There are many aspects to cartooning, and I have yet to find one I don’t enjoy. I read incessantly about the topic, from the best known syndicated strips to the lesser known gag cartoonists of old. For whatever reason, the gag cartoonists of old interest me most.

I’ve created a line of business-related gag cartoons which are, I’m very grateful to say, gaining in popularity. Thus far, they’ve appeared in such publications as The Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review.

Because I’ve now got quite a number of them and they cover a bunch of areas surrounding business (legal cartoons, medical cartoons, generic political cartoons, insurance cartoons, among a bunch of others), I figured it was time to build a site where they can be made available for newsletters, Powerpoint presentations, publications, etc. I’ve also added a store where you’ll find lots of products and gifts featuring these cartoons.

I’m still creating new “Spectickles” – now that it’s out there in syndication, there’ll be LOTS more of those, as well as “Foggy Bottom” with my good buddy and fellow military vet Dave Ditullio, and “Karma Café” with Funnies Extra publisher Richard Cross. I suppose there’s no way to sustain all those commitments without a sustaining passion for cartooning, but there you have it.

Check out the new Bill Abbott Business Cartoons website and let me know what you think!

Here’s one of the earliest cartoons I created, heavy on cross-hatching and strictly black and white. Color hadn’t yet entered my skill set.

Like most cartoonists early on, I’d had my sights set on syndication and had submitted several concepts to the major syndicates, all of which were impersonally rejected. The work had been created with that in mind – heavy use of bold blacks, drawn to what I’d understood to be the required dimensions for reduction, etc.

After a steady stream of military deployments, I’d find myself reinventing the work when I’d return home – not really a bad thing. I started adopting a more ‘cartoony’ style, abandoning the chase for a more realistic look, which tends to be less memorable and engaging in cartooning. Part of what’s required for a successful cartoon is a distinctive, memorable look, the start of what some describe as a brand.

You can see here where I began to abandon the cross-hatching style and give the characters a rounder, softer look.

Soon, I began trying to identify traits that I considered visually funny. Among the first was glasses. I started drawing large glasses on my characters and giving them something of a dumpy look. If you look around, you’ll find physical traits that you consider humorous, and when exaggerated, make for a character that becomes memorable and fun to look at. Now, mind you, we’re not looking to do so in an effort to be mean or cruel – I’ve heard some VERY unpleasant stories from caricaturists who draw people who are paying to have their features distorted in a cartoonish way. Turns out, they didn’t like that!

Among the first cartoons where I begin adding glasses as a humorous feature.

When I went to my family home near Albany, New York, my mother has a picture of my great grandparents. I hadn’t really given the matter a great deal of thought at the time, but when I saw my great-grandmother’s glasses, I knew they’d make a great addition to my developing characters.

Among the first uses of the stereotypical “Spectickles” over-sized fifties-ish glasses.

Within a few years, I’d finally landed where I suspect my “Spectickles” characters will remain in appearance. I sought feedback from family, friends, cartoonist colleagues, and the buying market to better tweak my characters, resulting in what you see now. But, as you’ve read, the process took time, a great deal of thought and consideration, and the acquisition of new skills to get where I wanted to go.

I continue to work in new mediums, create new characters and cartoons, and utilize different tools as the mood strikes. All of which are an essential part of developing as an artist and cartoonist. And most importantly, to me anyway, all of which has been enormously enjoyable and rewarding.

As mentioned, rejection is not only a large part of this business, but its a part of life. And just as in life, the better you learn to handle adversity, the likelier you’ll achieve what you want. Simple, right? Not right.

During my brief and colossally unfocused college experience, I learned a few life lessons. One, drinking beer rather than attending class may have a negative impact on your grades. Two, I was intellectually better suited for weight training than philosophical studies. And three, perspective is key. What do I mean by that? In law class, the professor described the importance of obtaining the complete picture of an event. In so doing, you’ll have to talk to every available witness, and compare what they observed with what others observed. Surprisingly, people will witness the same event and recall the experience with total clarity and an abundance of detail. Only it doesn’t match what another credible witness describes – how can that be? Perspective. Hold up a quarter with heads facing you, tails facing outward. Ask someone in front of you to describe what they see. It’s the same coin observed at the same moment, but the difference in perspective will provide a substantially different set of details. So it is with rejection. How do you choose to see it?

I’ve read somewhere an interesting tidbit about Babe Ruth, the legendary home run king. Not only did he knock more balls clear out of the park than anyone else in his time, and for quite a time thereafter, but he also struck out more than anyone else. He wasn’t put off or defeated by the misses, as great a number as they were – more than anyone else’s, but he had to have remained focused on the idea of succeeding. Stepping up to the plate and giving his best every time and letting the outcome be what it will be. Forgetting about the last three strike-outs – it’s only this at-bat, this singular moment that counts. Once it’s passed, it’s time to focus on the next opportunity to swing, and so on. Looking back should be to glean something beneficial from the experience: how could I have done that better, is there an opportunity to improve, what feedback am I getting that I can make actionable and advance my goals? Then turn back around and focus on your next chance to succeed.

Here’s an exercise worth trying. What was your last disappointment? How did you take it? Did you automatically categorize it as a defeat, a rejection not only of your work, but of you personally? Was there a sudden loss of motivation that impacted other areas of your day? From what perspective were you looking at the rejection? Lets take that same event, but flip the coin. Were there any opportunities to learn? Were you still focused on what was ahead of you or were you driving forward while looking at the rear view mirror? Did you ask for feedback – why the work didn’t meet the needs of your prospective client or buyer? Were there opportunities to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be? It’s my belief that you learn far, far more in defeat than in victory, which makes defeat, if we are to call it that, fertile ground for opportunity.

Having had no shortage of rejections, I’ve had ample opportunity to learn some of the reasons why my submitted work didn’t get it done. Sometimes, it’s just not the right time – the company or publication may have run something too similar in the recent past, or the style is redundant in what they already have. It may be a matter of fiscal policy – they’re getting behind another property and can’t invest in anything new at this time even though they value your work. It could be stylistically wide of the mark – great art, but not for their audience. Or it could be the editor or creative director woke up to a broken coffee maker and there’ll be hell to pay, and your submission was the first they vented on. Whatever the reasons, always remember that your perspective is the one that counts the most. Momentum is directed by perspective – forward or backward, you decide.

One of the methods I use to keep my head screwed on straight with regard to rejection, is a term I’ve borrowed from the military, Fire and Forget. I fire off my submissions, forget them and move straight into creating the best work for submitting again in the next round. When rejection comes as it always does, I seek information on how to improve or when to resubmit. With Fire and Forget, I’m too busy setting up for tomorrow to worry about what I did yesterday, and how others reacted to it.

Remember this: your work has value. Some markets, some art directors, and some time frames may not be receptive, but that should have no bearing on what you want to achieve and your mission-oriented drive to get you there.

I’m elated with the results of the “Success In Comics” seminar I attended in Annapolis, Maryland, where I not only met with some fantastically talented cartoonists and industry icons, but I was presented with a couple potential opportunities – something I hadn’t considered prior to attending. If you are a cartoonist, I can’t recommend the seminar enough, given by comic marketing genius Bill Kellogg and exceptionally talented and successful Chad Carpenter, the warped mind behind “Tundra”.

While I sway back and forth between gag cartooning for business magazines and licensing, my recent push has been solely on licensing. As a matter of fact, there are two very exciting prospects that I’m very much looking forward to, should they come to fruition. I may be taking a trip to Manhattan very soon to meet with executives from a company who have taken to my “Spectickles” cartoon characters and want to see more. Additionally, I had the extraordinary good fortune to meet with one of the major syndicate art directors, and we may be meeting in the late spring or early summer to discuss putting “Spectickles” in daily newspaper syndication. Nothing is ever definite till the ink is dry on the contracts and you’re slurping back champagne paid for with that first royalty check, but it’s a very solid start.

Hallmark UK introduced the “Spectickles” line of greeting cards at the Spring Fair in Birmingham, England this past February, which is a major milestone for my characters. The market will determine whether or not they become a successful line, but you’ll never know unless you step into the arena. Like my grandmother used to say, ‘throw spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks’.

There are a number of other discussions that are ongoing with some excellent licensing partners and we’ll see how far they go, including a potential book deal with a popular book publishing company, a new line of greeting cards in the US and Canada, among several others. As is the case with all business, all of these things could happen, or none of them. But as long as we keep charging forward, immeasurable potential exists.

“The Secrets Of Professional Cartooning” by Ken Muse – a very good book that covers in great detail the world of the syndicated cartoonist. It has a lot of unique insight and is an enjoyable read. While it’s over thirty years old, the information may still have relevence for those seeking cartoon syndication.

“The Complete Cartoons Of The New Yorker” edited by Bob Mankoff – To my mind, New Yorker cartoonists represent the finest cartoonists in the business, now or in the past. Aspiring cartoonists would do well to study the art, the humor, and the style of the thousands of examples present within this book. I’ve worn my copy mighty thin.

“Good Grief: The Story Of Charles M. Schulz” by Rheta Grimsley Johnson – An icon to so many young cartoonists, myself included, has been Charles Schulz. His “Peanuts” characters have been read in newspapers now for generations, and have become part of the fabric of our American culture. This story of his life is a fascinating read, and an inspiration.

“Charles Addams: A Cartoonist’s Life” - by Linda H. Davis – Charles Addams lived the life of a cartoonist at a time when the financial rewards and acclaim were in abundance. A very enjoyable read, and a glimpse at the world of a cartoonist at its apex.

“Artist’s & Graphic Designer’s Market” is a necessary annual purchase for the working cartoonist and artist. It is filled with many, but certainly not all, current markets, their needs, contact information, rights sought, and pay.

There are many more books piled in the shelves of my cartooning library, but this is a healthy start. I’ll update more soon!

An important aspect that I believe is sometimes (it certainly has with me) been neglected, is taking the time to stay healthy. Recently, my wife and I have been going to the track for a jog, sometimes we’ll knock out a P90X workout, or I’ll get on the rowing machine and row my carcass for what seems like a trans-Atlantic crossing. But after the heart rate retuns to normal, and a hot shower has soothed fatigued muscles, it seems the quality of my work improves. I’m no doctor, but that’s the result I’m getting, and I’d recommend it for my fellow creatives. As cartoonists, we can sometimes get stuck in a very non-physical, sedentary rut, sitting at a desk all day trying to come up with the next gem of a gag, and we neglect other things.

Being a cartoonist is a gift for which I can’t help but feel enormously grateful. I love all aspects of the writing, the art, and even the business. That said, there’s also more to life, and it’s every bit as important as our chosen vocation. End of sermon – get back to work!