Mark’s one-panel comics range from Cupid jokes to business gags to music ones that fit perfectly, as he graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a music degree. What started as a personal passion has now blossomed into his full-fledged career. Additionally, the artist is a member of the National Cartoonists Society and has been a featured speaker at their annual Reuben Awards. So, without further ado, we invite you to explore his witty humor, and for more information, read the interview with Mark below. More info: andertoons.com | Instagram | twitter.com | Facebook I do that until I reach whatever number of cartoons I need to do and then I leave it to sit for a few days. If after a few days, I still find them funny, then it’s onto the art. The art is frankly the easy part. (That’s not to say I’m a great artist, but after more than 25 years I have a few tricks up my pen.) Mostly I worry about clarity and understandability. You’ve got about 5-7 seconds for the reader to understand the scene, find who’s talking, and get the joke. So clarity is key.” The thing is when you’re newly married and working a day job, trying to gig at night is not a great way to go. So I stopped music and decided I’d give cartooning a try. It was a creative outlet I could do at home and work, and it was quiet and didn’t disturb the neighbors. I started selling cartoons to magazines within about three or four months and landed my first big one, Reader’s Digest, after about 6 months. My editors were very kind and gave me a lot of good advice. One thing I’ll always remember is one editor encouraging me saying ‘your art’s not great, but you’re a good writer. And good writing will carry bad art.’ He was right. After a few years, I’d built up a small client base and thought I could probably make this work as a career. So I quit my job and started cartooning full-time. Well, not exactly full-time, my wife was pregnant at the time and we agreed that I’d quit my job, be a stay-at-home dad, and try to make a go at cartooning. Looking back it seems crazy, but it worked out.” I do a lot of teaching now at schools and libraries. I teach kids how to draw dinosaurs, robots, sharks, monsters… It’s super fun and silly and I hope that I’m sort of sharing my love of cartoons with kids who might not get a lot of that anymore. As for the future, I’d still like to self-publish a collection of my work before I retire. I wouldn’t mind doing a kids’ book. And hey, New Yorker, if you’d like to publish just one cartoon, it’d be nice to say I was a New Yorker cartoonist. But mostly I’m fairly content with my place in cartooning.” Also, don’t take things so seriously. And go draw something. Be happy.” Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! Please use high-res photos without watermarks Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
