Brian Fies said, "The Combination of words and images is more powerful than either one standing alone". Several recent essays have explored the (long-standing) question of cartoonists as 'writers'.
This has always been such a fascinating question, IMO. And what's weird (and kind of unfair) is that a cartoon absolutely needs to be well-written to be any good, but the drawing doesn't necessarily have to be. See XKCD, for example. I'm not sure why that is, except that maybe our brains are better at filling in the holes left by a piece of art than they are by a piece of writing.
That said, I'm guessing anyone who claims that cartoonists "aren't writers" has probably never tried to actually draw one.
I like to say I'm a cartoonist because it seems to bring joy to whoever asked. Usually they've never met one before.
What I hate is the follow up question, along the lines of "would I have I seen your work anywhere?".
I usually say something like, "Remember newspapers? I'm still in those," though I'm considering, "Have you used an image generating AI? I helped train them."
Cartoonists are definitely also writers. I have always called myself a writer first, but lately I've been thinking that distinction is incorrect. I think trying to adhere to a label has the potential to stymy one's progress—I had shelved cartooning multiple times over the years by thinking it was distracting me from my words, but recently started to put more effort into projects like my webcomic, CHAI COFFEESHOP (Insta, X, Webtoons, and I've put a couple up on Substack) and other long-form works I'll be rolling out soon In addition, look at these three great examples of writer-cartoonists: Allie Brosh (HYPERBOLE AND A HALF - who, in an interview, called herself a writer first); Tom Gauld (whose site indicates he is a cartoonist and illustrator, but his work is complex and extremely well written) ; and of course the great Margaret Atwood, who also happens to be a cartoonist. I know people bristle at the term 'storyteller', but maybe that's a succinct way of describing us hyphenates instead of trying to define ourselves with a jumble of labels? Food for thought...
I will be saying I'm a taxidermist from now on 😂✊ When I say I'm one I've had some strange reactions from people. Some are gushing like, "wow that must be such a fun job!!" Inside I'm like, yeah...'fun'. Or a small snigger and a condescending look over their glass, "hmmm you're a cartoonist". With emphasis on the cartoonist. So inside my mind I'm always musing what I am. But hey, I'm much happier being in this line of work than the millions of previous jobs I've had in my life. Some near enough killed me and some near enough killed others 😃
I make comics not because comics are my favorite art form, because I have not yet been willing to choose between writing and drawing. They are each such different ways of thinking and imagining; for me writing is more cerebral, and drawing accesses the subconscious more directly. So I don't think of myself as a cartoonist, but as a writer and visual artist.
First, thanks very much for the mentions! I'd elaborate: I've worked as both a writer writer (newspaper reporter, freelance journalist, science writer) and as a cartoonist writer, and in my mind they are absolutely the same thing. Writers and cartoonists are solving the same problems with different tools. Both are exercises in organizing and delivering information as clearly and economically as possible. You write just the right word, draw just the right line, to say exactly what you want to say.
If anybody asks, I tell people I'm a writer. Sometimes I write with only words, sometimes I write with words plus drawings. The process feels identical in my head.
In response to Dana Jeri Maier, my take is that you don't have to be a great artist to be a great cartoonist. Cartooning is storytelling. If you can make people laugh, think or cry with stick figures or scribbles, in my opinion you're a great cartoonist.
Adopting the title “Scribbley Dibbley”, thanks! It’s much more fun than “a writer who draws” which is all just dibbling about with scribbling anyhow. Thanks for sharing this piece.
I write and draw, okay not either that well, but I'm trying. So ya, same same. But I'm not sure cartoonists have all the tools. Typewriters, mmm. Libraries, definitely different. I'm also interested in the question are cartoons capital A Art. E.g. https://open.substack.com/pub/toonsday/p/where-art-thou-capital-a-art
Interesting! I write and illustrate, and I'm learning comics-making. But I wouldn't call myself a cartoonist. It's a specific skillset that takes a while to hone, and I'm not there yet. Cartoonists are definitely both writers and artists, IMO. Basically experts in brevity, levity, and visual storytelling.
Also, back in the day, cartoonists submitted drawings to the New Yorker and left it to the smartpants editors to caption them. That should tell us something. Or paint a picture. :~
This has always been such a fascinating question, IMO. And what's weird (and kind of unfair) is that a cartoon absolutely needs to be well-written to be any good, but the drawing doesn't necessarily have to be. See XKCD, for example. I'm not sure why that is, except that maybe our brains are better at filling in the holes left by a piece of art than they are by a piece of writing.
That said, I'm guessing anyone who claims that cartoonists "aren't writers" has probably never tried to actually draw one.
I like to say I'm a cartoonist because it seems to bring joy to whoever asked. Usually they've never met one before.
What I hate is the follow up question, along the lines of "would I have I seen your work anywhere?".
I usually say something like, "Remember newspapers? I'm still in those," though I'm considering, "Have you used an image generating AI? I helped train them."
Cartoonists are definitely also writers. I have always called myself a writer first, but lately I've been thinking that distinction is incorrect. I think trying to adhere to a label has the potential to stymy one's progress—I had shelved cartooning multiple times over the years by thinking it was distracting me from my words, but recently started to put more effort into projects like my webcomic, CHAI COFFEESHOP (Insta, X, Webtoons, and I've put a couple up on Substack) and other long-form works I'll be rolling out soon In addition, look at these three great examples of writer-cartoonists: Allie Brosh (HYPERBOLE AND A HALF - who, in an interview, called herself a writer first); Tom Gauld (whose site indicates he is a cartoonist and illustrator, but his work is complex and extremely well written) ; and of course the great Margaret Atwood, who also happens to be a cartoonist. I know people bristle at the term 'storyteller', but maybe that's a succinct way of describing us hyphenates instead of trying to define ourselves with a jumble of labels? Food for thought...
I will be saying I'm a taxidermist from now on 😂✊ When I say I'm one I've had some strange reactions from people. Some are gushing like, "wow that must be such a fun job!!" Inside I'm like, yeah...'fun'. Or a small snigger and a condescending look over their glass, "hmmm you're a cartoonist". With emphasis on the cartoonist. So inside my mind I'm always musing what I am. But hey, I'm much happier being in this line of work than the millions of previous jobs I've had in my life. Some near enough killed me and some near enough killed others 😃
I make comics not because comics are my favorite art form, because I have not yet been willing to choose between writing and drawing. They are each such different ways of thinking and imagining; for me writing is more cerebral, and drawing accesses the subconscious more directly. So I don't think of myself as a cartoonist, but as a writer and visual artist.
Gonna put "scribbley-dibbley" on my headstone!
First, thanks very much for the mentions! I'd elaborate: I've worked as both a writer writer (newspaper reporter, freelance journalist, science writer) and as a cartoonist writer, and in my mind they are absolutely the same thing. Writers and cartoonists are solving the same problems with different tools. Both are exercises in organizing and delivering information as clearly and economically as possible. You write just the right word, draw just the right line, to say exactly what you want to say.
If anybody asks, I tell people I'm a writer. Sometimes I write with only words, sometimes I write with words plus drawings. The process feels identical in my head.
In response to Dana Jeri Maier, my take is that you don't have to be a great artist to be a great cartoonist. Cartooning is storytelling. If you can make people laugh, think or cry with stick figures or scribbles, in my opinion you're a great cartoonist.
Adopting the title “Scribbley Dibbley”, thanks! It’s much more fun than “a writer who draws” which is all just dibbling about with scribbling anyhow. Thanks for sharing this piece.
I write and draw, okay not either that well, but I'm trying. So ya, same same. But I'm not sure cartoonists have all the tools. Typewriters, mmm. Libraries, definitely different. I'm also interested in the question are cartoons capital A Art. E.g. https://open.substack.com/pub/toonsday/p/where-art-thou-capital-a-art
Interesting! I write and illustrate, and I'm learning comics-making. But I wouldn't call myself a cartoonist. It's a specific skillset that takes a while to hone, and I'm not there yet. Cartoonists are definitely both writers and artists, IMO. Basically experts in brevity, levity, and visual storytelling.
Also, back in the day, cartoonists submitted drawings to the New Yorker and left it to the smartpants editors to caption them. That should tell us something. Or paint a picture. :~