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.