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COCA Spotlight: Cartoonist Nathan Archer strives to strike the right balance

In a burst of ebullient laughter, editorial cartoonist Nathan Archer confesses he always wanted to be Benny the Cab from “Roger Rabbit.” Today, he likens himself more to Disney’s Goofy. Archer, a freelance editorial cartoonist…

In a burst of ebullient laughter, editorial cartoonist Nathan Archer confesses he always wanted to be Benny the Cab from “Roger Rabbit.” Today, he likens himself more to Disney’s Goofy.

Archer, a freelance editorial cartoonist whose work appears in the Tallahassee Democrat and on other USA TODAY NETWORK sites, does a great deal of work to balance his bright sense of humor with local and national news. One of his recent illustrations depicted Florida congressmen sweeping Hurricane Michael debris under a rug. Archer says the visual created a lot of buzz given how close it hit to home. 

“A lot of people in Panama City liked it,” says Archer. “It’s uncomfortable receiving praise for these things though because in a perfect world I wouldn’t have to do this,” as much of his content illustrates failures of government.  

As Florida chair for the National Cartoonist Society, Archer is proud to be a part of history when it comes to editorial cartoons. “The Art of Florida Cartoonists,” exhibited at the Panama City Center for the Arts, celebrates Florida cartoonists like Archer through July 20. The collection includes 30 pieces of original work, including Archer’s 2016 “Hunt More Python,” drawn in the style of the Chick-fil-A cows. 

He’s inspired to have his work displayed with other standout Florida cartoonists. Archer’s own passion for drawing stems from his childhood art classes. His first commissions started in sixth grade when he perfected doodling the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” 

“Everyone found out and wanted their own mutant turtle on their binder,” chuckles Archer. 

Archer graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a BFA in painting and printmaking before attending Florida State University for arts administration. As communications director for the Florida Center for Reading Research, he blends his love for combining art and education. He instructs students in making mini-comics and enjoys seeing how much they can accomplish in six panels. 

Archer got his start making editorial cartoons for the Tallahassee Democrat in 2016. His day begins with scanning headlines and looking for intersections between news stories and popular culture. Rather than the back-and-forth jokes of a comic strip with several panels, Archer keeps his single pane drawings as simple as possible.  

“All day long I keep an idea in the back of my head and try to work through it,” says Archer. “If I could do a pantomime cartoon every time that would be amazing. A pantomime cartoon doesn’t have any words in it because the visual is so good that it doesn’t need any explanation.” 

Influenced by “polished” cartoons like “Garfield,” “Beetle Bailey,” and “Dagwood,” Archer prefers crisp, clean lines to more jagged rough sketches. He also looks to Jeff Parker’s “Dustin.” It was Parker who reached out to Archer about the National Cartoonist Society, and he continues to be a mentor. 

Read the rest of the story by visiting the Tallahassee Democrat

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