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ToonMaker.com News…
Jack's Current
Teaching Schedule at the John
C. Campbell Folk School
Jack’s scheduled John C. Campbell
Folk School classes are as follows:
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Caricature, the Art of Cartoon Portraits:
August 27-29, 2010 (weekend classes)
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Basic Cartooning and More:
March 14-20, 2010
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Cartooning for Kids at the John C.
Campbell Little/Middle Summer School Program: June
20-26, 2010 (see catalog or
www.folkschool.org )
Watch for additional classes and dates to be announced...
An enthusiastic group completes the weekend Cartoon Portrait Class in December.
Three talented and fun loving students successfully completed the fast and furious basic caricaturing class with Jack at the
John c. Campbell Folkschool in December.
Their final exhibit brought many pre-holiday smiles to all Folk
School students. Pictured left to right are Cartoon Portrait
Class Graduates Sherry, Theresa, and Ted.
Southeastern Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society Meet in Asheville
Jack attended the annual Southeastern Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society meeting in Asheville, NC, in late September. After the business meeting, the chapter was entertained by three cartoonists of Mad Magazine fame. Humorous Illustrator Jack Davis, writer and cartoonist Duck Edwing and editor and cartoonist Nick Meglin all shared their "Confessions of Mad Artists" with the group.
While in Asheville, Jack and a handful of his cartoonist colleagues and friends visited and entertained the patients at the Asheville VA Medical Center. They delighted the patients with stories, funny presentations and cartoon portraits of the Vets.
"Caricature, the Art of Cartoon Portraits" Class Graduates with an Exhibit
Ten of eleven aspiring caricaturists happily finished Jack's week long cartooning class at the beautiful
J.C.Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. Their popular final exhibit highlighted moments from the various unique classes being taught at the
Folk School that week. For upcoming classes, see Jack's
teaching schedule here.
ToonMaker.com Receives Award
Jack Cassady’s ToonMaker.com website recently received a 2008
Apex award for electronic publication excellence. The North American competition recognizes excellence in publications work by professional communicators.
Cassady worked closely on the project with his friend and webmaster
Bob DeLong of
AMS Web Services.
Cartoonist Goes To The Dogs (and Cats)
Jack Cassady raised
$4025.00 Dog Dollars ($575.00 US) for the Cherokee County Animal Shelter and Humane Society. He spent a recent Friday evening at the Daily Grind Coffee and Wine House in Murphy, NC drawing cartoon portraits of people and pets for donations to the VRHS. Jack also auctioned off the original cartoon art used in advertising the event.
One of Jack’s models commented, “woof, woof, grrr, bark”...
Funny Business, the Art in Cartooning DVD's Now Available!
Your chance to order a copy of any of Jack's "Funny Business, the Art in Cartooning" TV shows.
Click here for more info
A Kind Word
by Cartoonist Scott Adams
of “Dilbert” fame.
Scott Adams’ comic strip “Dilbert” appears daily in hundreds of newspapers world wide. His characters have also appeared in many books and motivational materials and are licensed for many uses. Dilbert has become a favorite of workers in the Corporate World. Scotts’ Dilbert also has a strong Internet presence. It was to his Internet fans that this letter was written.
Read Scott's letter here.
Tribute to unsung heroes of
the funny business of cartooning.
In professional cartooning there
are several ways for a cartoonist to come up with
ideas. The first is to generate all of his/her ideas
alone. Next, the cartoonist may exclusively use ideas
generated by professional humor writers. Finally, the most
common method used by active cartoonists is to generate
their own ideas about half the time and to use gags
submitted by professional writers the other half. While
writers are compensated for the ideas a cartoonist sells,
they rarely receive recognition for their creative products.
They are truly unsung heroes of the funny business of
professional cartooning.
Some of the talented writers Jack has worked with over the years include: Rex May, Lloyd Byers, Harald Bakken, Rex Stein, Coke Ellington, Norb Otto and others.
Comics Conventions
Each year throughout the U.S. a
series of ComicCons appear in many different cities. These
Conventions usually celebrate Comics and Cartoon Art.
Visitors will find many booths displaying collections,
original cartoon art and a wide array of other interesting
subjects. Most ComicCons are family friendly and make for
fun and informative outings.
General FAQs
When did you start Cartooning?
I started when I was about four or five years old.
What’s the best preparation for one who wants to be a Cartoonist?
Read, write and draw extensively.
Are all Political Cartoonists mean people?
Some of their targets think they are. However, most are just
passionate about their ideas.
Are there Professional Organizations related to Cartooning?
Yes, there are a number of organizations catering to Cartooning and
Cartooning specialties.
Are there Professional Publications or Journals associated with
Cartooning?
Yes, there are a number of fine magazines, journals and newsletters
related to Cartooning and Cartooning specialties.
Who is your favorite Cartoonist?
I don’t have one favorite cartoonist, rather a collection of many
past and present Cartoonists whose work I’ve admired over many
years.
Are most Cartoonists left handed?
Indeed, many are.
Does it cost much to get started Cartooning?
Start-up costs vary, but generally it’s only the cost of good paper,
pencils and a few quality pens.
I’m incarcerated in a maximum security prison, can I be a
Cartoonist?
One of the nice things about being a free-lance Cartoonist is that
you can do it from nearly anywhere.
How does a Cartoonist get ideas?
Most Cartoonists get ideas from observing and listening to daily
life. However, there’ve been rumors about a huge secret “idea
computer” located in a secure underground installation somewhere
near Seattle.
Is it difficult to sell a comic strip?
Yes, but like the lottery, you can’t win unless you play. Don’t quit
your day job.
ToonMaker Course FAQs
Do you have to be able to “draw” to be a Cartoonist?
No, but it helps.
I want to take a course, but I’m not sure which one I should take
first.
If you’ve had no previous art or design training, the best course to
start with is the “Introduction to Cartoon Drawing and Lettering
100.”
How long will it take me to complete a ToonMaker.com course?
Most of the courses are designed with ten to twelve lessons.
Students should be able to complete a course in a year or less. It
really depends on your comfortable working speed.
I’d like to learn Cartooning and do it as a hobby. Would a ToonMaker.com course be right for me?
Yes. Whether you intend to Cartoon for a hobby or to eventually sell
your work professionally, ToonMaker.com will get you started in the
right direction.
I’ve had some drawing and painting classes. How do I find out if
I’m eligible for “Advanced Placement”?
Contact Jack by email at ToonMaker.com and ask.
Will I receive grades for the lessons I complete in a ToonMaker.com course?
Standard letter grades are not used in the ToonMaker.com program.
We’re more interested in you learning the appropriate process for
the specialty or type of Cartooning you study. As with many things,
practice leads to improvement.
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