Resume

Cartoonist Resume Example & Writing Guide

Use this Cartoonist resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.

If you love drawing, storytelling, and imagining new worlds, cartooning might be your calling. This creative field can encompass everything from children’s books to editorial cartoons to graphic novels.

To land your dream job as a cartoonist, you’ll need to showcase your unique talents through a resume that showcases your skills as well as your passion for the field. Here are some tips and an example resume to help you write yours.

Jennifer Thomas
New York City, NY | (123) 456-7891 | [email protected]
Summary

Creative and imaginative cartoonist with a decade of experience in the publishing industry. Specializes in developing characters, designing worlds, and telling stories through comics and illustrations. Eager to bring his unique voice to an exciting and forward-thinking media company.

Education
University at Buffalo Jun '10
B.A. in Studio Arts
Experience
Company A, Cartoonist Jan '17 – Current
  • Created original editorial cartoons and comic strips for the web, print, and syndication in a timely manner while meeting deadlines.
  • Collaborated with editors to develop ideas for new projects or adapt existing concepts into new formats.
  • Developed visual style that is appropriate for each project’s intended audience and tone, as well as adhering to brand guidelines.
  • Worked closely with art directors on developing visuals for stories including rough sketches, thumbnails, layouts, etc., based on assigned topics/themes/subjects.
  • Provided feedback regarding other artists’ work when requested by an editor and worked collaboratively within a team environment where applicable.
Company B, Cartoonist Jan '12 – Dec '16
  • Created daily comic strip for newspaper that included original characters, dialogue and plotlines
  • Collaborated with team of writers to create new storylines based on existing characters and settings
  • Edited comics by other artists before submitting them to clients for approval
  • Worked as a graphic designer in addition to creating cartoons; created logos, flyers and posters
  • Developed cartoon website featuring over 200 original strips available for free download or purchase as prints
Company C, Graphic Designer Jan '09 – Dec '11
  • Conceptualized, designed and produced graphic solutions for both digital and print platforms in alignment with the company’s brand standards.
  • Collaborated with cross-functional teams to ensure that all design deliverables meet project objectives and business goals.
  • Managed multiple projects concurrently while adhering to strict deadlines.
Skills

Industry Knowledge: Editorial Cartooning, Editorial Cartoon, Cartooning, Cartoon
Technical Skills: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign
Soft Skills: Communication, Creativity, Time Management, Attention to Detail, Research

How to Write a Cartoonist Resume

Here’s how to write a cartoonist resume of your own.

Write Compelling Bullet Points

Bullet points are the most effective way to showcase your experience and qualifications. But rather than simply listing your responsibilities, you can make your bullet points much more interesting and compelling by using specific numbers and statistics.

For example, rather than saying you “created comic strips for newspaper,” you could say you “created 10 comic strips per week for newspaper, resulting in over 1 million readers per week.”

The second bullet point is much more interesting and provides a clear sense of the scale of your work. It also provides a specific number that helps quantify your contributions.

Identify and Include Relevant Keywords

When you submit your resume for a cartoonist role, it’s likely that it will be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) for certain keywords. These programs look for terms related to the job, like “graphic design” and “illustration,” in order to determine whether your skills are a match. If your resume doesn’t include enough of the right terms, the ATS might not rank it high enough to be seen by a recruiter.

To increase your chances of getting noticed, use this list of common cartoonist keywords as a starting point and then add other relevant terms that are specific to your experience:

  • Caricature
  • Cartooning
  • Drawing
  • Art
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Computer Graphics
  • Graphic Design
  • Concept Art
  • Storyboarding
  • Comics
  • Comic Books
  • Visual Arts
  • Illustration
  • Animation
  • Digital Art
  • Cartoon
  • Animation Production
  • Advertising
  • Page Layout
  • Animation Storyboarding
  • Storytelling
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Logo Design
  • Sketching
  • Painting
  • Concept Development
  • Graphic Illustration
  • Branding
  • Fashion

Showcase Your Technical Skills

As a cartoonist, you need to be proficient in a variety of software programs in order to create your work. Some of the most commonly used programs are Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Clip Studio Paint. You should also be familiar with animation software like Adobe After Effects and Toon Boom Harmony.

In addition to software programs, you also need to be familiar with the various types of equipment used in cartooning, such as scanners, printers, and cameras.

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