Make it Pretty

A beginner’s guide to editorial and political

cartoons

Methods

• A typical political cartoon can use different methods to make a point

• Art can be very detailed or simple

• A cartoon is like a “visual editorial” or column

4 Common techniques

• Caricature• Exaggeration• Symbolism• Pop Culture Reference

Exaggeration

Taking a situation to an extreme to show its folly

Example: Sending the military to combat avian flu

Exaggeration

Caricature

• Physical Exaggeration

• Focuses usually on a person’s face, emphasizing certain features

• Examples: Clinton’s round nose, fat chin; Bush’s pointy ears, thin lips

Caricature (common person)

Symbolism

• Very common, especially for political purposes

• Using one person or object to represent an entire group or abstract concept

• Examples: elephants and donkeys

Symbolism

Symbolism

Symbolism

Pop Culture Reference

• Using something in popular culture to make a comparison to hard news

• Helps to make important news more accessible

Pop Culture Reference

Test your knowledge

• What point is the cartoonist trying to make?

• What technique(s) does the cartoonist use?

Test your knowledge

• What point is the cartoonist trying to make?

• What technique(s) does the cartoonist use?

See More Pretty Pictures

• See today’s cartoons