Becoming a cartoonist starts with building two things simultaneously: your drawing skills and your ability to tell a story in a handful of panels. There’s no single licensing requirement or mandatory degree, which means the path is wide open but also demands self-direction. Whether you want to draw syndicated newspaper strips, publish webcomics, illustrate graphic novels, or freelance editorial cartoons, the core work is the same: draw constantly, develop a recognizable style, and get your work in front of people.
Pick a Cartooning Specialty
The word “cartoonist” covers a surprisingly wide range of careers, and the sooner you figure out which corner appeals to you, the more focused your practice and portfolio will be. Here are the main paths:
- Comic strip cartoonist: Draws strips, caricatures, and spot illustrations for newspapers, magazines, greeting cards, calendars, and similar publications. Humor, irony, and tight writing matter as much as the art.
- Comic book artist: Works as an entrepreneur, freelancer, or staff artist drawing and writing narrative stories for comic books. At larger publishers, the work is often split among a writer, penciler, inker, colorist, and letterer to meet monthly deadlines.
- Webcomic artist: Creates and publishes comics on a website or app, often working solo and building an audience directly online.
- Editorial cartoonist: Produces political or opinion cartoons for newspapers, magazines, and online news outlets. Syndication through a distributor is the traditional path to wide reach.
- Film storyboarder: Creates visuals for each major scene in a film or TV show, mapping out character poses, expressions, and backgrounds before production begins.
- Graphic novelist or comic writer: Develops plots and scripts, either illustrating the story personally or collaborating with an artist. Work can be self-published or pitched to a publishing house.
Many cartoonists blend several of these roles over a career, but starting with a clear target helps you build the right portfolio.
Education That Helps (and What’s Optional)
You don’t need a degree to call yourself a cartoonist, but formal education can accelerate your growth and give you portfolio pieces. A bachelor’s degree in fine arts, illustration, animation, or comic art is the most common academic route. Programs in fine arts typically include coursework in drawing, painting, and sculpture. Animation programs add classes in film and sequential storytelling. Some schools offer specialized degrees in comic art, interactive media, or game design.
Employers and publishers care most about two things: a strong portfolio and solid technical skills. A degree program structures your practice and exposes you to critique, but self-taught cartoonists with impressive portfolios compete for the same work. Online courses on platforms like Skillshare and Udemy cover everything from anatomy and perspective to digital coloring, often for a fraction of tuition costs.
Regardless of your educational path, you need a working understanding of color, texture, light, and composition. You also need storytelling instincts: pacing a joke across three panels, building tension in a page layout, or conveying emotion through a character’s expression without dialogue.
Core Skills to Develop
Drawing ability is the foundation, but cartooning demands a wider skill set than pure illustration.
Visual storytelling. Every panel has to move a narrative forward. Practice creating short sequences, even wordless ones, that communicate a clear beginning, middle, and end. Storyboards and “animatics” (rough comic-strip-style previews used in film production) are great exercises for this.
Writing and humor. Most cartoonists write their own material. That means generating ideas daily, writing punchlines or dialogue, and editing ruthlessly. If you’re pursuing editorial cartooning, you need to distill a political argument into a single image. If you’re building a webcomic, you need characters readers want to follow for hundreds of strips.
Speed and consistency. Professional deadlines are relentless. A syndicated strip runs daily. A monthly comic book requires roughly 22 pages. Webcomic audiences expect a reliable posting schedule. Practice drawing quickly without sacrificing quality, and develop a style you can reproduce consistently.
Collaboration and feedback. Unless you work entirely solo, you’ll need to respond well to editors, colorists, writers, or clients who want revisions. Being open to criticism and able to iterate on your work is a practical job skill, not just a personality trait.
Tools of the Trade
Traditional materials still matter. Many cartoonists sketch on paper with pencils, brushes, and ink before scanning their work into a computer. Physical drawing builds hand control and an intuitive sense of line weight that translates well to digital work.
On the digital side, a drawing tablet (either a standalone tablet like an iPad or a pen display that connects to your computer) is the most important hardware investment. Software options range from free to professional-tier:
- Clip Studio Paint is widely considered the best all-around tool for comic creation, with features like 3D model posing, perspective rulers, and panel layout tools built specifically for sequential art. It runs on virtually every platform.
- Procreate is an iPad app known for its smooth performance and customizable brush engine. It’s popular for sketching, inking, and coloring single illustrations or comic pages.
- Photoshop remains the industry standard for illustration and image editing, with deep customization and advanced tools.
- Krita is a free, open-source option with powerful brush engines and basic animation features, a solid choice if you’re starting out and don’t want to pay for software yet.
You don’t need every tool on this list. Many professional cartoonists use just one or two programs. Pick one, learn it thoroughly, and switch later if your workflow demands it.
Build a Portfolio That Gets Noticed
Your portfolio is your resume. It should show range within your specialty, not a scattershot of every style you’ve ever attempted. If you want to draw comic strips, include 20 to 30 of your best strips, a character sheet with descriptions of your main cast, and evidence that you can sustain a concept over time. If you’re pursuing comic book work, show sequential pages (not just pinups) that demonstrate your ability to pace a story visually.
Post your portfolio on a personal website. A clean, simple site with your best work, a short bio, and contact information is enough. Social media accounts on Instagram, Tumblr, or X can drive traffic, but they aren’t a substitute for a dedicated portfolio page you control.
Consistency matters as much as quality. Publishing a webcomic on a regular schedule, even weekly, proves you can produce reliably and gives editors or clients a body of work to evaluate.
Getting Published and Syndicated
If syndication is your goal, you’ll pitch your strip to a syndicate. King Features, one of the largest, accepts submissions by email or mail. Their requirements for comic strips are specific: a cover letter with your contact information and background, 24 sample comics compiled into a single PDF, and a character sheet illustrating each major character with names and short descriptions. If you don’t hear back within two to three months, they’ve passed.
For graphic novels and comic books, the process is more like traditional book publishing. Research publishers that release work in your genre, follow their submission guidelines (which vary widely), and prepare a pitch package that typically includes a synopsis, sample pages, and sometimes a full script.
Self-publishing is increasingly viable. Platforms like Webtoon and Tapas let you publish webcomics directly to large built-in audiences. Print-on-demand services handle physical books without upfront printing costs. Many cartoonists build a readership online first and then attract publisher interest from a position of proven audience demand.
How Cartoonists Make Money
Most working cartoonists earn income from multiple streams rather than a single paycheck. Here are the most common:
Freelance commissions. Platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and specialized sites like Cartoonist Network connect you with clients who need custom cartoons, caricatures, social media comics, or editorial illustrations. This is often the first paid work new cartoonists land.
Webcomic revenue. If you build an audience on Webtoon, Tapas, or your own site, you can earn through ad revenue on those platforms, Patreon subscriptions where fans pay monthly for exclusive content, and merchandise based on your characters.
Selling to publications. Magazines like The New Yorker and MAD Magazine, along with niche blogs and news websites, purchase original cartoon content. Editorial cartoonists can also earn through syndication, where a distributor licenses your work to multiple outlets.
Merchandise. Print-on-demand services like Redbubble, Teespring, and Society6 let you upload designs and earn from sales of T-shirts, prints, mugs, and stickers without managing inventory.
Teaching and digital products. Many cartoonists sell digital brush packs, templates, and drawing courses on Gumroad, Etsy, Udemy, or Skillshare. If you’ve built expertise, packaging it as educational content creates recurring income.
Live and event work. Caricature artists earn by taking commissions at parties, corporate events, and weddings, either through direct bookings or by partnering with event planners.
Social media monetization. An engaged following on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube opens doors to sponsored posts, fan memberships through Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee, and YouTube ad revenue.
Crowdfunding and contests. Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns can fund a graphic novel or print run. Competitions like The New Yorker Cartoon Contest and the Webtoon Creator Awards offer cash prizes and publishing opportunities.
A Realistic Path Forward
Start drawing today if you haven’t already. Set a daily practice routine, even if it’s just 30 minutes of sketching. Study cartoonists whose work you admire and analyze how they construct panels, time jokes, and use negative space. Take a class or follow a structured curriculum to fill gaps in anatomy, perspective, or digital tools.
Within a few months, begin publishing your work online. A webcomic, an Instagram account, or even a Tumblr page gives you a public body of work and starts building an audience. Treat your posting schedule like a professional deadline.
Once you have 20 to 30 strong pieces, assemble a portfolio and start pitching. Send submissions to syndicates, apply for freelance gigs, or enter contests. Rejection is normal and frequent. The cartoonists who make a living are the ones who keep producing and improving while they wait for opportunities to land.