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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) of Chris Browne |
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 Q. When did you first start drawing cartoons?
A. I grew up around cartoons and cartoonists. I drew cartoons for school newspapers and posters for school plays. I'd lug my sketchbook around with me in school. I loved drawing cartoons for my friends. It was like a little world of my own I could escape into. I've been drawing cartoons professionally since I was a teenager.
Q. Who were the cartoonists who most influenced you?
A. My father, Dik Browne. Charles Schulz, Jules Feiffer, R. Crumb, Claire Bretecher, Johnny Hart, Lynn Johnston, Cathy Guisewite, Pat Brady, Kliban, Gary Larson, Bill Watterson and Mike Peters (to name but a few).
Q. How did you get your professional start?
A. I was apprenticed to my father on his strips Hi and Lois and Hagar the Horrible starting when I was 15 years old. In the beginning I emptied the wastebasket, erased the inked comic strips and filled in black areas with India ink. Eventually I learned how to draw the strips and write gags. I also sold my own cartoons for the National Lampoon at age 19. I worked with my father on Hagar from 1972 until he passed away in 1989.
Q. How would you describe your style?
A. Well, my father invented the term "Bigfoot cartooning" so I guess you could call my work "Post Bigfoot." I think of cartooning, real cartooning, as a blend of drawing and writing -- the combination of the two.
Q. Where do you get your story ideas?
A. From everyday life. I carry a sketchbook with me and I'm always jotting down notes or making sketches. If you keep your eyes and ears open, the world will write for you.
Q. How did you come up with your characters?
A. The character of Duncan is based on my own dog MacDuff. The character of Brambley the cat is based on my cat Brambley. Adelle is inspired by my wife Carroll and Big Daddy is based on myself. I changed the milieu from cartooning to authoring books for the sake of the strip's dynamic.
Q. Which are your favorite characters in your strip and why?
A. Well, I love Duncan. He's an innocent, like a child, learning about the world as he goes... everything is new to him. And I love the Adelle character because she is strong and centered and self confident. I love drawing Big Daddy. He's a gas to draw. His English cap, his loud Hawaiian shirts... whattaguy!
Q. Do you create on a daily basis? Do you prefer to work in the morning or at night?
A. Night! I don't even know what morning is. I watch Letterman, NewsRadio and Conan O'Brien at night. If you watch those shows, I'm somewhere watching them too. I also work during the day, listening to jazz, progressive rock, NPR and Imus. And yes, I do create every day, weekends too. I get nervous if I'm away from it too long. I love my job. I have a secretary/assistant who keeps me on schedule, helps me with my fan mail and stuff but I draw Raising Duncan on my own. My wife and I write the strip ourselves. Best partner I've had since my dad.
Q. What materials do you use to draw your comics? Do you use a computer?
A. I use pen and ink and paper. I have a computer and a Wacom tablet but I am really enjoying using good ol' pen and ink on Raising Duncan. My father, Dik Browne, was a master inker and I have caught his love for crosshatching! Here are the art supplies I use: Higgins Black Magic ink Strathmore series 500 3-Sketchbooks Blackfoot Indian Pencils Gillott 170 pen nibs and Esterbrook Radio pen nibs.
Q. Do you have any suggestions on how to become a professional cartoonist?
A. Yes!! Here are some excerpts from my National Cartoonists Society column, Cartooning 101: I think the best thing any aspiring cartoonist can do for him or herself is to learn the basics of drawing. In addition to reading books on the subject, it's a good idea to take a drawing class; if you're in high school or college, they are pretty easy to find. The rest of us can find art schools and adult education classes in the Yellow Pages, in the classifieds or through organizations such as the YMCA.
Even if your "type" of cartooning is non-realistic, there are huge benefits from sharpening your skills. Representational drawing seems hard to the beginner, and remains challenging to the professional, but it's important to learn as much about the basics as possible. After all, cartooning is a job, and if you have any success at all, you will one day be competing with hundreds of other cartoonists who have taken the time to develop these skills.
Generally it's better to try breaking in at a low stress level, like submitting cartoons to a magazine before you try to tackle the constant deadlines and sensory overload of a syndicated strip or comic book. When I was 17 I assisted as a penciler on the "Bullwinkle" and "Barney Rubble" comic books -- it was a little much, working around the clock. I was exhausted!
Then I tried selling cartoons right out of my sketchbooks to National Lampoon...to my amazement, the Lampoon paid pretty well and the editors and art directors were very nice people, easy to talk to.
Show art directors and editors only your best work, and show work that is appropriate for the magazine or publication you are pursuing. I showed an editor loads of things I'd done for other people, ads and stuff, and she said impatiently, "I don't want to see what you've done, I want to see what you've got for me."
After that I only showed her work that I was specifically trying to sell her for publication in her magazine.
Also, show finished work. Don't show anything that the a.d. will have to use her-his imagination on... They don't want to see that you have potential -- they aren't art teachers -- they want to see what you've got. I don't want to make editors sound scary. They are not. They like artwork, like seeing cartoons, but they are busy people and a lot of the cartoonists who send them work haven't really thought through their presentation. A common mistake is bringing or sending EVERYTHING to the a.d. Just show your best.
Keep copies of everything, or better still, send copies. A common mistake is not sending a SELF ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE (SASE). If you ever want to see your work again, send (or bring) one of these. Send copies, not original artwork.
Motivation is important to forward movement in the cartooning business. Cartooning can be a solitary occupation at times, but it can be a great one as well. If you need help in the realm of motivation might I suggest "Do It!" from Prelude Press, written by Peter McWilliams. It is available in paperback, on audio tape, and there are abridged paperback and audio versions as well, "The Portable Do It!" This book has been a great help to me and may be to you as well. Here are some other books I've found helpful:
Books:
- Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards
- The Natural Way to Draw by Kimon Nicolaides
- The Art in Cartooning by Mort Gerberg
- Cartoonist and Gagwriter's Handbook by Jack Markow
- How to Draw and Sell Cartoons by Dave Breger
- The Complete Book of Humorous Art by Bob Staake
And here are some other resources you might want to investigate:
School:
- Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, P.O. Box 894, Dover, N.J. 07801
Museums:
- Cartoon Art Museum
814 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
- The International Museum of Cartoon Art
P. O. Box 1643
Boca Raton, Florida 33429
Magazines:
- Cartoonist PROfiles Magazine
P.O. Box 325, Fairfield, CT 06430
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To contact the artist, write to:
Chris Browne
c/o United Media
200 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Your letter to the cartoonist will be forwarded via snail mail
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