Mikhaela's Quick Guide to Becoming an Angry Cartoonist
+ the Teen Voices Unconvention

So I spent the weekend in Boston at a convention, and not the DNC--I was invited by Ellyn Ruthstrom of Teen Voices magazine to speak to young women about political cartooning, and I put together the following as a little supplemental handout. The convention was great--I met a lot of amazing young women, some of whom are artists and are excited about political cartooning (see end of this post for a nice email I got from Nathalie). I also met playwright/poet and GLASS program director Letta Neely, among others. All around a great time.

Anyway, this handout is specifically geared towards high-school students (especially high-school age women) but it also lays out some of my cartooning philosophy in general, for those who are interested. I'm by no means a professional educator, so I just tried to think about the kind of advice that might have helped me when I was in high school. I'm going to add more links to this, and if I get time, some small examples of thumbnails, rough drafts and finished drawings.

Mikhaela's Quick Guide to Becoming an Angry Cartoonist

1. Get informed. Read as many different newspapers and magazines as you can. Listen to news radio, read online news sites, watch TV news programs and documentaries and discuss politics with your friends. Be skeptical--think about what gets left out of a story, and don’t trust any one source to have all the facts. Cut through the lies--politicians often use a lot of pretty talk to hide some pretty ugly actions. Check out a wide variety of news and opinion pieces, political comedy and political cartoons, and think about why you agree or disagree with them. I like to keep a folder on my computer of the cartoons I like--and dislike--the most.

2. Get angry. What do YOU care about? What makes YOUR blood boil? What do YOU have to say that other people need to hear? Don’t draw a cartoon about something just because it’s in the news--draw it because you have a strong opinion on it. What stories and voices aren’t being heard in the mainstream news? Remember, political cartoons don’t have to be about national or global topics--they can be about the people, events and issues in your state, your hometown, your community, or even your school (but be careful--drawing a nasty caricature of your principal could get you in big trouble!). And politics isn’t just about a bunch of rich old white guys--it’s about everyone, because everything is political and everyone’s affected by laws and news events. Some sample subject areas: women’s rights; homelessness, poverty and unemployment; war; abstinence-only sex education; racism; AIDS; the environment; housing; health care; unrealistic images of women’s bodies in the media; or even your school dress code.

3. Get persuasive. Why should people listen to you? How can you use words and pictures to make a convincing argument? What evidence do you have? You can’t make everyone agree with you, but maybe you can make them laugh or think about an issue in a new way. Some time-honored persuasion techniques include: caricature and creating characters, comparison, exaggeration, irony, metaphors, symbolism and parody. Look at how your favorite cartoonists use these tools.

4. Get a sketchbook. Don’t let your ideas slip away--write them down and sketch them out! Sketchbooks are also a great place to practice your drawing skills and just plain doodle. Take classes on art and drawing if you can, but read about them if you can’t. Draw the people around you, draw politicians, draw your pets, draw buildings, draw your hands, draw yourself, draw everything. I take a small sketchbook with me everywhere, and draw pictures of my friends and family to help me hone my caricature and cartooning techniques.

5. Get simple. What’s the simplest way to say it? Narrow down your ideas. Cut to the heart of an issue. Even if you’re angry about a lot of things, try to pick one aspect or angle of the issue. For example, don’t try to do a cartoon about sexism--that’s a topic too big for a 4 by 6 inch box. Instead, do a cartoon about the fact that only 13 out of 100 U.S. senators are women.

6. Get thumbs. How do you see your words and pictures going together? Before I draw my final cartoon I make a few small sketches to plan it out and then pick my favorite one.

7. Get photos. What kind of suit does Hillary Clinton wear? How many windows does the White House have? How pointy are Bush’s ears again? If you have internet access, sites like Google make it very easy to quickly get pictures of the objects and people in your cartoons.

8. Get pencils. I always draw out my images and words lightly in pencil first. If you make a mistake, don’t worry--you can erase it later. For big mistakes, tracing paper comes in handy.

9. Get inky. I then draw over the pencil drawing with a brush, but use any tool or medium that works for you--markers, pens, pencil and even charcoal, paint, cut paper, photo collage or computer drawings. When I’m done, I erase the pencil. Don’t be discouraged if your first efforts don’t look perfect--like anything else, cartooning takes practice. I add lettering and coloring on the computer, but many people do it by hand.

10. Get an audience & get connected. Don’t be afraid to show people your work--people love to read cartoons. Think about who would appreciate your perspective and who you want to persuade. Start small. Show your cartoons to family and friends. Make photocopies and hand them out. Get feedback from your art teacher, if you think she’ll be sympathetic. Submit your work to your school newspaper or to magazines like Teen Voices. Make a zine or booklet of your cartoons, and if you have access to the Internet, build a web site. The best thing I ever did was emailing cartoons to my favorite artists--some of whom are now my friends. There are many outlets hungry for cartoons that have specific audiences--gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered papers, weekly smalltown papers, ethnic newspapers, political and activist web sites, magazines for cat lovers, you name it.

Finally... be fearless. Safe cartoons are boring cartoons. Don’t be afraid to be critical--but don’t just be randomly mean for the fun of it, make your criticisms count. It’s OK to be inspired by your favorite artists, but use that inspiration to find your own style. Be original. Experiment. Break the rules. Question assumptions, question the status quo, question authority, power and wealth. And don’t fall into stereotypes. Cartoons used to be full of racial and ethnic stereotypes, and ugly stereotypes are still alive and kicking in some cartoons--that Arabs and Muslims are terrorists with big hook noses, that Asian Americans are glasses-wearing model minorities, and so on.

Don’t worry if your first efforts look crude or messy--that’s how all great cartoonists start out, and that’s what practice is for. The most important thing in a cartoon is the idea--a good drawing is still boring if the idea is boring. Political cartoons can be very funny, but they don’t have to be funny at all. Sometimes they’re downright depressing.

A few words of warning: One of the greatest--and worst---things about political cartoons is that they make people angry and excited. Be prepared to offend. (Which isn't to say you shouldn't keep an open mind and be prepared to admit when you've made a mistake.) Assert yourself and stick up for your opinions. You have a right to think for yourself and make your voice heard.

Some recommended books (most libraries usually have at least a few books about cartooning) and web sites:
• The Encyclopedia of Cartooning Techniques
• The Complete Cartooning Course
• Attitude: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists
• Attitude 2: The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists
• Attack of the Political Cartoonists
• www.cagle.com
• www.ucomics.com
• Ted Rall's cartoonist links
• Friends of Lulu has a list of women cartoonists, but they're mostly comics artists rather than political cartoonists.

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P.S. Here's a nice email I got from one of the young women at the convention, Nathalie:

I really love your comics and it open my mind, and your site is great. I think I'm gonna try to put my ideas starting in a sketchbook and evolve. Thank you. And the minute I consume enough money I will buy one of your books so keep doing your thing despite the hate mail.

thanks again

your fan Nathalie

Yes, I have been getting some hate mail, though not as much as I get fan mail (one of the convention attendees asked me about this during Q&A). I think I may start posting it (or at least the less obscene pieces) if I can find the time.