Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with this idea of looking at political cartoons, trying to get a feel for what’s going on in the world, you know? It started last week when I saw a cartoon about some political event. I thought to myself, “Hey, this is a pretty neat way to get the gist of things.”
So, I started digging. First, I just googled “political cartoons” to see what’s out there. There are tons of these things, it’s kinda crazy. I spent a good few hours just scrolling through, seeing all sorts of different styles and takes on current events. It’s like a whole world of art I never really paid attention to before.
Then, I decided to get a little more organized. I started to visit some websites that dedicated to political cartoons. One site had a section with the weekly top political cartoons. I created a new bookmark folder in my browser, called it “Political Cartoons – Weekly.” Every day, I visit these websites and save the cartoons that catch my eye into this folder.
I also found out about this guy, Thomas Nast. Apparently, he’s considered the “Father of the American Cartoon.” I checked out some of his work, and it’s pretty impressive, even though it’s super old. It gave me a bit of historical perspective on the whole thing, which is cool.
After a week of doing this, I’ve got a pretty decent collection. I started to look for a famous cartoon. Luckily, I found one called “The Plumb-pudding in Danger” by James Gillray. It was so interesting and I copied it to my folder as a classic example.
Now, every week, I try to put together a little summary of what I’ve seen in the cartoons. I created a simple document for this. At the top, I put the week’s dates. Then, I paste the cartoons I collected that week below. Under each cartoon, I write a short description and my thoughts on it.
I realized, the cartoons aren’t just funny or clever. They can actually make you think. They’re like a quick way to get people engaged in what’s happening, even if they don’t follow the news that closely.
My next step is to try drawing some simple cartoons on paper. I’m no artist, but I figure it’s worth a shot. I bought a cheap sketchbook and some pens. I started by copying some of the cartoons I liked, just to get a feel for it. Then, I tried coming up with my own ideas based on news headlines.
So, yeah, that’s my little project for now. It’s been a fun way to learn something new and keep up with what’s going on, all at the same time. It’s not like I’m gonna become a professional cartoonist or anything, but it’s a neat hobby. I showed my collection to a few friends. They found it interesting, especially the historical ones. One friend suggested turning this into a small personal blog, which I’m considering.
I also thought about sharing my cartoon summary document with some friends who aren’t into politics. Maybe it’ll get them interested, who knows? Overall, it’s been a really interesting experience. I’m learning a lot, and it’s making me see the news in a whole new way. Maybe it’ll inspire some of you to check out political cartoons, too. They’re definitely worth a look!
