6/15/2024: Meditations on INDEPENDENT CARTOONING, in the Year of 2024
INTRODUCTION
I've spent way more time in life speculating about independent cartooning, which has changed so much in the last decade it's almost unreal, then actually drawing anything. If you're anything like me, surely you've thought: how should one go about categorizing the many facets that make up this web of creation? Here's what I percieve as some of the largest factors in the state of independent cartoons in 2024.
1. Social Media (Doy, we've gone from websites and forums to Instagram and Twitter to TikTok and... Instagram? Unfortunately, but the potential for reach is better.)
2. The "Pivot To Video" Phenomenon (The insistence that you have to make memetic videos and content farm to get followers)
3. Crowdfunding! (More popular than ever before, and an acceptable way to live. Many a project and studio are born and bred. You're a slave to your audience, but who ain't honestly)
4. The Webcomic Consolidation Effort (Getting all webcomics onto a few specific websites, Webtoons has largely succeeded in this)
5. "Return to Tradition" (A vested interest in reviving the flavour of old internet, e.g Newgrounds, Neocities..)
5. The Digital Diaspora (The ways digital and traditional techniques are incorperated into the artistic process, or kept completely seperate, especially as digital has grown more sophisticated and accessible)
If you're playing for fun, this is the greatest time to be an artist in living history. And honestly, bless you.
If you're playing for keeps ($$S), it's the same as it ever was. Some methods make money, some don’t. Some have the potential for money, but aren’t really secure or guaranteed. Then again, nothing is guaranteed. You could make something that appeals to the algorithm and there’s still no guarantee it’ll hit. Even the concept of making something for the algorithm could hinder your ability to keep it timeless. Let’s just get it down on paper though. (?)
TO TOON IN TWENTY-TWENTY FOUR
1. “Fartist” : Just make whatever, whenever, for your own personal satisfaction, with no regards to future legacy or building yourself up. Includes: Whatever you want, fanart, OC character sheets, no story bunk, "flavor-of-the-week."
Pros: Can do whatever you want, stress-free. Potential to reach a large audience through use of characters and set-pieces other than your own, or creating self-indulgent art of your characters with no story constraints. Paul McCartney approach to art.
Cons: The potential for reach or money depends entirely on how well people gel with your individual works, or if people like whatever style shines through. There’s a dime a dozen “fartists” out there, and a lot of them are pretty good at it, so competition is harsh.
2. “Commercial Artist” : You make prints, posters, pins, stuff to sell, not necessarily based on any original story or nothing just a general design/illustration. In a crossover with "fartisim", however, such fanart could be similarly sold.
Pros: Here comes the money… Counts as effective practice, broadens the scope of how valuable your “low-art” is, could potentially worm its way into print media if done correctly, although not nearly as valuable as a story.
Cons: Your mother was right. You are nothing but a simple illustrator, storytelling be damned. Semi-soul crushing if you're not doing something story-driven or creative on the side (which assumedly, you'd want to be doing, otherwise disregard). Some creative energy will always have to be dedicated to these endevours.
3. “Webcomic Artist” : Running a webcomic, or a variety of them, and using them as the main engine of your platform. In some ways, a perfect middle ground. In others, a ball and chain. Like the webcartoonist (see 5) but in slightly different ways.
Pros: Ability to tell long-form story without the extremity of effort and man-power required from animation, with many of the same benefits of outreach and appeal. Plus, you can compile your whole comic into print media, and sell originals sketches if necessary.
Cons: Could be stuck being dedicated to one webcomic for God knows how long, which could be avoided if I play it safe but is still a possibility. But hey, maybe that brings you great joy! Not everyone has to be a Tezuka.
4. “Industry Prospective” : Work purely to build up some kind of storyboard/animation portfolio as a prospective for the comic/animation industry, and portray yourself online as such.
Pros: Could increase "clout" that many before you have ridden, especially if you're appealing directly to industry professionals and trust-fund kids, which could lead to a job ($52,000/yr). Ability to gain influence in the industry-sphere, which would give you an excuse to learn software outside of your comfort zone, for more diverse and skilled portfolio works.
Cons: This would kind of be really lame. Also the joke about the art industry constantly imploding is almost as old as the industry itself.
5. “Webcartoonist” : Specifically, the creator of an animated web-series or series of animated cartoons, likely worked on by a few people as part of a mini-studio, or a small and simple enough production that one person could do it, with much longer production time.
Pros: People tend to engage with animation more, potential for larger audience, though not necessarily on a monetary level. Depending on effectiveness of technique, could be feasible to make short episodes and build up credibility as an artist/writer/animator. Sounds fun and maybe you already have plenty of ideas, would cement you in animation too because so few people do this.
Cons: Must rely entirely on donations or plushies/figurines made by children in Southeast Asia for money, since there’s no other revenue source that I can think of besides tie-in ads and other endevours. Actual potential for telling a long-form story is incredibly stunted, especially if it’s just one person. Return on investment is less than guaranteed. May work better as promotion for comic work?
6. “For-Real Cartoonist” : Working on for-real projects for for-real clout, like full-on graphic novels and/or comic strip that you attempt to sell as higher art.
Pros: No shame, despite the much higher standards. Reasonable to make money off of if you manage to convince everyone it’s “for-real.” Could be the path out of escaping the necessity of social media, only using it to promote your actual commerical art.
Cons: The skill level you're currently at may not be one you believe rises to the occasion due to said "higher standards". Additionally, if this is all you do, you'd be starting from scratch with no notoriety trying to get recognized as high art for your work. Return on investment will likely not be seen for months at best. John Lennon approach to art.
7. “Video Game Developer” : Technically achievable, though I’m not entirely familiar with the process. Just create indie games.
Pros: You can actually make money off this because you’re selling a finalized product.
Cons: While I conceptually enjoy many indie games, I have no earthly clue how to create video games and I literally never play any.
8. “Movie Man” : Make an entire animated movie by yourself, or with a small team, over the course of a few years. Kind of a nightmare project but essentially the film/animation version of a “for-real” cartoonist. I suppose this could also translate to a limited series.
Pros: If pulled off, and well, could potentially catapult you into legend status. Not many people ever finish an independent film, much less an animated one. If financed correctly, could lead to a long string of future projects.
Cons: Return on investment will likely not be seen for months at best, most likely requires a much larger staff and a handful of more experience. Plus, need that GREEN! Better to start off with smaller films and work my way up from there?
CONCLUSION
Well, in future endeavors, I believe the ability to make money back while creating an impressive independent production is more achievable than ever, be it fartism or the "for-real". I do believe digital techniques and A.I will assist in this, and thus must be considered serious future assets, but it would be preferable to focus on humanism in cartoons for the time-being, as A.I is not nearly advanced enough yet to make art easier for the average person I can't use A.I to digitally color all my keyframes, or add accurate VHS effects to a drawing without needlessly toggling 70 different image modifiers, so what's the point?
As a parallel, I believe that if your dream was to be making a “FLCL” type miniseries or a comic adapatation of The Martian Chronicles with a small team of cool people and collaborators, you could and should.
This, of course, means you’ll have to mature and learn to work with others. A current hold-back for a non-industry artist, upon introspection, could be an artist's perceived lack of skill and actual completed projects to thier name, all the more reinforced but the scope of incredible artists who's process and talent are more accessible than ever, which keeps you feeling that you can't meet other skilled people on their level. It’s a dangerous cycle of destructive self-introspection, but you can overcome it through a lowering of self-imposed standards and a continuous output of art that’s fun and rewarding for you to make, shorts, comics, or otherwise.
If we're talking completely independent, playing with yourself, the well-rounded approach seems to be best. What I’ve learned from observation is that any foray into a larger, potentially more monetarily beneficial project, whether it be a storied webcartoon, webcomic, or otherwise, should not be considered at all if you're just starting out. Rather, your focus should be on creating what I want and learning to love making art, what you like and dislike about the process. This has not changed from 6000 B.C to 2024 A.D, however if you're seeking to avoid “fartisim,” you have to prioritize an expression of unique and interesting ideas. For example, say you draw fanart; it can in your own style or an illustration that tells some kind of story. Making small comics or stories using characters from other media can also prove very successful at almost creating original work.
You may suspect this, but I wrote most of this up for my own purposes, but chose to post it here due to its length of speculation. I hope you got something already out of it, though if you've spent enough time with webcartoons, I suspect I've just written down everything you already subconsiously knew. Even so, may this be a useful reference point.
MORE SPECULATION
I don’t really touch on this much up above, but traditional art and digital art should be solidly interchangeable based on what you feel like using. What matters not is what how you're drawing something or what materials you use, but that you're drawing at all. However, the hand-drawn sloppy cool factor of traditional art and inking is preferred for improving art more consistently, and should thus be primarily sought at the start. Animation is a different story, due to the nature of its production, and thus digital may be prioritized there. An iPad or Wacom Movink may be a reasonable purchase if you go down an exclusively digital route, especially if you like staring at a screen way more than you already do.
2024 BONUS! WHAT DOES A.I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS?
Making money fast on the internet as a cartoonist requires a strategic plan and a strong online presence. Here are some steps to get you started:
1. **Create High-Quality Content:** Your cartoons should be visually appealing and creative. They should draw attention and promote engagement.
2. **Build a Strong Following:** Use relevant hashtags, interact with other users, and promote your social media accounts on social media platforms to attract more followers.
3. **Collaborate with pands:** Once you have a substantial following, pands may approach you for collaborations. You can draw their products in your unique style and get paid for it.
4. **Promote Your Own Products or Services:** If you have your own merchandise or cartooning services to offer, use your social media platforms to promote them.
5. **Become an Affiliate Marketer:** You can earn a commission by promoting other people's products. Companies are always looking for influencers who can help them reach a larger audience.
Remember, success won't come overnight. But with creativity, consistency, and strategic planning, you can make money fast on the internet as a cartoonist.
THANKS A.I
6/13/2024: COPYSCRIPTING (Tell Your Friends!)
> Oye!
> I was informed today by my roommate that "copywriting" is the art of writing in order to convince someone to take a specific action, usually in the pursuit of advertising useful and useless bunk.
> Of course, this brought about unneeded confusion in a conversation about "copyrighting", a term that does not exist.
> Now, I think "Copyrighting" should definitely be a valid word (e.g. Drop the gun before I start copyrighting), but can understand the confusion it'd cause due to its indistinguishability from "copywriting."
> Therefore, I propose a modification to the public lexicon..
> Replace "copywriting" with COPYSCRIPTING!
> The exact same thing except it opens the gates for "copyrighting" to join our vernacular, much like blowing a canal into the tropics of Panama.
> So the next time a friend who's majoring in the pagan field of advertising tries to tell you about "copywriting," correct them with all the confidence in the world so that they may spread the word onto others.
> Edit every Wiktionary page, every Quizlet, every pirated textbook!
> Together, we may change the world.
> Or the Anglo-sphere, at least.
6/1/2024: Friends, Romans, Countrymen
> Oye!
> Welcome to the ¡MENDOZAKA! Blogsite.
> Less excessive venting about life's chagrins, more showing off how much of my life I've wasted injesting cartoon media.