Cartoonist
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MattieTK
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Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Time for action|Time for action]] to last version by Nate Speed (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]])
[[Image:cartoonist.jpg|framed|right|Cartoonist Jack Elrod at work. Pictured is a Sunday color page of the comic strip ''[[Mark Trail]]''.]]
A '''cartoonist''' is an artist who specializes in drawing [[cartoon]]s. Traditionally much of this work was, and still is, humorous, and is intended primarily for entertainment purposes. Many traditional print cartoons are of the single-panel variety, and are published in [[print media]] of various kinds, for example, in magazines such as the ''[[New Yorker]]'' and ''[[Punch]]''.
The term cartoonist is also applied to those who create more serious [[editorial cartoons|editorial or political cartoon]]s, as well as those who create [[comic strip]]s, [[comic book]]s and [[graphic novels]].
The word is sometimes used for those who create [[animation|animated cartoons]] including [[manga]], although a person working designing the visual part of animated cartoons is perhaps more commonly referred to as an [[animator]].
== Process ==
A cartoonist traditionally sketches his work out roughly in pencil first, before going over the sketches in black ink, using either a brush or a metal nibbed [[pen]]. Cartoonists whose work is intended for online publication increasingly work in digital media. Cartooning in the sense of animation is used in animated [[feature film]]s, some television shows. It is also sometimes used in regular movies for special sequences such as dreams or fantasy scenes, or for the title sequence.
== History ==
Comic strips have traditionally been associated with main-stream [[newspaper]]s. Such strips are distributed by [[Print syndication|syndicates]] such as the [[Universal Press Syndicate]], [[United Media]] or the [[King Features]] syndicate. The Sunday cartoon strips, which are colored, often go to a [[colorist|coloring]] company such as American Color before they are published. Comic strips can also be collected in books.
Some comic strip creators publish in the [[alternative press]] or on the [[internet]]. Comic-strip artists may also sometimes work in book-length form, creating [[graphic novel]]s. One of Walt Disney's most famous sketches was titled "Alice In Wonderland". This was turned into an extremely successful movie, and play.
Large comic book publishers (such as [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] or [[DC Comics|DC]]) utilize teams of cartoonists to produce the art (typically separating pencil work, inking, and lettering while the color is added digitally by [[colorist]]s). When a consistent artistic style is wanted among different cartoonists (such as [[Archie Comics]]), character [[model sheet]]s may be used as reference.
Calum MacKenzie in his preface to the exhibition catalogue ''The Scottish Cartoonists'' published by the Glasgow Print Studio Gallery (1979) defined the selection criteria as: "the difference between a cartoonist and an illustrator was the same as the difference between a comedian and a comedy actor - the former both deliver their own lines and take full responsibility for them, the latter could always hide behind the fact that it was not his entire creation."
== Genre ==
Cartoonists working for the print media create single panel [[gag cartoons]] and [[comic strips]]. In the daily papers in the USA, cartoon work from the [[funny pages]] falls into recognizable genres or categories.
* Single panel cartoons ranging from [[The Far Side]] by Gary Larson to Bil Keane's [[Family Circus]]
* Comic strips that are solely humorous, including ''[[Peanuts]]'' by Charles M. Schulz
* Editorial comic strips such as [[Doonesbury]] by Gary Trudeau
* Adventure comic strips such as [[Superman]] by various authors and artists and [[Prince Valiant]] by Hal Foster
* Semi-political comic strips include ''[[Pearls Before Swine (comic strip)|Pearls Before Swine]]'' by Stephan Pastis
For more information see [[comic strip]].
==See also==
*[[mangaka]]
*[[Comic book creator]]
*[[List of cartoonists]]
*[[Webcomic]]
*[[Women in comics]]
[[Category:Comic strip cartoonists|*]]
[[Category:Occupations in comics]]
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