Betsy Streeter: Cartoonist, Teacher

Every artist probably thinks their own fans are the sharpest and most fabulous people around. I am no exception. However, I have noticed unique traits in the people who license my cartoons. I affectionately call them, "Smartypants."

I first noticed a trend when I began getting requests to license cartoons for psychology textbooks. A lot of psychology textbooks. And books on cognition. And science research. A doctor's office framed a cartoon for their waiting room wall. A bio-chem professor put my cartoons on his exams. This made me think.

I also hear a lot from professional women and moms, and as a mom myself I feel it's my duty to help these women laugh. They need it. This has led to the creation of the Mommy Track'd Funny Papers an exclusive weekly feature on mommytrackd.com, and upcoming appearances in Body+Soul Magazine.

The common denominator? My readers are smartypants, people who love to step just outside of reality, observe how silly it is, and laugh at it. Scientists, academics, professionals and moms are really good at this. And they are all wonderful smartypants.

First off, my cartoons fall into the following categories:

BUSINESS: Working, getting through the day, politics, endless meetings...

SCIENCE: Brains, experiments, cells, planets, chemistry, relativity, medicine...

TECHNOLOGY: Computers, evil computers, weird interfaces, buttons not to push

NATURE: Animals, predators, prey, nature specials, pets, livestock, evolution

CONSUMERISM: Marketing, selling, buying, accumulating, shopping, status

SOCIAL SATIRE: Relationships, social lives, conflict and embarrassment

KIDS AND FAMILY: Catharsis for me.

THE DAILY STRUGGLE: When absurdity attacks.

Next, here are some of the great ways you can work with me:

REPRINTS: My cartoons are great for books, textbooks, magazines, dailies, weeklies, monthlies, quarterlies, reports, brochures, and more. Make a point, lighten the mood, explain something complicated with humor, bring something unique to the page.

GREETINGS, in card form or online, can be a unique (and viral) way to get your point across. The Mommy Track'd Funny Papers can be emailed, for example. And you can send Brainwaves panels from gocomics. The "Peace Dragon" from the Funny Times cover was immediately in demand as a holiday card.

EXCLUSIVES: I license features exclusively when someone wants something really unique. The Mommy Track'd Funny Papers are an exclusive. I can also do one-off illustrations. And, coming soon I'll be showing up in Body+Soul Magazine too!

MERCHANDISE: Every so often someone asks, "Can I get that on a...?" And I whip up something for them. The most popular is canvas bags for groceries. Second is framed prints. I'm even happy to hand-tint and sign them.

ORIGINALS: Every so often, I put some original art up on Etsy (http://betsystreeter.etsy.com). I've sold hand-tinted prints and pages from my sketchbook there.

BOOKS: I've done two compilations so far ("Brainwaves: The First Wave" and "Brainwaves While U Wait") and am looking to do more. I'm also looking to capture some of the philosophy and activities in The Drooly Dog Blog and offer it in book form for teachers, parents and families.

MORE! Single-panel cartoons are great for phones, too. Shoot, how about the side of a bus? Do you have a bus? Let's talk!

If you've got more ideas, contact me! mail@betsystreeter.com.

The Funny Times (including December 2008 cover)
The Utah Statesman
The Lamoni Chronicle
She Shines (Rhode Island YWCA)
"Blind Spots: Why Smart People Do Dumb Things" by Madeleine L. Van Hecke
Z Magazine (cover of double issue)
The Utne Reader
First for Women
Oxford University
Cambridge University
Emory University
University of Wollongong
Coming Soon: Exclusive in Body+Soul Magazine!
Coming Soon: Smithsonian Exhibit on Black Holes!
Numerous books and texbooks on psychology and cognition
Numerous blogs and presentations