One of the many fun things about making cartoons is choosing the names of characters. I’ve spoken to a bunch cartoonists about this, and it seems that most of us have go-to favourites.
Some of mine are Keith, Sally, Brenda, Nigel and Colin. They’re trusty, Aunt and Uncle type names. I love them.
If I’m feeling daring, I might give the job to Eugene or Penelope—but I find it’s easy to over-egg the pudding, and usually better to stick with the classics.
Below: from the New Yorker, 2016. Buy this cartoon.
The Name Game
A sneaky coffee in Air Mail Weekly, 2020. Buy this cartoon.
Space nicknames in Air Mail Weekly, 2021. Buy this cartoon.
Some silly people in my sketchbook.
Welcome to March, by the way. Have fun and see you next week!
Funny, we were just talking about the use of proper names in captions on this week's podcast. The general rule is not to do it, but occasionally there are captions that need a proper name to work. Picking the proper name to use is not easy. Some names are funny while others are not (why is Ned funny and Dan not funny?) One more thing to drive cartoonists nuts!
Love the planet's nicknames. And the easter egg surprise with the disco ball. Brilliant.
Thx for the morning laughs with my strong coffee and inspiration too -- I am trying to capture the groove of cartoon art with good copy. This world is full of material. Cray-cray all-day....
Thx bro!
MB