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CARTOONS AT COMPUTER MEDIUM
Izel Rozental

I could have dreamed of almost anything but I have to confess that “Cartoonshop” program has gone far beyond the limits of my imagination power.
I looked upon these who drew v’nyet or illustration by computer, with tolerance. If computer program had been an indispensible component, it would have been futile not to get help of these magnificant possibilities.
Moreover it was quite reasonable for me to accept those who draw comic strip, if using computer had made their life easier, with what logic could I have wanted them to make sacrifices? Computer have been used in animation techniques for almost half a century. The wonders that Disney and his gang created, were obvious. Then, to use computer technology to produce animations was unavoidable.
However when it came to drawing cartoons, I was becoming conservative. Can you make an oil painting on computer? As a matter of fact, if you want, you can create a picture which had the characteristics of an oil painting. What’s more, you can download a Van Gogh or a Rembrandt program and paint a picture with any subject you choose using the techniques of these painters and their signatures as well, but could this pictures be of any value?
I think that cartoon is no different than painting. When the most master cartoonists struggled to achieve the naive and innocent style of a 6 year old child, to create a cartoon by means of the computers didn’t mean anything to me at all. Whenever I saw any cartoons which had been produced by computer techniques at the exhibitions or comptetitions, I used to ignore them. Moreover if I was at the jury of the contest, I acted so cruel to do my best to disqualify that kind of cartoons.
One day I was introduced to PC Graphs. Nezih Danyal had made computerized cartoons by using that program, and exhibited them. The pictures at the exhibition had been numbered and listed in order as if they were original printings. According to Danyal, each work could be produced in limited numbers. I was so confused that I couldn’t find any word to utter. Nezih had used his computer as a brush, which resulted in perfect work of art.
A short time after Danyal’s exhibition , I met Ates Gulcuoglu. He was a cartoonist too. But his only difference from us was that he wasn’t able to use the conventional pencil at all. He drew his creations at the computer using the mouse instead of a pencil. What’s more was that Ates’s cartoons had the naive lines, which every good cartoonist would have envied, no useless ornamentation. His jokes were perfect. My dislike towards computerized cartoon had faded away instantly and replaced with tolerance instead. Computer could be directly used as a tool in Cartoons Art. Maybe even I could use it to a degree as well.
I downloaded a “Cartoonshop” program on my computer. I had to start from the begining. I adjusted the colour palettes and the commands as was described in the manual. I learned how to use the Help Menu.
I memorized one by one what the key words meant. Now I was ready to go into Image Ready Step. I scanned the black and white cartoon which I drew, and loaded it on my PC. After I enlarged the picture on my screen. Just as I came to the step in which I created choice by Rectangular Marquee tool, everything on the screen got frozen. Neither the mouse nor the pointer moved, no any bloody actions on the bloody computer....!!
I again called the young expert computer man as I did before as when urgents things like this occur. He was familiar with these kind of problems.
Tried to describe my desperate situation on the phone:
- “It got stucked, the programs that you have installed has got all the memory of the PC. If you erase the programs you do not need everything will be OK. “ he told.
And asked whether I have saved the final data, the answer was “no” ofcourse, I never even thought about saving the data, I even did not start to do anything.
He told me to press the “CTRL, ALT and DEL keys at the same time” and I did it. He asked me what happened, and I told him that the PC had threatened me to lose all the unsaved data. He told me to ignore the message and press once again. I did exactly the same as he told me ....
-“Tell me what happened now” he asked.
-“ God, it was no bluff at all! The screen went all black and I guess it restarts itself...”
-“All done” he cheered, “now delete all the programs you do not use at all, and work how you wish.”

I thanked him and started all over again. Because my cartoon was deleted during the above action,. I was now more carefull about what I was doing. I learned how to use “Layers”. Finally I was able to edit the picture by degrading, painting with PaintBrush, blushing with AirBrush., change the texture and use shadowing. I looked at the picture I created and I could not believe my eyes, it was fascinating!, The PC was a miracle!

Just as I was about to save it, guess what happened? The pointer was moveless, I waited for a couple of minutes, wishing it might just start to work again, but nothing had happened, once again!
I called the expert again. And he told me that the best thing we should do is to upgrade the RAM of the Computer. I thought he was speaking Chinese to me. He tried to explain to me that this action will increase the memory of the computer. And I asked him what to do right now? He again suggested me to press the magic keys “CTRL, ALT, DEL” and asked if I saved the data.....I went mad, ”How could I, I was concentrated on the work and never recalled that I have to save the work in every minute or two...”. What he told me was that I had to do it all over again. I was frustrated for having any other last chance to get my unsaved data back. I almost begged for his help . I even suggested trick on the computer by switching off, as if the electricity was gone.
-“No sir do not do it, it’s very dangerous”
-“And why not”
-“You will lose all the unsaved data”
.............

The following day first thing first, I rushed into his office to upgrade the memory of the computer. And when I got back, a big surprise was waiting for me; not only the unsaved data but also the saved data was lost too! Even the addressbook had been deleted, And I rushed to the phone.
-“Haven’t you got a back up for your files?”
_”I even do not know what it is for god’s sake”
-“If you ever told me I would have done it for you”
-“Does that mean that the hardware is all erased”
-“Totally ready for you at 0 km.You can install any programs and you won’t have any problems”

While I lost the data in the Computer, I had filled my own memory with “Cartoonshop”, how to optimize the JPEG pictures, how to preview the Browser Dither after controlling the Application Dither, how to form HTML files and so on. The only problem I got was that I was not understood by my relatives at all in the recent days. And the people around me were staring at me as if I was a Martian especially when I told my secretary to connect Mr Brown, to tell to Mr Bean to adjust the finalized description of a file, and download it.
While I watching the TV with my beloved wife, when I told her to select the 8th layer on the chanel tab and click so that I can watch an important option, you could have seen the pity in her eyes staring at me. If she continued like this, I would not help myself from forwarding her to her mother’s home page.

When at last I got my computer back, I installed the cartoonshop program again. As soon as I scanned one of my caricatures I saved it. After I was about to finish all the colouring and ornamentation work, I tried to click on the Create New Work Path button. The screen went black again and a message appeared;
“VxD- - -into the point 0028:C1506582 there is an exeption OE case. This,
VxD- - - was called by the point 0028:C16C9C30”
· to continue press any key
· to restart your computer press CTRL+ALT+DEL keys. You will lose all the unsaved data.
It seemed to me that it was wiser to press “any” key and I begged to my computer to go on from where I left... A very familiar screen came along;
“Warning; pressing the CTRL+ALT+DEL keys will restart your computer and you will lose all the unsaved data”
And the three familiar options below followed;
- End task
- Close the session
- Cancel

I chose the fourth option! And got the plug out.

I knew that when I attempt to open the computer I will see the sneaky message :
“Your computer has not been shut down properly, there might have occured an error on your hard drives. Not to see this message again please shut your computer down by the close command in the start menu”

I do not care, this is my computer and I shut it down in whichever way I like...

What I have learned through all these process is that whenever one attempts to draw a caricature, one has to endure all kinds of psychological torture.
The only danger of using drawing ink, paint, brush and so on, for their is that you may spill the paint over the paper when you are finished..However the dangers of using computer is endless.
From now on I will never underestimate computerised cartoons. I now know that the people who achieved to draw on computer are very patient, couregous and willing heroes. They are the masters whose talents are beyond dispute.

(Translated from Turkish by Eti Varon)

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