Snoopy Applies Himself

I've been applying to jobs since the moment I woke up (ok, and sketching Snoopy, which didn't take that long.) You'd think applying to a lot of similar positions simultaneously would make things easy, but it doesn't- It's just mind-melting. I need to be in a very Zen place in order to plow through cover letters, and it is very easy to fall from that place. Just thinking too hard about what any given job might actually entail is enough to send me under my desk.

This is a reproduction of an iconic image of Snoopy that I actually have hanging over my desk (see, I haven't gone far!) I wouldn't be comfortable yet trying to draw any known cartoon character from memory. I wonder what it must be like to draw the same characters over and over, how does one ensure that, when they behave in a novel way, they retain their characteristics? Cartoonists must have a strong sense of the proportions of each character, and how those can be maintained and displayed in the character's every activity.

One thing I know about Snoopy- as goes his nose, so goes his attention. In the drawing I have above my desk, his nose nearly falling off his face, as it is directed towards the typewriter. If I look at it too long, it's absolutely absurd and not in the least bit nose-like. In my first and very subtle attempt to remodel a character for my purposes, Snoopy's nose is set on straight, his eyebrow is up, and his eye is unfocused. He looks hesitant, as though he doesn't know what to write next, or if he can dare to write at all. He looks a lot like I feel. Dear Hiring Manager....