As you may nave read in Editor and Publisher, Guy Gilchrist's Cartoonist's Academy raised at least $3,000 on July 25, 2006 with a chalk talk and charity auction for Operation First Response. Operation First Response supports America's wounded military and their families.
There were a lot of cartoony items for auction. First thing I did was wonder around the large academy facility taking pictures of all the goodies hanging on the walls. Below is the For Better or For Worse original plus its Sunday color version. Yes, it sold! How much? If you have to ask ….
And here is an original sketch by Marcus Hamilton, who draws the Dennis the Menace daily panel.
And below's an original Jumble paste-up! I've never seen a Jumble paste-up and this was a lot of fun to see. It was filled out in non-photo blue pencil. I assume this was done by the writer Henri Arnold as a final check that the Jumble is working properly prior to its going to press!
The walls are decorated with cartoons. Here's one of Guy and Brad Gilchrist's Muppets Sunday pages, along with some of the student cartoonists' work. It was great so look at the walls and see pro and then amateur and then pro and so on. The academy has a series of classrooms and offices, as well as an art supply shop. I met a number of kids who take classes there and a lot of them were good -- some were very good. And all them were very enthusiastic.
There was an original Pogo on the wall, as well as a John Cullen Murphy Prince Valiant. Here's a Steve Canyon, in all its inky glory. Alas, none of these were up for auction!
Below is Frank McLaughlin, 40 year comic book veteran, chatting to camera-aware Brad Gilchrist. Brad writes most of the gags for the Nancy strip, while Guy draws it.
And here is Guy, doing a chalk talk. You start drawing Kermit with the shape of a light bulb. Note amusement from onlookers.
Guy drawing Kermit the wobbly "wrong" way.
Guy reminds everyone that it's hard work to draw -- to get the pictures in your head to come out on the page. There's Brad in background, monitoring his brother. Out of camera range: a room full of people drawing Kermy along with Guy. Jim Henson's The Muppets comic strip ran in 660 newspapers from 1981 to 1986. Guy was 24 when he got the gig drawing the strip, Brad, the writer, was 3 years younger.
Master Frank McLaughlin inking in Batman. You have to ink Batman in with small strokes, he said. It makes him masculine. It was amazing to see the inked Batman "pop" out of his pencils.
Here, Frank holds a Gil Thorp strip that he's been drawing for over the past decade. Frank's also known for creating Judo Master for Charlton. I grew up on his Batman stories.
Crazed Mike Lynch and Frank McLaughlin count the cash! Please note that Frank has all the 20 dollar bills on his side.
My hair's wild! I had given a talk, drawing some cartoons very fast. Right hand all tired out. But, obviously, not too tired to grab some money. Our thrill was fleeting. Guy took all of this away from us, of course!
And I met cartoonist/musician Jason Nocera.
Jason's also creative director for a Prankplace, novelty company as well. You gotta admire a guy who makes a living selling Drink Pee Repeat t-shirts and mooning garden gnomes!
Here are some Guy-designed drink coupons! I love that Porky Pine!
My thanks to Guy and Angie Gilchrist for inviting me. I had never met Frank McLaughlin, and always wanted to. He treated as a (gulp!) equal. Whatta gracious fellow!
It was an evening of good food and good company .. and all for a fine cause.
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