Cartoonist

Visual artist who makes cartoons

For people who make animated cartoons, see Animator.

Cartoonist

Cartoonist Jack Elrod at work on a Sunday page of the Mark Trail comic strip

Occupation

Occupation type

| Art profession
Description

Fields of
employment

| Publishing

Related jobs

| Editorial cartoonist
Comics creator

A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing[1] cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the literary and graphic components of the work as part of their practice.

Cartoonists may work in a variety of formats, including booklets, comic strips, comic books, editorial cartoons, graphic novels, manuals, gag cartoons, storyboards, posters, shirts, books, advertisements, greeting cards, magazines, newspapers, webcomics, and video game packaging.

## Terminology

[edit]

See also: Comics creator

A cartoonist's discipline encompasses both authorial and drafting disciplines[1] (see interdisciplinary arts). The terms "comics illustrator", "comics artist", or "comic book artist" refer to the picture-making portion of the discipline of cartooning[2] (see illustrator). While every "cartoonist" might be considered a "comics illustrator", "comics artist", or a "comic book artist", not every "comics illustrator", "comics artist", or a "comic book artist" is a "cartoonist".

Ambiguity might arise when illustrators and writers share each other's duties in authoring a work.[3]

## History

[edit]

### Editorial cartoons

[edit]

Main article: Editorial cartoon

The English satirist and editorial cartoonist William Hogarth, who emerged in the 18th century, poked fun at contemporary politics and customs; illustrations in such style are often referred to as "Hogarthian".[4] Following the work of Hogarth, editorial/political cartoons began to develop in England in the latter part of the 18th century under the direction of its great exponents, James Gillray and Thomas Rowlandson, both from London. Gillray explored the use of the medium for lampooning and caricature, calling the king (George III), prime ministers and generals to account, and has been referred to as the father of the political cartoon.[5]

Benjamin Franklin's Join, or Die (May 9, 1754), credited as the first cartoon published in an American newspaper

#### Origin in the U.S.

[edit]

While never a professional cartoonist, Benjamin Franklin is credited with the first cartoon published in The Pennsylvania Gazette on May 9, 1754: Join, or Die, depicting the American colonies as segments of a snake.[6][7] In the 19th century, professional cartoonists such as Thomas Nast, whose work appeared in Harper's Weekly, introduced other familiar American political symbols, such as the Republican elephant.[6]

### Comic strips

[edit]

Main article: Comic strip

Comics

Speech balloon

Comics studies

* Education
* Glossary
* History

Methods

* Cartooning
* Photo comics

Media formats

* Comic book
* Comic strip
* Digital comic
* Gag cartoon
* Trade paperback
* Graphic novel
* Light novel
* Political cartoon
* Webcomic
* Webtoon

Comics by country and culture

* American comics
* Argentine comics
* Bande dessinées (Belgium/France/Quebec)
* Australian comics
* Brazilian comics
* British comics (Welsh-language)
* Canadian comics
* Croatian comics
* Czech comics
* Dutch comics
* European comics
* German comics
* Hungarian comics
* Indian comics
* Irish comics
* Italian comics
* Malaysian comics
* Manga
* Manhua (Hong Kong)
* Manhwa
* Mexican comics
* Pakistani comics
* Philippine comics
* Polish comics
* Portuguese comics
* Serbian comics
* South African comics
* Spanish comics
* Thai comics
* Turkish comics
* Vietnamese comics

Community

* Awards
* Cartoonists
* Collecting
* Publishers
* Sales
* Writers

Comics portal

* v
* t
* e

Comic strips received widespread distribution to mainstream newspapers by syndicates.[8]

Calum MacKenzie, in his preface to the exhibition catalog, The Scottish Cartoonists (Glasgow Print Studio Gallery, 1979) defined the selection criteria:

The difference between a cartoonist and an illustrator was the same as the difference between a comedian and a comedy actor—the former both deliver their own lines and take full responsibility for them, the latter could always hide behind the fact that it was not his entire creation.[9]

Many strips were the work of two people although only one signature was displayed. Shortly after Frank Willard began Moon Mullins in 1923, he hired Ferd Johnson as his assistant. For decades, Johnson received no credit. Willard and Johnson traveled about Florida, Maine, Los Angeles, and Mexico, drawing the strip while living in hotels, apartments and farmhouses. At its peak of popularity during the 1940s and 1950s, the strip ran in 350 newspapers. According to Johnson, he had been doing the strip solo for at least a decade before Willard's death in 1958: "They put my name on it then. I had been doing it about 10 years before that because Willard had heart attacks and strokes and all that stuff. The minute my name went on that thing and his name went off, 25 papers dropped the strip. That shows you that, although I had been doing it ten years, the name means a lot."[10]

## See also

[edit]

* Comics creator
* Daily comic strip
* Editorial cartoonist
* Female comics creators
* Glossary of comics terminology
* List of cartoonists
* List of newspaper comic strips
* List of manga artists
* Mangaka
* Penciller
* Sunday comics
* Sunday strip
* Webcomic

Societies and organizations

* Association of American Editorial Cartoonists
* Association of Illustrators
* Cartoonists Rights Network International
* Indian Institute of Cartoonists
* National Cartoonists Society
* Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles
* Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
* Society of Illustrators
* Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles

## References

[edit]

### Citations

[edit]

1. ^ a b Lyga, Allyson A. W.; Lyga, Barry (2004). Graphic Novels in your Media Center: A Definitive Guide (1st ed.). Libraries Unlimited. p. 161\. ISBN 1-59158-142-7.
2. ^ Rojahn, Margaret (4 May 2022). "10 Reactions To Neal Adams's Passing From The Comics' Community". screenrant.com. Screen Rant.
3. ^ Contemporary Literary Criticism, Volume 195, Gale, 2005, p. 167: "(Full name Neil Richard Gaiman) English graphic novelist".
4. ^ The British Museum. Beer Street, William Hogarth - Fine Art Print Archived 3 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 11 April 2010.
5. ^ "Satire, sewers and statesmen: why James Gillray was king of the cartoon". The Guardian. 16 June 2015.
6. ^ a b Hess & Northrop 2011, p. 24.
7. ^ "Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia | "Join, or Die," Pennsylvania Gazette, 9 May 1754". philadelphiaencyclopedia.org. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
8. ^ "The Comics Reporter". Retrieved 17 November 2009.
9. ^ MacKenzie, Calum. The Scottish Cartoonists. Glasgow Print Studio Gallery, 1979.[page needed]
10. ^ "Toon Talk : Two Comic-Strip Artists Discuss the Craft They Love". Los Angeles Times. 28 September 1989.

### Works cited

[edit]

* Hess, Stephen; Northrop, Sandy (2011). American Political Cartoons: The Evolution of a National Identity, 1754-2010. TransactionPublishers. ISBN 978-1-4128-1119-4.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Steve Edgell, Tim Pilcher, Brad Brooks, The Complete Cartooning Course: Principles, Practices, Techniques (London: Barron's, 2001).

## External links

[edit]

Look up Cartoonist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cartoonists.

* Comics portal
* Cartoon portal

Societies and organizations

* Professional Cartoonists' Organisation (UK)
* National Cartoonists Society
* Association of American Editorial Cartoonists
* Society of Illustrators
* Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
* Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles
* The Association of Illustrators
* The Illustrators Partnership of America
* AIIQ - l'Association des Illustrateurs et Illustratrices du Québec
* Colorado Alliance of Illustrators
* Institute For Archaeologists Graphics Archaeology Group
* Guild of Natural Science Illustrators
* Guild of Natural Science Illustrators-Northwest
* Illustrators Australia
* Australian Cartoonists Association

* v
* t
* e

Comics

Glossary of comics terminology

Formats|

* Comic book
* Ashcan comic
* Limited series
* One-shot
* Ongoing series
* Minicomic
* Trade paperback
* Comic strip
* Comic strip formats
* Daily comic strip
* Lianhuanhua
* Sunday comics
* Topper
* Yonkoma
* Digital comics
* Mobile comic
* Webcomic
* Webtoon
* Gag cartoon
* Graphic novel
* Political cartoon

Techniques|

* Film comic
* Motion comic
* Photo comics
* Silent comics
* Text comics

Creators|

* Cartoonists
* list
* Colorists
* Editors
* Inkers
* Letterers
* Publishing companies
* Writers

| By format|

* Editorial
* list
* Minicomics
* Webcomics

|

By country|

* American
* Jewish American
* Australian
* Canadian
* Cuban
* Filipino
* Japanese (manga)
* Macedonian

Other|

* Female comics creators
* list

History|

* Years in comics
* Comics historiography
* American
* Golden Age
* Silver Age
* Bronze Age
* Modern Age
* events
* Japanese (manga)
* Webcomics

Comics studies
and narratology|

| Genres|

* Abstract
* Adult
* Alternative
* Ambiguous
* Anthropomorphic
* Autobiographical
* Celebrity
* Comics in education
* Comics journalism
* Comics poetry
* Crime
* Dystopian
* Erotic
* Fantasy
* list
* Gekiga
* Graphic medicine
* Horror
* Non-fiction
* Romance
* list
* Science fiction
* Superhero
* Teen humor
* Tijuana bible
* Underground
* War
* Western
* Wrestling

|

Tropes|

* Antihero
* Decompression
* Talking animals
* Masking
* Rogue
* Superhero
* Supervillain
* Widescreen comics

Themes|

* Ethnic stereotypes
* Feminist
* Gender and webcomics
* LGBT
* American mainstream
* Portrayal of black people
* African characters
* Portrayal of women
* The Hawkeye Initiative
* Women in Refrigerators

By country|

| Africa|

* South Africa

|

Americas|

* Argentina
* Brazil
* Canada
* Quebec
* Mexico
* United States
* list

Asia|

* China and Taiwan
* list
* Hong Kong
* India
* list
* Japan
* lists
* Korea
* list
* Malaysia
* Pakistan
* Philippines
* list
* Thailand
* Turkey
* Vietnam

Europe|

* Czech Republic
* Croatia
* France and Belgium
* list
* Belgium
* Germany
* Hungary
* Ireland
* Italy
* list
* Netherlands
* Poland
* Portugal
* Serbia
* Spain
* list
* United Kingdom
* Wales

Oceania|

* Australia

Lists|

| By format|

* Comic books
* Comic strips
* Manga magazines
* Webcomics

|

By source|

* Based on fiction
* Based on films
* Based on television programs
* Based on video games

Other lists|

* Awards
* Best-selling comic series
* manga
* manga magazines
* Comic books on CD/DVD
* Comics and comic strips made into feature films
* Comics solicited but never published
* Limited series

Collections and
museums|

* Belgian Comic Strip Center
* Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
* National Cartoon Museum
* British Cartoon Archive
* Caricature & Cartoon Museum Basel
* Cartoon Art Museum
* The Cartoon Museum
* Fred Waring's Cartoon Collection
* Gibiteca Antonio Gobbo
* Michigan State University Comic Art Collection
* Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art
* ToonSeum
* Words & Pictures Museum

Schools|

* Center for Cartoon Studies
* The Kubert School

Organizations|

| Professional|

* Academy of Comic Book Arts
* Association of Canadian Cartoonists
* Association of Comics Magazine Publishers
* Australian Cartoonists' Association
* Comic Art Professional Society
* National Cartoonists Society
* Samahang Kartunista ng Pilipinas

|

Critical and
academic|

* Association des Critiques et des journalistes de Bande Dessinée
* Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards Association
* Canadian Society for the Study of Comics
* Comic & Fantasy Art Amateur Press Association
* Comics Studies Society
* Sequart Organization
* Svenska Serieakademien

Charitable and
outreach|

* Academy of Comic-Book Fans and Collectors
* British Amateur Press Association (comics)
* Club des bandes dessinées
* Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
* Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund
* Finnish Comics Society
* Friends of Lulu
* The Hero Initiative
* Xeric Foundation

* Comics portal
* Category

* v
* t
* e

Pens

Ink pens|

* Ballpoint
* Brush pen
* Counterfeit banknote detection pen
* Demonstrator
* Dip
* Fountain
* Gel
* Marker
* dry erase
* highlighter
* paint
* permanent
* UV
* Quill
* Rastrum
* Reed
* Qalam
* Rollerball
* Ruling
* Skin
* Technical

Parts, tools and repair|

* Blotting paper
* Inkwell
* Nib
* flex nib
* Penknife
* Pounce powder
* Retipping

Inks|

* Alizarine
* Fountain pen ink
* India
* Iron gall
* Pact
* Stark's

Related topics|

* Penmanship
* Calligraphy
* Lettering
* Pen painting
* Ballpoint pen artwork

* Birmingham pen trade
* Pen Museum
* Ballpoint pen knife
* Pen gun
* Pen spinning

* List of types, brands and companies

Authority control databases

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Czech Republic
* Israel

Other|

* Yale LUX

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template