The problem, however, was that the more successful his cartoons became, the more trouble he experienced. He said he “cranked it out in a Sharpie pen in about three hours,” adding that he now wishes he had spent more time on it because so many people have seen it since. "March of Tyranny" was his first cartoon to gain traction online. It was providing him with a platform to share his work without editors dictating what he could and couldn’t draw.Īlthough Garrison wasn’t looking to make a career out of the cartoons - he had been working for himself running a commercial art business since 1997 - the nature of his drawings quickly gained attention, although not always from the people he wanted. The world of the internet seemed like a fantastically exciting place to Garrison. When he decided to return to drawing cartoons nearly three decades later, Tina was instrumental in getting his work out there for the world to see. She was instrumental in the initial stages of his career, sharing tips with him on the art of cartooning and giving feedback on his work.īy the time he left the paper in 1983 to create information graphics at the San Antonio Express-News, Garrison had created a portfolio of cartoons on Texas politics, and several of the Standard-Times rooster General Rainz supporting hostages in Iran. “She had a Cleveland accent, which really stood out amongst the Texas twang,” Garrison said, explaining he often “made up excuses to go down to advertising department and talk and chat with her.” Tina had graduated from the Columbus College of Art and Design with a fine art degree, and Garrison, upon meeting her, immediately knew “she was a lot better than me.” Garrison ended up getting some tips on those cartoons from a woman working in the newspaper's advertising department, who would later become his wife. “The only thing I could do was draw cartoons.” “But of course, I was terrible, I couldn’t do anything,” Garrison said. ![]() He had wanted to pursue a career in fine art and didn’t know anything about graphic art, he said, but he had put himself through college by working at Holsum Bakery, and he thought this was “a chance to get off my feet and kick back in an office.” He had just graduated from Angelo State University when his art professor told him about a graphic artist position at the paper. When Garrison was hired at the Standard-Times in 1979, he was not the editor's first, or even second, pick for the job, he said. Now he’s starting to think he could almost make a living as a full-time political cartoonist, working for himself rather than at a newspaper. About 109,000 Twitter followers later ( the pastime has garnered him praise, and scrutiny, from around the world.
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