Cartoonist jobs are about possessing the artistic skills required to draw cartoons and comic characters. Working as a cartoonist is a rewarding career for anyone capable of telling stories through visual drawings. Though it is difficult to make a living as a full-time cartoonist, it is not impossible. Most creative people take up freelance cartoonist jobs as a secondary job. Know
You will go through multiple rejections in the processing of becoming a cartoonist. Perseverance through rejections is a useful skill. These rejections are feedback for your creativity and skills that level up the standard of your cartoons. Start with building a fan base online. Publications and companies that hire cartoonist jobs online prefer giving an opportunity to cartoonists with the audience.
Becoming a Cartoonist
Cartoonists are creative storytellers. Their ideas are explained with simple drawings and clever captions. They not only entertain an audience but have incredible power in conveying messages through visuals.
Job Description
Cartoonists create drawings that portray an issue or event or publish a serial cartoon that follows a character for a certain period. Cartoonist jobs include drawing cartoons for newspapers, comic books, and other animated productions.
Some of the duties and responsibilities of cartoonists are:
- Make drawings and paint artworks to create an animated effect for cartoons
- Make use of their knowledge of story development, cinematography and editing to create storyboards.
- Workaround a given concept to create drawings that meet client requirements.
- Focus on niches such as comic strips, movie cartoons, webcomics, and political cartoons.
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Required Skills to Become a Cartoonist Jobs
Employers need cartoonists who possess certain skills and abilities before hiring them. Some of them are
- Education: Cartoonist jobs do not require specific educational qualifications. However, employers may require the cartoonists to have a Bachelor’s degree in fine arts, animation or other related fields.
- Good Portfolio: Every cartoonist must prepare a good portfolio of all their artwork to obtain a job as a cartoonist. A portfolio is a great way to show creativity and talent to your future employers. Building a portfolio requires building substantial experience over time.
- Artistic Skill: Cartoonists must possess artistic skills to create a humorous and aesthetic illustration
- IT skills: Doodling with a pen and pencil is not enough. Cartoonists should be a pro in using computer software and technology to create digital images and animations. Inkscape, Artoonix, Movavi, Scratch, Toondoo are some software that cartoonists use.
How to Become a Cartoonist in Steps
Step 1: Educational Requirements
To master the drawing skills and storytelling techniques required for cartooning, aspiring cartoonists complete a 4-year degree in fine arts. Individuals can also take up several courses to expand their comics’ styles and practices. The courses include the history of cartoons, inking & illustration, experimental and narrative storytelling, etc.
Step 2: Choose Your Genre of Cartooning
There are many genres of cartooning. You can choose to do single-panel cartoons, politics, humor, sometimes mixing more than one genre in a single cartoon. As a cartoonist, you need to choose a genre you are interested in so that you can adopt a distinctive style, format and a drawing that influences the public. When you’re starting out, you can develop generic cartoon skills. With experience, you can decide on what niche you want to settle in.
Step 3: Build a Good Portfolio
Having a good portfolio is important to become a professional cartoonist. Earlier the artists used different types of media like pencil, charcoal, pen, and ink to sketch a drawing. However, the recent advances in technology have let the cartoonists draw cartoons digitally using design and illustration software. With a strong portfolio, cartoonists can market their skills as an illustrator and artist.
Step 4: Publish Your Work
Newspapers and magazines prefer to work with several freelance cartoonists. Freelance cartoonist jobs include projects where cartoonists are contracted to work on a specific project for a specific period. As a cartoonist, you manage your website to market your work. Marketing your work gains your popularity and builds a fan base.
Step 5: Grab a Job
Approach schools and community newspapers with your portfolio. Don’t worry about rejections. Rejections and feedback will help you in building a stronger portfolio. Establish connections in the early phase of your career so that you can get noticed as a professional cartoonist.
Cartoonist Jobs in the Market
Most cartoonists work independently. They develop their own ideas, draw and market them. Cartoonist jobs online include:
Editorial Cartoonist: Editorial cartoonists specialized in commenting on political issues. Their artwork is frequently published in newspapers and news magazines.
Digital Cartoonist: Cartoonists use computer technology to draw comics that are read on the internet in mobile phones and other wireless communication devices.
Comic Writer: Here the cartoonist writes the scripts for a comic strip or book, where they outline the scenes and detail the action.
Cartoonist Salary & Career Outlook
According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual cartoonist salary is $65,390 and $23.54 per hour as of May 2018. However, it is to note that the salary depends on factors such as education, certifications, skill sets, and work experience. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, (1) the projected job growth of fine artists and illustrators in 2018-2028 is 1%.
Should You Become a Cartoonist?
A career as a cartoonist is a demanding job. Though you work in a comfortable environment strict deadlines can demand you to work overtime. You are paid for being creative. How good can that be! In short, with no guaranteed salary and shrinking job prospects, cartoonist jobs are not for everyone. But for those with a passion, the benefits always outweigh the drawbacks.
