Being working artists provides us with the highest of highs and, at times, the lowest of lows. There are times when ‘the big break’ finally comes, only to find out it wasn’t quite so big after all, or the deal falls through and you’re back where you started, head in hands, unspending all the money you didn’t make. If you haven’t experienced the heights and frights of the working artist roller coaster ride, stand by, you will.

How do we deal with that? How can we embrace the moments of victory and not allow ourselves the emotional free-fall that occurs when we’re derailed? I’m no therapist, but I’ve been doing this long enough to have experienced on innumerable occasions these extremes. As discussed in the “Dealing With Rejection For Artists and Cartoonists” post, it’s all about your perspective.

Things really got rolling for me in 2009, and it seemed that the world was my oyster. The very first deals that came to me had the potential to be massive, and by massive, I mean MASSIVE! Big cabin cruiser, BMW 7 series, hob-knobbing with the big-shots, Christmas every day massive. Terms were agreed to, contracts were signed, overseas production lines were ramped up – we were ready to go. And then the market, specifically for these lines of products, imploded. Completely, unalterably imploded. It’s quite possible the timing was the worst ever in the recorded history of mankind. In future millennia, archaeologists will dig up the fossilized remnants of this deal and say to one another, “Hey Bob – we just found the quintessential example of the worst timing in the known universe. It was so bad, it may have laid the groundwork for the fall of civilization. Let’s leave it here in case there are reverberations of suckiness that transcend space and time.” I made enough money to buy a six-pack of crappy beer. Talk about deflating!

At that moment, I had a choice to make. I could either let that crushing experience redefine my goals, redefine the value I place in my work, and consider stepping away into a kinder, gentler arena such as wrestling man-eating angry alligators. Or, I could step back from the event, slow down and consider the opportunity I’d been given, regardless of the ultimate outcome. I had a major company take interest in my work and invest a great deal of money incorporating it into their products. How is that not a victory? I became grateful, and it made all the difference in the world. Has this happened to you? Validation can take many forms – it’s not relegated to financial terms. We can’t control market conditions. The economy tanked in a “Captain, that looks an awful lot like an iceberg right in front of us.” kind of way, and we were all just passengers in for the ride. Sometimes, factors that are entirely beyond our control determine portions of outcomes. That’s life. The raging success stories most often aren’t those who had nothing but good fortune on the bullet train to riches and adoration. Chances are, they were the ones who took their lumps but remembered why they were there in the first place. Ultimate outcome, in my experience, is determined by you and how you percieve events that impact you.

It’s my belief that as artists, we tend to be more perceptive of the details – more aware of the nuances that surround us. And perhaps that can sometimes be to our detriment – a forest for the trees scenario. If, in times when the roller coaster is cresting and the fall looks particularly precipitous, think for a moment how much energy and effort it took to get you there. How many others in or out of your field, likely of millions, have reached that point and can see what you see? Slow down, be aware of the distance we’ve just climbed and admire the view -  there’s value in that. If we realize that ups and downs are inevitable – in fact, they’re a sign not just of life, but of forward progress – will we be better able to make the journey to the place we want to be? I’m confident that’s the case.

Since the events of 2009, the process has repeated itself plenty of times for me. The highs have been magnificent and the lows have been low enough for me to read the Devil’s shoe size. And that’s pretty low. Each time, I find myself understanding more fully that this is just a part of the process. Success really is a journey and the map ahead is filled with peaks and valleys.  When you’re on a peak, enjoy it fully. My wife and I have a favorite restaurant we go to only when we’re standing on the peak. When we’re in the valleys we remind ourselves how amazing it is to be among those few who get to take this road – our fellow artists and cartoonists. Along the way I stop, look around, and feel gratitude for my even being on this ride. We are most certainly the lucky few.

Just a brief update – I had the great pleasure to be interviewed by the host of my favorite cartooning podcast, Tom Racine of Tall Tale Radio. I had already been addicted to the interviews with my favorite cartoonists when Tom contacted me. I was thrilled and honored to participate. I have to admit, I’m not the most talkative person on any given occasion with the possible exception of, say, a mime convention, but I stammered my way through it and hopefully won’t become anyone’s newest cure for insomnia. Here it is (click on the image below) – let me know what you think!

One of the greatest joys, for me, in cartooning is the ability to create something new when the mood and opportunity strikes. I get immense pleasure working on “Spectickles“, “Percenters”, and the other cartoons I’ve created myself or in collaboration with writers (“A Wing And A Prayer” with Ken Alley, “Karma Café” with Richard Cross).

From “A Wing And A Prayer” cartoon collection with author Ken Alley.

“Karma Café” with publisher Richard Cross.

But there are times when stepping away from familiar work to create something entirely new can recharge the creative batteries. Such is the case with “Foggy Bottom”, my latest collaborative effort with artist, writer, and fellow military veteran Dave Ditullio.

Dave and I come from odd backgrounds for cartoonists. He was in BUDS (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) training at the same time I was going through SWCC (Special Warfare Combatant Craft Crewman) training at the same facility although we didn’t know each other at the time. The training is similar (a high-quality beat-down of historic proportions), but our missions are different. Dave had to leave training due to a family issue and I went on to serve overseas with the SWCC Teams. We actually met for the first time at a Naval Reserve Center in Buffalo, NY and hit it off right away. We’re both absurdly competitive and our military backgrounds make us something of an anomaly in our geographic region. Luckily, our wives are patient beyond measure as Dave and I typically turn our competitive nature into abusing one another. Rarer still is the fact that we’re both artists – exceptionally unusual coming from our Special Warfare calling.

We recently decided to use the energy we typically expend on abusing one another into a cartoon we call “Foggy Bottom”, the embarrassingly odd name of a Washington D.C. suburb, although that has nothing to do with our cartoon. We’ve developed a cast of underwater characters and present them in a single panel format. We’ve got TONS of material, and we have the good fortune to be represented by Bill Kellogg’s Ink Bottle Syndicate, so keep your eyes peeled for “Foggy Bottom” in your local weekly newspaper. And, if misfortune should find you without “Foggy Bottom” in your local weekly newspaper, by the power of Thor’s Hammer, demand it!

When I started in cartooning many years ago, I drew in a way that, at the time, was natural to me. I’d read a few books on the subject, visited a few websites and applied what others had done before me. When I started, I suspected that the characters I drew would always have that same appearance, that there was no evolution of design. Such was not the case.

Here’s one of the earliest cartoons I created, heavy on cross-hatching and strictly black and white. Color hadn’t yet entered my skill set.

Like most cartoonists early on, I’d had my sights set on syndication and had submitted several concepts to the major syndicates, all of which were impersonally rejected. The work had been created with that in mind – heavy use of bold blacks, drawn to what I’d understood to be the required dimensions for reduction, etc.

After a steady stream of military deployments, I’d find myself reinventing the work when I’d return home – not really a bad thing. I started adopting a more ‘cartoony’ style, abandoning the chase for a more realistic look, which tends to be less memorable and engaging in cartooning. Part of what’s required for a successful cartoon is a distinctive, memorable look, the start of what some describe as a brand.

You can see here where I began to abandon the cross-hatching style and give the characters a rounder, softer look.

Soon, I began trying to identify traits that I considered visually funny. Among the first was glasses. I started drawing large glasses on my characters and giving them something of a dumpy look. If you look around, you’ll find physical traits that you consider humorous, and when exaggerated, make for a character that becomes memorable and fun to look at. Now, mind you, we’re not looking to do so in an effort to be mean or cruel – I’ve heard some VERY unpleasant stories from caricaturists who draw people who are paying to have their features distorted in a cartoonish way. Turns out, they didn’t like that!

Among the first cartoons where I begin adding glasses as a humorous feature.

When I went to my family home near Albany, New York, my mother has a picture of my great grandparents. I hadn’t really given the matter a great deal of thought at the time, but when I saw my great-grandmother’s glasses, I knew they’d make a great addition to my developing characters.

Among the first uses of the stereotypical “Spectickles” over-sized fifties-ish glasses.

Within a few years, I’d finally landed where I suspect my “Spectickles” characters will remain in appearance. I sought feedback from family, friends, cartoonist colleagues, and the buying market to better tweak my characters, resulting in what you see now. But, as you’ve read, the process took time, a great deal of thought and consideration, and the acquisition of new skills to get where I wanted to go.

I continue to work in new mediums, create new characters and cartoons, and utilize different tools as the mood strikes. All of which are an essential part of developing as an artist and cartoonist. And most importantly, to me anyway, all of which has been enormously enjoyable and rewarding.

Dave Ditullio and I have been hard at work creating new material for “Foggy Bottom” as well as perfecting characters we’d like to play a major role in the cartoon. I’ve actually reached out to my fellow U.S. Navy Chiefs and the overwhelming response to our latest character, ‘Chief’ has been extremely positive.

We’ll be reaching out to more of our Navy friends, family and professional associations and see their reaction. To date, hundreds of Navy Chiefs are excited to see it – we hope not to disappoint! ‘Chief’ and his “Foggy Bottom” gang will be available for weekly newspapers through Bill Kellogg’s Ink Bottle Syndicate – be sure to ask for it in your local weekly newspapers!

The Yang to ‘Chief’s’ Ying is another of our latest characters, ‘Sarge’. We gave him a ‘flat-top’, an appropriate rank tattoo on his right arm, the ever-bubbling cigar, and colors suitable to an Army-related character.

Dave, on the other hand, will be showing ‘Sarge’ around to his fellow Army servicemen and women for their feedback. Again, the response has been very positive. We look forward to hearing your feedback, and if you like it, let us and our syndicate, Ink Bottle Syndicate and its Marketing Director, Bill Kellogg know!

I am immensely fortunate in so many ways. Greatest of all is my family. Earlier this month, my wife and I renewed our vows in the ceremony we had always wanted. Of course, I’m quite concerned about the judgment of any woman crazy enough to marry me twice. Shelly has been incredibly supportive and is the biggest cheerleader for my cartoons. Having someone in your corner means a lot when the going gets tough, and she’s never faltered in her support.

My beautiful Shelly and I beside the small lake, just outside the historic building where we’d had out ceremony and reception.

Two of the finest warriors I’ve ever known and with whom I’ve gone into harms way stood with me during the ceremony – thank you Ed and Dave – your presence made the day extraordinary.

The ceremony just concluded, and Shelly and I are heading out to greet our guests as they enter for the reception. Shelly’s beautiful smile was the beacon that led me home after so many months spent overseas.

My background is a bit far afield of what you’d expect for a cartoonist, but whatever the events that led me here, I’m happy this is the result.

4 year old Aidan is overpowering me, dragging me onto the dance floor.

Thank you to all who follow my work and make every day a pleasure to be a cartoonist.

Cheers!

When I really got focused and started in cartooning in the middle of 2008, I’d decided to try a different route than most others who came before me. It seemed to me that submitting to syndicates ad nauseum and receiving the river of rejection letters wouldn’t get me where I wanted to go. I looked at the problem from a different angle and tried to find a different path to success. I’d read about licensing and the incredible financial possibilities and results gained by some of the more recognizable cartoon characters.

So, in early 2009 I went all in. I approached a number of licensing agents, approached some major companies, and started to see some pretty amazing opportunities appear. I had the great good fortune to see my work appear on greeting cards, calendars, figurines, coffee mugs and a whole bunch of other stuff. It appeared I was well on my way to hitting and surpassing the financial goals I’d set for myself.

The reality kicked in, and sales weren’t what they could’ve or should’ve been. This is a humbling experience. I began to seek answers to the lackluster sales in licensing, and one thing immediately became clear: I hadn’t created an engaged, committed audience – I’d skipped that step and went straight to manufacturers. As a result, I had lots and lots of people picking up the products with my characters, enjoying a hearty belly laugh, but then setting them back down and walking away without making a purchase. There was no emotional connection or buy-in, and that made all the difference in the world.

Whether you are a cartoonist or licensed artist, you have to (if you want to be successful in licensing, most particularly character licensing) find a way to connect with your audience, keep them engaged, and provide them with a means to follow you, your story, your art, your techniques, and your future intentions. And keep building that audience – the most imperative element of all. I did a great deal of research with other artists and cartoonists, and this was the brilliant column of light leading to the answer that I’d somehow missed along the way.

I’m not complaining – we’re still signing with new licensees and broadening the possibilities with my characters. But I owe it to the licensees to give them the best chance at not only recouping the investment they’ve made in my art, but of profiting from it as handsomely as my supporting efforts can manage.

So how do you go about building that audience? What tools and resources are out there to guide you in developing a systematic approach to communicating and building an emotionally invested audience? There are countless ways and viewpoints, but here’s a few I found exceptionally helpful:

Books (conventional and Kindle):

“How To Make Webcomics”

“How To Use Facebook For Business”

“The New Rules Of Marketing And PR”

Podcasts: The podcasts cover a broad spectrum of topics within the field of art and comics, but as you listen, you’ll hear about successful techniques, tools and resources that have led to some of these artists having committed audiences numbering in the millions.

“Escape From Illustration Island”

“Webcomics Weekly”

“Tall Tale Radio”

These are just a few to get you started, but sufficient to keep anyone busy for a considerable period of time in learning the methods for effective audience-building. Good luck and feel free to chime in with additional ideas and experiences!

Life is full of twists and turns. In my last blog post, I wrote about how I went around syndication and instead pursued licensing. Not having the benefit of a national or international audience as you would with syndication or having some other means of mass audience building, the numbers weren’t what they could have been. Having figured out why, I took another look at syndication.

Getting syndicated is a massively challenging task and as a result, highly comptetitive. I was extremely fortunate when I had the interest of a major syndicate editor, but due to economic reasons, the launch wouldn’t be possible for at least a year. At the same time, I had been speaking with Bill Kellogg, the Marketing Director for Ink Bottle Syndicate and the man responsible for bringing “Tundra” to over 550 newspapers in the U.S. and overseas – no easy task. As a matter of fact, the major syndicates are very interested in Bill’s success formula, which in my opinion is good, old-fashioned hard work – Bill is one of the busiest people I know! With only a minimum of threats of violence to his person, car, pets, wardrobe, and associated inanimate objects, he agreed to sign “Spectickles” (I’ll remain camped out on his front lawn wearing an intimidating grimace till we officially launch, or until my wife yells at me to stop it, whichever comes first.)

This is an incredibly exciting time, and Bill has begun the long process of introducing “Spectickles” to editors nationwide. If, perchance, you are interested in seeing “Spectickles” in your local newspaper, here’s what you can do:

If you would like to see “Spectickles” in your newspaper, and if you are willing to write a short letter to your paper to request that they consider Spectickles, please e-mail my marketing guy, Bill Kellogg, at bill@inkbottlesyndicate.com with your city, state and newspaper name. He will e-mail you the name and contact information of the person at your paper who handles the comics section. Requests from actual readers can make a big difference.

Well, that’s it for now – I’ll keep you posted as new developments occur. See you in the Funny Papers! Cheers!

I wanted to take a moment to wish all the men and women in uniform, past and present, and their families who stand by them and suffer no less, a heartfelt thank you. My time in uniform has come to a close, but I appreciate even more those who continue to keep my family, my home, and my beautiful country safe and secure.

Today for Veteran’s Day, I’m going to kick back with a fresh cup of coffee and watch my all time favorite movie, “Stand By For Action”, 1942 with Robert Taylor, Brian Donlevy, Charles Laughton, and Walter Brennan. I served on the USS Arleigh Burke for 4 years, so watching a movie about a destroyer in action with a crew of truly the greatest generation is an absolute pleasure. I’ve worn my copy of this DVD thin. Later, I’ll be joined by fellow vet Dave Ditullio for some cartoon work, followed by a libation tipped in honor of those still standing watch over us.

What a wonderful time of year. Fresh, white snow covers everything, the house is filled with the aroma of cooking food, sumptuous aromas that carry with them happy memories of years past, of people we love no longer with us. It can only be Thanksgiving.

This year has seen it’s highs and lows, our successes and our losses. On this day though, none of that matters.Thanksgiving, to me, isn’t just a sumptuous meal. It’s an opportunity – a gift. Despite the challenges and difficulties, there are so many things to be grateful for. This is the day when I allow myself, and encourage my family, to seize the luxury of escaping the baggage and weight of the world. To pause a moment and look around. There’s so much to be thankful for.

Sincerely wishing you and yours a beautiful, memorable, grateful and Happy Thanksgiving, from my family to yours.

There are many aspects to cartooning, and I have yet to find one I don’t enjoy. I read incessantly about the topic, from the best known syndicated strips to the lesser known gag cartoonists of old. For whatever reason, the gag cartoonists of old interest me most.

I’ve created a line of business-related gag cartoons which are, I’m very grateful to say, gaining in popularity. Thus far, they’ve appeared in such publications as The Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review.

Because I’ve now got quite a number of them and they cover a bunch of areas surrounding business (legal cartoons, medical cartoons, generic political cartoons, insurance cartoons, among a bunch of others), I figured it was time to build a site where they can be made available for newsletters, Powerpoint presentations, publications, etc. I’ve also added a store where you’ll find lots of products and gifts featuring these cartoons.

I’m still creating new “Spectickles” – now that it’s out there in syndication, there’ll be LOTS more of those, as well as “Foggy Bottom” with my good buddy and fellow military vet Dave Ditullio, and “Karma Café” with Funnies Extra publisher Richard Cross. I suppose there’s no way to sustain all those commitments without a sustaining passion for cartooning, but there you have it.

Check out the new Bill Abbott Business Cartoons website and let me know what you think!

Now that we’re really getting things rolling with “Spectickles” for syndication (might have some really big announcements to make soon – I’ll keep you posted!) I’d created a page on my website providing all the necessary information for newspaper editors, art directors, and companies interested in licensing “Spectickles” for their publications/products.

There are a number of pages, so if you scroll down you’ll see “Spectickles” as a black and white daily, color Sunday, and formatted for licensing. This is an exciting time, and I’d like to thank all of you who have been so supportive of my work! I’m a very lucky man!

Just a brief note to let you know that this year will see the release of the first “Spectickles” collection of cartoons in book form. All the material has been sent to the publisher, the formatting is in process, and we’re down to one very big decision – the cover.

This is where I could very much use your help. Between me, my family, my syndicate and my publisher, we’ve narrowed it down to three cartoons. I’d love to hear some feedback on which one you’d like to see as the cover.

Without further ado, they are:

Cartoon number 1

Cartoon number 2

Cartoon number 3

Feel free to email me at bill@billtoonshere.com or connect with me on Facebook to let me know your thoughts and hear your feedback here: https://www.facebook.com/billabbottcartoons

Time is limited, so let me know!

Another quick note – if you enjoy my cartoons and would like to see more of them more frequently, Ive set up a new feature on my cartoon website called, oddly enough, “Cartoon A Day” where a different cartoon will be posted every day.

If you’ve enjoyed “Spectickles” and would like a daily dose, this is for you. Click HERE or click on the image below – and I hope you enjoy!

Thank you all for participating and letting me know which of the cartoons you thought worthy of making the cover of the first “Spectickles” cartoon collection book. Your feedback was very much appreciated.

The results were interesting. I found that the vast majority selected either image number 1 or image number 2 (you can see the selections again HERE), with a good deal fewer selecting number 3. Almost universally, the people who selected number 3 were men. I couldn’t help but wonder why that might be. Many stated that while they like number 1 as a funny cartoon better, they chose number 2 as they considered it a better representation of the cartoon. That’s great insight an just the information that I and the publishers need.

After all the numbers were tallied, there was a clear winner. Ink Bottle Syndicate and the publishers agree. So for the first “Spectickles” cartoon book, the winner, by a clear and decisive majority is:

Cartoon number 1

Thank you all again. Once more, you make it such a pleasure to create and share my cartoons. With all of you, I’ve got the best support network on the planet!

I sometimes get asked for advice from aspiring cartoonists. As someone who has a passion for the art, history, process, writing – all aspects of cartooning, I’m happy to offer whatever guidance I can.

Recently, I was approached by a young lady who told me she wanted to be a cartoonist. She had brought a small portfolio of sketches, all of which I thought were very good. She appeared to be sincere, enthusiastic, and looking for clues as to what to do next. She also had the added challenge of family urging her NOT to pursue it.

Here’s what I said, keeping in mind that this is one opinion in a veritable sea of opinions. After many years of experience and observation, these were the aspects I thought she’d be wise to consider:

Art School

This is a tough, and sometimes contentious one. There are many, many benefits to attending art school. But will art school prepare you for the realities of life in a very competitive, entrepreneurial market-place? Since I did not attend art school, my impressions come from the feedback of a number of people who have. I look at it mathematically. How much will it cost you to complete your degree? I’ve heard figures as high as a quarter-million dollars. Once you have your degree, and you’re ready to enter the market, what jobs can you reasonably expect to obtain? If you intend to remain independent, how much work will you be able to produce and sell in your first year? If you have substantial school loan debt, it’s critical to add the numbers.

Can you become a skilled, competent artist without art school? Absolutely. If you know the specific area of art you’re interested in,  there are many low to no cost learning resources. Here’s a few examples I’ve found:

Illustrationclass.com – This is a series of tutorials provided by prolific illustrator extraordinaire, Von Glitschka. Von has a large number of resources and tutorials on working with Adobe Illustrator and drawing with vector.

Art Graphica – there are some fantastic tutorials on sketching, watercolors, painting, and so much more – very useful!

Youtube – There are literally innumerable video tutorials on art and cartooning available for free on Youtube. Here’s two of my favorites:

Cartooning Tutorial and Bruce Blitz on Cartooning

Education Aside, What’s Next:

First, your education never really ends, but we’ll move onto the application side of cartooning. Assuming you’ve developed your art sufficiently so that it’s comparable quality-wise to what you see out there, let’s have a look at some potential markets. In my opinion, getting your work published, and having those credits associated with your name is very helpful. Many editors will want to know that you’ve been published before – it takes away a degree of risk for them.

I would recommend starting in your own backyard – local town, village, and city newspapers, weeklies, periodicals, etc. are always looking for content from local sources. Email, call, or stop in (be advised, many editors are VERY busy, so a pre-set appointment might be the courteous way to go) to the office of these local publications and ask if they might be interested in cartoons from a local artist. It may not pay very well, but you’ll gain an audience quickly and begin the long process of building a dedicated following. Moving outside the local markets, here’s some national publications where other cartoonist’s earned their first and many subsequent sales – and here’s a bit of advice that is time-tested by far more prolific, talented, and widely published cartoonists than me – try to produce a minimum of 6-12 new cartoons each and every week to submit to cartoon markets. You’ll be building your inventory of cartoons, you’ll be improving your writing and art, you’ll be getting your name more widely known, and with a degree of mathematical certainty, you start building your list of published credits and establishing relationships with the editors you want to work with:

The Funny Times: A newspaper filled to the gills with cartoons and humorous articles – what better market to approach? The pay is $25 to $40 per cartoon and many of the great gag cartoonists appear in its pages regularly. They accept hard copy submissions only and require a self-addressed, stamped envelope for their response.

American Legion Magazine: The magazine for the national organization, American Legion Magazine seeks family-friendly color cartoons that can be submitted by email or hard copy. Pay is (I believe) $125 per cartoon.

Saturday Evening Post: The magazine best known for its Norman Rockwell covers, Saturday Evening Post seeks family-friendly, general interest cartoons. I believe the pay to be $125 per cartoon.

If there’s any one bit of advice I would consider absolutely critical as you begin approaching the various markets, it’s to expect and accept rejection. Remember, YOU aren’t being rejected – just the cartoons. And it may not have anything to do with the quality of our work – it may have gotten rejected for a host of reasons that had nothing to do with your work. It’s just a part of the process, so keep writing, drawing and submitting!

In the next entry, I’ll continue this article with more and bigger markets, websites, social networking and much, much more – stay tuned!

The good people at Willow Creek Press and Ink Bottle Syndicate have seen fit to publish the very first collection of “Spectickles” cartoons - a very exciting time!

My sincerest thanks to all who have offered such wonderful support and feedback – I’m indeed a fortunate man. I don’t yet have the exact release date, but it should be n the April/May time frame, and the book is available for pre-orders now through Ink Bottle Syndicate. Click on the image below to learn more:

“Spectickles” Cartoon Collection, Volume I

A very special thank you to all those who shared their thoughts on the book cover – your insight and advice was so extremely valuable.

And don’t think we’re going to rest on our laurels now either – stand by for more big news in the not-too-distant future!

I started getting serious about cartooning when I returned from my last deployment in mid-2008. Since that time, there’s been a number of starts and stops, direction changes, mis-steps, arm-loads of rejections, and no shortage of disappointments. Balancing that, there’s been incredible opportunities, exceedingly pleasant surprises in the form of unforeseen offers, financial rewards, and a wonderful group of people who follow my work. And most importantly, I’ve learned a great deal.

We left off with a few good markets for cartoonists to submit to. We mentioned The Funny Times, Saturday Evening Post, and American Legion magazine. These are all paying, solid markets. And the most important take-away from the last blog post: produce. Produce 6-12 cartoons every week (more if you can swing it), without fail.

Here’s just a few of the benefits to holding yourself accountable to a workable, professional-level production rate: first, this is a VERY competitive market-place. It’s not okay to jog in this race when everyone else is running for everything they’re worth, unless you free yourself of the burden of expecting to win. You won’t. Second, the quality of your work will continue to improve. The more you write, the more you put pencil to paper, the more you experiment with digital programs, the better your work will become - a mathematical certainty. Third, you’ll quickly build a significant inventory of marketable, sellable material which will end up becoming useful across more than one market category. Fourth, by recognizing the importance of consistently creating new material, you’ll understand the need to schedule and organize your time. You’ll begin prioritizing like a business, which, if you expect to rise to the level of professional cartoonist or illustrator, you will need to do – the sooner the better. Time is your most valuable commodity – don’t waste it.

That said, here’s a few more markets – some I’ve mentioned previously, some I haven’t. Keep in mind, these are exceedingly competitive, making the likelihood of rejection a certainty. But get past that and understand you’re not here to hit home runs ever time you step up to the plate. This is a process, and as long as you consistently contribute to that process and are committed to moving forward, you’ll get there.

The New Yorker - Arguably the single-most desirable place to be published for single panel gag cartoonists and illustrators. As a result, it’s almost certainly the most difficult to sell to – when you see the names and quality of work contained in the magazine, you’ll understand why. Many of my cartoon heroes are New Yorker cartoonists: Mort Gerberg, Mischa Richter, Christopher Weyent, etc.) . This one is on my bucket list – to have just one of my cartoons published there. Pays over $600 per black and white/ink wash cartoon.

Playboy - I know, I know, you buy it because you like the articles and cartoons – you weren’t even aware there were naked women contained within its pages. They, like the New Yorker, are the Mount Everest of cartoon markets. They purchase the same class of sophisticated cartoons as the New Yorker, and have published the work of such legends as Eldon Dedini. Pays over $600 per color or black and white/ink wash cartoon.

Reader’s Digest – Family friendly, mainstream cartoons are the order of the day. While the magazine has been struggling with issues related to its bankruptcy, there has been apparent effect on either the volume of cartoons it purchases, nor on the timely payments to cartoonists. Pays over $600 per color cartoon.

Harvard Business Review – Considered the premier high-end business magazine in the market. Like New Yorker, they gravitate toward sophisticated, business-related topics. Pays over $600 per black and white/ink wash cartoon.

I’ll cover more in a future installment. We’ve been covering the magazine markets thus far – we’ll also touch on the changing dynamics in syndication and the who, what, when, why, and where’s of submitting to syndicates. Until then, keep moving forward!

One of the things I’ve learned from 20+ years of military tactics – if you want to survive, never stay still – keep moving. Preferably forward. With that in mind, I’m forever looking for new ways to improve both as an artist/cartoonist and as a small business.

One of the major investments I’ve made recently in terms of both money and time is my new “Percenters” business cartoon website. It’s a massive amount of work, but it’s a great way to showcase my business/marketing – even political cartoon work. Because of the amount of time it takes on the computer to tweak/rework the site, and format the hundreds of images in a half a dozen ways required, I invested in a new laptop. My old laptop had been hauled around the deserts of the Middle East in backpacks and bags and did it’s time honorably, but it’s now very, very tired. I didn’t skimp on the new one either – lots of speed, memory, graphics – the works. Unfortunately, the laptop lacked the requisite amount of motivation to get the job done, and opted out by sacrificing its hard drive. After only three months. If I were to ship the computer back to the manufacturer to have the work done under warranty, it would be in excess of two months before I’d see it again, which isn’t an acceptable amount of time. So I’ve decided to foot the repair costs and get it back, hopefully today.

Being a professional cartoonist and illustrator is a commitment. That’s where the word ‘professional’ takes on special significance. When creating art as a hobby or for amusement, you don’t really need a Plan B. Or a Plan A for that matter. But when you commit to providing work for others to use and, hopefully, profit from, you have to meet the challenges with a seemingly bottomless well of solutions when adversity bangs vigorously on your door. And it most certainly will.

Ironically, I’m typing this on my Plan B, my very tired, old veteran of foreign wars laptop.

Being a professional cartoonist is, to me, a gift and a privilege. A few curves will be thrown at me from time to time, and even an occasional fast-ball to the head, but in the end, this is still the greatest, most fun and rewarding way to earn or supplement a living. And seeing someone crack a smile or laugh out loud at one of my cartoons is still the most elating feeling I can think of.

Uncle Sam poster created by James Montgomery Flagg

My wife and I bought our house a while back, and prior to moving in, we’d spent some enjoyable days roaming local antique stores trying to find interesting odds and ends. There is one particularly large store that’s loaded with amazing furnishings from the mansions of the industrial age steel magnates of Buffalo. While looking around, my eye caught two interesting pen and ink drawings, one with three men sitting on a bench looking as thought they were in excited anticipation, and the next had the same characters looking dejected as though they lost at the horse races. The characters were so well drawn, and the expressions and physical aspects so characteristic of what one might see in that situation, I couldn’t take my eyes off the drawings. My wife tugged me away, but not before I caught the artist’s signature: James Montgomery Flagg.

James Montgomery Flagg, 1877 – 1960

When I got home I started researching the name, and lo and behold, he was the artist who created the iconic Uncle Sam recruiting posters of the First and Second World Wars. His artwork is positively brilliant, and his ability to convey an emotion or sentiment is better than any I can recall seeing.

There’s not a great deal about him available on the internet, although Google images provides an interesting cross section of his art as well as some fun images of him at his easel. I’m very interested in learning more about his work, as well as some of contemporaries such as Wyeth and Rackham,  and ordered what appears to be the best volume describing him and his art.

I’m thinking I’ll have to go back and spend the money on those prints – they’d make a perfect addition for the walls of my studio – and a great inspiration for one who creates humorous art. I’ll post pictures of the prints when I purchase them (and I sneak them past my wife!)