Here's a tidbit about creating cartoons. I do them the old fashioned way- by hand. I first scribble down an idea, then make a pencil composition sketch. I then follow with a seemingly endless stream of revisions: revise, erase, revise, erase, and so on. This requires a sturdy paper to not disintegrate with all the erasing! When I get the image right, I then ink wash it with India Ink and shading. Then draw in the lines. And from there, the next stage is water color, Photo Shop color if needed and corrections.

    The irony of a good cartoon is that once it is done, it looks like it took only a few minutes to make. It is simple. The eye glides over it and the punchline stands out clearly. But in truth, one cartoon (at least for me) can take many hours to get just right. I'm not complaining, of course. Perhaps other cartoonists have devised shortcuts - I have my suspicions. Then there are those computer programs that generate the whole cartoon for one.

   But there is nothing like the feeling of starting with nothing but a blank sheet of paper, pencil, and idea, and then seeing it unfold and reach fruition on a page. And, hopefully, to later get published and get a good laugh from the readers.

    You can see samples of my cartoons at my website, QLCartoons.com. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

     Shelli Pruett, Quantum Leap Cartoons, www.QLCartoons.com