What advice would you give to a cartoonist just beginning his career?

Don Orehek: Gag Cartoonist
“I would investigate animation. There are a lot of possibilities in that field. The School of Visual Arts has a course on animation taught by Howie Beckerman, and he’s a great teacher. A lot of the markets that I used to sell cartoons to aren’t around anymore. I still sell to Playboy, but the magazines like Ladies Home Journal and The Saturday Evening Post aren’t buying like they used to. Some of the magazines, like Look and True, aren’t even around anymore. When Helen Gurley Brown retired from Cosmopolitan they stopped buying cartoons. It’s kind of tough today, and I think someone just starting out would look at a cartooning field that’s growing, like animation.”

Will Eisner: The Spirit
“It’s really an unfair question because the conditions are so different now. When I started in cartooning, it was like the gold fields in Alaska—nothing had been discovered yet. But if you wanted to become a comic-book artist today, I would advise you to visit the conventions, even the small ones, to see what’s going on out there and to talk to publishers about what they’re interested in. Second, I would produce material and send out photocopies all day long. If you want to be an artist, team up with a writer who can give you good stories to work with. Third, I would suggest you look into self-publishing. It’s a lot more possible to self-publish today than it was in the 1930s. You can have it printed and then peddle it yourself. It’s also important to develop a background in literature, so you should read a wide variety of material.
“On the business side, the major houses are nowadays willing to allow creators to retain copyrights of characters, so you can protect your rights. If you think you’ve got an idea that will become the next Superman, get someone like your local newspaper to publish it, and include a copyright notice, then register the copyright. No one can take it from you.
“The other thing is, get a day job and do your cartooning at night.”

Gus Arriola: Gordo
“My first recommendation would be to reconsider. If you’re a masochist who enjoys the stress of daily deadlines, you should also be aware of other obstacles such as the continuing size reductions. The near-microscopic size of the strips seriously restricts artistic expression. If you’re a storytelling artist, the comic-book medium might suit you better.
“Before you commit yourself to a career as a cartoonist, you should consider a less stressful life, such as bomb demolition or landmine clearing.”

Sergio Aragones: Mad Magazine “A beginning cartoonist needs to have perseverance. This is not a career where you gain recognition early. It’s like being an actor—you have to work for years before you get recognition for what you’re able to do. No one should expect immediate results.
“Also, you should learn about the new technologies. It’s important to learn about the new media. But no matter what technique you have, it’s important to be able to draw well. It’s not just how you draw, but what you draw. If you know what you’re drawing, you become your own boss. If you understand your craft, you can become a master of it. However, understanding your craft takes a lifetime of constant learning. If you’re just drawing to make a living, you’re not learning anything. You’ll always be an employee.”

Bob Thaves: Frank and Ernest “All I’ve ever told people is that you have to love what you’re doing. You’d better have a passion for it, because it’s a very demanding line of work. No cartoonist is great every day, but if you have that basic infatuation for what you do it will carry you through.
“Secondly, if you have what you think is a good idea, stick with it. If you have a concept that’s different and the syndicates tell you to change it, you should resist the urge to change it. When I sent Frank and Ernest out to the syndicates, I was rejected. They all had very fixed ideas about how a comic strip should be designed, and everyone told me they couldn’t sell a strip that was one long panel with this big lettering. What they told me made intuitive sense, but I believed that I had a good idea. The syndicates wanted me to reformat it, and I didn’t want to. Finally, Phil Pastoret at NEA said he liked it and they would take a fling at it, and they did.
“Also, you should be as generally knowledgeable as you can. I see a lot of stuff in comic strips that is just dumb in an intellectual sense. Cartoonists should educate themselves, read books and get educations even past college.”

Mort Walker: Beetle Bailey “Syndication is the only way to go. I keep thinking about how lucky I was to get into syndication, to get a cartooning job with a contract. When I was doing gag cartoons, I’d sell my work to an editor who loved my stuff, and then one day he’d be gone, and so would my sales.
“One of my best friends was Curt Swan, the top Superman artist for many years, and all of a sudden they stopped buying his stuff. I actually went to the DC Comics offices to ask the editor why they weren’t buying Curt’s work anymore, and I was told that he drew realistically, and that wasn’t what they wanted. Basically, he drew too well. But the fact is, he was a freelance artist, and there’s a risk. Like I said, syndication is the way to go.”