What is a cartoon really?
真正的漫画是什么？
Many of us love cartoons, most of us grew up reading them or having them read to us.
很多人都喜欢漫画，我们很多人都伴隨着阅读漫画长大或者是由家长讲给我们听。
The fact is, cartoons have been around a long time.
事实上，漫画的存在时来以久。
There are all kinds of cartoons: strip comics, comic books, political cartoons,
它们的种类繁多: 有连环漫画，漫画书，政治漫画，
single-panel cartoons, graphic novels, web comics, animation, caricature, there is something for everyone.
单板面漫画，图片小说，网络漫画，动画片，讽刺画，这里面总有符合你口味的东西。
No matter the form them come in, cartoons elicit all kinds of emotions from the viewer
无论它们以何种形式出现，漫画都会引起读者的共鸣，
happiness, sadness, anger, hilarity, calm -- and can transmit ideas in an instant.
幸福，悲伤，愤怒，狂喜，平静--并可以在瞬间表达它的含义。
Cartoons are a universal medium enjoyed and understood around the world and across borders.
漫画是一种通俗易懂的媒体，被世界各地的人们喜爱和了解，并且许多漫画跨跃了国界。
This is why they have survived so long as an art form.
这就是为什么它们作为一种艺术形式存在之长久。
But how can a medium that is on the surface so simple have so much influence and at times be so meaningful?
但是为什么这种表面上看很简单的媒体会有如此大的影响，有时甚至意味深长呢？
Let's look at what a cartoon is. It starts with an idea.
让我们看看漫画到底是什么。它从一个想法开始。
The idea can be verbal, written in words, or it can be visual.
这个想法可以是口头的，书面的或者是视觉的。
A visual idea is simply a picture, a drawing, a doodle.
这个视觉的想法可以是简单的一张图片，绘画或涂鸦。
These ideas come from a variety of places.
这些想法来自不同的地方。
Cartoonists might find the idea from observing life, reading a newspaper, trawling online.
漫画家们可能会从观察生活中得到灵感，或者是在阅读报纸时突发奇想，或是浏览网络时捕捉信息。
It can come from a sentence someone said or a single word heard on television.
它可以来自某人说的一句话，或在电视上听到的一个词。
Cartoonists are like sponges; they soak up people, places, mannerisms, clothing, and behavior.
漫画家就像海棉一样，他们吸收着人类、地点、言谈举止、衣着和行为。
Sometimes they might jot them down in a little black book that they carry around with them.
有时候，漫画家们可能在随身携带的小黑本上记录下灵感。
Other times, it is just soaked up into the cartoonist's brain only to be squeezed out later when she is sitting at her drawing table.
也有时候，他们就在脑海中记下这些怪念头，只有当他们伏案绘画时才把这些思绪“调出来”。
Not only does a cartoonist have to be aware of what she is seeing visually, but she has to listen to herself think.
漫画家不但要知道她看到的东西，更要知道她自己在想什么。

In other words, take the incoming information and select it, shape it, and then use it for a cartoon.
换句话说，在处理传入的信息时，要先筛选素材，塑造人物和事件，然后将它用于漫画制作中。
Now that you have an idea, or something you think could be good for a cartoon, it's time to shape it.
既然你有一个好主意，或者你认为一些素材可以构成漫画，那该是完成它的时候了。
A cartoon is like a staged play.
一幅漫画就像一台舞台剧。
A cartoonist is playwright, director, stage designer, choreographer, and costume designer.
漫画家是剧作家，导演，舞台设计，编舞和服装设计师。
A cartoon has characters, a set, dialogue, even if one line, and a backstory.
漫画有人物，场景，即使一行的对话和背景故事。
The characters must be dressed to fit the idea, speak in a way that is natural and forwards the idea or gives the punchline.
这些人物必须穿着适宜，从而体现主题思想，说话的方式要自然，进一步传递主旨或爆出笑料。
Nothing should be in the cartoon that is not absolutely necessary for the advancement of the idea.
漫画不应该拖泥带水，给出不能深化主题的东西。
The image and words have to dance together in a way that makes sense.
像跳舞一样，图像与文字一定要合拍，通俗易懂。
It could be a graceful dance, or an awkward dance, if that is part of the humor or idea.
它可以是优雅的舞蹈，也可以是令人尴尬的舞蹈，如果这是幽默的一部分。
And then the execution.
然后是绘图定稿。
Some cartoonists sketch the idea with pencil then ink it with pen using a light box.
一些漫画家用铅笔素描，然后用钢笔上色。
Others visualize the image in their head and draw directly on the paper in pen.
其他人可以在头脑中想象出所要图案，并在纸上直接画出来。
Different kinds of pens are used: felt-tip, mechanical pen, or a crow quill.
他们可以使用不同类型的笔：毡尖笔，机械钢笔或是羽毛笔。
Paper can be light-weight or heavy-bond.
纸可以是轻型的或是重型的。
Many cartoonists add gray tone, called a wash, by using black watercolor and a brush.
许多漫画家添加灰色色调，这被称为粉刷，是通过使用黑色水彩和画笔调成灰色涂染而成。
Others use a soft pencil for the tone.
其他人使用软铅笔涂出明暗色调。
Color is usually created by using watercolor.
通常是使用水彩上色。
A finished cartoon can then be scanned and adjusted, and the caption can be added on the computer with Photoshop.
成品的漫画会被扫描和调整，并可在计算机上用Photoshop添加标题。
New technologies are emerging for the cartoonist's use in creating her cartoon.
日新月异的电脑制作为漫画家们的创作提供了更多的便利。
Photoshop can serve as a tool for color and image.
Photoshop可以上色和绘制图像。
Some may draw directly on a tablet with a stylus.
有些可能用触笔直接在平板电脑上绘制。
The choices at this stage of creation work in tandem with the idea,
只要符合原创，在这个阶段你可以随意更改一些细节，
and often when the final caption is added, it gets adjusted yet again.
通常是在最后的标题添加后，它又一次被调整了。
But, little is left to chance, except, perhaps, some of the watercolor.
但剩下要改的东西不多了，除非，也许，再上一些水彩。
All these elements function in concert with one another.
所有这些元素融为一体互相作用。
It's almost like a dance of words, ideas, and images that work together in order to make the cartoon a timeless, resilient work of art.
所有这些语言、主题、图像，像是一个舞蹈，一起工作，使漫画形成了永恒的、持久的艺术作品。