How to Make an Editorial Cartoon
Editorial cartoons are graphic expressions of their creator’s ideas and opinions. They are usually published in a mass medium, such as a newspaper or magazine, and are meant to persuade readers.
They have their origins in satirical art, which may be as old as humanity. Satirical caricatures inflict criticism on individuals and groups through exaggeration, humour or silliness.
Artistic Techniques
An editorial cartoon is a drawing that contains a commentary or opinion about a current event. It is usually drawn by an artist who is called an editorial cartoonist. They typically combine artistic skill, hyperbole and satire in order to question authority and draw attention to corruption, political violence and other social ills.
They are typically published in newspapers or other media outlets and often appear on the newspaper’s editorial page. Some comics, such as Garry Trudeau’s Doonesbury, are also placed on the regular comic strip pages.
The cartoonist uses visual metaphors and caricatures to explain complicated political situations, summarising a current event with a humorous or emotional picture. They can also use language to address issues of race, gender and class.
In modern times, there are two main styles of political cartooning. One is the traditional style, involving visual metaphors and the other is a text heavy ‘alti’ style, that tells a linear story, usually in comic strip format.
Another technique that is used in cartoons is an analogy, which is a comparison between two different things. For example, a global dispute about borders could be compared to children arguing on the playground about who owns the slide. Analogies are important to political cartoons because they allow readers to understand the message or issue better, by making them see it from a different perspective.
Labelling is also an important technique that political cartoonists use to make their comics more clear to the reader. It can be done by giving names to specific features or objects, and it can also be done through dialogue.
These techniques can be a good way to help your readers understand what the cartoon is about, but it is important that you do not overdo them. In fact, you should only use labels if they are needed to give your comic the necessary meaning.
Other techniques that can be used to make your cartoon more effective are exaggerating the facial features of your subject, using hyperbole and combining humor and satire. These techniques can be used to create a strong visual effect, but you should try to be honest about your subject and their personality in order to avoid being accused of making fun of them.
Captioning
Whether they’re meant to deflate hubris, reveal deceit, incite revolution or dethrone a bully, editorial cartoons surmount language and cultural barriers to speak truth to power. They are a powerful tool for communicating important information and giving voice to the disadvantaged, and an essential part of the modern media landscape.
Captioning, also known as subtitles in the UK and Australia, is text that describes audio content. Usually delivered as a pop-up or block of text in the background, captions are used by people who are deaf or hard of hearing to access spoken words and sounds.
In the US, closed captioning became mandatory in January 1998 for television programs distributed directly to homes. Since 2010, all new nonexempt Spanish language video programming has also been required to be captioned.
Real-time captions (sometimes called Computer Assisted Real-time Translation or CART), are created as the event takes place and appear on-screen within two to three seconds of the spoken word. The words are then transcribed and typed by a stenocaptioner, who can spell phonetically using known syllables or, in the case of a stenospeaker, by using his or her regular dictionary.
Offline captions, which are produced as a separate file for pre-taped television and film programming, can be delivered by pop-up or block, where the captions are displayed in the background as they are written. Alternatively, they can be delivered by teletext-encoded live subtitles which are written and then encoded by a captioning vendor in a real-time manner.
Traditionally, legacy EIA-608 home caption decoder fonts had no descenders on lowercase letters, except in the United States where the capitals indicated main on-screen dialogue and the names of speakers. Outside North America, the capitals had a background coloration that signaled a song title or sound effect description.
For live broadcasts, a system called real-time captioning was developed in 1982. This method uses a stenocaptioner who is able to type at speeds of over 225 words per minute.
Real-time captioning is commonly used for news programs and other non-broadcast events, such as congressional proceedings, senate or house floor speeches, political debates and other important events. It can be delivered by a stenocaptioner who works at a captioning vendor’s studio, or in the case of a teletext-encoded live subtitle, a vendor who can supply a teletext feed from a camera or other audio source. Some live captioning vendors, such as WGBH-TV and VITAC, have their own captioning facilities, while others use services provided by third parties such as those offered by the National Captioning Institute or Independent Media Support.
Words
An editorial cartoon is a visual text that conveys a message or opinion about a topic or issue. In most cases, the cartoonist uses humor and satire to make their point. The words used in an editorial cartoon should communicate the cartoonist’s message clearly and without unnecessary jargon.
Analogies and captioning are also helpful tools for achieving this goal. When comparing a complex political issue to simpler “everyday” scenarios, a cartoonist can make their point more understandable to an audience.
In addition, symbolism can be used to represent larger ideas or ideals. For example, a flag or sign might be used to symbolize the country or state in which the story is set.
Another useful tool for making a point is caricature, which exaggerates the physical appearance of someone or something. Examples include big noses, bushy eyebrows and large ears.
Captioning and labels are also a helpful way for a cartoonist to emphasize important parts of an image. Labels are especially helpful in political cartoons, since they can make the stance of a politician or other group more clear to the reader.
Humor is a powerful tool for an editorial cartoonist, since it can evoke laughter or express what is amusing, comical or absurd. An effective editorial cartoon will use humor to keep the audience engaged and interested.
Irony is also an effective tool for an editorial cartoonist, because it can imply a difference between what is being said or expected and what actually occurs. It can also be used to suggest change is needed.
When using humor in an editorial cartoon, the cartoonist should make sure that the satire is respectful to the people they are trying to reach. The cartoonist should also be aware that their audience may not understand or appreciate the satire.
To help students learn to understand and analyze editorial cartoons, assign each student to work with a partner to create a cartoon about a political or societal issue. Once the cartoon is complete, have the class discuss it and answer any questions that they have about it.
Layout
There are a variety of layout techniques that can be used to enhance an editorial cartoon. These include visual grouping, spacing, and typography.
Visual grouping is the process of arranging elements in a way that relates to each other and draws attention to them. This can be done by arranging the different types of visuals such as text, images, and graphics in an intuitive manner. It can also be achieved by using dividers and spacing to make the content easier to read.
One of the best and most effective ways to group multiple visuals is to create a layout with a grid. This can be as simple as dividing the layout into columns and rows, but it’s best to use a grid with lines that divide sections. The lines create a guide for each element and help to keep things organized.
Another helpful design principle is the concept of proximity. This involves lining up elements that are related visually and may even be connected by context.
This is particularly useful for groups of related objects, such as images and their captions. It can also be applied to other areas of a layout, such as the main body of the page or the headers of each section.
The best layouts also make use of a variety of other design principles. These can be a combination of the above-mentioned and more specific to your layout goals.
Symbols are a great way to add flair and personality to your layout, while also representing larger ideas. They can be as subtle or as obvious as you want them to be.
White space, on the other hand, is a less tangible but extremely important design feature that can help to draw the viewer’s eye to a particular design element or fill in gaps between visual elements. This can be especially useful in a layout that contains several different visuals, such as a news article or a large graphic.
Some of the most impressive layout techniques in a comic or political cartoon can be found in small details such as color and size, but these details aren’t often visible to the average reader. The key to creating a successful layout is choosing the right balance of these factors and making sure that each design element stands out from the others.