On Friday, Oct. 28, the LHS art department brought in five cartoonists to speak to the different art classes. These cartoonists ranged from young to old, freelancers to established cartoonists and each had a very different message for upcoming artists.

The different classes during that period rotated from room to room to be able to see each artists’ work and listen to their advice and tips for the future. The cartoonists did not have much time so they had to get their message across quickly. Their tips were direct and very helpful, especially for the students pursuing a career in arts.

One particular editorial cartoonist, Paul Fell, claimed that people will never see a retired cartoonist, just an older cartoonist. The art students felt comforted by the thought that they will never be too old to cartoon and that it is a lifetime of doing something that they love. Fell then gave very useful advice about having complete and very visual sketches for clients and other tips about cartoons in the real world.

The handful of cartoonists was very beneficial to the students because they learned about many different careers with cartooning. Ken Alvine was a cartoonist for children’s books while the next cartoonist the students would hear would be for a magazine like Dave Cappenter. The students learned that writing was just as important as the picture, if not more important, to be conscience of copyrights, to pay close attention to the news and to always take on the next project.