If the state government was like high school
This political cartoon on a couple of California leaders, including Jerry Brown, the treasurer, Lockyer and followers, puts everybody in their place. Everyone knows what high school is like. I believe I was influenced by the TV show, Glee, which was so hot, for this one!
How much do political cartoonists make?
I know I keep saying this is one of my favorite cartoons, but it is! LAObserved and Daily News both ran with it, and I got some fan mail, too. So it wasn’t just me.
Editorial cartoons are about 10 times harder to do than general New Yorker cartoons. You have to know the news, and jump on it. You have to know what political figures look like, and how to draw them without making them caricatures. (Trump’s hair? Such a cliche!!) And for Slate and Yahoo, this was the size they had to be! Try lettering something this small to be legible.
And, if you have any integrity, you have to make it funny. Because Lord knows, most of the usual editorial guys treat cartoons like the most boring newscast you ever saw.
You know why I began doing them? The money! But it turns out that unless you are a cartoonist on staff at a major paper, you get pennies. For Slate and Uclick I was one of the top 5 cartoonists when I left. But my first check? Seven dollars! Insulting and pathetic. I was so distressed, after working so hard for weeks!! They straight out lied to me.
And it never went up to an acceptable amount from Uclick. The LA Times wouldn’t publish any of my cartoons because they were different – oh, and too thoughtful. LA Daily News loved me – I was usually the top cartoon on Sundays! But they didn’t have a full-time cartoonist. Thank goodness an amazing Libertarian think tank thought I was funny and paid me like a professional!
But even when pay was so low at first, I kept at it. Because political cartoons are a challenge – and funny ones so rare – and color ones hard to find…I found immense satisfaction when I did one that fit all my parameters, and beat all the regulars in views and clicks.
I experimented a lot. See the pools of irregular tonal green stands for the figures – all the groups – descriptions – and even a title on top. It has a lot of info…maybe too much? But it’s pretty funny, I think!
From my weekly cartoon feature on California news & politics. Try out this California cartoon for powerpoint, state journals or educational journals, Emmy, newsletters, blogs, books, etc. Details here.
ID # 110228o Caption: IF CALIFORNIA WAS STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL. Current cool kids, the Democrats, Feel-good Principal Jerry Brown (he could kick you out, but he won’t), Lunchroom Lady Lockyer (California Treasurer), and Newest Clique – Taxpayer Caucus.
Set painter in studio Art Depts. Member Scriptwriters Network, script analyst.
Author, 2 hardcopy books, Barnes & Noble Calendar.
- Emma in the Night ~ Wendy Walker ~ Thriller - May 11, 2023
- Still Alice (2014) ~ Psychology Movie Review ~ Julianne Moore - January 25, 2023
- The Other Emily ~ Dean Koontz - January 23, 2023
