Guigar - The everything cartooning book: create unique and inspired cartoons for fun and profit

The
EVERYTHING
Cartooning Book

Dear Reader:

Cartooning gives me incredible satisfaction. Ive been publishing a daily comic strip on the Web since 2000. You can read todays comic at www.greystoneinn.net. It appears in newspapers, toothe largest of which is the Philadelphia Daily News. I have three comic strip collections published in book form. Even my day job was the result of advice from an editorial cartoonist who suggested Id have better luck submitting cartoons to a newspaper as an employee. That led to a career in journalism, which has lasted more than a decade.

Ive had this obsession with cartooning since I was about eight years old. Ive been drawing as far back as I can remember. I doodled more than I took notes in college. I own more graphic novels and comic strip collections than any other type of book.

Thats why I wanted to write this book. Its the only subject I really feel qualified to teach. If youre a beginner, I can help you get started. If youve been cartooning for a while, I can help you take the next step to professional work. And if youre an experienced cartoonist, I have some tips and tricks that will help you become even better at what you do.

The EVERYTHING Series

Editorial

Production

Visit the entire EverythingSeries at www.everything.com

THE
EVERYTHING
CARTOONING
BOOK

Create unique and inspired
cartoons for fun and profit

Brad J. Guigar

Copyright 2005, F+W Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproducedin any form without permission from the publisher; exceptionsare made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

An Everything Series Book.
Everything and everything.com are registered trademarks of F+W Publications, Inc.

Published by Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322 U.S.A.
www. odamsmedia.com

ISBN: 1-59337-145-4
eISBN: 978-1-44052-305-2
Printed in the United States of America.

J I H G F E D C B

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Guigar. Brad J.
The everything cartooning book : create unique and inspiredcartoons for fun and profit / Brad J, Guigar.
p. cm.
An everything series book
ISBN 1-59337-145-4
1. CartooningTechnique. 2. Comic books, strips, etc.Technique. I. Title. II. Series: Everything series.
NC1764.G85 2004
741.5dc22
2004018993

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. it is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the
American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.
For information, call 1-800-872-5627.

This book is dedicated to every smart-aleck kid that gets caught by the teacher doodling in the margins.
Life is lived in the margins.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Id like to thank a few people whose expertise in their fields made them invaluable assets in assembling information for this book. Meaghan Quinn, a Webcartoonist (www.eattheroses.com), helped explain the world of manga. Rich Bailey, of the Philadelphia Daily News color lab, clarified page pairing and other prepress issues. My process for scanning line art is based on advice given to me by Harry Stone, also of the Daily News color lab. Finally, thanks to Stu Rees for sharing information on copyright and trademark law.

Most importantly, thanks to my wife, Caroline, and my son, Alex, without whose unwavering support this book would have been impossible. Thanks, as well, to my parents, John and Rita Guigar, and my in-laws, Tim and Joyce Miller, for their love, understanding, and support.

Top Ten Newspaper Cartoonists

1. Charles Schulz, Peanuts. In a bittersweet story befitting his comic, Schulz announces a retirement forced upon him by the ravages of colon cancer, then dies quietly in his sleep the night before his final Sunday comic strip appears in newspapers.

2. Gary Larson, The Far Side. A decade after he ended his daily feature, new single panel comics are still accused of being Far Side ripoffs.

3. Thomas Nast, political cartoonist. Corrupt politician William Marcy Boss Tweeda constant target of Nasts political cartoonsoffered the artist more than $100,000 to study art abroad. The offer rose to half a million and then turned into a death threat. Later, Spanish authorities used a Nast cartoon to identify and apprehend the fleeing Tweed.

4. Will Eisner, The Spirit. Although Eisner is widely known as a pioneer in the comic-book industry, he got his start when The Spirit started appearing in newspaper comic-book supplements.

5. Walt Kelly, Pogo. Devastating political satirist and a master of language rivaling Dr. Seuss, Kelly paved the way for future satirists like Aaron McGruder and Garry Trudeau (see #6).

6. Garry Trudeau, Doonesbury. Besides being one of the foremost examples of political satire, his comic strip is one of the few that achieved longevity without becoming stale.

7. Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes. One of the rare cartoonists who boasted consistently funny writing with breathtaking illustration, Watterson made us remember our childhood the way no one had done before.

8. Berkeley Breathed, Bloom County. Mixing thoughtful political and social satire with heavy doses of plain old lunacy, Breathed defined the 1980s for many comics fans.

9. Bud Fisher, Mutt and Jeff. The first successful daily newspaper comic strip, appearing in the San Francisco Examiner for the first time in 1907.