Saturday, July 14, 2007

New face for editorial cartooning?

I post this not for the political message, but that this is done by one of Houston Chron's editorial cartoonists. However you feel about the content -- it is amazing at the face of cartooning and what is being done and skills one might need to have.

With YouTube and multimedia -- are we looking at more cartooning as video, mixed media productions?

8 comments:

jason folkerts said...

I see that a number of Editorial Cartoonists are heading the way of animation. I would love to try my hand at it - need to learn the medium tho'. I think it jumps into a whole new medium that may or may not catch with papers online. At this point you still can't beat a poignant pic when it hits the mark. And as far as the content of this editorial - good grief, talk about zero creativity and slamming America. It's getting old liberal left. If that's the best they can offer than the drawn editorial has nothing to fear and individuals like "Lisa" with the Washington Post have a bright and meaningful future when it comes to Editorials.

Jackilope said...

This has generated some discussion at another site I visit as far as approach to Editorial Cartoons.

I hesitated putting this up, because the blog is about the art of cartooning, cartoonists, etc. and not a political blog. Because of the approach and seeing Nick Anderson's line caricatures come to life 3D wise -- and because the video is getting buzz out there in cyberland -- thought it would generate discussion about the medium and direction cartooning could go. Just about the time cartoonists are utilizing Illustrator/Photoshop, etc. -- it's time to get into 3D modeling and animation.

The song is a parody of an exiting song -- I did listen a bit to the original today. The original tune isn't something I'd purchase or download, personally, but I can see where it would appeal to a younger audience.

Cartoon wise, I do think if someone is going to go about trying to make a go of it -- they've got to be as skilled in aspects of technology. Creating a web site or a blog, using software, scanners, etc. Seeing editorial cartooning kicked up a notch and animated AT a newspaper site is something indeed.

jason folkerts said...

I am going to try my hand at it this Fall. Any suggestions on someone I could talk to who gets the medium and could walk me threw the software?

Jackilope said...

Much of how I learn something is by jumping in and referring to the help section and checking out books.

Software wise, Flash -- just for the animation part.

3D modeling -- one of my students steered me to http://www.blender.org/
It's free and open source and boy, there are artists that are awesome.

Anonymous said...

Jason, you could view the animation of Mark Fiore, formerly of the San Jose Mercury News, on Daryl Cagle's website. He has been the trendsetter in animated political cartoons. He influenced Nick Anderson and Walt Handelsman, who, by the way, won this year's Pulitzer for political cartooning. You can contact him at www.markfiore.com or www.sfgate.com/comics/fiore. His contact phone number is (415) 215-9557. Lisa Benson is another conservative cartoonist from California who has caught the attention of national syndicates. She joins a list that includes Mike Shelton, the late Karl Hubenthal,(the designer of the Minnesota Viking head logo who hails from Nebraska) and Pulitzer winner Michael Ramirez.

Anonymous said...

I should have mentioned that Lisa Benson is syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group. Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Toles, who is more liberal than conservative, is the political cartoonist for the Post. He replaced the late, great Herblock.

jason folkerts said...

I like toles - he's a hoot.
He's been around forever...
Is Lisa Benson fairly new on the scene?

Anonymous said...

As far as I know, Lisa is fairly new to syndication. She and M.G. Lord, who used to draw for Newsday, back in the the 80's, are the only conservative women cartoonists I've seen in national syndication. Former Fort Worth Star- Telegram cartoonist Etta Hulme,and Pulitzer Prize winners Ann Telnaes and Signe Wilkinson are women cartoonists who draw from a liberal point of view. Telnaes' cartoons are in Ken's show upstairs in the Horse Barn.