Lesson One - Introduction to Magazine Cartooning


In this lesson I am going to discuss the opportunities that exist for magazine cartoonists, and how you can get started in this career. I will give you some ideas about what type of earnings you can expect to make and where this career can lead you. You will learn what type of skills and education you need to succeed in this field, and how this field can give you some nice benefits other than money.
Introduction to Magazine Cartooning
By Ron Coleman

The Magazine Cartooning Market

According to one statistic published on the internet there are 18,000 magazines published in the U.S. today. Hundreds of new magazines start up each year, many of them with circulations as small as 1000. Magazine cartooning is a good place for a cartoonist to begin his career and as you can see, there are numerous potential markets for your work. It is a highly competitive business and most magazine cartoonists don't make that much money. Magazine cartooning, however, is a good training ground for other areas of cartooning which are more lucrative.

Work From Home

One of the benefits of being a magazine cartoonist is you can work from your own home. Your markets are as near as your mailbox. In fact, considering that many magazine cartoonists today submit by email, your markets are as near as your computer. As a magazine cartoonist you can choose your own working hours. Work days, or nights, part-time or full-time. You can take a vacation or a day off any time you like, keeping in mind, however, that the less you work the less you earn. You won't have a boss standing over your shoulder, or annoying co-workers. Magazine cartooning, on the other hand, can be a lonely job. 		cartoons by Ron Coleman
This cartoon sold to a children's
magazine for $15.

Educational Requirements

There is no specific educational requirement for magazine cartooning. I do recommend, however, that you go to an art school if you can afford to do so. It's also a good idea to read a lot and self-educate yourself on a number of topics. The more you know about the world around you the better you will be at cartooning. Creative writing is another area you may want to study. Cartoonists generally write their own gags so the ability to write is helpful. Finally since you are an independent businessman (or woman) you will want to learn some business skills such as bookkeeping, business correspondence and perhaps some marketing. You'll never have to show anybody a degree in order to sell magazine cartoons, but your education or lack of it will be reflected in the type of work you turn out.

coleman cartoons
This cartoon sold to a Dental Magazine
years ago for $35.

How Much Money Can You Make?

Magazines pay anywhere from $10 per cartoon to several hundred dollars. The average payment is probably around $50. At first glance that sounds like pretty good pay and it would be if you sold every cartoon you drew. The reality, however, is this is a competitive business and you will probably sell about 1 percent of the cartoons you send out if you are average. If one magazine rejects your work, you should send it on to another one. Often a cartoon is reviewed by several different editors before it sells. Sometimes you can increase your income by selling the same cartoon multiple times. You'll read more about this in the section on business practices.
Because cartooning is time-consuming work, and because the markets are limited and highly competitive, one can probably not expect to make their full-time income from just magazine cartooning. Most magazine cartoonists also do related work, such as book illustrations, art for advertising, website design, syndicated comic strips, animation or other custom work. Magazine cartooning is a good place to start, develop your skills and get the exposure you need to move on to these more profitable areas.
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