Sunday, June 9, 2013

Lost in Space

In this age of Photoshop, Internet Mashups & CGI Graphics it's refreshing to see that there is at least one political cartoonist left in Lake County who plies his trade in pen & ink. Your LakeCountyEye, of course, refers to the Northwest Herald's DIY cartoonist:

Editorial Cartoons
When it comes to political satire, the Northwest Herald's DIY cartoonist is at the top of his game, and he can teach the the noobs a thing or two -- and with, haha, one hand tied behind his back.

This week's lesson covers the do's and don'ts of how to properly set up a joke. Suppose you are assigned to caricature the legislative gridlock in Springfield. Don't make the mistake of one inexperienced (and unnamed) cartoonist:

You're Doing It Wrong

Danger ... Warning ... Will Robinson!
Don't laugh, you are enjoying another hilarious LakeCountyEye Double Vision™!
This cartoonist wants to poke some fun at the fellows on the left, but who are the two caricatures supposed to be? Beats the heck out of your LakeCountyEye.

It's important to embed those must-need subtle clues in a drawing that leave no doubt who the targets of your ridicule are.  Pay attention here, the Northwest Herald's DIY cartoonist shows how it is done:

Epic Win!

Targets of Ridicule
With one or two smartly rendered hints your joke is now properly set up, and the rest is a piece of cake ...
Drop that boffo punchline, for a KO!

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