Cartoons are quirky and thought-provoking. Here are some tips from cartoonist Evan Mannweiler in a Poynter.org article:

1. Use a pencil to sketch

Pencils can achieve truly beautiful tonal ranges, including wonderfully subtle grays, none of which reproduce very well on gray newsprint. Get your ideas out, then get your eraser out.

2. Use a pen to finish.

Consider this a continuation of #1. Pens look more professional, more finished and simply reproduce better than pencil.

3. Computers color really well.

Consider using Photoshop to color your cartoons for online presentation. Scan your ink drawing, set the blend mode to Multiply, create a new layer underneath it and color away. Quick, easy, and again, it reproduces well.

4. Put a box around it.

This will help your composition. It will give you an idea of the space you have to fill on the page (make sure you know that before you start drawing) – plus everything looks better with a box around it.

5. Get the person with the best ideas to imagine your cartoons. Get the best artist to create them.

Combining talents will produce the best cartoons.