Doodling Method 15 in now tiene to graduate from the matchstick beet nary pencil sketches nd of you pay careful attention, niqae. Hese is a doodling approach that most of the youll fen quite = feitle about drawing bide east succersful-cartconints tame in penciling sn tbeir drawings. sketching these pencil Sgures at about thrre inches ‘This bemor shows yous how to looses up your prelimi high, then four aaxd five inches high, 62These are the finished sketches of the doodles om the opposite page. First, pencil and i he autlines, then putin the dhading. J have picked out these dlrwwizys to aber the value of black spota coenbined with ahuuling. Notice color effect of shading if Gpper lelt-hand corner and center pictures. ‘The erawing of a few blades of grass effectively cuts into Jimmie’s black wait in right- hurd commer. Study the shading and shadows 63tae mer a a = from the comic strip, clothing, composition, perspective, and ling work, Alex “Rip Kirby.” Fer excellent ae drewing, folds in Rayenond's drawings are well worth studying 64hy ALEX RAYMOND ge E% e 2 outstanding studies of the figure amd the face besuti- ‘Try thete aa exercises, 65 Ful.JEFF MACHAMER showing proportions in placing the features This artist hasdrawm so many pretty girls that eves the frst rough preci sketch ia almost a finished drawing. Hie injects a ote nf smartness into his deewings of women that is slways refeeshing. Muchimer draws every chic young tidien hur lively original. Mere liminary pencil sketches, the growth of a read Note thit the eliawing in egus with basic oer 66LOWIS EISELECHARLES VOIGHTSaertet re he ree tent rmate On the Writing of Continuity by AL CAPP ‘When LI Abser was hors over Blteen years age, ¢om- ict had eriered a New Order that changed the comic page us completely a the coming of “talksei” bad changed the silens cruise, ‘Comics had deeovernd mmpenae, ‘Thot in, newspaper pobiahera had discoreied that people bought more papers, more cegulaity, H they ‘were wortved Ly’ a combc strip than if they were merely amused hy ane, A cities who laughed delightestly at ‘one of Rube Goldberg's great “invectinna” could pur his paper down with a chuckle, eat his dinner with = aim and umeaitied misd, and abeep the aleep of the peaceful ‘The eame citizen, huweves, who read Chester Gould's magnificent “Dock Tracy? dide’t laugh whenibe teached the last panel of that strips Ele moaried, or gasped—ax who wouldrt?—at the sight of w bullet whistieg out through hie favorite dletective's fotetrend (Tracy hee been bot fiem bebied, of course) accompanied by a Bae spray of Tency’e brates exe bits of his skull. You may be ware thet that ceader didn't eat fix dinner 3m peace; he didn't apenid any restful night. That poor sou ‘combin't wait until dws carne, amd with ia the next ei- ‘tion, to teliewe his agony. And them, while the sean strip evened thas it wat an unimportant section of Tracy's boll that had been shattered-and that he could get along fast an well without thooe pusticular braina—the reader's relict wea abuet-liver, f at panel of Sat stripy the walls of the roam intr which “Tracy bad been jured began dusty and reteritesaly to clam inert hia. with 0 excape ponsible, asdf with the mariscal laughter of the criminal fiends operating the death Seating leyera outaide ringstg is Thacy's helpless care ‘Asd oa there «ne 80 peace again for the reader until be coukd rush out and buy the meat day's paper-and the next and the next. Now, when you multiply this by several million readers, ard. when you realise that newpaper publidhers fave to have mitthons of people rushing out to buy their papers you can understand wwhy-Raving discewered that warryste the hell out of people pald off alot more in circulation chased simply amusing thess—jublihera declared a Mew Order for ¢. Out wet the simple fur, be pret alba the centhe satire-in came the “Suspense Cominuity” "Tha waa the situation that faced young, starry-ayrd warring Al Capp, when at twenty-three, fifteen years sgn, be decided to become a profesional, of three meali-eday cartoonist, Our hern was condined. He'd been brought upon Rube Guldbere. Fred Opper. itt Geruen, Rusly Dirks, Chil Sterreth the great funny guys Me wanted to be fie them. But with the coming of the Dew Order the comedimes hed bees banished from the comle page. anid in came the detectives, the ape-rmet, the big, Jovable pricefighters who vobbed as they suiughicted their opponents tecwuse they ditn’t really want to turt anybody and were deieg it only becarase theit mothers needed expensive treatments for tepreny, and the baile orphan girls with to daddy Bat the LAM to guide them. Out went the Laugh the guflew, the chuckle, that the consi 71AL CAPP ‘were the end purpose of the old-time comie stripa—and in came the gasp, the shuddes, the cold sweat on the ‘brow, the sick feeling in the pit of the stomach that war the new end purpede af the new “Suspense-Contieuity” come strips, ‘How could a kid who wanted to draw comic stripe sall ene to a.comic strip world that wanted only terridy: ing, heart-breaking. boood-curdling comic stinns? There was caly one kind of comic ssrip r-do~and that was 16 do both kinds—in the same strip. ‘Therefore, while the “Lil Abnes” characters them: selves are broad burlesque, is the trackition of my ideals —the imeicrtal Goldberg, Opper, Milt Gross, Maurice Ketten=the situations in which T plunge ‘em are ma- cabre, horrible, thrilling and chilling i the sew “Sutn- preae-Continuity” fashion. The problema thet face the Yoleams are monstrous enough #6 asthfactorily worry readers enough to get ‘em te rush out and buy the paper to find out what happens next, and that males pubis era happy, while the naive sulstioos and reactis these problema provide the comedy that mak happy, And thar is my formulas a posnt of view can be called anything at peat axa formula—lor weitieg “LIT me Abner.” Comedy characters in melodramnanie situations ~and solving the sisunti A fursily of irmocents surroun ‘teuge people. It is their cersplete and indexiractibte in- ‘nocence that, by contrast, makes the average citizen a grasping, cruel, vicious, dishonest, and canning men Mer. The Yokur kawe, in superlative meseure, all the ‘virtues that Society says it admites, anil becaie they hare them, Society isirritated by "em, cheats ‘em, icicks: ‘ex ground and exploits ent. The Vekurs are trusting, kind, loyal, generous, and patriotic, Therelore, they are ingenuous and human to everybody ‘The writing of comtieuity for cormic strips le one of the most inintate af all story-telling forma. For the suthor must tell his major story in a series of short epi sedes—hla daily sirips—and exch shoce episode must in-all the elernents of a complete story; beginning, end, plus the carry-over musperee, It's tricky ite exbilaraning. Whatever I have learned (asd I'm still feurning} about comic strip story-telling came nat alone from my own wwest inv and tears, but from sturly ef the tuo great masters—Chester Gauld ard Harold recommend them te youeee SADIE HAWES DAMILT CANIFF ah Po Detour Guide for an the mont unlottiinate errors of omimion made ambitious §o create an adventaretype a negtecting 10 tearm to tell a stcey wel Too ‘often the beiinner fines Toe ies aveed cme lint ena ings watid he can heckgrounds, then munt are. sornecre febaat ee with tee ncnelenig. There Sa be sncy imoently fox ertints 80 aut eannct write their cam atorses because they ire 90 double by-lines. 1 coarend th ‘weet picts feveem ide esaber For the a becatise be in not likely tow diawabile dlecor raters have compisined for ye: ‘Th offart this debciency 0 ye tould be followed 10 draw, Some of the Reeratuer yor Highitty in setioot conta iiieful in tewching ys the peried ul earning y have treats pura that well be highly teh altends motion pirtzre theatres Jt iy well te the type a acrean eatertainnwte, tic ret mumber af people, Ieileew Aiton, judge he moment Try locking over the photoplaya mines ix favor ducing the current yar fe plat reaches the production stage a conference of phe wapert writers. Every anlvertiure writer uses ihe name tick ef “boancing” hin brain-children mpaint other peuple to ar reactions, Learn ta tell n stiry Biefly zat well if your veil Versidt ao that ithmaan effective npex idle asad porch climas. You will fsa i muck battle after you have ee Lill je ef producing “Blew Cajun.” Dobe fisinted many weeks My ayzatiente. he Sanday coor page be turret in nine nek rand the aaliggue. An geeperi nuity that will Let te ennthe or more. ‘This 1 bot down wery roughly in ostline, then letter the spenchset fer the charactrrectrectlpen the f which have ter brook Prot ge mn the strip i 10 proper sige (I use an Eater- stubs pen ibe lettering. om three-plyArmchair Marco Polo Strathmore kid-finls paper. Sienday pope original — 17 x 254% inches, daily strips =i x 218% inchen) Same cartoooints prefer to write all the balloanaon sep srae paper and insert them after the pictures are drawn. [find it saves time and space to hawe the writing finished sa that Tay devote all my time to the illustra tices wien Lecene to them. There have been many complai in recent years have becorse far from comic. In order to ‘overcome this, ita Well ta use natural bumoe bn sn wil ‘venture stip wherever possible. Never force Leugha, But fied some character who mauztally falls inte azn Sng situations. Th this same vein, when isteeduring any person it the strip, decide will teact in any given sitzation ‘Think of every side of personality beforehand sa thet when a certain spot reached the render will know fairly well what to ex. pect of this isdtivedual Ir any continued cartoars thie chief desite ix ti make the fictional peaple seer real in the minds of the buyers of the payer, Never let this public down, Without your audience, you are Jost. ‘Therefore, itis weil to put yourself in the glace of the readies anil feel, ox you ennt them to, that your pen-ancl- ink Salka actually live, Alter getting the balloon set, it im Largely a matter-of ilhartrating your cwn story. If the locale in the Algiers waterfront, Llask in my file and select the phatogen of that regia, ng coauMes andl utinesphere which Thave carefully saved from magazrities abd newspapers, Trmight add ot thin point that C never eave drawings by other artisis Photographs are arcurnte in detall. where an atin have made some major error whieh T ‘wa ply repeat. Life, National Geographic, snd ny other magazines are constant sources of good file mruterial because ther pictures are 30 clear. The daily ‘With whatever parti es may need for reference at hand Tctraw all the characters én pencil in every pace, Paying no attention to the backgrounds except for eon purposet. Nest, [ink in all the beads, nants, 4 Crow Quill #659). The backgrowncts come nest in pencil, then (using a Winsor & Newton bruh #3) 1 ink figures, hackgrounds, shadows, ete. Because T complete light and shade, it it neersksry ta gore rach strip and touch up spats with the Crow Quill wbere an outline ix required.an the light wide of Figure cor baal M1 use Bers iy strips the actual dats are applied hy the engraver on the places I inficate with a pal bhar water color. The Sunday color praay eww in eal ine no regalar Ben Day, by MILT CANIFFMILT CANIFF fut the amall dete which fore the color plates From which the fmished cartoon is printed are prepared by the engraver in much the same manne. To show him ‘ehere I want the color applied T have a ratte pBoto- sfaplaf the lange original made, reduced 1o-wxactly the sie it will appear in the paper (94s inches wide). Using a good set of eater colors, I paint the pletures just as T want them and the engraver then follows each colot ust on 1 put it down, Many artitte coxnplain that they et Lathe booperation from engravers: T have firund that if the cartoonist does m piece of work of which ho is provd, tha wegraver will do bls part so that itwill reflect ‘well on bis professional reputation alsa, It is impossible to tell a rtudient all the things neces. sary to produce an acceptable adventuse strip. So much of the isapieution enust come from within. One thing certain—it feat alary persan’a job. There in oo hal! way in doing a realistic feature that will hold renders. Every detail must be accurate beeaee there ia always a man ‘or womans who has been tothe place you are portraying. ‘Thousands of people know atl about guns, for instance, and a vague biobef ink will not convince thers that you mead it to be German Luger Automatic. This ix juss one of the many, many iterme-that daily dog the trail of the realistic Qn the other hand, the same reader who is quick to catch you in error ia aruslly the first to write a letter of praise if youare authentic. Yuu may become grey with worry over scene seemingly trivial detail, bat again you ‘will give yoursell a liberal education on many auhjects beside demmeng. “AIL of the foregoing sefere only to the feature pre- pared for direct reprecductios is newspapers with sec “Steve Canyon” vadary appearance in the comic books Comice est Hirect to the book publishers are usually the product of an asembly Hine of writers and artists and can be dangerous training greand far the student unless he is careful. The pitfall is the inclinatioe to speccalite om ane phase, while meglecting the allaround art edhuention a6 ‘useful when a atrip is signed by und credited to a single ‘perean. Tt Gallows that the ene-man responsibility pays dliviciends toth in entiafection azel enoney. Hi you submit w comic wiripen a tysdieste (they are fisted in Bititor and Piblither Yearbook, 1475 Bkoad- way, New York 18, 6. ¥,), do not send anything half does; ft will only put you in a bad tight with the editor, who ia bound to be at feast slightly peefudiced against ‘you the next time you atterip? ta capture his attention, To show your wares to best advantage, it ix well to pre- sent twelve to eighteen daily black-ard-white releases and at Inast two Sunday color pages. The work should Ibe finished axneatly ax possible in black and white, with matte photo print of at least ane page, colored to ind: ‘cate how your work will took in the rrwspaper Submitted drawings should be so hundscnely pee ‘pared that the editor could ceder them run in his paper ‘hoe following day if he chose. Your own eye can tell you whether you a y at doing a syndicated with what you see in she papers UT yo not waste your tine and thet of u busy editor hy hapicig ems aa though be were a paid in hho wall ive yous re. grent encogh to juntily the sharpeat kind of w criticlam. You may Ihave occasion to ki leeg, lait newer ih yoursell, bse grub by MILT CANIFF (Carvey (2H by San anf Teme CoHow to Get Ideas ‘How do cartoomists get their ideas? The arewer to that theat they worl as herd or harder thinking up staff 1 draw than they de in making the actual dr “The first great source b life itself —and this matement ja not so banal as it sounds Cartoons of any period im Distory are a refection of what people were doing, thinking. acting: how they booked, dremued snd le- haved: how they governed themselves, amused them aclves and so forth, in the partitular perked in which they wete pictured. The artists whe drew them based their ideas on news events, popular pastsmes, political shenanigars, fathions of the day, popular superstitions: and anything ard everything of a timely and topical nature, This system is still good. The cartconiet who would be a success, whether he draws for the editorial pape, iter comie arrips, of the fumoroue markers, shonlih the aware of what bs goleg on in every mpect of life: und be alert to the pactorial powsibilities of every single iter he observes. There are potential curtoces in every fact and fancy that come along and fasten themaelyes upon people ereryehere Think of the thousands of cartoons a few years ago that were haved upon auch silly things faa flog-pole-sitting and tree-tttiog, mah jong, channel swimming, dance marathons, walking derbies, goldfah wwall ye reed the Tide, ‘There wre a number cf topacal events which remain, constant year after year and which also furnish their quote of wealle ideas (Asa matter of fact, some caztooniats make a chart Listing all the seasons, holidays, special events, anniver- ‘aries, and popular associations throughout the year, ‘The prospective cartccniat would do well to draw up ‘his own. ft might aerame this form: WINTER SEASON Months: December, January, Februnry. Holidays: Christmas, Dec. 25; New Year, Jan. 1; Lincoln's Barth- tay, Feb. 12; Washington's Erthday, Feb, 22. (Note: Cartoonists should list xpecial holidays in the section in ‘which they five, Le. Mirw Englander would tise March 17 as Evocustion Day, June 17 as Bunker Hill Day, ace so forth.) Special Events: Ground Hog Day, Feb. 2; St Vatentine’s Day; Feb. 14, Build gags around Christ- maxshopping. Christmas cards, Chrietenma railing, poet office gags, creeds in stores, raising money for Chrest- mas, bunille wrappisg and catrying, Christmas: lists, ‘Christraas Day ancl gifts received by various members ‘af the family, Christreas partion dineets, visitara, ete. Also good in this month are post-season foothall, begin- ning winter andl indede sports ond games, social events, wrwing sitcles, hot stove feagues, anow und ice gags, lediing. ekiing, tobogguning, skating, coasting, alip- pery streets, skids, parties, dances, etc. etc. ‘Thin Hest 3s lyn misana complete, but it will convey the idea, Now, if the cartoonist will take each seasonal period in omer and Fist everything he Kknaws ar can by DANA COTY thisk of thas is peculiar to that period, he will kave « chart that will bea veritable gold mine of wargestions for sure-fire iddews, For example, suppose he wishes {o draw a cartoon for the second a third week in March, He refers ta his chart and discovers that Income Tax Day, anexpected angextorms, and hone gardens, to mention a few things, areof interest during that period. He therezpon begins “ikinkiag around” eath topic, mmociating ideas and events, until be has « combination that strikes him as being worth while. For his editorial cartoon be smociates the iden of Income Thx Day and unexpected snowstorms. Seert geod, sa-he draws « figure of John Public straggling through a blizeand of figures aed dollar signs, while rifts Inbeled Iecorme Theses reach to bia waist. Or he may aasocinte the Thx with home garters and deaw a picture of Uncle Sam standing in his backyard survey ‘ing sprouting dollar signs with a amile of satisfaction on this face, Sam might bbe saying. “Hien, mpre!n ever this, year.” referring to Treawury estimates of the tax For a combe-strip the ideas might tie ep this way: A, ‘cbikt hears fis dad complain of income taxes and the headaches they cause, The child ponders the inforrms- tion and hits upon an idea to make woe money out of the situation In the last panel we see him selling bead- ache remedy to amused sduhs outside the tmx colbece tors office, Another comie strip sdea bs Built upoo the unexpected inow and home-garden suggestions: A ah urhanite works hard digging up bis yard for a spring garden, He intends to stast planting the very next day. Next morning hho Sosks out of his window and the ground is covered with three feet of snow, A magarine gag would simply be a one-panel affair depicting the suburbanite standing in his backyard knee-deep in encw and remarking 16 his sextaloor weighbor: “My early radishes were doing nicnly uneil bss Thapspaesseck” ‘These are simply ilfusteations as to bow the chart may be used. To not claim that the suggested gage are: good or bad. Editors are the trial judges in sucks matters anit Gf course Useir decisions are either confirmed or upert by the greatest Sispreme Court of all—"The Read. ing Public, - Another great source of cartoon ideas is domestic life in ita every phase and sutrdivision: family fife, married jo. neighbors, relatives, children, peta. ety Ife. ccxane try bide, traveling, visitors, sleeping, wating.srisdcing, snd the Lord only knows how many more, The cartoonist could prodtubly make himself a second chart on dow smentic life, and ever ine it im conjunction with the first. Tbelieve that both charts plus onabilety to thank wn ‘plan along pictorial lines ix all that « cartoonist news to become a meady and prolific prodiacer of salable deus, As he gains experience, the wil alto gain is obwers vation and judgrret which will maker the task all the easier but,of course, it will never be « downright cinch. iJN. DARLING (DING) on Editorial Ideas 4.8, Dasling—“Ding"—is one of the world’s ygreat car- toondtte. He bes twice won the Pulitzer Prise for his editorial cartoon I was interested in getting his opin- fon on ideas for editorial cartoons, and I wrote him ask- ing Whe had any epecial formula for putting thers t0- gether, This was his answer, which war printed in A Complete Guide to Drawing, Mustration, Cartooning and Fainting, published by Simon és Sehustes. “HT knew any ensy way t0 get cartoon ideas, I'd tell you and then trad if myself,” he begins. “Most people think a cartoonist just sles around in his bedroom slippers and lounging rede, waiting for an inapiration. Sisldenly uhere ina great fight, the heavens open, and an angel descends, touches ins with the tip of her wing, and out pops « beilliast idea, born full- arsed like Minerva. Thea, all the cartoonist has todo is to make a few simple passes with his crayon and ell bis picture for a haiful af moeey. “Pm sorry, but that isn't the way it i Atleast, it has ‘never happened to me. I there are other cartocmists whowet their ideas that way. then my testimony ix only for thowe who, Idee myself, have to put themselves in the ‘kettle, tir on the eat, and bell until enough soup stork has stewed out for a serving. Sametinen it’s pretty thin broth. Clever draughtamen can maice a very good sartoan entertaining and flanny to took af, with caly a trace of an ides Onbers, bike myself, whose Singers are all chunks when 4 comes to-drawing, have to make up for poor drawing by having an idea that will stand alone iin spite of mutilation by clumsy droughtemanship, Probably that in why Twas asked to tell {if pouible) how toget and develop the idea for an editorial cartoon as distinguished from the bursan-iclerest cartoon and. comics Speaking for myself, this is the process: “The primary specificatices fur a cattoun idea are; “Hirst —It euust be samothing that everybody will be isterested in but which no one else has ever thought of before. “Second—Ii must be funny or ead or wing the living daylights out of something or somebody—azd looie out whoen you piel far your target. Kt in ware prising how many people there are who have pee coms which must not be stepped or, and elitors ure notoriously sensitive about cancebed eb scriptions. “Third—Hi it is to be an editorial cartoon, which ix the only kind Pknew anything about (if any}, it should carry a penetrating message based or: uni wermally accepted social, economic, or political Philosophy, calculated to educate ard uplift the fiases I don't remember ever having embodied all of these requitemects in a eartocn, but that ix ‘what the editecial curtoonist issupposed to shoot at. “Kiceping these primary specifications in mind, you next look for your subject matter, What the rest of the world is thinking most about that day is your best bet. Ir might be the President's message ta Congress, an earthquake in Japan, the brevity of women's skirts, or ‘the scientist who crossed the honeybee with the firetly so it-could work twenty-four hours a day, Youcan make ‘En seceplable cartoon on any subject on God's green ‘sarth if public interest is thoroughly aroused. And if the public doesn't happen to be interested in anything, which Ht frequently ten’, thers there are always the weather and taxes, A pretty heavy diet of newspaper und magazine reading will generally be found a nafe guide to the subject or subjects uppermost in the public rained, “Everything hiss been quite eary and simple oo fur. Anyone enn do that misch, “Hhving selected the subject mutter, you mast make sure that yous facts ate sccurate and that you have a full undertanding of their significasce. If you deste alrendy know all about your subject, look H up. ‘That done, you will come to the critical stage, which will de- termine whether your cartoon idea is gering to be a wuc- ‘com or m failure, and here és where ube fin comes in if YOU are successfial, and the depths of morbid depres: ‘sion if you fail. This is where the camoontet russ Kim- self through the wringer in an effort to find a pictorial situstien which will translate his subject matter into terma of common human experience. The more clown lahithe translation, the better, “Here you must depend on your own resources and you drag out from the pigeonhotes af your memory all the well-known historical parallels familiar quotations, ‘Mother Goose and nursery rhymes, Shalvespeare, Hibli- cal parables, song hits of the day, Grok mythology, ‘Hans Christian Asdersen’s Fairy Tiles, and the endless variety of familiar incidents of buman or animal be- havior, looking for an exact parallel which, wha ap- Blied to your subject reatter, will humenize the dull Facts of the situmtion you are trying to illustrate. In other words, you take complex subject of general im- Pontasce and reduce it by the least common denomi- matce to quick and eniy understanding, seasoned with a chuckle if possibte. “Verbally we would call this process ‘speaking in parables’ Pictorialty, ‘allegory’ is probably the ‘best ‘word for it, Noah Webster says allegery rears “f tively epeaking. the veiled presentation of a mem faudapharically inapGed bil wot exprenly stated! The Iete Will Rogers did it beautifully in words, The edi- ‘toeial cartoonist tries to de it in pictures He purports to be u visual interpreter of pasting events are is. to the mews of the day what the mews commentator is to the radio news broadcast—only funnier, hope.”Ideas for rear Some Sam Cobsan, the well-known New Yorker artist, inane of the best fea eter in the cartooning work, He has picked cut one advertising campaige to ahow how ho develops his ideas frors the prychor Jngical standpoint. Me selected Ken-L-Ration, a dog food account, in which heres ndod ax achar- acter. “This poor dejected creature it Modem Dog. He's Man's Beet Friend. and je i Litthe wonder that he haa picked up a lot of bis best friend's worries anal troubles. For sample, be is a dreadlul Rypochondries, though you would probably never suspect it, He worries about his high biood pressor, bis low bilood pressure, his warm -nose, his shedding hair, the ringisg in bir ears when be chaser cate. He is troubled by Uhe seeing price of ground. round steak and Governmentinepected horse meat, “And with the housing shortage, he realizes fll well faow alifficult i is for hin master torent an apartment where they will altow dogs. Modern Dog has plenty of remsons for his anxiety and T would’ blame him a bit if be started drinking too heavily or winited an. analyst However, unlike Modern Maa, today's dog has a solution te hia problema. dca matter of fact, be can buy tat his nearest grocery oe dolicatessen. Incomes in cara and ino delectable (I'm told) that it will stisulate the appetite of the most jaded cust-trained pet. It's so cheap that the dog woe''t have to fear that bia master ‘will get Catght in an inflationary spiral. And ta top i581 ‘off, it makes him feet so peppy andl energetic that be ‘will immedintely forget tun worrien ane return to hia okd ‘hobbies asd former love intecosta. At least that x what by SAM COBEAN the malcers of Ken-L-Ration Dog Food tell me, and T haveing reasoa to dishetieve ther, Like all great discoveries, thin cure-all for Bogkind's ls waa & tough one to market. The Ken-L-Ration peo ple bad weked me to assist theen in telling the dog own- ers in the country what was troubling their pets, and how they eolild find a remedy. They didn't want to use the Saturday Evening Bost cover approach: the picture cof the cocker spaniel looking wistfully aus of the corner cof ber big brown eyes, berakiee they had found that this merely made noncockerspanietdogowners aay “so what” And they didn't want to plug their delicacy ax the chow eaten by the famous dogs who had fought in ‘World Wis TE and who had climbed the Matterhorn, ‘becnuse how many house dogs in New Rochelle bad done either of these things? So the first step was to get addog hero foe the series who would! look bike Everydog, ene that every omner covld identify with his own pooch. ‘Anu the second step was to find simple situatotse to brut the dog in that were analagous to situations that man fBevcs fisssedt ist ‘The thied step. of course, wus to forget about the first two steps und address the metuage to the dog ixatend of the owner, which ia wihat we did, ‘That is why you enight bave a little difficulsy same- Himes in getting the point of some af these ada, Hew sever, Just because you didn't get it, don't think that the dogs didn’t, P've receaved letters from all ower the coun ‘try Curiteen by the masters, I ruppose) testifying Bow much the dogs apprecinte my efforts in placing their problems before the public. Modern Dog ia Snnally haw ing his day,Studies of Comic Strips ‘The strips on chis and the following pages have been selteted with special care for study purposes because they are typical of the most succesful comics in the field today, H-you ure planning 10 become a conic strip artist, you will find plenty of material in this section to study. My selection isefuces examples af continuities, comics featuring the family, kicks, girl, married-tife ad went, and a general potpourri af gag strips, A. good way to build up your own ideas over the long pull ts to Pick out your favernte comics and make a Ele af them for study. For instance, if you ar Aisuity strip nenning three, fous, oF: have in your file the complete story to analyze. ‘Thi ‘would give you a chance to try one of your own in # Blondie ‘same general framework. You cout sre how it is beoken down ia stages. how the suspirnse halls ower from day te day, ard how the dialogue fits in. In gag cartoons, nach strip in w-comnpiate mit, and there bx no carryeower for the nest day, good wny io lay out peg stripe ia to follow the technique which © Henry perfected in the short story. Get your pureh line or pune’ pleture firet, end wack herkwards M there aa particular syle you like, select fier study three ur four dene in that style, rather than merely one. In studying the work of cee particular artist, you could ensily fall into being a copy’ lat, whulla thaee of for will give you variety, andl you will bein a better position to mold a style of your om. TAM a to make the Bumstesds 24 average an iny own suburban [ie could make them I decided that nothing that dist happen atenind an average house woul ever happen is “Blondie” * Young's insistence in keeping the Bumstesds human, of rigidly’ policing he humor and murals af the Geenily, has mache Hluestie™ Lhe number ote entiie attip™ (Ghioted fren Bot Canal- ine in Casmerpeolitan) by George McManus Bringing up Father "is ls Sa ee sania |= —< “Bringing up Father” is published all aver the workl— in Japan they call it “Education ef Father." Every day im perfect Japanese, Father suffers the slings and are tows of whenpecked hivband, “Honorable Doctor! says cuIGEE ol bullae peed spectecies la wa laine af; ‘the objects thet Maggie throws at me” The Jupancse don't understand why Father should taice all this pen sense fom Maggie.Rip Kirby Faas eels we er oe Alea Raymond in a perfecti to ga a grant dinance to a newspaper readers of college just to get the details correct in devour. ‘Yer it i logical and intelligent, appeating co one of hixcontinasties. His character, RipKirby.undthe millions of sdutte. Buz Sawyer by Roy Crane Se pee earee Ss ee ee aes ; ee i SS ae | . Great wickler fee detail Bux iv n teal American youth who went through the whole wur with his faithful gus- fe Sweeney, and is mow plunged into postwar ailren- jist ax sizzling as bis combat service: thet seems to fave been country foul He Ie the big. rough woodehopper Uype ert Te portrays thee ad. blonde has plenty ef sex appeal. Ray Gotto has vs he beautifully blonde a tiniegoe drawing style—with ita broad, skillful strokes, Hdowns of omountain- it lends itself readily 16 newspaper reproduction. from the Ring Lan af a talentBarney Google ed Carrwoll has an excellent, loose style for comic drawing and he does a bangup job of Rilltally hucoor, Any man who doesn't get. real lift out of Barney is a bodacious Mjut” The reigning extra-curricular inter. Thimble Theatre ‘comicstripa for Beallle, which be has designed to help ‘the blind “see” the funnies. He expects to see, before ton Jong, all the great comics in Braille. by Tom Sims and B. Zaboly ‘There ts little need to way anything about the greatest man in the weld. On land and sea (although, comme to Vink of i, how many ships have you wver seers fim ‘en? Popeye is matchtes—somancing. fighting, scrap Henry indefinitely. Cur terribie tar is truly a citizen of the universe. ERI Zaboly depesdls on exaggerated action te interpret the script, Popeye made spinach famous. ane Hawn tn tall, but poor incewerly done with good pag that ean be asurpeise ending in each strip, 82 by Carl Anderson drawn withowt words hat the advantage of vianding ‘out.on & page ol strips ded with balloona. The "Henry" curieces first appeared in The Saturday Bvening Péat, ‘Clean-cut cutlne charecterines this drawing.Reg'lar Fellers by Gene Byrnes “Relat Feller” is based on the family pattern, with I had always ws Mom. Pop, and Qumi- maka the grade. He ed this strip, Jimmie a biel rut eoubda’t quite pe Bera, He'd stazt off with the odie against bitn—creating sypeipatbiy in his reader—aeed then romp heave a winnes. Penny by Harry st fof appeal in in her teen-age nuturalness: selyen. ax mull ux to their parents. To be inline with the her author seemstohave s qrmpathetse understanding — jurgonof hobby-soxors it ix almoat eompulary ta reat ‘of youth and tp portray its inconsistencies With toler» ‘the “Penny” strip, “Penny” ta nicely deawe and full of ance and hemor, which appealsta the teen-agers th up-to-the-mimute chatter, Mandrake the Magician by Lee Falk and Phil Davis “Mandraloe” in a very well: and wellairuwn = through thin world aed others in achood of abacadaben trip. Here is a man who kext of arts that h the idol of millicex “Mandrake” is on the side of justice. Tall and mysterious, cloaked in more than a ceric atrip—its an institution loaded with glamor azed mnegic, the celobeated Mandrake whisks action, mystery, are upeene, Notice effective blacks. 83 ctices the dDick Tracy by Chester Gould Anu atylist endl storytetler in the Sell of ceanie strip adventure. Gould taday br at the tops Newspapers fro count {o coast carried a ficert page story about the wed- iting of « couple who never sctually Lived. These were Harald Gray says, “I plan cont y torus episodes of varying lengths, always qaarding spainet the Hap py Ending, Sunday pages will carcy a conplete sory’ in themerhes. Annie must never deviate from the ‘Terry carries on int.n whiel of exeltement and intrigzse beset byy a fabral ~ damsels and despersdoes By a minanderstanding, hill get ina ness with the international bad men of the mysterious Mid- ceenpany ef desi ‘Conrvett Change Tee ner 84 Gravel Gertin ancl B.O, Pleety, the twin horribies in “Dick ‘Trocy.” The way Goub! qetpa a nation with bis wivid penrand:imk characteritetiogs pheaomenon of the busses: Trocy is the woek!'s head detect by Harold Gray straight corer of the poor title orphan girh with « heart of gold but a wacked left. While scene and action should of course be an yurinil as posaile, there la always thar tight wire to consider, by George Wunder ile East, a land seething with unzest—but everything Gut all right. This iso real striped adven- ture. The drawings ate very carefully doce and from them you'll get # good. ides of how to spot im blacks, always een est mers tomeMoon Mullins by Frank Willard ‘Wo take our hats off to Doc Willard for developing a shop quite regularly, Willarit's reader dors not like 19 mrip in which the eoalscuttehurting type of humor miss the monkeyahines of the foctlooen, screwball ‘keepa upas even level of good gage. Whether an intel- roughneek Moon Mullins Willard iu coe of the moit leetual or just an average guy who visita Uhe barber consistently satisfying gagsters in the field, ‘King ts a good idea man and his ort work is excellent, Fou start out wi haby one day old, you can't keep the fiat fo introduce w character es a baby him at thet age—the baby haste be two days old, three yas Skeesix—and have hien grow te masheod day day's old etc.” Other cartoonists have since curried cut by day right inthe pubdiceye Hixpaychology ia "When thet idea, bur King was the originator. The Gumps by Gus Edson Analy's set the askful ore, brut when he spewks his ard his Uncle Bam get togrthes, yeu ean be sure some mind, and exys the things we'd like to say if we had thing i cooking, And what's fam zanisest of ihe nerve, we cant hetp lowing him. Fora guy with folk = involwed in excitement, comedy, and bomely chin, Andy has plenty of what if takes Wien Andy phitosophy. Craftist i used in this stip. ‘Cette nie Hie em Hk Meena 85