All cartoons are copyright protected
and reprinted with permission from Copley News Service.

ve known Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial cartoonist Gary Markstein for over a decade, but it wasn't until the 2000 Presidential Election that I realized what really makes him "tick." On this historic evening Gary and I were midway through a five-day backpacking trip, and enjoying a beer in the funky dining hall of Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Miles from "civilization," the wait staff indulged the guests with radio-driven updates on the race for the White House.

With news of rigged ballots, miscounts, and other skullduggery reaching us in one of the most remote places in the Lower 48, Gary treated his fellow canyoneers to one hastily drawn cartoon after another — scribbled on bar napkins with lightning precision. Al Gore, G.W., Bill Clinton (his favorite mug), Margaret Thatcher, Deng Xiao Peng, Vladimir Putin... you name it. What passed to his audience as entertainment was in fact a burst of nervous energy from the stranded artist. With the country in chaos a mile above, there was a part of Gary that longed to be in the newsroom plying his craft.

“I'm one of those types that enjoy hearing, "We've got a late breaking story, you've got ONE hour!'"confides the self-described professional doodler during a recent phone interview. "That might sound crazy to some people, it does to me sometimes, but it really challenges you. You've got to come up with something good in a very short amount of time, and in a lot of ways that’s what we do. Quickly gather as much information as we can on a topic, form an opinion, and hopefully draw an intelligent cartoon on the spot."

This ability has served Gary well in the pressure-cooker setting of the modern newsroom. He and his counterparts at newspapers across the country (a “congenial club” as he describes them) continually draw upon a wide variety of skills to stimulate the debate among their readership. "You have to be a political analyst, an illustrator, a humorist, reporter, journalist," said Markstein. "Everything goes into it, and that's what makes it such a unique position (within the industry)." Along the way Gary has received a number of awards including the Global Media Award of Excellence (2000, 2001), the Family Planning Advocates Cartoon Award (2002), the Fischetti Editorial Cartoon (1997), and third place in the National Press Foundation Berryman Awards (1996).

This Chicago native knew at a tender age that he wanted to work as a cartoonist for a living. His first project was a humor book crafted in the fifth grade. Ignoring the typical obsessions of his adolescent peers, Gary's fodder included President Nixon and his Cabinet. His teachers failed to acknowledge his scribbling as part of a future career track. "I was constantly getting scolded by the teachers for doodling in the margins of my homework."

Professional influences, which Gary describes as the giants of editorial cartooning, include the late Jeff MacNelly of the Chicago Tribune, and Paul Conrad of the L.A. Times to name a few. "MacNelly, who also did the comic strip "Shoe,” influenced an entire generation of editorial cartoonists, myself included,” said Markstein. “You have to marvel first at his draftsmanship. He was a fantastic artist (who utilized) loose brush-like strokes to make his cartoons really come alive.” As for the semi-retired Conrad, Gary feels that his powerful opinions rendered with a predominately visual approach set him apart.

Gary got his start in the biz after graduating from Arizona State University in 1982 with a B.F.A. in graphic design. Knowing that he wanted to cartoon for a living, he also completed coursework in history and political science. Gary freelanced for the Mesa Tribune near Phoenix until they hired him full-time in 1985—the same year his work was syndicated. "As the staff artist I was a jack-of-all-trades," said Markstein. In addition to editorial cartooning his assignments included page design, illustration, and informational graphics. By 1990 Gary was cartooning full time. He and his wife Beck, also a graphic designer, returned to the Midwest in 1992 when an editorial cartoonist position became available at the Milwaukee Journal. Such openings are rare events in a stagnant industry that has gone years without posting a "help wanted" sign. Gary attributes the stagnant job market to a combination of media mergers and the lackluster economy. In ten years he estimates that the ranks of the editorial cartoonists at major dailies has shrunk 35% to approximately one hundred positions.

A typical day for Gary starts around 8:30 a.m. when he meets with the editorial board to decide on the day's stories. After picking a topic and fleshing out his opinion, he'll draw a handful of roughs. He might bounce these off random people in the newsroom for a gut reaction, or the editorial writers for grammatical critique before presenting them to the editor. The editor will review the roughs and together they'll narrow the field to one. “Then comes the easy part,” laughs Markstein. "Following the idea stage, the drawing part is relaxing. Since I draw every day, I can knock out a cartoon in an hour or two. "

His tools include pen, mechanical pen, brush and ink, and paper. Gary will also use Adobe PhotoShop to handle shading after the cartoon is scanned, or to add color to his work that will showcase on the paper's Website. Colorizing is a mixed blessing according to Gary. “In some cases color can actually detract from a cartoon. Sticking with black and white can give an idea a harder edge.” Gary is always seeking a solid marriage between the idea and the artwork. " ... a good drawing can only carry a bad idea so far, and a good idea with a bad drawing is perhaps a little better." Being able to draw "helps," according to Markstein, but he insists that it's the idea that stirs the readers.

One gauge of a cartoonist's success in the marketplace of ideas is reader reaction. "You have to be pretty thick-skinned to be an editorial cartoonist in the first place, because you're the one putting your opinion out there, and not everyone is going to agree with it. Cartoonists get their share of hate mail and phone calls. I always say that any reaction is better than no reaction. Pushing the envelope is part of the job. But that doesn't mean gratuitously offending (the reader). Anyone can do that. There has to be some intelligent point to the cartoon."

As far as the creative process goes, Gary employs a number of "tricks" to foil the occasional writer's block. "There are days (like Mondays) when the creative juices aren't flowing and you end up just staring at a blank piece of paper,” said Markstein. “But when you've been in the business as long as I have you develop a system. What works for me is that I'll write down words that are related to the topic at hand. That can get the engine sparked and the ideas start to flow." The journey back to the creative corner of the brain is never a long haul for Gary, as he finds himself drawing both on and off the clock. "I get paid to play,” he laughs. Other artistic outlets for the modest cartoonist include the occasional beer hall gig with the newsroom band Hot Type for which he plays guitar. "They even let me sing once in awhile." Hardcore groupies include his wife and young sons.

I asked Gary if he could crank out fifty cartoons and then take a nice long vacation. "Ah, the old rainy day drawer (laugh). It's helpful sometimes. Sometimes you can open up that drawer and be working on an entirely different subject and yet you'll see an old rough that will jumpstart an idea, or bring out another aspect of an issue. The downside is that you (can plan) to run a cartoon the next week, and by the time the week rolls around, other news might have eclipsed the idea, or the issue has changed, and the cartoon kind of dies on the vine. Cartoons rarely have a long shelf life.”

The rapid-fire pace of modern day news reporting may have helped Gary maintain his cool at Phantom Ranch on election night. After all, we were a two-day climb from civilization and surely the post-election hoopla would die down before we returned. As it turned out, he had ample opportunity to weigh in on what became a protracted, and contentious, chapter in American electoral history. In the end, he was glad to see George W. Bush win the election—but for purely artistic reasons (he described Al Gore as his most frustrating subject matter due to his "classic good looks"). "Good looking presidents do not make good caricatures, so that's how I vote," said Gary tongue in cheek. "Whoever is the funniest looking."

View Gary's slideshow. Click here to see more of Gary's cartoons.

© 2003 Mike Buchheit

Mike Buchheit is a writer, photographer, conservationist, and avid outdoorsman living in Grand Canyon National Park. His freelance articles and Southwest images highlight the transformative quality of wild places, and the aesthetic beauty and social importance of the arts. When not directing one of the country's leading outdoor education programs, Mike enjoys discovering what makes some of the design world's most creative minds tick.

You can view and purchase Mike Buchheit's Grand Canyon photography at: www.GrandCanyonPrints.com