimov had his share. So did many others. So why not me? I had fun putting myself in the league with literary giants who were used to rejection. Suddenly I felt a bond with them.

I highly suggest buying a domain name and use it to brand yourself. You can point it to your server where your cartoons are parked, do a bit of promotion, and you are in business!

If you have been a starving artist or writer for seven years, you know what to expect. It is not fun, but it is familiar. Suddenly success comes and you don't know how to act. My advice, don't buy a new red Mercedes convertible just yet. But be prepared. If you've put in the legwork and laid the foundation, you may just be one of the 1% or so who "make it".

All this is due to persistence. And now we have Ezines, blogs and other media available to us that Charles Schulz did not.

I know myself well. I am not the most talented guy in the world, but not the least either. I can write a good line and turn a phrase.

The Internet has virtually (no pun intended) leveled the playing field for anyone with the least bit of creativity who wants to express it.

To me, cartooning and journalism is watching the U.S. Constitution in action. Nothing could be more pure than this sort of freedom of expression by the people. Our founding fathers were beyond brilliant, don't you think? Whatever your goals, I wish you the best of luck and a prosperous New Year.

By: Rick London

4.5 million visitors click on Londons Times Cartoons by Rick London each year at offbeat cartoons and his new unique comic merchandise gift shop, Londons Times Superstore, and new cartoon clothing line store Rick Londonwear. He launched his venture in an old warehouse in Ms. in 1997.

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