Things You'll Need:
- Artistic Talent and Flare for Caricature
- A Sense of Irony
- Drawing Paper
- Pen (optional)
- Ink (optional)
- Graphite, charcoal, lithograph pencils (optional)
- Brushes (optional)
- Newspapers, magazines
- Computer
- Internet connection
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Step 1
Familiarize yourself with masters of the genre including Thomas Nast, Patrick Oliphant, Bill Mauldin, Herblock, Paul Conrad, and Walt Handlesman. Daryl Cagle’s Professional Cartoonist Index website is a great place to study works of modern political caricature masters from around the world.
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Step 2
Go to an art supply store. Note that some art materials have long been a specific traditional part of the editorial cartoonist’s craft. For example, many political cartoonists have favored a type of drawing paper, such as coquille board, with a surface that has a “tooth” that’s receptive to a softer medium like graphite and grease pencil for creating shading effects.
Another type of paper that has been traditionally specific to editorial cartoonists is Duotone or Craftint paper, where photo-chemical developer type solutions are applied with a brush to reveal one or two crosshatching textures. While its use seems to be fading away, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Walt Handlesman still uses Duotone paper. -
Step 3
Unlike other types of cartoonists, editorial cartoonists must keep up-to-date with news and events of the day. She must read, watch, or listen to a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, broadcasts or reliable online news sources every day. Timeliness is a critical factor for editorial cartoonists.
After reading, watching, or listening, select a political issue or event that fires you up. -
Step 4
Make rough drawings until you get your idea right. At this stage, ask friends, family, or total strangers if you’re hitting your target and if you’ve graphically captured the targeted political figure. Like one-box gag comics, the success of an editorial comic depends on whether the audience “gets it.”
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Step 5
Create finished art. Cartoonists dealing with old school mainstream media submit the finished artwork as is, while a growing number of artists submit a digitized version of their finished work.
