During March, Dave Heinrich, cartoonist and graphic artist, visited our school for several days, and worked with quite a few classes. His enthusiasm and love for his work rubbed off quickly and soon the children were testing out their talents and newly acquired skills.

Dave visited classrooms and worked closely with each class. He explained his work, showed lots of his portfolio and answered questions from the children. Here, he shows the finer points of cartooning on the blackboard.

Interview with Dave

While he was in our school, Dave was interviewed by two of our Year 7 students, Rebecca Cheney and Danielle Lewis from Mr. Mueller's class.

Dave is interviewed by Danielle and Rebecca.

Rebecca and Danielle: What if there were no cartoonists in the world?
Dave: If there were no cartoonists in the world I think it would be very boring. There would be no cartoons to laugh at and we wouldn’t have any funny adventures to follow.

Rebecca and Danielle: How do you feel when you have completed a great cartoon?
Dave: It is very satisfying to have finished a great cartoon and to be able to say, "I did that." It’s a great sense of relief to get a cartoon finished too. I also enjoy getting paid on time.

Rebecca and Danielle: Where do you get you ideas or inspiration?
Dave: Most of my cartoons have to follow a script so some of my ideas come from Scripts, I listen to Music, Videos and Movies. I also get ideas from my favourite cartoonist as well if I get stuck.

Rebecca and Danielle: What things should people do if they are interested in cartooning?
Dave: People should practice art and also enjoy doing art. They should read books about cartooning from libraries. When they get older they could also do real life art courses.

Rebecca and Danielle: How do you think art is valued in our community?
Dave: I don’t think art is valued enough in our community. I think the community needs a sense of humour to understand cartooning. I also think art is worth more than it is.

Rebecca and Danielle: Do you cartoon for particular audiences or for a wide variety?
Dave: I cartoon for a wide variety of people as well as myself.

Rebecca and Danielle: How has technology impacted on your profession?
Dave: Technology has impacted a lot on my profession. I now use a computer for colouring my cartoons instead of using pencil. I now e-mail my cartoons so they don’t get lost in the mail. I would be lost with-out my photocopier. My career is to become a Computer Animator. I would also like to work with Virtual Reality.