Field Trip Notes

Student Danielle Wilcox describes the illustration department’s visit to acclaimed editorial cartoonist Mike Luckovich:

First of all, he was wearing this badass black, slate and blood red pin-striped suit and crocodile shoes, which instantly made him cooler than anybody anywhere. He doesn't use anything but traditional media--mostly nice pens from Binders and a few Prisma color markers from a torn-up box on the floor of his office.

He doesn't even know how to use Photoshop, and here he is, a Pulitzer Prize winner. Of course, you see his work, you know why. This is how he described his day: He comes in at 11 or 11:30, drinks coffee, eats lunch, reads newspapers... the Times, some Seattle newspaper, etc., then he plays on the internet, looks up news online, and tries to find a piece of news and modern culture to pump a cartoon out of.

At about 3 or 3:30, he actually starts sketching ideas to show his boss. He said his boss usually nixes the first few ideas, and sometimes the first nine. He knows Mike can do better, and Mike likes to be pushed. But Mike also knows he has to produce a finished piece by 5:30. Period.

He said sometimes he sweats bullets when his concepts are being turned down, but in the end, he always gets it done. And usually, when he's really frustrated, he ends up with his best cartoons.

He was one of those kids who doodled instead of taking notes in class. His teachers said it'd never take him anywhere, so the joke’s on them. He still gets excited about going to work every day because he loves it so much... even when he's really sick. That was amazing to hear. I wasn't honestly sure anyone could love a job that much, but he truly does.

He was funny and fun--and friendly. No big ego, despite all the awards. We just crowded into his small office and chatted. Mike showed us several originals, including some sketches of W and how he progressively got shorter and his ears got bigger throughout the duration of his term as President.

I really can't imagine coming up with an idea and a finished piece of art in two hours. It’s incredible that he does that every day. And with all the news Mike reads, I'm sure he's great at cocktail parties.