Why I love cartoons
Why I love cartoons
Exploring my new creative obsession
One of my favorite quotes is “follow your curiosity” by Elizabeth Gilbert. It’s her response when people ask how to find their passion. Rather than finding one “passion” she encourages folks to take one step at a time, following inklings of curiosity.
My current curiosity is cartoons! It started a year ago when I took a class with Hilary Campbell, an incredibly talented New Yorker cartoonist. I immediately loved it! It seemed like such a fun way to combine art and comedy. Each vignette is designed to make you laugh. What is better than that?
For my 30th birthday party, I hired Hilary to teach a cartoon class! I called it Cartoons and Cupcakes and it was filled with so much joy. She said it was her first adult birthday party, which I take great pride in 😅
Since then, I’ve following assorted New Yorker cartoonists on Instagram. I didn’t grow up reading cartoons in newspapers or even liking cartoons on TV. But after discovering the process of how to make them, I’m obsessed with them now!
I’ve realized my goal is to make people smile when they look at my art. And what better way to do that than a cartoon that makes you laugh out loud! I shared my most recent idea with my dad over the phone and he cracked up. That was such a special moment to share and I can’t wait to create more.
I recently discovered Amy Kurzweil’s Patreon where she teaches monthly cartoon classes. Her Patreon members also get access to the archives of her classes (all 40 of them!) dating back to the beginning of Covid. So I decided to start from the beginning and work my way through those. During the first class, I sketched these 2 cartoons inspired by the lesson on tropes like desert island and cocktail parties.
Then the next morning I woke up with the idea to use the trope of a baby shower to talk about the excitement that comes with getting a new electrified gadget for your home! Enter, this extremely nerdy cartoon. The original caption was “Congratulations, it’s a heat pump!” but I had this new idea pop in mind and switched it out. My mom loves this one 😅 Vote for your favorite below or send me a caption idea of your own!
Part of why I love cartoons is they give true permission to draw people however you like. Some of the most famous cartoonists have bizarre ways of drawing people with giant ears, scribbly faces, strange hands, etc. This permission slip is allowing me to explore how I want to draw my own library of characters.
I sat down and sketched people from scratch for the first time. This is prep work towards making a children’s book like I talked about in my last post. I’m really happy with how they turned out! They aren’t perfect (and I’m not trying to make them be). I’m just excited for the boost in confidence that comes with practice.
If you have ideas of cartoons you want to see me create let me know!
Other updates
I’m hosting a free climate art workshop tomorrow at 1pm EST about electrifying your home. Think Barbie dream house but electrified. RSVP here
Pre-orders are now live for my Climate Art 101 with a big discount before the official launch! Sign up here for 50% off before May 1.
I’m doing a free workshop for Mothers Out Front on April 19. We'll be creating art that envisions a beautiful green future for our homes, communities, and schools. RSVP here
Ways to support me:
I host climate art workshops for teams. I’m doing a bunch for earth day, feel free to reach out if you are interested in one of those for your organization!
Buy yourself something from my shop- a mug, a onesie, a print. I made the heat pump stork into a onesie!
I’m open for commissions. I help climate organizations simplify their complicated messaging into visuals anyone can understand.
I’m looking for a photographer in NY to take some photos of me painting + of my coloring book for my website. If you have recommendations, send them my way!
