Knowing where to draw the line....Life As A Cartoonist

@oldiebutgoody Thank you for your wonderful post!

More on Thomas Nast:
"Known as “The President Maker,” Nast’s persuasive, and sometimes scathing cartoons proved crucial in influencing the nation’s vote and affecting the outcomes of six presidential elections between 1864 and 1884. His illustrations supported the causes he believed in and the candidates he thought were best. Nast was also responsible for the association of the elephant as a symbol for the Republican party and the popularization of the donkey as the symbol for the Democratic party."
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Thomas Nast, 175 years old
 

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Tarpé Mills (25 February 1918 – 12 December 1988) was the pseudonym of comic book creator June Mills, one of the first major female comics artists. She is best known for her action comic strip, Miss Fury, featuring the first female action hero created by a woman.

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We had a kid in our senior high school class that was a really good artist. Every 2 weeks or so, he would draw one of the Seniors into a cartoon. I wished now that I would have kept some. He had a cartoon of me running the football into the end zone. There was a defense player hanging onto my waist as I crossed the line and the caption was the defense player saying, "Why don't you lose some weight?" I was kind of big in school at 202 pounds and 5 feet 11 1/2 inches tall. I have lost a full inch since retirement. I can hardly believe it. I have also lost about 20 pounds.
 

"See a video here of a celebration of the San Francisco Chronicles cartoonist Phil Frank's life at Washington Square, San Franciso."

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Cartoonist Life Celebration
 
15 Secrets of Caricature Artists
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"The word caricature likely conjures up images of street artists on boardwalks or outside museums working up quick, humorous sketches of visitors, to the delight or dismay of their subjects. But the exaggerated illustrations of caricature include a lot more than what you see on the boardwalk—and can be more art than kitsch."

"We spoke to three experts in the field about the subjects caricature artists love and hate to depict, the best way to make their job harder, what they do if you don't like their drawing, and how they can tell when you really don't want to sit for a portrait." READ MORE
 
Morrie Turner, the First Nationally Syndicated African American Cartoonist.......
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2014
"Morris "Morrie" Turner, creator of the Wee Pals comic strip, passed away recently at the age of 90. Turner is often regarded as a pioneer, becoming the first African American to have a nationally syndicated comic strip. Wee Pals was considered an "integrated" strip in the '60s and it dealt with very real issues, including bullying, sexism, and racism, issues that feature prominently in a lot of cartoons today but was rare in 1965."

"Turner started the strip with inspiration from his mentor Charles Schulz, the creator of Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang. According to Contra Costa Times, Turner once asked Schulz why there were no Black characters in Peanuts and Schulz's reply was that he should create his own strip. Wee Pals saw moderate success and really gained nationwide attention following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. In the four decades since, Turner has inspired countless young artists, won several awards for his children's books, and even appeared in an episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."
 
Charles Addams Cartoons Are Far Darker Than The Addams Family Films

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"The Addams Family cartoons packed more danger into black and white panels than large or small screens can capture."
"Linda H. Davis is the author of Charles Addams: A Cartoonist’s Life, the only biography written about Addams. She says the creator of The Addams Family would have mixed feelings about the continued success of his New Yorker magazine creations. Davis tells Den of Geek the artist would have been happily surprised by the characters’ endurance, “and very disappointed that he missed out on all the really big money.”

"The biographer also believes the films and series slightly missed their marks. “It seems to me that the knowledge of Addams’ cartoons isn’t deep enough,” Davis says. “They’re not nearly as dark as the original cartoons. The cartoons are really more sinister and don’t rely on pratfalls.”
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"Keith Knight creates cartoons that highlight his experiences and experiences of underrepresented communities. Watch our latest Day in the Life release and find out how he followed his passion of cartooning. Watch this video to follow his journey."

Day at Work: Cartoonist
 

Even a cartoon has to retire sometime (2015)


Eddie is retiring.

"After appearing in a decade's worth of television and print advertising, Principal Financial Group is shelving its iconic "everyman" cartoon spokesman."
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"Over the last 10 years, Eddie-centered advertising has appeared in media outlets across the country and reached audiences as far away as India and Hong Kong. With his blue pants and orange shirt, the simple-looking character touted the benefits of planning and saving for retirement."
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I once worked as a manual draftsman at a phone company's engineering dept.
Because I was drawing all day, getting inspired came easily. I remember caricaturing a couple coworkers.
I loved being paid to draw all day. But over time they developed drawing using computer programs and pencil drafters had to drop the pencil.
I have a biography on Charles Schulz.
As a kid, I read a couple paperbacks full of his Peanuts strip.
Bil Keane attended a Catholic elementary school my kids once attended and there was a couple of his cartoons on display there.

I really miss the two pages of comics in the daily and Sunday paper. Peanuts, Family Circus, Nancy to name a few.
 

This Is Your Cartoonist's Guide to the Best Life Ever

John P. Weiss
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"Congratulations! Clearly, you’re a discriminating reader in search of answers. You bypassed the usual self-help piffle to swim in deeper waters. Intuitively, you sense that this humble cartoonist holds the secrets to a better life. Then again, maybe you’re just desperate and decided to throw caution to the wind. Whichever path, razor discernment or reckless abandon, I’m glad you’re here. In the end, we all want a better life."

"Take a deep breath ,and solace in the fact that the advice herein didn’t cost you a cent. Some say free advice is worth the price you pay, but don’t worry about that. There’s some wisdom here, I promise. And a few cartoons."
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As a kid, two things I loved were studying Rockwell's paintings on the covers of The Saturday Evening Post each week, and reading the funny papers. One of my favorite's was Walt Kelly's "Pogo". As I got a little older I could understand some of the societal comments his characters made:

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