Friday, May 30, 2014

What Do You Charge for Art?



(Above: From last year's Maine Comics Arts Festival. The woman across from my table had a sign that let people know she would draw anything for $5. Brave soul. Link here.)


Life is like that old joke where the group of cowboys is riding through the desert. You know the joke, right?

So, one of the cowboys suddenly jumps off his horse and runs toward a patch of cactus, taking his clothes off. He jumps to the ground, rolls around naked, hooting and hollering, while the other cowboys look on.

After a minute, he gets up, bleeding and dirty and full of needles.

"Slim," asks one of the cowboys, "why did you do that?"

Slim responds: "Because is seemed like a good idea at the time."

Avoiding those self-inflicted wounds in life is something we all try to do. Thank goodness for all those self help books and videos and blogs (Hi there!) that help guide us through what may look like a good deal, but, maybe, after thinking about it, that deal isn't what it first looked like.

It's great to get asked, out of the blue by a stranger who only knows you by your reputation, to draw them something; a cartoon, a comic strip, a logo, a character.

Jim Keefe tackles the topic of pricing your commissions. Jim has done work for comic book and comic strip syndicates. He's also brought in National Cartoonists Society president Tom Richmond and myself to chat about it.

Well worth bookmarking, to reread before you answer the question "What do you charge?"

This will help you discriminate between what seems like a good deal and a cactus patch.

Mike Lynch and Stephanie Piro: Cartoonists on TV

The Manchester NH-based TV magazine show New Hampshire Chronicle, seen weeknightly on WMUR, interviewed me and my friend Stephanie Piro. The piece aired on Wednesday night. Here's a short descrip and video promo from their Facebook page:




The NH Chronicle people tend to be very good about posting their episodes online, so if that happens, I'll let you know.

ABC 1973 Saturday Morning Fall Preview

Michael Constantine (the principal from the ROOM 222 TV show) reassures parents that cartoons will have good content in this short preview of ABC's Saturday morning cartoon line-up.

Odd thing is that he is never introduced by an announcer or chroma-keyed title. He does not introduce himself. Maybe we just all "know" who he is. ROOM 222 had been on for three years at this point.

Yogi Bear (Mr. Constantine calls him "Yogi THE Bear" for some reason) will be fighting super villains now, like Mr. Smog and Mr. Bigot, "so children can learn something to help them come away with a more positive attitude." So… that should make you feel better about cartoons.

And ABC has won some Peabody Awards, okay? Besides, cartoons are a constant. Kids love 'em. So, stop worrying about cartoons and let your kids watch them!




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Thursday, May 29, 2014

1911 Short: WINSOR McCAY THE FAMOUS CARTOONIST OF THE NEW YORK HERALD AND HIS MOVING COMICS

A 1911 Vitagraph short featuring Winsor McCay making thousands of drawings to animate LITTLE NEMO. Also featured: early silent film star John Bunny and BRINGING UP FATHER's George McManus.



Reginald Van Gleason the 3rd the Comic Book


The Saved from the Paper Drive blog reminds us that there was more to Jackie Gleason than Ralph Kramden. Heck, there was The Poor Soul, Joe the Bartender, The Loudmouth, Buford T. Justice, Gigot, and Reginald Van Gleason III. Gleason was a force in 1950s and 60s TV, and to find there was a comic book is not unusual -- but to see this story, based on a lesser-known character from his long-running variety series was news to me.

The blog shows us a complete story of the snobbish buffoon Reginald Van Gleason III from DC Comics' JACKIE GLEASON AND THE HONEYMOONERS #4, Dec '56-Jan '57. No credits given, but the Comic Book Database credits Whitney Ellsworth as editor, with Mike Roy pencilling.

Now … is there a Clem Kadiddlehopper comic out there I wonder?

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

SEX REARS ITS LOVELY HEAD edited by Jerome Beatty, Jr.



Some great gag cartoons from a very well-worn copy of SEX REARS ITS LOVELY HEAD, "a rib-splitting collection of cartoons about the biological urge assembled from the best of America's foremost family magazines," edited by Jerome Beatty, Jr. and copyright 1956 by Bantam Books, Inc.

This is a collection of cartoons that originally appeared in all of the A-list publications of the day: Collier's, Look, The Saturday Evening Post, This Week, Cosmopolitan, Ladies' Home Journal and The American. And these are some of the major cartoonists of the day. Burr Shafer provides the cover.

Part two is here.

Part three is here.

Part four is here.

Part five is here.





Wenzel could draw pretty girls and made a career doing just that.



Bill Harrison's cartoon (below) is a great one.


I had to look at Clyde Lamb's cartoon a couple of times before I got it:



Dana Fradon:


Mischa Richter:



I like how Greg D'Alessio gives us a complete sense of place and fashion.





Below: Bob Barnes gives this gag a nice twist:


Below: Syd Hoff with a bit of racy advice from mother!




Ted Key's body language depiction is spot-on!



Gardner Rea echoes Bill Harrison's cartoon. Putting the knife in the bride's hand is a wonderful touch.



The two lovers in the balloons is one of my favorites. I have no idea who drew it, though.



Below: I like the slap dash style, but see no signature. My guess: Reamer Keller.




Below: a Gardner Rea cartoon that would not be published today:



Virgil VIP Partch has a certain view of the world that is loopy and odd and very lovely to see:



And here's another one from VIP:







Part two is here.

Part three is here.

Part four is here.

Part five is here.

My thanks to Ed Tucciarone for passing along this book to me. Thank you, Ed!

-- This has been a bloggy rerun from December 21, 2011.

Monday, May 26, 2014

"In memory of those war dogs who were truly man's best friend"



This is the War Dog Memorial located in Barrington, NH.

There is a photo that has been attached to the statue. The photo shows a dog at the Washington DC Vietnam Memorial Wall, with the inscription, "Where is my name?"

Related:
United States War Dog Memorial
United States War Dogs Association
National Geographic: War Dog Helps Family Cope

Sunday, May 25, 2014

2014 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award Winners



(Art by Ed Steckley)

Here is the list of winners from the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Awards ceremony held May 24, 2014 in San Diego, CA.

A full list of the Reuben Award nominees here. A full list of NCS Division Award nominees here.


REUBEN AWARD: Wiley Miller, "Non Sequitur"

GOLD KEY AWARD: Bunny Hoest and John Reiner

MILTON CANIFF LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Russ Heath

NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIP: Isabella Bannerman, “Six Chix.”

NEWSPAPER PANELS: Dave Coverly, “Speed Bump.”

EDITORIAL CARTOONS: Michael Ramirez.

FEATURE ANIMATION: Hayao Miyazaki, director, “The Wind Rise” (Studio Ghibli/Disney).

TV ANIMATION: Paul Rudish, “Mickey Mouse” shorts, Disney Channel.

MAGAZINE GAG CARTOONS: Matt Diffee.

GREETING CARDS: Mark Parisi.

COMIC BOOKS: Sergio Aragones, “Sergio Aragones Funnies.”

GRAPHIC NOVEL: Andrew C. Robinson, “The 5th Beatle

MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATION: Dave Whamond.

BOOK ILLUSTRATION: William Joyce.

ADVERTISING/PRODUCT ILLUSTRATION: Rich Powell.

NEWSPAPER ILLUSTRATION: Miel Prudencio Ma.

ONLINE–LONG FORM: Jeff Smith, Tuki.

ONLINE–SHORT FORM: Ryan Pageow, Buni.

Hat tip to Michael Cavna, who interviews Wiley Miller about winning the Reuben here.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Mike Lynch Cartoons on TV Wednesday May, 28, 2014


(Cartoonist Mike Lynch with New Hampshire Chronicle cohost Erin Fehlau.)


I'll be on the WMUR TV show New Hampshire Chronicle at 7pm Wednesday, May 28, 2014. I'll be drawing and teaching cartooning and talking about cartooning as a career. My friend, fellow cartoonist Stephanie Piro will be on the show as well.

If you live in New Hampshire, you can see it then. If you don't live in New Hampshire, WMUR should, I hope, post a bit of it online afterwards.

Friday, May 23, 2014

1950s Unseen Virgil "Vip" Partch Advertising Cartoons



Ger Apeldoorn shares a bunch of unreprinted advertising cartoons that Virgil Partch did in the early fifties. These were considered for THE MAD WORLD OF VIRGIL PARTCH book, but, unfortunately, were not included. Here's Ger:

"Making a book is making choices and a lot of great stuff got left out. Here are some of the ads VIP did in the fifties, most of them using his two main subjects: bars and boats."

Lotsa Relateds:
MAN THE BEAST by Virgil VIP Partch
MAN THE BEAST by Virgil VIP Partch Part 2
MAN THE BEAST by Virgil VIP Partch Part 3

Virgil Partch Cartoon Rip Off
Virgil Partch Updated 
Unseen Virgil "VIP" Partch: BY THE NUMBERS
Wordless VIP Cartoons

Thursday, May 22, 2014

All the Cartoons from Look Magazine June 24, 1969



The Smothers Brothers, Joe Frazier, the new Prince of Wales, Gene Shalit reviewing "Midnight Cowboy," Beverly Sassoon's workout regimen; it's all here in this issue of LOOK Magazine from June 24, 1969. It's copyright 1969 Cowles Magazines and Broadcasting, Inc.

Brian Savage with a take on what we now call "affluenza:"


Boris Drucker draws one terrifically messy room:


Vahan Shirvanian with one of his wordless multi-panel cartoons.


Bud Handelsman with a cartoon that, sadly, may still be apt today, huh?


A rather racy comment on women's fashion from Mr. Shirvanian:


Sud Harris with a glorious forge that for some reason the LOOK Mag's editors decided to color pink for goodness sake!


The spot-in Henry Martin:


Jack Tippit:



What movie do you want to see this weekend? How about THE MALTESE BIPPY?



Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Snoopy License Plates Available

If you live in California, you can have a Snoopy license plate on your car. And you will be helping the California Cultural and Historical Endowment and the Environmental License Plate fund.

(Pasadena, CA / May 1, 2014) Californians have ordered half of the newest special interest license plates needed for the DMV to start production. The plate, available for pre-order at snoopyplate.com, features a reproduction of an original drawing of Snoopy by Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz.

A halftime show was held at Kidspace Children's Museum, near Pasadena's historic Rose Bowl, yesterday to celebrate the progress and help move the ball closer to the finish line of 7,500 plates! 
Proceeds from sales will establish a competitive grant program to be administered by the California Cultural and Historical Endowment (CCHE) to support California's museums. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will begin issuing the Snoopy license plates upon receipt of 7,500 paid applications. Sequential plates (plates with random numbers and letters) are $50, personalized plates are $98. Personalized plates help California even more, by funding the Environmental License Plate fund. 
The Snoopy plate is also an opportunity to commemorate Santa Rosa cartoonist and cultural icon Charles Schulz. Jean Schulz, the widow of Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz, the Schulz family, and Peanuts Worldwide are generously allowing access to the original drawing for this special plate.

Video: Herblock on Book TV (1993)

From CSPAN's Book TV: Herblock talks about his then new book A CARTOONIST'S LIFE with Brian Lamb.