Voice Lessons
Years ago, when I first started showing up at The New Yorker offices for the weekly pitch meetings, Bob Mankoff, the cartoon editor at the time, would often say to me that, yes, I was in the ballpark, but no, I still had to find my voice.
“What does voice have to do with anything?” said my internal voice, without a shred of self-awareness.
I would go home confused, because in my mind, a cartoon was either funny or it wasn’t. What else was there?
But I was unperturbed, because luckily, I didn’t know how much I didn’t know. So I kept at it. Batch of cartoons after batch of cartoons, week after week. And slowly, and I mean reaaally slowly, something happened. I stopped thinking about my voice and started simply trying to make myself laugh. Instead of drawing what I thought a New Yorker cartoon should be, I started drawing what I wanted my cartoons to be, and what I wanted them to say.
I also had the added privilege of piles of rejected cartoons. Like, serious piles. In the week-to-week caffeine-fueled evenings of cartooning, I didn’t always have the chance to reflect, but once I had enough cartoons to look back on, I could review them with a fresh perspective. I began to see what worked about them, and more often than not, what didn’t. I’d cringe at the audacity I had possessed to hand them across the desk to Bob with that hopeful grin on my face, but hey, we all start somewhere. (I still have that grin.) And Bob, to his credit and my eternal gratitude, gave me the time and space to get better.
A cartoon is a synthesis of an illustration and (usually) a caption. They work together to tell a story, even in one frame. As I found my gag-writing voice, I also found my style. I went from struggling to draw anything that looked passable to finding the humor in the lines too.
It took a lot of time, and I hope I’m only partway through my journey, because I still can’t draw cars. The point is, keep writing. Keep drawing. Keep creating. Because, sometimes, to find your voice, you have to let your voice find you.
So strap in for a short tour of my evolution as a cartoonist. It all starts, oh, twenty years ago, give or take. And mixed in are some never-seen-before-for-good-reason cartoons. Woo!
One of the first cartoons I drew with the intention of making it into The New Yorker. I like the vibe. The pigs have a plan. It makes no sense.
I was so embarrassingly proud of the kid’s expression and that poor lollipop. I’m figuring out perspective and linework here. Also, I’m rushing. I haven’t learned to slow down yet.
Another early cartoon. Perfect. No notes.
My “I discovered ink wash” era. I was also drawing lines with a small brush as well. Eventually, it drives me nuts and I move to pens and only use the brush for the wash.
Here’s me getting the hang of drawing people. You can see that the way I draw eyes is all over the place. Also, the desks are all different shapes. Did I even notice?
First of many ghost cartoons.
My first New Yorker Sale! It makes a great gift for all your weather related needs!
My emerging meta stage.
This was such a complicated New Yorker cartoon for me at the time that I bought a lightbox to trace the final copy. I used it once.
I’ve decided that I’m drawing eyes rectangular. I’m getting better at creating a snapshot of a scene. One from The New Yorker.
Here is when I start getting into office humor.
My first of many tree cartoons. Hey, they’re just like us! Also from The New Yorker.
One of the first cartoons I drew digitally when I made the switch to Procreate on the iPad. The eyes are getting rounder. I’m figuring out how to shade - I’ll eventually switch digital pens and layer shadows on top of each other a bit more.
Draw what you know, and I know NYC.
My cartoons are getting looser and tighter.
For this New Yorker cartoon, I’m channeling my day job as a teacher.
Animals are the best.
Some social commentary. Or is it?!
And here’s where I’m at now. This is a rejected rough. I go for a lot of expression in the face.
And at the end of the day, isn’t it all a little bit autobiographical?
This is just a snapshot of the many cartoons I’ve drawn. I hope it gives you a sense of possibility of where you can go. And life’s a circle. As I improved at drawing, I returned to the simple stick figure too.
Because why not.
Happy Wednesday, and thanks for reading!
-Avi
I love them all! Thank you for sharing your journey in ink.
You say you want an evolution...well done!