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EDITORIAL CARTOONING

Training Design

Proposed Date: September 8, 2012

Number of Participants: 6

Things to bring: pencil, sharpener or cutter, eraser, bond paper and lunch kit

Time Activity

8:00 – 9:00 Intro to Campus Journalism

Brief History of Campus Journalism

Campus Journalism Act of 1991

Brief History of Editorial Cartoons

Editorial Cartoons Today

Symbols Used

Tools & Materials Needed 9:00 – 9:30 Designing 101

Elements

Principles 9:30 – 12:00 Fundamentals of Freehand Drawing

Sharpening a pencil (9:30 – 10:30) Activity 1

The Power of Construction Lines (10:00 – 10:30) Activity 2

Tonal Rendering Techniques (10:30 – 12:00) Activity 3

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch Break

1:00 – 2:00 Video Clips Viewing

How to Draw Editorial Cartoons

Some Outputs of Editorial Cartooning 2:00 – 4:00 Essentials of Good Editorial Cartoon

Facts About Editorial Cartoon

On-the-spot Editorial Cartooning Activity 4

Note: This training is for FREE. All participants may be provided with fact sheets by the guest instructor at no cost.

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JOURNALISM is the art of writing for publication in newspapers and other media, embracing all thoughts and actions

that have significance and interest to the readers.

Brief History of Campus Journalism

According to Jesus Valenzuela in the History of Journalism in the Philippine Islands (1933) and John Lent in

the Philippine Mass Communication (1964), the history of campus journalism in the Philippines started when the

University of Santo Tomas published El Liliputiense in 1890.

However, Oscar Manalo, Narciso Matienzo, and Virgilio Monteloyola in Ang Pamahayagan (1985) argued

that the history of campus journalism in the country started when the University of the Philippines published The

College Folio, now The Philippine Collegian, in 1910. They also added that The Torch of the Philippine Normal

University, The Guidon of the Ateneo de Manila University, and The Varsitarian of the University of Santo Tomas

were also published two years later.

Whatever came first, Carlos Romulo y Peña edited The Coconut, the official student publication of the

Manila High School, now the Araullo High School. It was published in 1912 and it is now considered the first and

oldest high school newspaper in the country.

In 1923, La Union High School in the Ilocos Region published The La Union Tab, the first printed and regularly

issued high school newspaper in the country. Since then, high school newspapers came out one after the other.

Among these high school newspapers were The Pampangan, Pampanga High School, 1925; The Leytean,

Leyte High School, 1925; The Rizalian, Rizal High School, 1926; The Coconut, Tayabas High School, 1927; The Volcano,

Batangas High School, 1927; The Toil, La Union Trade School, 1928; The Samarinian, Samar High School, 1928; The

Melting Pot, Tarlac High School, 1929; The Granary, Nueva Ecija High School, 1929; The Torres Torch, Torres High

School, 1930; and The Cagayan Student Chronicle, Cagayan High School, 1931.

In 1931, 30 out of 106 high schools in the country had campus newspapers registered at the Bureau of Public

Schools. In 1950, this number increased to 169; by 1954, to 253; by 1975, to 500; and by 1986, to more than 900

newspapers in English and in Filipino.

Republic Act No. 7079

Republic Act No. 7079, also known as the Campus Journalism Act of 1991, aims to promote awareness and

develop young talents in journalism. It is also intended to uphold and protect the freedom of the press at the

campus level.

The Campus Journalism Act of 1991 requires the government to educate young writers, and designates

the Department of Education (DepEd) to oversee periodic competitions, press conferences and training seminars for

student editors and writers and for teacher advisers. It mostly focuses on regulating the selection and tenure of the staff and advisers of school papers. It also ensures

that student publications get adequate funding, and guarantees press freedom to campus journalists.

What is an Editorial Cartoon?

Editorial cartoons use humor and satire to show a position about current issues. Editorial cartoons

constitute both an unusual art form and a commentary on society. Because they express opinions on public issues,

editorial cartoons are useful teaching aids for examining historic and contemporary issues and events.

History of Editorial Cartoons:

Editorial cartoons have always been an important feature in our country’s newspapers. In fact, they have

been in our newspapers even before the original colonies declared independence to become the United States of

America. Benjamin Franklin drew the first published American cartoon in 1754. He wanted the colonies to unite

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together against the British. Instead of just writing about that thought in an editorial, he drew it as an editorial

cartoon.

Franklin’s cartoon portrayed a snake that had been cut apart. Each piece of the snake symbolized an

American colony. Franklin’s point was that if the colonies were cut apart; they would not survive. Franklin titled his

cartoon, “Join or Die.” He got his point across with a picture and very few words. That cartoon is still famous today.

(*Interesting historic cartoon fact: There was a myth at Franklin’s time that if a snake was cut apart and the pieces

were pushed together, the snake would come alive. That makes his cartoon even more significant.)

Editorial cartoons about current events, especially politics, continued after Franklin. Every American

president since George Washington has been the subject of editorial cartoons. Sometimes the subjects of cartoons

are not happy about being in a cartoon because the cartoonist can make them look unflattering through

exaggeration and caricature.

Early editorial cartoons relied on more words and more realistic artwork than we see in contemporary

cartoons. They also had less humor than is found in today’s editorial cartoons.

Modern American cartoonists are indebted to Thomas Nast. Nast refined editorial cartooning to an art

during the 1870s and 1880s. He worked in New York and is called the Father of Modern American Editorial Cartoon.

He is credited with creating the symbols of the elephant and the donkey for the Republican and Democrat parties.

Those symbols are still used today. (*Interesting historic cartoon fact: Thomas Nast was the first to draw the

character we’ve come to recognize as the American Santa Claus.)

Uncle Sam is a symbol that represents the United States of America. An editorial cartoonist created him.

Sam underwent many changes by a variety of cartoonists that drew him. Editorial cartoonist James Montgomery

Flagg drew the most famous Uncle Sam. The U. S. Army still uses Flagg’s Uncle Sam image on posters. Whenever a

cartoonist draws Uncle Sam, that cartoonist wants you to think of the United States. The United States and Uncle

Sam even share the same initials.

Today, nearly every major daily newspaper in the country features an editorial cartoon on its opinion page.

There are only about 250 editorial cartoonists practicing their craft in the United States. Yet, their impact found in

newspaper opinion pages and magazines is profound. Newspapers that don’t have their own editorial cartoonist

buy the work of other cartoonists to put on their editorial/opinion pages.

The Forum is one of the few daily newspapers in the country that has one editorial cartoonists contributing

original work. Editorial cartoons run every day the newspaper is published with two cartoons appearing nearly every

Sunday.

Editorial Cartoons Today:

A cartoonist strives to make an opinion about a subject. The cartoonist assumes that you, as the reader of

an editorial cartoon will have enough knowledge about a specific current event to understand the cartoon. Because

a cartoon must make its point quickly and usually with humor, it is usually drawn with simplicity you won’t find in

other artwork. Cartoonists are proud of the work they do. Cartoons can make people mad when they don’t agree

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with the cartoonist or the cartoons can make someone happy when the cartoonist makes a point with which the

reader agrees. A cartoonist prime goal is to get people to think about a certain subject and form their own opinions

about it.

Cartoonists generally exaggerate the features of a person when drawing an editorial cartoon. The cartoonist

takes specific features about a person and makes them bigger. For example a big chin might be drawn as a huge

chin, or a big nose might even be more exaggerated.

Cartoonists have usually felt they are working for the public good. They try to attack what they see as wrong

behavior and defend what they see as good. They generally try to protect the little guy in this life from being pushed

around by powerful interests.

Symbols in Editorial Cartooning: Pencil/Pen/Newspaper = journalism, media

Dove = peace, freedom

Salakot = Juan dela Cruz representing a Filipino citizen

Chain = maltreatment

Syringe = death sentence, drug addiction

Crocodile = abusive person of authority

Beggar = poverty

Mallet = justice

blindfolded woman carrying a weighing scale = justice

big waves = hindrances, advertises

mask = deceiver

eagle = bravery, strength

high rising building = development, progress

key = success

huge rock = tough situation, obstacle

rising sun = hope

multi-tattooed man = criminal, bad man

skull with crossed bones = danger or death

Tools & Materials Needed: Pencil

Sharpener or cutter

Eraser

Drawing paper

Pen & ink

T-square

Triangles

Ruler

Drawing table

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The Elements of Design

LINE . Line can be considered in two ways. The linear marks made with a pen or brush or the edge created when two shapes meet. SHAPE . A shape is a self contained defined area of geometric or organic form. A positive shape in a painting automatically creates a negative shape. DIRECTION. All lines have direction - Horizontal, Vertical or Oblique. Horizontal suggests calmness, stability and tranquility. Vertical gives a feeling of balance, formality and alertness. Oblique suggests movement and

action. SIZE . Size is simply the relationship of the area occupied by one shape to that of another. TEXTURE. Texture is the surface quality of a shape - rough, smooth, soft hard glossy etc. Texture can be physical

(tactile) or visual. COLOR. Color is produced when light, striking an object, is reflected back to the eye. VALUE. Value is the lightness or darkness of a color. Value is also called Tone

The Principles of Design BALANCE Balance in design is similar to balance in physics.

A large shape close to the center can be balanced by a small shape close to the edge. A large light toned shape will be balanced by a small dark toned shape (the darker the shape the heavier it appears to be) GRADATION Gradation of size and direction produce linear perspective. Gradation of color from warm to cool and tone from dark to light produce aerial perspective. Gradation can add interest and movement to a shape. A gradation from dark to light will cause the eye to move along a shape.

REPETITION Repetition with variation is interesting, without variation repetition can become monotonous.

The five squares above are all the same. They can be taken in and understood with a single glance.

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When variation is introduced, the five squares, although similar, are much more interesting to look at. They can no longer be absorbed properly with a single glance. The individual character of each square needs to be considered. If you wish to create interest, any repeating element should include a degree of variation. CONTRAST Contrast is the combination of opposing elements eg. opposite colors on the color wheel - red / green, blue / orange etc. Contrast in tone or value - light / dark. Contrast in direction - horizontal / vertical. The major contrast in a painting should be located at the center of interest. Too much contrast scattered throughout a painting can destroy unity and make a work difficult to look at. Unless a feeling of chaos and confusion are what you are seeking, it is a good idea to carefully consider where to place your areas of maximum contrast. HARMONY Harmony in painting is the visually satisfying effect of combining similar, related elements. eg. adjacent colors on the color wheel, similar shapes etc. DOMINANCE Dominance gives a painting interest, counteracting confusion and monotony. Dominance can be applied to one or more of the elements to give emphasis

UNITY Relating the design elements to the idea being expressed in a painting reinforces the principal of unity.eg. a painting with an active aggressive subject would work better with a dominant oblique direction, course, rough texture, angular lines etc. whereas a quiet passive subject would benefit from horizontal lines, soft texture and less tonal contrast.

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Unity in a painting also refers to the visual linking of various elements of the work.

Sharpening a Pencil

I find it much more practical to sharpen drawing pencils with a knife than with a sharpener, a skill that's simple to

master to keep your pencils in good nick.

If a pencil point is sharpened in a pencil sharpener the ultra-

sharp lead makes grooves or pierces the paper, which makes

erasure difficult. The lead also has a tendency to break off.

Sharpening with a knife on the other hand allows you to

customize the tip.

The key is using your thumb to guide the blade at a shallow

angle that produces curls of wood. Be sure your knife

is very sharp. Many artists prefer a razor knife because they

can dispose of dull blades.

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Tonal Rendering

Learning the basics of drawing is essential in effecting quality and expertise. The examples to follow illustrate

the 3 most basic techniques of pencil drawing for beginning level students: tonal, crosshatch and linear rendering.

Each defines "values", the lightness or darkness perceived, in different ways."Tonal" rendering is a gradual, soft

"blending" of dark and light areas together."Crosshatch" is a textural rendering in which lines are duplicated in one

direction, and crossed in other directions called "hatching". The Linear technique is a line drawing in only one

direction, at any angle. Let's check out the practice sheet below.

Activity No. 1: Draw the picture below.

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Facts about Editorial Cartoons:

Editorial Cartoons are an integral part of many newspaper editorial pages and are used

to highlight the single most significant aspect of a news item.

Editorial cartoons reflect a subjective evaluation of a news story highlight.

Editorial cartoons focus on a single item that is clearly identified. They also may

represent a simplification of a complex issue.

An effective cartoonist makes use of several specific “tools” to make his or her

points clear.

It is usually necessary for a reader to be familiar with current events in order to

understand the meaning of editorial cartoons.

Essentials of a Good Editorial Cartoon:

Good editorial Cartoons express the cartoonist’s opinion on a topic and provoke readers to think and clarify their own opinions.

Thinking skills are much more important than drawing skills in creating a good cartoon.

A good cartoon is always simple and limited. It never tries to tell everything the cartoonist knows about a topic.

Drawing should be uncluttered. Heavy, cleaner lines are better for the newspaper than many light lines.

Any words used (captions, dialogue balloons or words that are part of the drawing itself) should be large, clear and easily recognized.

Don’t be too much of a perfectionist. If your cartoon is clever and gets across your opinion, you’ve done a good job!

Cartoonist Use These “Tools” to Communicate:

Symbols: Symbols are simple pictures that are commonly understood by people in our society to stand for ideas or

groups. For example, a donkey is the symbol for the Democratic Party. Uncle Sam or an eagle symbolizes America

and a dove symbolizes peace.

Caricatures: Caricatures are drawings of people that exaggerate certain features to make the cartoon picture of the

famous person quickly and easily recognizable. Caricatures also serve sometimes to poke fun at the person they

picture.

Stereotypes: Stereotypes are styles of picturing a person or a group of people that call to the reader’s mind

commonly held ideas or prejudices about the type of person pictured. Stereotypes often found in editorial cartoons

include the lazy, rich Congressman; the old fashioned, bespectacled teacher; the sneaky, fast-talking lawyer; the

rumpled, disorganized scientist and many others.

Analogies: Analogies are comparisons. In simplest terms, they tell us that this thing is like that other thing, at least in one respect. They often use symbols and compare a current situation to a well-know historic event, story, book, movie, fairy tale or nursery rhyme.

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Editorial Cartoon Samples: