If you enjoy drawing cartoons and have the talent, you should consider pursuing a career as a cartoonist.
Cartoonists create comics and cartoons for a variety of publications, including newspapers, periodicals, books, and animated films.
To make a living doing this, you’ll need commitment, talent, tenacity, enthusiasm, and patience. Fortunately, there are numerous options for people who enjoy drawing cartoons or comics to earn money. This article discusses some of the most efficient and quick ways to earn money by drawing cartoons.
Table of contents
Who Is A Cartoonist?
A cartoonist, also known as a comic strip maker, comic book artist, graphic novel artist, or comic book illustrator, is a visual artist who specializes in producing cartoons or comic books (sequential images). Artists who manage all parts of the work are classified as cartoonists, as are those who contribute only a portion of the work.
Cartoonists work in a number of formats, including booklets, comic strips, comic books, editorial cartoons, graphic novels, manuals, gag cartoons, illustrations, storyboards, posters, tees, books, commercials, greeting cards, magazines, newspapers, and video game packaging, to name a few.
What Does It Take to Become a Cartoonist?
The following are the steps to becoming a cartoonist:
1. Defend and Strengthen Your Beliefs
This, in my opinion, is the most crucial factor. And it appears to be self-evident.
Consider a crisis, or working a regular job to feed your family, pay your mortgage, and so on. Following our dreams is not simple.
However, think about it and ask yourself, “Is this truly my passion?” “What do I want to be when I grow up?” If you answered yes, then keep pushing for your desire to come true.
2. Study and Read
This is yet another critical element to consider if you truly want to develop as a person and a professional cartoonist. One of the golden rules is to be curious about life and everything that surrounds us.
As a result, you’ll find yourself reading, traveling (if you have the opportunity), having the proper experiences, learning more about what’s going on in the world, and, last but not least, broadening your horizons to include as many genres as possible: comics, movies, books, and animation.
All of this will help you expand your sources of inspiration and develop your work, as well as your professionalism.
3. Begin to Draw Real Things
Taking genuine subjects is necessary for learning to draw. This is necessary for drawing in any style, including comics and cartoon illustrations, as well as any other type of modern art.
This is because if you merely duplicate an existing mixed style that is the product of a reinterpretation of reality, your professional reputation will suffer considerably, and your art will not be more personal, but rather a poor copy of someone else’s.
4. Use a Blog to Promote Your Job
Make a blog with WordPress. There are several nice Themes available, both free and premium, that you may use to display your Portfolio.
WooThemes are fantastic whether you want to create a professional-looking blog or simply want to stand out from the crowd of typical WordPress templates. Fresh News is the name of the WooThemes blog theme that I use. I strongly suggest them, and their themes are well worth the money.
5. Study a Painting Technique
If you want to color your work, whether you want to be a cartoonist or an illustrator, you need to learn at least one manual painting technique before using any digital coloring program.
Of course, drawing is always the first step, and if you merely want to pitch yourself as a designer, this isn’t always necessary. This is also not required if you wish to work with colorists or authors of novels, fairy tales, or comic book writers to achieve your dream.
If you still want to use color in your work or even propose yourself solely as a colorist, and you have to start from scratch because you never went to art school, take a good illustration or painting course and, once you’ve mastered at least one realistic coloring technique, you’ll be able to use Photoshop or similar programs in a respectable manner.
6. Make Use of Digital Resources
The computer and the internet have made their way into our life, easing many tasks.
Graphics, animation, and digital coloring are just a few of the things you may accomplish with your computer.
Below are some links to popular programs, both free and paid, that may be of interest to you:
Adobe Photoshop: http://www.adobe.com/photoshop/; – Art Review: http://www.artweaver.de/download-en/
7. Evaluate Your Work Against That Of Others
You should never stop learning from others’ work, not just for your own sake.
Of course, this does not imply copying, but rather taking into account the work of others, learning to recognize and respect valuable artists and professionals, and dealing with them, if not personally knowing them.
Always compare yourself to others, learn to identify valuable artists, and have the confidence to offer constructive criticism.
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How To Make Money Drawing Cartoons
Here are ways to make money just by drawing cartoons:
1. Internet-based cartooning
There are a million different methods to get your cartoons published on the Internet, but not all of them will make you money, so be cautious about how you approach these media. Starting a blog is something you should do, whether it brings you money.
What does this tell you? The majority of successful cartoonists have found them to be a key component of their company. The wonderful thing about blogs is that they can be used to produce money by placing adverts on them.
Many people make a decent livelihood just from commercialized blogging, but the catch is that you’ll need a lot of traffic before you can expect to make any money this way.
However, if you properly set up your Internet cartoon presence, you may never need to use any of the following publishing options. If you’re having trouble getting money to flow, the greeting card market can be a good area to start as a rookie.
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2. Greeting Cards with Cartoons
For many years, greeting card companies have been a reliable source of income for aspiring authors and artists. This is an excellent method to supplement your income while also establishing your publication credentials.
To start, look out for Greeting Card Publishers online or acquire a book with artist’s market information and study each company’s submission requirements to learn how to submit your work.
If you think this is something you’d be interested in, you could even establish your own greeting card company and self-publish.
If the prospect of making yet another birthday cartoon bores you to tears, the advertising sector may provide some wonderful cartooning opportunities right in your own backyard.
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3. Advertisements in Cartoons
You are constantly assaulted with commercials if you are like most people these days. Business owners must simply advertise to get customers, which presents you with a fantastic opportunity.
Keep your eyes peeled as you go about your daily activities. Let’s imagine you drop off your dry washing at dry cleaners and notice that their logo is dull or poorly made… offer to draw a better one for them.
Then, say, the next day, when you take your child to the dentist, they hand you a brochure to teach your children how to care for their teeth, and the brochure is so poorly designed that it would bring a patent examiner. You can then offer to assist them in creating one with kid-friendly cartoons. In this profession, the options are nearly unlimited, and if you get proficient enough, your earnings can skyrocket.
If you’re not interested in commercial work, there’s also the book and magazine illustration industry to consider.
You may want to see 10 Untapped Ways To Make Money From eBooks in 2023
4. Illustrations for Cartoon Books and Magazines
The best area for book and magazine illustrations is, of course, children’s books and magazines, although there are a few other categories that frequently include cartoons.
Because working for huge publishers can be quite competitive, you should make effective use of your imagination when approaching this market.
Look for smaller publishers to get your foot in the door, and internet e-zine publishers can also be an excellent place to start.
Another place to look is self-publishing firms; it’s actually astonishing how many people are going into self-publishing, and never in history has there been so many words written, yet most of the individuals publishing all those words can’t draw to save their lives.
You may not even need to know how to draw cartoons to start a stock cartoon business; all you need is the ability to assess what kind of cartoons your consumers want and then identify cartoonists who can offer them.
See the 20 Most Profitable Skills to Learn in 2023 with Salary
How Much Does a Cartoonist Get Paid?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have any clear data on cartooning as a specific occupation. However, some sources claim that a cartoonist’s annual compensation ranges from $30,000 to $60,000. However, many cartoonists do not earn enough money to support themselves.
Cartooning is the art of creating still cartoons that are usually intended to be amusing. Print publications, such as magazines and newspapers, as well as online publications, such as blogs and websites, frequently feature these cartoons.
Some cartoons are made up of only one image, while others are made up of many images. A comic strip is a term used to describe this sort of animation. A graphic book is a collection of numerous cartoons.
Cartoons can be either sophisticated or very simple, depending on the intended audience. Political cartoons, for example, may rely on dry humor and subtle irony, and they are typically intended to portray a more serious political scenario in a hilarious manner.
Instead, they would most likely work a “day job” to supplement their income. On the other hand, cartoonists who are fortunate enough to have their cartoons or comic strips syndicated may be able to earn a reasonable living.
Note that a cartoonist’s hourly pay in the United States is roughly $14.33.
FAQS On How To Make Money Drawing Cartoons
A cartoonist’s annual compensation ranges from $30,000 to $60,000.
A cartoonist, also known as a comic strip maker, comic book artist, graphic novel artist, or comic book illustrator, is a visual artist who specializes in producing cartoons or comic books.
In addition to a degree, most employers prefer candidates with a minimum of two years of experience in the industry for intermediate positions.
Final Thoughts
There is a way where there is a will, but with all the opportunities accessible in today’s world, “the way” shouldn’t be too difficult.
All you need to get started as a cartoonist is a good sense of humor and a passion to draw cartoons. You don’t even need to be a brilliant artist to be a cartoonist; strong drawing skills have never been a requirement.
There are also many excellent tools available to assist you in learning to draw. If you’re an artistically challenged person, you can utilize reviews from cartooning books and software to uncover some of the greatest resources to get you started.
References
- www.toonsmag.com – Learn How To Make Money With Cartoons
- www.creativelive.com – How to Make Money From Drawing For Fun
- gkogan.co – Creating a New Business Model for Cartoonists
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