Unappreciated Cartoonist!

[Drtooth]

's allright! 's all good! I just have to correct people when they say that! I mean, it's just that these ttypes of people are so high class the only cartoons they like are the dull ones in the New Yorker (Charles Addams was a genuis, but the others are....ackg!!!!)


Don't feel sorry for me. I mean, it's just frustraiting and I want to vent my disgust on this board rather than punching more holes in the walls at home! I just spackled the last one!

 

[GWGumby]

Originally posted by Drtooth
Curious... Gumby, what guys do YOU want to smack across the mouth?

My wife is an avid collector of children's books. She buys random lots from e-bay so we've got hundreds of children's books. Some of them I look at in wonder at the amazing artwork (like "How Does A Dinosaur Say Goodnight" or "The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear" or "The Napping House") and other's I look at and wonder, what was the artist smoking. I'd provide a list, but at the moment, I can't seem to remember anything other than the ones I really like. I need to go home or to a book store to make a list of the bad ones.

Sometimes the bad art fits the story, like "The Dumb Bunnies" which I absolutely love. But usually I feel like it's the artist using the excuse that since it's for kids they don't have to care about good artwork, or that they have to "dumb it down" for them.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

GOOD GRIEF!!

I just sat here and wrote a ton of information about all this, and I can't say it in a way to not sound so harsh, but get over it folks! I'm in the same boat, I suffered art school as a cartoonist and you have to realize something NOW...cartoon art will never be regarded as "true art" until it begins getting the respect it deserves.

Think about it, the only time you really ever see cartoon art is when it's in reprint on newsprint paper, sometimes even chopped up and/or edited by that newspaper and run at a very small scale. That is the whole point of the MidSouth Cartoonists Association is to 'promote cartoon as art.' We've held a few art shows over the past few years, did the whole opening reception thing and had tons of people come through. Guess what? They all still thought of cartoons as a blurb in the newspapers.

I hate to bust bubbles here, but according to a cartoonist friend of mine that works on a nationally syndicated comic strip you can pretty much count on the decline of cartooning. Newspapers would rather sell that space to advertisements than pay to run comic strips, and unless you REALLY know someone, you can bet that getting into the field is NOT going to be easy. And self-publication is hard, too, unless your family is wealthy and really likes you (per 2 experiences of friends of mine). And internet will kill the printed comic strip, I'm sad to say.

What I've noticed is that the majority of comic books today involve vigilante type blood and sex stories, super heros and big chested women. Comic strips? The funny is gone and cartoonists are doing more dramatic lines and such, or they just lack humor (ie, Hagar the Horrible, which one friend of mine used to write for).

The ugly truth is that cartooning is not going to be easy to get into and it will never be regarded with the respect from the public or 'fine artists' as we'd like there to be.

On the other hand, if you are doing work besides cartooning and want to cartoon, what are you doing nights? I work in an (ick) insurance office by day, and do cartooning and puppetry nights and weekends. You have to MAKE TIME for it to do it.

Don't know how and want to learn? Best means for learning the art of cartooning is by learning art first.

Think you know how to draw already? I'm sure someone out there could critique what you've done and tear it to shreds (Lord knows, I have been ripped apart a million times, but learned from it). The only REAL critiques are the ones that are most harsh, but use it as a means to learn, not get your feelings hurt.

Already cartooning? SUBMIT SUBMIT SUBMIT!!! Sitting on your precious comic strips are NOT getting you published. Getting rejection letters? I keep mine, they show me that I'm trying and am being looked at, but you have to keep submitting to get into the field, and "You can't take no for an answer."

I know some of this seems negative, but I am only telling you the truth. In art school, do the 'fine art' as a COMPLIMENT to your cartoon art! Don't just put it down because it isn't cartooning, and when you're older, you'll thank me for saying to do so.

Well, when you're older and published...

FOZ

 

[Drtooth]

I do do fine art (heh heh heh! I said Do do!!). I can do it, it's just it doesn't seem as fun to me. Sort of like Picasso when he went from his semi-realistic peices to the more abstract stuff.

And I couldn't agree more. Comic strips aren't that funny anymore. Garfield, Dilbert, Fox Trot, Zits, Curtus, and Mother Goose and Grimm are the only ones that are still good (Peanuts han't had any new work since it's creator is no longer with us). Want to know which comic I really hate? Sylvia

images.ucomics.com/comics/tmsyl/2002/tmsyl021010.gif

I can draw better with a pencil up my butt!

And I totally agree with what you are saying. The sad thing is that the Comic books are all about long miserable stories about death murder and sex pot women (created by men who can't get a ^&%$ date!). I only read comics like the Tick and various TV ones like Felix the cat, The Simpsons, and Dexter's Lab! And people wonder where the market for comic books has gone down!

I think your stuff is great! Though some poor fool would think that talking animals has been over done, I find it welcoming! Talking animals are the BEST cartoon characters. Other than The Simpsons, I can't off the top of my head think of any famous Human cartoon characters, well, the cast of Peanuts...

My stuff is kind of like the Tick and Animaniacs, sort of a satirical bit. I have several comic characters like Mighty, who's this Slimey super hero who fights cartoonish supervillans, in the context that there have been so many super hero cartoons, it's rediculous! Also, I have a comic called Skunk Squad, a team of (obviously) inept spies. I have more, like Renegade Hog, a sort of Mad Max type figure, but he's experimental. I'm going to do a short animation of him for a class!

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Originally posted by Drtooth


I can draw better with a pencil up my butt!

I'd like to see that...er, scanned. Not in person, tho.

FOZ

 

[Drtooth]

update: 11/13/02

I feel so unappreciated here. No one likes my stuff, and I'm starting to take Criticism Personally. I sometimes don't even know why I do it! You saw my Sketches on the Palisades board, and they weren't that great. Even for roughs. I just want to graduate and get the H*** out of here!

Can some one please cheer me up?

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Always do the very best you can and do it from your heart. I did an article once called "Honey, does this dress make me look fat? The art of asking for criticism and accepting it." I did it because I'm one of the few people that actually listens and learns from criticism and not take it personally.

I also wrote it to help a friend of mine.

If you want me to hunt it up and send you a copy, email me.

FOZ

 

[Drtooth]

Originally posted by Fozzie Bear
Always do the very best you can and do it from your heart.

I try my best, and do it form the heart. In fact I practically kill myself getting this stuff ready! I fixed some stupid peice, because almighty instructor said it was "unacceptable presentation," I wond up cutting myself, very bad. I cannot take this! I am at the end of my rope!

Chokin' back the tears, Dr. Tooth

 

[Fozzie Bear]

The secret to school:

Do what the instructor wants you to do just to get out...then do it YOUR way after learning all the techniques and stuff.

The problems with instructors is that they don't teach ART, they teach THEIR ART, see what I mean?

To heck with him, but do what he/she says to do just to get thru it all, and forget about them later.

Though, I should have paid better attention and learned to draw realistically. I hate myself for not being able to draw more realistically.

FOZ

 

[Drtooth]

Well, Fozzie, thanks for cheering me up somewhat, but I am still down! I have just had an unbeleiveably horrid days these past two days, and I just couldn't take the stress. I am not a crying man, mind you, but I did! I have never been this upset in my life! But you people are doing what you can to help me, and I applaud you! Thanks!