Joe Giunta is a seasoned graphic artist, illustrator, and educator with a career spanning decades. Joe explores ways to infuse the energy and spontaneity of traditional art into the digital medium. His love for cartoons has been a constant throughout his career, inspired by the gag cartoons and comic strips he admired growing up. Over time, his style evolved into a unique blend influenced by his heroes from Mad Magazine, The New Yorker, and the Saturday Evening Post — with humor that continues to develop and delight audiences.

An experienced digital artist, he has managed art departments for Gillette Paper-Mate, Allied Van Lines, and the Pioneer Press newspaper chain. His cartoons and illustrations have appeared in books, magazines, and websites, and he currently shares his expertise by teaching drawing at two art galleries and a local community college. In March 2024, Joe was named "Artist of the Month" by Kane County Magazine, a testament to his enduring passion and contributions to the art world.

We asked Joe about his art, creative process, and inspirations.

Can you tell us about your background as an artist? What was the biggest challenge when transitioning to digital media, and how did you overcome it?

I knew I wanted to be an artist as early as five years old. I loved to draw, and I loved everything about art. My formal training as an artist began when I was in junior high school when my parents enrolled me into a children’s class at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. Later, I would study art at City Colleges of Chicago where I learned how to draw and, most importantly, how to see.

My first art job was with a small design agency where I learned the details of producing commercial art. Later, I would work at an art studio where several types of artists designed and illustrated newspaper ads, catalogues, and brochures. Eventually, I entered graphics management.

My journey to desktop began when I was the product graphics manager at the Gillette Paper-Mate facility in LaGrange Park, Illinois. My department developed art for reproduction on Paper-Mate products.

During this time, I talked with a sales representative from Merganthaler, a manufacturer of typesetting machines. He introduced me to a new kind of machine typesetter – one that digitally set type. It allowed us to produce a galley of text that we could typeset in position as plate-ready art. Merganthaler also had a service that would digitize logos and other art. Digitizing images would allow us to eliminate much of the paste-up or art assembly work we needed to do. This was pre-Macintosh, so it was a crude approach to setting type. It had no graphical interface, Nevertheless, we purchased this equipment and digitized some of our commonly used logos and artwork. The results were dramatic and from then on, I fell in love with computer technology. When the Macintosh arrived with their graphical interface and Postscript, I was ready for it.

I didn’t see this digital technology as a replacement for the creativity of the artist, but as a new tool artists could use to create even more stunning images and designs. Artists still needed to have drawing skills and apply their creativity to a design and illustration project.

The biggest challenge we faced in those days was educating non-art managers that the new digital technology made it possible for anyone to create beautiful and effective art. For a brief period, managers were purchasing the Macintosh computers and putting them on the desks of their secretaries and administrators expecting them to turn out professional graphics at the “push of a button.” Of course, it didn’t happen that way, and the work came back to the pros.

Cartooning has been a big part of your career — what do you love most about it, and how has your style evolved over the years?

I always loved cartoons. My art heroes were cartoonists. While I enjoyed the comic strips of my day, I really enjoyed gag cartoons. Although I learned how to draw realistically, I found myself drawing characters with big noses and round bodies and trying to put words in their mouths.

Over the years, my cartoon style evolved into a one I hoped would match my favorite artists published in Mad, the New Yorker and Saturday Evening Post. Finding my own sense of humor took a little longer. I’m still working on that.

How do you approach creating cartoons for businesses? Is it challenging to balance humor with the message they want to convey?

Actually, I find it easier to create a gag cartoon for businesses than for general distribution. Business clients want a funny cartoon that illustrates a specific business idea. Having that kind of restriction helps me focus on gag ideas that dramatize that business concept. Producing a gag without those restrictions forces me to find my own focus which takes me a bit longer to develop a funny idea. Of course, sometimes I come to the drawing table with an idea in mind, but most of the time, I need to daydream, doodle, write nonsense and look out the window until something hits me. Either way, I enjoy the process.

Looking back at your career, is there a particular project that stands out as especially meaningful?

All my art projects have some meaning for me. I’ve learned something from each of them. But I think the most meaningful experience I’ve had was not as an illustrator or cartoonist.

In the early 90s, I was the advertising operations manager for publisher of a chain of 40+ newspapers. We were transitioning from traditional print production to digital, which caused some anxiety for everyone involved. I spent many long nights troubleshooting technical problems but so did many other people. There was a real dedication to producing an excellent product and serving the needs of advertisers. I became friends with many of these people and I learned a lot from them. The transition was successful, and everyone felt good about it.

Teaching art at a community college must be fulfilling! What’s your favorite part about working with students, and what advice do you give to beginners?

My favorite part of teaching is watching students develop skills. Most of my current students are people who have always wanted to be an artist but for some reason, didn’t become one. Yet, they still have a passion for it and want to get good at it.

When these students draw something that looks good, they smile and are surprised about how well they did. Getting to this point takes time. Some take longer than others, but all students eventually improve.

My biggest challenge as a teacher is to correct and guide their work with encouragement. Without correction, they will not learn to see and without encouragement, they will not believe they can learn. It is a balancing act I had to learn over the years.

My advice for beginners is to not compare their work with others. Even professional artists will find other artists who are better and worse than they are., It doesn’t matter. All that matters is your own work. Are you growing and learning? Do you enjoy what you’re doing? If not, why not? Artists who love what they are doing usually produce beautiful art.

I try to make learning how to draw challenging and fun. I don’t just give students a technique for drawing, I tell them how the technique can help them see better. I don’t want them to fear putting marks on paper; I want them to enjoy the process instead. It feels good to draw and it is often therapeutic.

With over 30 years of experience, what has been the most rewarding part of your journey as an artist and educator?

As I grow older, I want to share what I’ve learned. I know that I am not the best artist or even the best teacher, but I do have experience that might be helpful to others. I want to help people enrich their lives with art.

Additionally, I would like to bring some beauty and maybe some humor to others with the art I produce. I am blessed to have the opportunity to share my art and help others become artists. God willing, I can do it for many more years.

Have there been any surprising or memorable responses to your work?

Since I am a relative newcomer to fine art, I haven’t had any memorable responses to my work. I have had some nice comments, however, from other artists. I will live on that for as long as possible.

What is a dream project you’d like to make one day?

I used to read a book to my children called “Rabbit and Skunk and the Big Fight”. Carla Stevens wrote it, and Robert Kraus illustrated it. I liked the humor in the story and the energetic line art that illustrated it. It was a fun book to read, and my kids enjoyed the story. One day, I hope to have an idea as good at Rabbit and Skunk and write and illustrate it.

What is a profound childhood memory?

I had asthma as a child which had two benefits for me. It often kept me out of school, which I very much enjoyed, and it forced me to find something to keep me occupied. I did hundreds of drawings during those sickly years. I used to fill pad after pad of paper with drawings, cartoons, and little stories. Even when watching TV, I had a tablet and pencil on my lap. While asthma may not have been the reason I became an artist, it did force me to practice.