what goes into making an editorial cartoon, and some of the constraints and pitfalls

Cartoonist Douglas Coffin to give talk at Carver library

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SEARSPORT — Carver Memorial Library will host local cartoonist and Maine native Douglas Coffin for an artist talk on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 6:30 p.m. The talk accompanies an exhibit of his cartoons, which are on display in the downstairs hall gallery through February.

Coffin will talk about cartooning in general, explain what goes into making an editorial cartoon, and some of the constraints and pitfalls. He will also talk about comic strips (“the funnies”), and single-panel cartoons, such as those seen in The New Yorker.

Coffin, who now lives in Stockton Springs, was nationally syndicated by United Feature Syndicate for his comic strip Fletcher’s Landing, daily and Sundays, for three years back in the early ‘80s. Then, while working his day work as a graphic designer and later as a hand lettercutter in stone, he took on the job of editorial cartoonist for the Waldo Independent, a weekly published in Belfast. Coffin’s single-panel, black-and-white cartoons were a popular feature of the upstart paper from 1985 to 2008 – offering an alternative perspective on local news and issues.

“If you produce a thing once a week for 23 years you’ve got around 1,000 of whatever it is you did,” said the library, in a news release.

Carver Memorial Library is exhibiting almost 200 of his editorial cartoons.

The hall gallery is open during regular library hours.

Carver Memorial Library is located at 12 Union Street, on the corner of Mortland Avenue in Searsport.

For more information, call the library at 548-2303 or email staff@carverlibrary.org.

Event Date: 

Tue, 02/07/2023 - 6:30pm

Event Location: 

Carver Memorial Library

Address: 

12 Union Street
Searsport, ME 04974
United States