Evening star., 1937-04-04

uOD OpcTQLSJ NaS OtDH oCfDOVt " C1'
looming IN Chicago.
go YOU want to be an artist"
- I wonder how many times I
have said that to boys and girls who
have come to me to talk about study
ing art! And the answer Is usually
the same: II am just crazy about
drawing
Now, being crazy might have its
value in the field Of cartooning, II
properly used, but the qualities needed
most are determination and orig
inality. I am not one who believes
very much in so-called God-given
talent, although there are naturally
some people who are more adaptable
to art than others. But there Is
born in every boy and girl an instinct
to invent. This instinct can be en-
couraged, or it can be repressed.
Usually, when parent brings me a
boy or girl as prospect for training
In art, I am Immediately shown a
series OF copies Of Andy Gump, Moon
Mullins, Popeye, and so forth. The
parent looks at me, all smiles, expect
ing me to go into series Of ecstatic
handsprings over these drawings. But,
even If the boy or girl has made a
perfect copy, that is unimportant.
He has created nothing. He has shown
a mere mechanical skill, expressing
the ideas OF another.
But if the parent shows me some
crude design, perhaps just splash OF
color, but one which is original, then I
sit up and take notice, for that boy or
girl has possibilities.
I much prefer to talk to the boy or
girl than to the parent about his or
her work. When the prospective artist
shows me his drawings and there Is an
object that seems beyond understand
ing, I never ask him what 1t Is. I
simply get him to tell me about It
In doing this he unfolds the workings
OF his mind, and that IS just what 1
want. This gives me chance to take
hold OF him and lead him, and as time
passes can develop his individuality
and originality.
Many people have the misguided be-
lief that art Is a short cut to fame and
fortune. Especially is this true in the
field Of cartooning. And OF course
there are freak happenings in the art
world, just as there are in the movies.
Occasionally some unknown, fresh
from art school, hits on an idea that
carries him to the front page Of the
metropolitan papers. But the average
student, after completing his studies,
has to 60 through the usual second
school Of hard knocks.
Here are some Of the questions /
am asked daily:
How long does it take to be car
toonist?
It takes at least two years Of aca-
demic work to even try your wings,
then five years to make it pay you
living In the next five years you
usually lano an idea that is worthy
OF syndication-if you are aiming at
selling your work to many newspapers.
This Is the average, as checked from
my school files.
There are two types of cartoonist,
those who pre- 'er to work for some
publication at regular salary, and
those who free lance, selling their
work to many different markets.
The cartoonist who lands job on
newspaper gets about $50 week. He
must do all the odds and ends in the
art department, such as making lay
outs, retouching photographs and
drawing one-column sketches. Next
he may get an assignment to work
with some one who runs daily fea-
ture, his task being to supply car
toon each day to illustrate this fea-
tlre. His salary may then be $40 a
week. His objective is now to land
on the front page with daily political
cartoon or to get the editor to try
that comic strip he has been work
ing on.
The front-page cartoonist is in the
hundred -dollar-a-week class, while a
strip can bring its creator anything
up to four-ngure salary check.
The free-lance artist Is in business
for himself, depending on selling to
small publications which can't afford
to hire a staff artist and to large
magazines which buy drawings from
many different artists. Included in
these are the well-known humorous
magazines and general magazines
| which use a few humorous drawings
The free lance has his own studio
often in his home.
I have just been talking to former
student OF mine who has recently
landed q daily strip with . well-knowr
syndicate. He was . free lance, anc
placed his strip through having hi.
material appear In nationally known
scent publication. I asked him how
many drawings he submitted to thi.
magazine before they bought one, ane
he told me that he had sent then
more than $50 drawings before he
succeeded In making sale.
So you see, it takes lot Of deter
mination, and lot Of postage stamps
to succeed as a free-lance cartoonist.
I could write much more about the
life and work Of rtoonist, If time
and space peri Ted, but am merely
trying to give you q quick but true
picture OF the business. There's just
one thing want to 50 IN conclusion
II I were to stsr~ - .-Ar again
knowing what do Of the many disap-
pointments that you are bound to ex-
perienoe in this line OF work, would