George Coghill - Cartoonist Survey #94

George Coghill is a cartoonist and illustrator who lives in Kent, Ohio. He graduated from Kent State with a degree in Fine Arts. Like a lot of cartoonist he was raised on a steady diet of MAD magazine. He blames his obsession with drawing, illustrating and cartooning on Mort Drucker, Don Martin and Jack Davis. Other artists who have had a big influence on his work are Ed “Big Daddy” Roth and Bob “B.K.” Taylor (Odd Rods stickers and artwork). George still loves to draw monsters, robots and hot girls just like he did as a little kid. One of his specialties is cartoon logo and mascot design. In the over ten years that he has been working professionally, he has created artwork for concert posters, magazines, tattoos, t-shirt designs and much more. He loves sharing the knowledge he has gained while working as a cartoon illustrator. His blog is chocked full of product reviews, software tips and cartooning/illustration techniques. Check out George's website here and his very informative blog here. You can see a nice Adobe Illustrator tutorial that George created here.

What is your favorite pen to use?
I primarily ink & color my art in Adobe Illustrator, so no actual "pen".

Do you draw in pencil first and if so do you use a standard pencil or a mechanical one?
I always sketch in pencil and then scan it in to PhotoShop to refine the sketch using all the tools I have in PhotoShop CS4. I draw with a lead holder (clutch pencil) with nice fat 5.6 mm leads.

Do you do your coloring by hand or on the computer?
On a Mac, usually in Adobe Illustrator as vector art.

What type of paper do you use?
I sketch on plain old laser printer paper, since I just scan it into PhotoShop anyways.

What thing(s) do you hate to draw?
I'm not a big fan of crowds & group scenes. Not really a fan of them in real life either!

Do you buy your supplies from big chain art store catalogues/websites or a local one that you physically go to?
Both, but I do most of all my shopping online, especially if I know exactly what I want to buy.

Are there any rituals that you do before starting to draw?
Not really. Usually procrastinate!

Do you listen to music while you draw and if so what genre?
I listen to music at times. Sometimes I catch myself working in silence for hours; I tend to zone out on the artwork. I listen to all sorts of music, usually I have my iTunes on shuffle.

Did you read comics as a kid and if so what was your favorite?
I wasn't much of a comics kid, I was way more into MAD Magazine.

What is or was your favorite comic strip?
I always liked The Far Side.

What was your favorite book as a child and do you still own a copy of it?
"The Haunted Spy" was a book I recall that I was always fascinated by when I was very young. I do not own a copy and it seems to be difficult to come by.

Did you have any formal art training and if so where did you receive it?
I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, and started out in graphic design & illustration before I switched to fine art. I really don't think the college I went to had the right program for what I wanted to do. As far as the art I create today (including the graphics software skills), I am all self-taught.

Do you feel that the Internet is a blessing or a curse?
A blessing. For sure.

Did either of your parents draw?
It seems my Dad doodled a bit, but neither one would consider "artists" at all.

Who in your life is/was the most supportive of your art?
Family & friends. No one person in general. If I had to pick just one, it would be myself.

Do you keep a sketchbook?
I do, but I haven't been using it lately as much as I should!

Have you ever taught cartooning/drawing and if so did you enjoy the experience?
I haven't formally taught, but it's something I am interested in. I do occasional video screencasts of the digital drawing & vectoring process, and always am open to answer a questions anyone has.

Do you feel that talent or passion is more important in drawing?
Passion by far. Passion will eventually generate the talent if you stick with it and practice enough.

Do you collect anything and if so what?
Not really a "collector". No.

If you were an animated cartoon character who do you think you would be?
Although not an animated character, I think the Statler & Waldorf characters from the Muppet Show would be me. A little of both!

Are you a righty or lefty?
Righty.

If you weren't an artist what would you want to do for work?
I would not want to work :)

In one or two sentences describe your drawing area.
Messy. Cluttered. It's also my computer desk. I have a portable drawing board that I use to sketch on, usually at the desk or on the couch watching a movie. Did I mention messy?

Do you play any musical instruments?
I play guitar, and can barely play the drums.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to pursue drawing as a career what would it be?
Draw, draw, draw, draw, draw. And get some business books or take business classes (if you want to work for yourself or freelance). Get a website up. Learn how Google works. Learn PhotoShop & Illustrator. And draw!

Who is your favorite artist?
Hard to pick one, but if I had to it would be Robert Williams.

Thanks a lot George.

Up next are answers from Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist, Ann Telnaes.