Being an editorial cartoonist is not much different than being an editorial columnist. In fact, you can make the argument, as it has been made to me, that the process is the same. You have a view that you want to share with your audience; you develop your ideas and decide how best to communicate your thoughts. You do a draft, which is sometimes tinkered with by an editor. Finally, you complete the work and hope that your readers understand the point you were trying to share. Unlike a columnist -- who has a column of text with which to convey his or her thoughts -- the cartoonist tries to communicate with a few words and a visual image. 

Battle Lines will try to highlight the efforts of editorial cartoonists as they communicate their views of the war in Iraq. We are inviting cartoonists from around the world to answer three questions about the creative process. If you have a suggestion for a cartoon or a cartoonist, please let us know by adding your comments to our forum. Or send an e-mail to cartoonists@poynter.org.

Universal Press Syndicate Joel Pett, Lexington Herald-Leader

"How did your idea begin? What was the genesis of the way you chose to approach your drawing? What sparked the idea?"

Actually, the idea of being painted into a corner is a tired cliche, both verbally and visually... The only thing that saves this cartoon from total hackdom is the twist of the color alert and the paint... And that may not even do it.

You mean the un-original concept?... No, it really didn't... I did play with the wording some... Just so you know what kind of goofy stuff goes through the mind, I fretted that "today's alert color" ascribed alertness to the color itself, and I worried that really picky people, like other artists, would be put off because black isn't actually a color at all...

From your point of view, what works best about this cartoon and what, if anything, would you change?

It seems a little immodest for me to talk about what works best... Can't you get a critic to rip it apart? For me, I suppose the overpowering field of black casts a dreadful kind of pall... Good for a war I dread... And any chance to draw Bush as that goofy little incompetent needs to be taken, although it is disrespectful to the commander-in-chief, as people don't hesitate to remind me.

Name: Joel Pett
Publication: Lexington Herald-Leader, universal press syndicate
Brief bio information: Joel Pett, winner of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize in editorial cartooning, has been the editorial cartoonist at the Lexington Herald-Leader since 1984, and is a regular contributor to USA Today. Having observed life in over 25 countries, from his boyhood home in Nigeria, down the Amazon, to Red Square, Tiananmen Square, and beyond, Pett sums up his philosophy simply:   "Hello, God?... we could sure use some help down here!"  He is a past president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, loves animals, and eats the same cereal every day.  He is proudest of a college intramural golf title, and of skunking a University of Kentucky basketball player in a celebrity game of H-O-R-S-E.  His list of embarrassments is endless.
Link to website: www.kentucky.com