Work Schedule

A recent comment asked about my work schedule.

I begin every day reading the Enquirer and usually the NY Times and by listening to NPR as I drive the carpool or on my way to work. Later in the day I scan the Cincy Post and tuck in those random articles people send me or I run across here and there. (Yesterday, while getting my oil changed I read a fabulous story in the Ny Times magazine about those pre-sliced apples we now see in grocery stores and fast food chains.) Late at night I usually peruse some web sites and may (or may not) catch some CNN or The Daily Show.

I try to get my five editorial cartoons per week done in the daytime, usually in small clusters, at my Enquirer office, though I am responsive to significant events whenever they happen. The editorial cartoons require large blocks of focused time, to read and get my head deep into the news. I do them best with my door closed and minimal interruption at the newspaper surrounded by the newsroom.

Zits, the comic strip I do with Jerry Scott, is terrific for its mobility. By the time I sit down with them, the strips are pretty much written and roughed out, so I can pencil, letter, ink and clean them up in the midst of commotion.

So those get done in the evenings, weekends and between the cracks. I often pencil, for example, while waiting in the car (where I keep a mini-drawing board in the trunk that I can prop against the steering wheel) while my daughter is at guitar practice. I've penciled in orthodontist's offices, in the parking lot outside cheerleading practice, and at out-of-the-way tables at coffee shops and lunch joints. Inking, on the other hand, requires the stability of my studio nest.

One of the very few complaints I have about my life as a cartoonist is that there is never a chance to truly stop working. I have twelve published pieces every week and, of course, the smattering of pro bono drawings every cartoonist is asked to do for retiring co-workers, charity events and community causes. So I'm constantly on the prowl for ideas and always looking for a chance to catch back up to my deadlines, which usually feel just beyond reach.

It is the best overwhelming job in the world. But there are times when I look longingly at a newspaper and wish I could simply read it like everyone else instead of grinding it up, kneading it into paste and molding it into tomorrow's commentary.