Unappreciated Cartoonist!

[Drtooth]

Wanna have the WORST time of your life? Try becoming a cartoonist and going to Art college! I don't know how many times my jaded art critic art teachers gave me lousy grades for "not drawing a hand photo-realisticly" and "actually having a style different from Crappy kid's book art!" Well, I for one am sick of undeserved bad grades! I bust my hump just like everybody else, and with slightly different results. I destroy my room with paint to get at least a $%^&*in' B.

Personally, I can't see why everyone's so &*(^ critical. Ever hear of Maisy? It's this REALLY REALLY poorly illustraited, and Horribly written kid's book that is hugely popular, and had it's own cartoon show at one point. This guy's a material could bearly fetch a high "F" by these standards. I get scoffed for drawing something in a cartoon fashion in a cartoon! What the #$%^& is that?!?!?!

Man, If I ever graduate, I'm going to find the guy who wrote that book and PUNCH him in the face!

Sorry If I'm being whiney, but this is the worst biz you could get in to!

 

[GWGumby]

That's why I majored in computer science. I didn't want to go to school for 4 years having people tell me how to draw. I already know how to draw! And I heard enough horror stories that I skipped the art major altogether. Of course, now I'm stuck programming when I'd rather be drawing, but that's another story altogether...

 

[GWGumby]

Do you have any on-line samples of your work? I'd love to see some.

I have a big list of children's book illustrators that I'd love to give a good smack to. Not that I really despise them, but I'm just upset that they're probably making a living out making bad art for children, when I know I could do a much better job!

 

[Hairfarmer]

Most art schools are pretty much stuck in 1960 when it comes to "How to draw" if it doesn't fit into one of the pre-ordained acceptable styles(realism, impresionism, cubisim, etc) then they don't accept it. There is *some* method to the madness. It's kind of like a musician learning to read and write notation. It gives you a more complete vocabulary to vary from in your own way. Of course, if you really feel the calling to be a cartoonist and are 100% against learning the traditional vocabulary than my first suggestion is to find a school that offer a major in cartooning (there has to be at least one in the country) or find either another major that you could incorpurate into cartooning such as computer annimation or film making, or try to get an internship somewhere and scrap college alltogether.

J~
"If you want to learn how to drink and climb social ladders go to college. If you want an education go to the Library!"
- Frank Zappa (paraphrased)

 

[Billy's Girl]

Think of it this way - If your teachers at Art College were any good at art they wouldn't be teaching it. they would be making a living as an artist so what do they know anyway!!!!!!

 

[Struble]

Heh. Think that's bad? Try being a comicbook colourist and expect to be considered an artist. To an editor you're nothing but a |technician|.

In the real world it's just as bad, man.

Sh.

 

[Drtooth]

Originally posted by Amy
If your teachers at Art College were any good at art they wouldn't be teaching it. they would be making a living as an artist so what do they know anyway!!!!!!

You kiddin'? Most of my teachers have full fledged careers. In fact, one teacher I have (who actually understands my work and appreciates it more than the one I was talking about earlier) only became a teacher for Tax perposes. He explained to the class one year, that if you're an illustraitor, the government questions you, and if you're a professor, it's a respectable buisness. I mean, this guy's stuff is Brilliant!!!!! He has doen ALLL this great stuff. He even did voltron and Thundercats board games (or so he says!)

The problem here is that the teachers CAN draw. Much different from me, but REALLY well. It wouldn't tick me off so bad, unless the COULDN'T DRAW.

But, man! I swear, you get tackled for the dumbest things. If a peice is great with one teansy tiny stupid exception of a oddly drawn foot (try doing feet and hands. VERY VERY VERY hard!) The other prof gives you a bad grade and says how bad the peice is!


Andf then along comes some doofus writing a bad kid's book and doing bad art!

 

[GWGumby]

I've seen some pretty rich art professors in my day. Art teachers are the one teacher where you actually can be good at it and still teach. Especially college professors who other than having to teach classes, basically get paid to paint whatever they want. (I'm simplifying things.)

Now a junior high art teacher is another story altogether. I had one really great one, and another who would have had us making macaroni pictures every day had everyone not suddenly simultaneously drop the class leaving the school with an art teacher and no one who wanted to take her class!

 

[Drtooth]

Curious... Gumby, what guys do YOU want to smack across the mouth?

It's not so much I hate kid's book illustraitors, I hate the Writers! It's always about some stupid "Teddy BEar" type character going to bed. How should I put it?

Statler: Why are these books bed time Stories?

Waldorf: The way they're written, They'll put ANYONE to sleep!

I mean, the illustraitons on Polar Express are ASTOUNDING. The story is just so...UGH!!! Snzzzzzzzkt!!! Uh What!! Uh!! Sorry! I thought of the story and fell asleep.

I only became a cartoonist to become a writer, too. Look at Bullwinkle or the Simpsons. Cartoony drawing, minimalistic animation (Bullwinkle had it's reasons for it, though. I'll tell you another day!) great writing/ voice actors/ etc. I wanted to be a cartoonist, not the next ___________________ (fill in the blank of popular Kid's book illustraitors that draw GREAT)

And... well, I have a problem with On-line samples. A, my stuff is uncopywrited (I'm trying to though), and B, I don't have a home computer. But my stuff is pretty much Freakazoid meets the Simpsons meets Animaniacs, meets Garfield and Freinds, meets Ren and Stimpy, meets the Tick....but all my own!

 

[Billy's Girl]

I was just trying to make you feel better!!! I didn't realise your teachers were world class artists.