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Contact the Artist
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) of Lincoln Peirce |
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 Q. When did you first start drawing cartoons?
A. I first started drawing cartoons in the third grade. At first, I spent most of my time copying newspaper comic strips in an attempt to learn to draw. Eventually, by fifth or sixth grade, I began to create original characters of my own.
Q. Who were the cartoonists who most influenced you?
A. Charles Schulz of "Peanuts" fame was easily my biggest influence when I first became interested in comics. In my teens I discovered G.B. Trudeau's "Doonesbury" and I was greatly influenced by his writing style. I am also a huge fan of many of the great strips from the so-called "golden age" of comics in the 20's, 30's and 40's. My all-time favorite comic strip is "Polly and her Pals" by Cliff Sterrett. I also love E.C. Segar's "Thimble Theater" and, of course, "Krazy Kat" by George Herriman.
Q. How did you get your professional start?
A. As a freshman in college, I began submitting samples of my work to the major syndicates. It took several years, but in 1989, a strip I developed called "Neighborhood Comix" caught the attention of United Media. During the year that followed, I worked with my editor to develop the strip which was eventually renamed "Big Nate." It made its debut in January of 1991.
Q. How would you describe your style?
A. I can't think of a simple descriptive term to sum up what I do; I will say, however, that I take pride in my strip having a sense of authenticity. Because the main characters in my strip are children, I work very hard to make them seem like REAL children, not like miniature adults. It's important to me that they talk and act in a way that most real kids can relate to.
Q. Where do you get your story ideas?
A. About half of them come from my own memories of being a sixth-grade boy, just like Nate is. I have what I would describe as a poor memory for most things, but for some reason I have almost total recall for what sixth grade was like. So, I use my recollections for specific events (usually school events) as the basis for a lot of Big Nate stories. The other half of my ideas simply come from sitting down in a quiet room and trying to think up good gags. I've spoken to a lot of cartoonists who carry a notepad with them wherever they go; when they notice something they think they can turn into a good gag, they quickly write it down. That method doesn't work for me at all. I just sit down and try to think up funny situations to put Nate in.
Q. How did you come up with your characters?
A. I do think that many comic strip characters are to a certain extent autobiographical. Like most kids, when I was a boy I was quite self-obsessed. The world seemed to revolve around me and I was, unfortunately, kind of oblivious to what was going on around me. So when I created the character of Nate, I made him self-obsessed in the extreme. Francis, Nate's best friend, is the only character in the strip who is based on an actual person. When I was a high school teacher, I had a student named Francis and he became the model for the character. The other character that I identify with quite a bit personally is Nate's art teacher, Mr. Rosa. I taught high school art and there were a lot of funny things that went on in that classroom. All the other characters are more or less invented...oh, except for Spitsy, the lame excuse for a dog that lives next door to Nate. Spitsy is based on a dog I knew growing up.
Q. Which are your favorite characters in your strip and why?
A. No big surprise here. My favorite character is Nate. I find his inexhaustible supply of energy and self-confidence very endearing. Certainly he can be irritating and exasperating to those around him, but I really like the way Nate never loses faith in himself.
Q. Do you create on a daily basis? Do you prefer to work in the morning or at night?
A. I try to write every day, but it doesn't always work out that way. I have two small children who are very accustomed to spending a lot of time with me each day. Oftentimes I don't start working until they've gone to bed at night. But I squeeze work in during the day, too. It's a great feeling when it's lunchtime and you've already done two or three strips that day.
Q. What materials do you use to draw your comics? Do you use a computer?
A. I use 2-ply smooth bristol board, non-photo blue pencils, a ruler, and some cheesy disposable pens. I've never used a computer for anything except email.
Q. Do you have any suggestions on how to become a professional cartoonist?
A. My number-one piece of advice would be this: creating a comic strip is much more about being a good writer than being a good artist. My own art skills are only fair, but I pride myself on writing funny gags which feature crisp, believable dialogue. For those who are trying to develop a comic strip, I suggest that they try to write a fresh gag every day for three months. Working regularly like this is the best way to improve your writing skills. As far as the artwork side of things: young people very often learn to master drawing a specific character in a specific pose. They can draw a character running, but if they're asked to draw that same character sitting in a chair or lying in bed, they're stumped. So I always encourage kids to draw characters doing EVERYthing: throwing a ball, driving a car, sitting down, holding a drinking glass, etc. etc. etc. Cartooning is like any other skill that can be improved: you need to practice continually. The great thing about cartooning, compared to some other skills, is that it's a whole lot of fun to practice.
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