Cartoons by YahnSmith

You see, sir ... we're an equal opportunity employer....

Posted by Nicki Wilcoxson at 9:55 PM

3 comments:

ROLAND BRUCE said...
I ENJOY YOUR CARTOONS,ART,AND YOUR CREATIVE TALENT!! HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF PUBLISHING A BOOK?? JENNIFER COULD USE HER TALENT TO ASSIST. THANK YOU FOR SHARING!ROLAND BRUCE
February 12, 2008 12:43 AM

Yahn Smith said...

For Roland, Nicki and several others who have commented on or asked me questions about the two cartoon pieces.... First thank you for the kind words. Roland, yes I've thought about a book... the publishers, however, had other ideas. The first cartoon about the male belly dancer was a lot funnier back in the days when I was trying to break into "Big Time" cartooning. NOW (the National Organization for Women) was still in its infancy and magazines like "Playboy" thought women's equality was pretty funny stuff. Today, most of us have learned a lot from Alan Alda. Also, contrary to some people's questions, the piece is not autobiographical. The cocktail waitress does indeed look a lot like Jennifer back in those days ... but I can't dance.The illustration is rendered in acrylic paint with black ink linework and details. FYI "Playboy" paid more money per cartoon than any publisher of cartoons in any market. They were receiving approximately 4,000 submissions of 5 to 20 original cartoons each, every week from all of us trying to break into the national market. Several times I made it past the first round of screeners to get onto Michelle Uri's desk. (Yes, "Playboy" had, and maybe still has, a female cartoon editor. I haven't looked in years.)Only once to my knowledge did I then get past Michelle to land a cartoon on Hugh Hefner's desk. I was hoping for one of the 4 to 6 available spots in each monthly issue. All the other cartoons in "Playboy" are from cartoonists under personal and usually exclusive contract to the magazine. That of course was the ultimate "dream" goal. At one time I considered wallpapering our bathroom with the hundreds of "form" rejection slips I had gotten from the dozen or so magazines with whom I was dealing. After several years and literally hundreds of cartoon submissions, I moved on, never having broken into that rarefied, top rung of national cartoonists. Coming up with the "original" and "funny" concepts was the exhausting part. Like any of the arts (acting, writing, music, etc.) luck, timing, and determination play as large a role in career success as natural talent. One must literally be an extremely driven individual for whom the career comes first, to make it into that tiny percentage of artists that actually become "superstars". Many of the "stars" in my fields of endeavor, whom I have known, studied under and/or worked with were personally very lonely, unhappy people. History is littered with "artistic types" who were completely miserable and self-destructive in their personal lives. There are rare exceptions, but Jennifer and I went to Rome, Cairo, Beijing, etc., instead. You have to figure out for yourself who was the winner. The second "Banquet" cartoon was part of a project that died on its way to the publisher. That happens a lot, unfortunately, in the industry. You have to remember that "Art" of any stripe is first of all a business. The illustration was drawn with markers and is an object lesson in professional media. Markers are not permanent. This piece has faded to less than half of its original color intensity.I hope this answers some of everyone's questions.

February 13, 2008 4:24 PM

Nicki Wilcoxson said...
Yahn,Thank you so much for another fascinating glimpse into your past life along with your added insight into the world of cartoons and the work of a cartoonist. Your description of the lucky and successful cartoonists brings to mind the reasons that the creators of two of our favorite cartoonist gave for ending "Calvin and Hobbs" and "Peanuts." I imagine that with your talent, your experience in creating so many types of art, and your knowledge of this subject made you an invaluable resource in teaching your students. For more information on the art processes, I hope everyone will take the time to read your comment on Jennifer's post, "Valentine's Day ... Words of Love ... and "The Butterfly Lovers" ...."Thank you for taking the time to share with all of us!
February 14, 2008 8:40 PM