Bill Woodman Cartoons

I want to tell you a bit about Bill Woodman, who is one of my favorite cartoonists. The best introduction to Bill is to show one of my favorite cartoons. I like a lot of his cartoons. They are sketchy, loose and very expressive.

Above: The man, impatiently looking at his watch, as his self-obsessed dog tries on a variety of hats is funny. What puts it over the top for me -- what made me love this cartoon -- was the smile of the dog. It's just a short line -- but very expressive. The dog is delighted with his hats and this is a fun decision.


Bill is a Mainer, which means he was born in Maine. After a stint in the navy, he went to New York City. From his bio:

Upon discharge, he took the next bus to New York, knowing that that was the place to start his cartooning career. He says he didn't know how bad he was so he began submitting his work.

He worked for years in New York City, drawing cartoons and children's books. He is still working, and has returned to Maine. Bill just had a couple of cartoons in recent issues of Playboy. Cartoonists never retire.

I can attest to the above winds along Casco Bay, where John Klossner and I have visited Bill for lunch a couple times.

Above: click to supersize this one. A great gag.


Above: there used to be days like this in NYC, but milder winters have been the norm in recent years.


The amazing thing about those subway girders is that, yes, in real life, you COULD put shelves in them.

I hope that Bill doesn't mind me posting just a few cartoons from his site Bill Woodman Art. Take a look at some of his paintings as well. A multi-talent, this guy is.

EDIT: The above is from a 2008 blog entry. Today., I'm off to Maine early to go visit Bill, along with John Klossner. There will be much cartoon shop talk. It will be a good day.

Related: Sam Gross: 27,592 Cartoons and Counting