Career as Cartoonist

A career as a Cartoonist is a multi-faceted one and provides the freedom to choose among various modes of employment. Cartoonists generally work on a freelance basis where they work for multiple clients at once from their studio or an office. Daily routine work involves creating drawings for cartoon characters, writing sketches, or animating cartoons for use in videos. This includes handmade paper drawing, digitization, and working with illustration software. The cartoonist may not convert their artwork into digital formats themselves. A Cartoonist’s job is a creative endeavour. Hence, it’s fun and rewarding for creative professionals who derive pleasure from their work. 

As there are multiple ways of work, cartoonists can choose to work a full-time job or work as they will. Many a time, the artwork is under creative scrutiny, which may lead to extended work hours if certain pieces of art are disapproved. Initial career phase can be challenging as the cartoonist learns about the trade intrinsically. The cartoonist may need to collaborate with other creative professionals such as Graphic Designers and Animators as per the demand of the work. Generally, a cartoonist is susceptible to stress when deadlines are short, or the work is scarce.

Most coveted job titles for cartoonists can usually be found in the animation domain. Animators who create cartoons for commercial consumption in the form of animated stories of cartoon shows are on the top of the pay scale. A cartoonist may specialize in Print Cartoon Design, Comic Art Design, Newspaper Series, Digital Character Drawing, Satire Series and more. The job prospects are brightest in the digital space due to high demand and easy exposure to a wider audience.

Starting salaries for cartoonists revolve around Rs 20,000-30,000 per month and with experience, the number can go up to any maximum. Established cartoon artists working with large art houses can earn up to Rs 8 lakh per annum. Independent artists who provide art for books and media publications can also quote Rs 15,000 to 20,000 per article. 

Art houses such as Maya Entertainment, Pentamedia Graphics, Crest Animation Studios are top hiring companies in India when it comes to cartoonists.