Artist to Artist

Good morning and welcome to Artist to Artist. This morning we have with us a wonderful cartoon artist from Michigan, United States. May his sense of humor brighten your day as it has mine many times! I would like to introduce Swisstoons aka Tom Wuthrich.

Aloramyst: Good Morning Tom! In your opinion what is art?

Tom Wuthrich: He was a cousin of mine. Arthur Wyss. Actually, he was a second cousin twice removed, I believe. So, I am not sure if I should really even be including him in this answer. Plus, he is deceased. Oh, what the heck! A cousin! That’s my answer to this question. I hope they get easier.

Aloramyst: Who or what first introduced you to art?

Tom Wuthrich: My mother I think. She was Art’s FIRST cousin.

Aloramyst: So, how and when did you decide to become a cartoonist?

Tom Wuthrich: Okay….time to get serious and answer your questions. It was sort of a natural progression. Sort of. I went to the library looking for a book on screenwriting about a hundred years ago. It was checked out….so I started perusing a great little book entitled, The Greeting Card Writer’s Handbook,” by Joseph Chadwick. I wasn’t much interested in the “Roses are red” part of the book, so I skipped right to the chapters on studio greeting cards. That’s what they called the funny offbeat cards way back when. I began selling my gags to the major card companies…Hallmark, Barker, Rust Craft, Amberley and others…on a freelance basis. Pretty soon, I added cartoonists to my client list. I would include a rough sketch at the bottom of each 3×5 gag slip. These sketches prompted a few cartoonists to suggest that I try drawing up and selling my own gags. I did…and eventually sold to most of the major magazines, including Good Housekeeping, Penthouse, Omni, Reader’s Digest, Highlights, National Enquirer…and a bunch of others. Unfortunately, cartoon usage was one of the first things magazines cut back on when the internet and cable TV and myriad other entertainments caused subscriptions to plummet.

Aloramyst: You use the pen name, “SWISS.” How did you choose that name?

Tom Wuthrich: My real name is Tom Wuthrich. My parents came from Switzerland about 17 years before I was born. When I decided to try to break into Penthouse…which called itself “The International Magazine For Men,” I thought a name with an “international” ring to it might give me an edge. And since my Zazzle gallery is loaded with “Swiss” cartoons, “Swisstoons” seemed to be the best name for it. But I will answer to all three; “Tom”….”Swiss”…or “Swisstoons.”

Aloramyst: What software programs have you experimented with? And which is your favorite?

Tom Wuthrich: I’m not sure if I was experimenting with the software….or the software was experimenting with me. In either case, it has never gone smoothly. I stick with the software that came bundled with my scanner…ArcSoft PhotoStudio 5.5…because it is the one that I almost understand and because I can run it on my steam-operated emachine Model T computer. I draw 90% of my designs (most of which are cartoons) by hand. then I scan them into the computer and colorize them.

Aloramyst: What inspires and motivates you to create?

Tom Wuthrich: The first step in creating a cartoon is creating the gag. And I do that constantly because almost everything I see or hear or experience triggers a gag. I just can’t help it. It’s the way my mind works. Even if I weren’t drawing cartoons, I would still be seeing things funny..or funnily. I’m not sure what inspires or motivates me to do this. Maybe I was dropped on my head when I was a baby.

Aloramyst: Who is your favorite artist? What is it about their work that you love?

Tom Wuthrich: I really admire the work of a self-taught cartoonist by the name of David E. Brown. David did a daily single panel newspaper toon entitled “Today’s World,” but also did absolutely amazing color work for Penthouse . He wrote many of his own gags, but I supplied him with a good number, as well. NYer cartoonist Sam Gross is another. Sam writes all of his own material, but when I was just starting out as a cartoonist, I wrote Sam a funny fan letter to let him know I was planning to use his cartoon book, “I Am Blind And My Dog Is Dead,” as a cartoon primer. He wrote back…a handwritten and funny response! Years later, I contributed to a cartoon anthology he edited for Harper & Row, entitled “All You Can Eat.” In fact, a cartoon of mine adorns the outside of the back cover of that book…a food cartoon anthology.

Aloramyst: Have you set any goals for yourself as an artist? If so, what are you working towards achieving?

Tom Wuthrich: Yes. Buying food and paying rent.

Aloramyst: Is your artwork for sale? Where can people see or purchase your artwork?

Tom Wuthrich: I THOUGHT YOU WOULD NEVER ASK! Yes, my work can be seen at my Zazzle gallery where I have put it on hundreds of products….t-shirts, mugs, posters, magnets, buttons, etc. http://www.zazzle.com/swisstoon?zbar=true

Aloramyst: What are your recommendations and/or advice to other artists?

Tom Wuthrich: Learn as much as you can about computing and the Internet. They are the pen and ink of the 21st Century. I know next to nothing about them. And not knowing about them as much as I would like, makes it harder and harder to compete.

Aloramyst: Is there anything about being an artist that you would like to know more about?

Tom Wuthrich: Yes. I would like to know my way around the Internet in order to better promote my Zazzle gallery. I would like to know more about HTML for the same reason.

Aloramyst: Which promotional tools have been the most effective for you?

Tom Wuthrich: Hmmm. An excellent question. When I freelanced primarily to magazines, it was simply a matter of submitting my work to editors. My work spoke for itself. I established my Zazzle store about ten months ago. I am still trying to figure out the most effective way to promote it.. I have dabbled in AdWords. If I am lucky, I have managed to recoup what I spent.

I have only recently begun using Analytics in conjunction with AdWords. But with money being tighter than ever, I am reluctant to sink a large amount into advertising at this time.

Aloramyst: Thank you Tom for your time today with us here. I for one will continue to be a great fan of yours! Wishing you much success and looking forward to owning some of your awesome works!