History Webcomic / SoYoureACartoonist

%%* FlatWhat: [[http://www.syacartoonist.com/comic/no-morals Twice in one page.]]

* InformedWrongness: One comic story involved a girl who was drawing her writer friends' story, and being unhappy when they focus more on {{Shipping}} than giving it an overarching plot. So she ignores their latest instructions and draws something completely different... the reader is meant to side with her against her writer friends when they're initially displeased with her, never mind that in such relationships an artist can't just change an entire plot on a whim.

''[[http://www.syacartoonist.com/ So... You're a Cartoonist?]]'' was a {{webcomic|s}} started by Tom Preston (real name Andrew Dobson) in 2011. [=SYAC=] is a comedic autobiographical comic about Tom Preston’s life as an unemployed cartoonist and the challenges he faces day-to-day, both on and off the net.

-->'''Preston''': Honestly, [[BaitAndSwitch it's like no one's ever seen a HAT before]]...

** Downplayed with the New SYAC comics (i.e. a series of strips starring an aspiring female cartoonist named Emily), which has a brighter color palette, a flat coloring style, and uses colored outlines instead of the usual black in the Classic SYAC comics (i.e., gag-per-day strips).

''[[http://www.syacartoonist.com/ So... You're a Cartoonist?]]'' is a {{webcomic|s}} started by Tom Preston (real name Andrew Dobson) in 2011. [=SYAC=] is a comedic autobiographical comic about Tom Preston’s life as an unemployed cartoonist and the challenges he faces day-to-day, both on and off the net.

Until June 2015, SYAC was available on Dobson's website and [=DeviantArt=] page. From 2015 to 2017, it was updated only on his website. In 2017, the comic went on hiatus, and many strips were deleted. Some strips have survived, thanks to blogs discussing Dobson's work.

** [[https://64.media.tumblr.com/5133beb09e95cf7333b2fc8f2d6a7002/d628032412b72b44-9d/s1280x1920/e2f70de10f5a76c74c98ee20e7f0606b66f79c25.jpg This strip]], for example, has the StrawCharacter complain that ''Film/CaptainMarvel'' is boring and overpowered, asking who would want to watch that. Dobson looks at how there are eight ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' movies and point out the double standard.

''[[http://www.syacartoonist.com/ So... You're a Cartoonist?]]'' is a {{webcomic|s}} started by Tom Preston (real name Andrew Dobson) in 2011. [=SYAC=] is a comedic autobiographical comic about Tom Preston’s life as an unemployed cartoonist and the challenges he faces day-to-day both on and off net.

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Cartoon!Preston looked younger and had more hair than the real deal, [[http://www.syacartoonist.com/comic/q-and-a-hair moreso as time went on]]. [[https://web.archive.org/web/20160318001613/http://www.syacartoonist.com/comic/its-very-stylish Noting this in a comic]], he eventually changed himself to be a bear so his appearance wouldn't matter anymore.

* AdaptationalBadass: Has admitted that in real life he's quite timid and shy, compared to how he portrays himself in the comics.

* ArtEvolution: In the older comics Preston drew himself as a human but later pages show him as a blue bear.

* ArtShift: Happens occasionally. [[http://www.syacartoonist.com/comic/powered-up Example]].
** Downplayed with the New SYAC comics (i.e. a series of strips starring an aspiring female cartoonist named Emily) which has a brighter color palette, a flat coloring style, and uses colored outlines instead of the usual black in the Classic SYAC comics (i.e. gag-per-day strips).
* AsianSpeekeeEngrish: When he was younger he had a Chinese roommate who had immigrated recently and thus didn't speak English very well.

* AuthorAvatar: Tom Preston a.k.a Andrew Dobson, is the protagonist of the comic. He originally represented himself with a cartoon version of him, then a younger looking man, only to end up as a small, blue anthropomorphic bear.

** Preston's is artists thinking they can skip learning the basics because they [[http://www.syacartoonist.com/comic/the-manga-artist draw manga]]. In fact manga and anime seem to be Berserk Buttons for him in general.

* BlackBeadEyes: One-shot characters often have them, and Persistent Pam have these as part of her design.

* [[invoked]]CaptainObviousAesop: Brought up in [[http://tompreston.deviantart.com/art/Quote-Unquote-368116247 this strip]]. Preston says he's thinking of making a comic addressing terrorism or gun control. His friend argues that criticizing something everyone already hates takes no real effort. Preston thus decides to give himself a challenge and deliberately unleash a flame war... about [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]].

* DisembodiedEyebrows: [[https://web.archive.org/web/20160216000412/http://www.syacartoonist.com/comic/high-brow In this strip]], Persistent Pam brings up her dislike of this trope when she points out Preston utilizing this occasionally. [[InvokedTrope He reacts with exaggerated surprise]], much to her annoyance.
* DoubleStandard: Andrew Dobson has a recurring problem with empowered female characters, and how they tend to be called boring or Mary Sues, while male characters with similar attributes don't get this reception.
** [[https://64.media.tumblr.com/5133beb09e95cf7333b2fc8f2d6a7002/d628032412b72b44-9d/s1280x1920/e2f70de10f5a76c74c98ee20e7f0606b66f79c25.jpg This strip]], for example, has the StrawCharacter complain that ''Film/CaptainMarvel'' is boring and overpowered, asking who would want to watch that. Dobson looks at how there are eight ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' movies, and point out the double standard.
** [[https://64.media.tumblr.com/fc0be05704b0aeda6df9740cd1bf8aae/tumblr_inline_p5gbecigzW1r7r8ub_1280.jpg Another strip]] , he goes on to define a Mary Sue as a "idealized and seemingly perfect fictional character. Often this character is recognized as an [[AuthorAvatar author insert]] or WishFulfillment". He then complains of how the biggest mary sue is ComicBook/{{Batman}}.

* FlameWar: InUniverse. He demonstrates his "talent" to start an instant flame war by yelling "''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' rocks!" Cue exploding computer.
* FreudianExcuse: Andrew Dobson, [[https://64.media.tumblr.com/6f630aadce91c572a5b6b878fbbc8cee/a075fad96ee1f26a-c7/s1280x1920/1586e2b46d3d06326729a57c95f5d57a5aff668c.jpg in his words and artwork]], has suggested that his dislike of blond people come from a bully he had when he was a kid in school. This grudge is intense enough that when that bully reached out to him to become friends on Facebook, he rejected it.

* FourFingeredHands: In the comic's art style, humans have five, [[FunnyAnimal funny animals]] have four.
* FunnyAnimal: Preston's later blue bear appearance, potraying himself as an small anthropomorphic blue bear wearing glasses and a nice hat. It's a funny thought that in an earlier strip he mentions he doesn't understand furries.

* ItMakesSenseInContext: [[http://www.syacartoonist.com/comic/eat-that-pencil-running-like-a-dog In one strip]], his roommate abruptly ran into their room and screamed "EAT THE PENCIL! RUNNING LIKE A DOG!" The next day it was made all clear; his roommate was referring to a new invention of his, a model car that could transform and grow legs if you stuck pencils in it.

* ScullyBox: [[invoked]] Parodied [[https://web.archive.org/web/20160320190223/http://www.syacartoonist.com/comic/keep-it-clean-extra in this strip]]. A fan sent a doodle pointing out how the height difference between bear!Preston and a human is incongruous to their proportions, so in response, Preston drew a sketch outside the panel which shows [[spoiler:two dead bodies with a paintbrush to the eye and an artist palette to the back respectively, with Preston standing on top of the former.]]

* TheyChangedItSoItSucks: One of the most notorious [[https://64.media.tumblr.com/43c4a2839d372e42b2914bfa76b9276b/tumblr_inline_p3nev32AkH1r7r8ub_640.jpg strips]] is about a Nintendo representative changing the established lore of ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' and ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}''. Mario isn't longer from Brooklyn, Link doesn't have brown hair anymore, and Samus Aran no longer has green hair. The problem arises from Dobson taking inspiration from the Creator/DiCEntertainment animated shows, and Samus's EasterEgg costume. Dobson [[ParodyRetcon later stated that this strip is a joke]].

* {{Yonkoma}}: A lot of his gag-based strips are formatted like this, especially during his {{Animesque}} era back in 2011. Lampshaded in [[https://web.archive.org/web/20180920200512/http://www.syacartoonist.com/comic/4-is-too-many this strip]] when Preston is admonished for trying too hard to stick to the formula.

* ScullyBox: [[invoked]] Played for laughs [[https://web.archive.org/web/20160320190223/http://www.syacartoonist.com/comic/keep-it-clean-extra in this strip]]. A fan sent a doodle pointing out how the height difference between bear!Preston and a human is incongruous to their proportions, so in response, Preston drew a sketch outside the panel which shows [[spoiler:two dead bodies with a paintbrush to the eye and an artist palette to the back respectively, with Preston standing on top of the former.]]

** Downplayed with the New SYAC comics (i.e. a spin-off starring an aspiring female cartoonist named Emily) which has a brighter color palette, a flat coloring style, and uses colored outlines instead of the usual black in the Classic SYAC comics (i.e. gag-a-day strips).

** In general, his art style as a whole shifted drastically at the beginning of this [[https://web.archive.org/web/20160216060006/http://www.syacartoonist.com/comic/so-you-re-a-cartoonist 17th August 2012 comic strip]] by using thicker line art and more cartoony proportions for faces. What's more, the webcomic is split into two categories: "Classic SYAC" (i.e. the gag-a-day comics) and "New SYAC" (i.e. comic strips focusing on a female aspiring cartoonist attending college), which can be identified by its use of black outlines and colored outlines respectively.

** Downplayed with the New SYAC comics which has a brighter color palette, a flat coloring style, and uses colored outlines instead of the usual black.

-->'''Preston''': Honestly, [[BaitAndSwitch it's like no one's seen a HAT before]]...