You’re a what? Cartoonist hat rhymes with orange? Thirteen And she never underestimates the value of years ago, Hilary Price liked that conversation. “When I’m hanging out with Wpuzzler enough to name her comic my friends, and we’re talking, there may be strip after it. Today, “Rhymes With Orange” is the seed of an idea in our bantering back and syndicated in 150 newspapers nationwide. forth,” Hilary says. Of course, cartoonists do more than Once she has the kernel of an idea, Hilary choose a clever title for their work. Cartoons begins to develop it. “I’ll start asking myself (which include comic strips) must convey an questions,” she says. “‘What’s the best way Kathleen idea visually, often humorously, and range to present this idea: Two people talking? One Green from single frame gags to multipanel serials person? An animal? What’s the fastest way for to graphic novels. Hilary, like most syndicated the reader to get the joke?’” After she makes cartoonists, writes and draws 365 different those choices, she starts thinking about how comic strips per year: black-and-white strips she will illustrate the idea using the fewest that run Mondays through Saturdays, and words possible. color ones on Sundays. Then it’s time to draw. Some cartoonists An idea is central to each strip. Because use computer software to draw their illustra- cartoons can be a form of social commen- tions; others sketch by hand. Hilary drafts tary, cartoonists need to keep up with current creations in pencil, then goes over them in ink events. They also have to look ahead, though, and erases the pencil marks. But before final- to submit a week’s worth of strips at least 1 izing each strip in ink, she gets a fresh per- month before the cartoons appear in print. spective from a friend on whether her idea— And since today’s news might be stale tomor- as well as her expression of it—is effective. row, creating for the future makes timeliness Eventually, Hilary scans the comic strip tricky. “I have to be thinking not in terms of into a computer. Color for Sunday strips is events,” says Hilary, “but in terms of trends.” added electronically; in addition, technology Hilary peruses many sources, including helps cartoonists hide the flaws that are part Kathleen Green newspapers and magazines, to get ideas from of the creative process. “The originals are is an economist in emerging trends, phrases, and words. But she not pristine,” says Hilary. “When I ink them, the Office of Occu- also brainstorms topics in other ways. For ex- I might make a mistake and use correction pational Statistics fluid to cover it up. But I clean them up on the and Employment ample, she might sit down at her desk and just Projections, BLS, let her mind wander, which “helps the body computer, and that’s what the reader sees.” (202) 691-5717 or tell the brain, ‘It’s time to work,’” she says. Hilary sends comic strips to her syndicate green.kathleen@ Other times, she thinks of an odd situation in daily-plus-Sunday batches. The syndicate bls.gov. and works backward from that point, creating serves as a clearinghouse, distributing to its a humorous explanation for the circumstance. subscribing newspapers the comics that

42 Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Fall 2008 occupy space on their pages. There are about five business acumen.” Hilary recommends that students major syndicates, “and all of them are competing interested in cartooning or any creative field get for real estate on the page,” says Hilary. some kind of training in how to run a business. A syndicated cartoonist’s earnings are tied to No formal training is required to become a that competition; a cartoonist whose work is in a cartoonist, although some cartooning programs now handful of newspapers isn’t likely to make as much exist either independently or within postsecondary as another whose strip appears in hundreds, for schools’ visual arts departments. But Hilary, who example. But it’s not all about page space. Rates charged to subscribing publications are based on majored in English, considers communication skills the size of the publication’s circulation, the fre- more critical for cartooning than artistic ability. quency with which the strip runs, and the strip’s “There’s an unspoken rule of newspaper comics,” popularity in a given market. The syndicate and the she says. “You can have bad art and good writing, cartoonist typically split the proceeds. but you can’t have bad writing and good art.” She It can take awhile for new cartoonists to build a also emphasizes the importance of consistency: following, but popularity creates opportunities for being able to stay motivated to create a cartoon for additional income. Sales of cartoon-related prod- every day of the year. ucts—including clothing, greeting cards, coffee A good way to stay motivated is to gain mugs, and books with “best of” collections—can confidence—and a good way to gain confidence help well-known cartoonists boost their earnings. is to see your work in print. Hilary suggests that The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) aspiring cartoonists start small, as she did, by does not collect data on cartoonists, so BLS does not have wage or employment information avail- talking to editors of local newsletters and school able on them. But industry sources suggest that newspapers about getting a strip published. earnings start at about $30,000 for beginning Occasional publication also helps to build a cartoonists, and established cartoonists with suc- portfolio, which then makes it possible to send out cessful product sales can earn significantly more. feelers. In Hilary’s case, one successful solicita- The number of syndicated cartoonists in the United tion amid several rejections led to a development States is estimated to be about 250. contract, which eventually led to a long-term Most syndicated cartoonists do not work on syndication contract. their strips full time, even if cartooning is full- As for what rhymes with orange, no single time work. The time-consuming responsibilities word in the English language does, aside from a of being self employed, as most cartoonists are, few proper nouns (including Blorenge, a mountain include paying bills, filing paperwork, and doing marketing activities, such as maintaining a Web in Wales). For Hilary, sharing that inside joke with site and responding to editors and fans. “I can readers of “Rhymes With Orange” reminds her of spend an entire day doing administrative stuff,” why she enjoys creating amusement. “I really like says Hilary. “There’s an entrepreneurial aspect doing cartoons. I really like that creative piece,” she to this job, but I didn’t come out of school with says. “There’s great personal satisfaction in it.”

Rhymes With Orange © Hilary B. Price. King Features Syndicate. Reprinted with special permission from King Features Syndicate. Original sketch on opposite page courtesy of Hilary Price.

Fall 2008 • Occupational Outlook Quarterly 43