New drawing technology - What would Ern Shaw have thought of this?

Late in Ern Shaw’s career in the 1980’s, new drawing technology using computers was being developed in Japan. In 1983, the first graphics tablet and cordless pen was launched into the market by the Japanese company Wacom. (The name Wacom is a loose translation of Japanese; Wa for Harmony, and Com for Computer).

Historically, the pen and paintbrush have been the most familiar tools used by man as a means of communication and expression – it is therefore quite natural that in the age of computers, the pen should be rediscovered. Wacom focused on developing and promoting the pen as a means to facilitate creativity in graphics.

What is the Graphics Tablet and Pen?

The Graphics Tablet is a computer device that allows artists, graphic designers, architects, and cartoonists, to hand-draw images and graphics, similar to the way images are drawn with a pencil/pen and paper. It consists of a flat surface upon which the user draws an image using a cordless pen. The image is then displayed on the computer monitor.

Today Wacom has established itself as the leader in the world market for pen tablets and pioneers in the development of the pen as a computer input device. Since the early days in the 1980’s Wacom has continued to develop a wide range of powerful graphics programmes. Today graphics professionals can produce conventional drawings on the computer using the tablets drawing and writing tools – from the paintbrush to the pen and pencil, crayon to charcoal and image editing tools.

I think Ern Shaw would have been amazed by this technology and embraced it.

Brief Cartooning History

Cartooning has a long, noble history. Although really becoming popular in the 20th Century along with the flourish of the film and newspaper industries, this important art form has been around for many thousands of years.
Our human ancestors all over the world drew on caves and rocks. Using paint and charcoal, cave artists drew what was important to them. They produced pictures of animals, hunting scenes, people dancing, and performing rituals. Ranging from simple to extremely intricate, cave painting was a way for early people to leave a record of their daily lives.
In later centuries, other societies, such as the Mayans (ancient civilisation of Mexico and central America) and the Egyptians, carved intricate cartoons into solid rock. In fact, the languages of these two peoples were represented by figures of animals and people carved into their tombs and temples.
As technology improved, so did the medium that was used. In the middle ages, monks painted very bright, intricate pictures to illustrate early books, such as the Bible. Cartoons were also used by painters of frescos and sculptors during the 15th and 16th centuries. The artists would sketch their ideas and designs on paper first; sometimes these drawings would be the same size as the finished project, and could therefore be very large.
Through the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, this art form became an important part of the printed world, being used to illustrate stories in books, magazines, and newspapers.
Today, cartoons are everywhere. In addition to books and newspapers, cartoons can be found on bill boards, posters, television and movies. You’ll have a hard time spending a single day without seeing a cartoon somewhere.

Cartoons-What are they?

The dictionary describes a cartoon as a “sketch or drawing, usually humorous” which symbolizes or satirizes some action. However, cartooning is so much more than just drawing.

Cartooning is a way of describing the world in a simple form with few words. A cartoon can be simple or complex, and can be drawn in almost any style; but it’s not an exact duplication of reality. It’s a representation of the artist’s perceptions of the world, and every person sees the same thing differently.
Through cartoons, a cartoonist can tell a joke, a story or make a particular point, and it can be done much more quickly and interesting than through words alone.

Cartoonists are solitary performers. They invent jokes in solitude and then their cartoons are seen by millions of readers. When a comedian tells a joke he hears the response from the audience but a cartoonist will never hear it.

Cartoonists get messages across quickly and simply. They illustrate, educate, advise and sell but above all they make people laugh.