Is it a flash of inspiration, or an agonizing search for an idea that materializes minutes before deadline? We want to know how the best editorial cartoonists create their best work. Persuasive Art highlights the efforts of editorial cartoonists as they communicate their views. We look at dozens of cartoons every day from around the world and then invite a cartoonist to answer three questions about the creative process: what sparked the idea for this cartoon, how the concept evolved, and why it worked.
Published August 5, 2003, The Miami Herald
What sparked the idea?
Reading a New Yorker article about our war against Iraq, particularly a quote from a CIA agent saying many of our best agents charged with finding Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan had been transferred to the war in Iraq.
How did the concept evolve?
The idea is pretty straightforward. We’re going around Iraq searching for Saddam, and have seemingly forgotten about finding Osama bin Laden. I simply put those two facts together to arrive at an absurd situation, but one that captures what I think is fair comment. Bin Laden is our public enemy #1, yet we’ve become bogged down in Iraq, distracted from the real war against terrorism.
A project in conjunction with the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists
Why does it work?
Cartoons work when they state a strong opinion unequivocally, using caricature and exaggeration to ram the point home with as few words as possible. Those elements are a potent concoction and they make editorial cartooning a singular and indispensable part of American journalism.
Name: Jim Morin
Publication: The Miami Herald
Joined the paper: 1978
Education: Syracuse University
Awards include: Pulitzer Prize, 1996; National Press Foundation Berryman Award, 1996
Other cartooning positions: Beaumont Enterprise and Journal, (Texas); Richmond Times-Dispatch (Va.)
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/editorial/cartoons/ <A class="" href="
