Modernist Book Covers

The Aqua Velvet blog has a couple of modernist book covers, and links to more things modernist. I'm not 100% sure, but I think I used this textbook way back when ....

Quentin Blake: "I draw from my imagination"

The British illustrator and writer Quentin Blake is interviewed in the UK publication Metro today upon the occasion of the publication of his new book about his work BEYOND THE PAGE.

"I draw from my imagination. But of course you never really make anything up entirely. My books generally come from some picture that I would like to do – it starts from something visual. My book The Green Ship started from a picture of this ship made of trees and bushes, all cut into shape. I drew that first, but I didn’t know what the story was. I just had to keep it by me, and eventually it came to me."

Dick Hodgins: Drawing HAGAR in the Dark

The one thing about success is that it requires persistence. Persistence, like I say, is more important than talent.

Dick Hodgins, Jr., who has worked for King Features, drawn Hank Ketcham's HALF HITCH strip, as well as the HENRY syndicated feature, now works on the HAGAR THE HORRIBLE strip, originally created by Dik Browne. Mr. Hodgins also draws editorial cartoons for several newspaper in Connecticut.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dick maybe a half dozen years ago, when he was honored by the Connecticut National Cartoonists Society chapter. There were a couple dozen original cartoons on display. Gorgeous work, as always. There is no skimping in the talent department!

But when the hurricane hit last week, the power went out. Not to worry. This four-time winner of the National Cartoonists Society Division Award took it in stride.

He sent the following email to me, along with the photo:

"In hurricane Sandy's unilluminated aftermath, Dick Hodgins gets 'HAGAR' prepared to make his way to the deadline with the help of a battery powered light."

Go Dick go!

TEENSVILLE U.S.A. Edited by Lawrence Lariar Part 5

It's Friday! It's date night! Time to go to the "Fish Under the Sea" dance or whatever, right?

Here are some teen cartoons from the book TEENSVILLE U.S.A. It was edited and is copyright 1959 by Lawrence Lariar, and published by Dodd, Mead.

Part one
Part two
Part three 
Part four

Video: Cartoonist’s 30-Foot, Hand-Drawn Maze Nearing Completion

If you know Pittsburgh, chances are you know Joe Wos and his Toonseum. The Toonseum is a cartoon museum located downtown. There are always things going on at the Toonseum, and Joe Wos drawing the biggest maze is just the latest.


“I wanted to get into the Guinness Book of World Records for something," said Joe. 

Then, the Wall Street Journal published an article on his quest for Guinness fame.

“I had over a hundred people from around the world asking to solve the maze,” he adds, “saying ‘Could you just mail it to me, and I’ll solve it?’ I don’t think any of them had any concept of just the pure size of this colossal maze.”

The entire maze will be overlaid with plastic. Whoever decides to try and solve it can trace the pathway with a Sharpie. A warning, though: There are hundreds of dead ends.

Wos hopes to complete the project this weekend

The entire article is here.

How Bruce Eric Kaplan (“BEK”) Crafts A New Yorker Cartoon

Bruce Eric Kaplan draws cartoons for the New Yorker when he's not writing for television (SEINFELD, SIX FEET UNDER). He talks to Fast Company's Ari Karpel about his cartoon-writing process and how persistence pays off in the article titled How “BEK” Crafts A New Yorker Cartoon.

"The struggling writer sent 10 to 15 cartoons every week. 'I was in my twenties, and I was crazy. I was just so sure that they were going to buy it that I just kept doing it. I never missed a week.' At first, his cover letters were polite and professional, but after a few years they degenerated. 'I would write crazy, crazy cover letters. I started out I was like, 'Here are 10 cartoons.' Then at the end I was just like, 'Here are 10 cartoons any other fucking magazine in the fucking world will buy except for you assholes.'"

The St. Louis Post "Should Have a Local Cartoonist"

In today's Letters to the Editor page of  The St. Louis Post-Dipatch, letter writer Craig Niehaus tells the paper that they should hire a local cartoonist.

Mr. Niehaus misses R.J. Matson, even though he did not agree with Matson's politics. Matson was the editorial cartoonist at the paper from July 2005 to July 2012. He currently cartoons for Roll Call.

I agree with a lot of this letter. Here it is:

I have to admit, I miss editorial cartoonist R.J. Matson. The fact that I rarely agreed with his positions doesn't matter.

The current hodgepodge of cartoons from other sources only emphasizes the loss of a local perspective. So many issues, from the History Museum saga, the St. Louis University kerfuffle and even the rise and fall of the Cardinals needed to be illustrated.

Matson's "Punchline" feature was also a fun addition to the mix. The weekly challenge to amateurs (like me) sometimes generated 500 entries on timely subjects, before the Facebook filter was instituted.
I know nothing about the newspaper business. But the daily paper gets thinner daily. And printing a compilation of stories from other sources is like Imo's putting a frozen Totino's pizza in its box. Not gonna work.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Hire back some of your better people for a better product.
• Produce five papers a week instead of seven. Tuesday and Saturday are worthless anyway.
• Raise your price, if necessary, as long as the product merits it.
• Find some local ownership, or a better national partner. I look forward to the day when the names Lee Enterprises and Mary Junck no longer appear in stories.

Craig Niehaus  •  Glendale

TEENSVILLE U.S.A. Edited by Lawrence Lariar Part 4

Another sampling of gag cartoons from the book TEENSVILLE U.S.A. It was edited and is copyright 1959 by Lawrence Lariar, and published by Dodd, Mead.

Part one
Part two
Part three

Busy Back Soon

Oh, hello! I'm either away from my blog or in a waiting room somewhere, getting my snow tires put on, or chopping & stacking wood, etc.

Back soon.

Buy Now: CARTOONING BASICS by Mike Lynch

I just got another email asking if I could teach a cartoon class. Since I can't get to every place to teach, I put together CARTOONING BASICS by Mike Lynch. It's $4.99 shipped anywhere in the world -- and you get an original sketch in there too!

CARTOONING BASICS $4.99 Worldwide 

SOLD OUT

This 22 page book shows a step-by-step cartoon drawing process to drawing. Take a look. I put a copy of the book on my driveway (which is why you see some gravelly dirt behind it) to take some photos of the interior. Below are a few pages:




There is also a "finish the comic strip" section:



Each book comes signed and with an original sketch.

CARTOONING BASICS by Mike Lynch. $4.99 each worldwide. 22 pages, 8.5"x5.5", B&W interior.

CARTOONING BASICS $4.99 Worldwide

SOLD OUT

Career Day

I'm at Spaulding High School in Rochester, NH on Friday, November 2, 2012, talking to students about cartooning as a career. I will be there with my talented cartoonist friend John Klossner.

Drawings: Halloween at the Library and Grocery

I went to the library and the store on Halloween and drew up some comics in my sketchbook. These are actual conversations. Like Stan Mack used to say, "All dialogue guaranteed overheard."

First, the library, where the topic of Disney acquiring Lucasfilm came up. Yes, one of the librarians was so happy she had to dance a little bit.

Everyone at the library wore something Halloweeny: mouse ears, a Jack O'Lantern necklace, etc.

I'm the off-screen voice saying, "Are you wearing those Disney ears because of the merger?"

Next stop that night: the grocery. The grocery was a rather quiet place, full of drone-like employees.

Again, I am the off stage voice saying, "It's Halloween. No costumes for you guys? I was just at the library and all the librarians were wearing something Halloweeny."

And that's from the sketchbook this day ....

Ink and watercolor on paper.

Gallery Show: #20FTSANTA

It's surprising enough when a big 20 foot tall statue of Santa Claus disappears one night from the Coffee Caboose cafe in West Ossipee, NH, never to be seen -- but now there's a gallery show based on this event at the 17Cox Gallery in Beverly, MA.

Yes, really!

The reception is tonight. and the juried show continues through December 23, 2012.

And I have a cartoon on exhibit at the show.

Here's my original blog entry about the missing Santa and the really big sign that was along Route 16 for a couple of years:

FYI: The 20 foot tall Santa Claus is still missing.

A home made sign from a town north of me in NH: The 20 foot tall Santa has was stolen many months ago. $1000 reward for the arrest and conviction and return of giant Santa! I still wonder what exactly this 20 foot Santa was and who created it and, moreover, who would spend the time and energy to steal such a thing.

The subject verb agreement is scary. The money will be awarded only if

• The 20 foot tall Santa is arrested,
  
• convicted,
  
• and returned. 

Hmm. Maybe he's hanging out with Paul Bunyan and the Jolly Green Giant ....



Here's my cartoon:

The Garden As of November 1, 2012

It's pretty much put to bed. Except for some lettuce and kale, all of the plants have been pulled. The garden bench, lawn chairs, tomato cages ... all are gone. Soon, the soil will be turned and winter rye will be planted.

2012:
The Garden As of June 1, 2012
The Garden As of Mid-June 2012
The Garden As of July 1, 2012
The Garden As of Mid-July 2012
The Garden as of August 1, 2012
The Garden As of Mid-August 2012
The Garden As of September 1, 2012
The Garden As of September 15, 2012
The Garden As of October 2, 2012
The Garden As of October 15, 2012

 

 

Support JOE FRANKENSTEIN by Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan

JOE FRANKENSTEIN, created by comics pros Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan, is for someone who likes the classic Universal monster movies. Chuck and Graham have a publisher for the project (IDW - one of the best in the biz), but are asking their fans, monster fans, people who love those old Aurora model kits, and good fun comics fans for their direct support here.

"Comics have really changed in the last 20 years. They've gotten darker and humorless. We want our project to reflect a time when comics were not only exciting, but fun to read. JOE FRANKENSTEIN is an all ages graphic novel in the same vein that Harry Potter was an all ages book. Kids and adults can read it and enjoy it on different levels."

Please take a look and consider supporting this project.

Scholarship: David Wasting Paper 2013 Young Cartoonist Contest

If you know cartoons then you know David Paccia's "David Wasting Paper" blog site. David has been interviewing cartoonists for years and you can spend a lot of time at the site soaking up the interviews and photos there.

In the spring of this year there was a tragic, personal event: David's Mom died. To remember her life, David has introduced the "David Wasting Paper 2013 Young Cartoonist Contest."

This contest was established in 2012 to honor the memory of my mother, Patricia Petrone, who passed away suddenly in May. My mother had a sincere appreciation for artistic talent…even the novice talents of her son…and would be very pleased that her memory lives on through this inspiring event.

All of the guidelines are here. David sought advice in forming the competition from cartoonists across the country: syndicated cartoonists, National Cartoonists Society members, New Yorker cartoonists and others.

Highlighting the submission eligibility:

ELIGIBILITY
Open to artists between the ages of 13 and 16 years old.

DEADLINE
January 31, 2013

ENTRY CHECKLIST

1) Comic essay: A two to four page comic story, starring yourself, that explains why you would like to pursue a career in cartooning or animation. Comic must be original and legible.

2) 3 additional work examples: May include character designs/studies, comic strips or single panel cartoons.

3) Brief biography: A short, one paragraph biography of the applicant.

4) Consent to participate: All applicants must have parental/guardian consent to participate. Submissions must include a note from parent/guardian 1) confirming participant’s date of birth, 2) certifying that entry is the original and unassisted artwork of the participant and 3) providing their consent for the child to participate in the contest. This note must be signed and include the parent/guardian’s address and phone number. Winner’s parent/guardian will be notified by phone and prizes will be shipped to address provided. 

SUBMISSION FEE
None


PRIZES

• A subscription to Stay Tooned! Magazine subscription generously provided by the publisher of the magazine, John Read.

• The Mad Art of Caricature!: A Serious Guide to Drawing Funny Faces by Tom Richmond (Paperback) generously donated by author and president of the National Cartoonists Society, Tom Richmond.
• Art supplies including pens, mechanical pencil and storage, generously donated by Jetpens.com
• Sketchbooks generously donated by Karen Doherty at Exaclair Inc.  (6 Exacompta sketchbooks which contain heavyweight 100 gr. cream-colored paper made by the Schut Paper Mill in the Netherlands which was founded all the way back in 1617.
• Bristol paper pads generously donated by Strathmore Artists Papers - 3 pads: WindPower Bristol Smooth, 11x14 7 pads: WindPower Bristol Smooth, 9x12 5 pads 300 Series Bristol Smooth 9x12 5 pads 300 Series Sequential Art, Bristol Vellum, 12x12 7 pads 300 Series Bristol Smooth 11x14.
• Cartooning the Head and Figure by Jack Hamm (Paperback)
• Big Book of Cartooning by Bruce Blitz (Paperback)
• Drawing in 3-D by Mark Kistler (Paperback)
• How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way by Stan Lee (Paperback)
• Comics and Sequential Art: Principles and Practices from the Legendary Cartoonist (Will Eisner Instructional Books) by Will Eisner (Paperback)
• Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels by Scott McCloud (Paperback)
• Drawing Words and Writing Pictures: Making Comics: Manga, Graphic Novels, and Beyond by Jessica Abel (Paperback)
• Cartoon Animation (The Collector's Series) by Preston Blair (Paperback)
• Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: Volume 1: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures by Walt Stanchfield (Paperback)
• Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: Volume 2: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures by Walt Stanchfield (Paperback)
• The Simpsons Handbook: Secret Tips from the Pros by Matt Groening (Hardcover)
• Character Mentor: Learn by Example to Use Expressions, Poses, and Staging to Bring Your Characters to Life by Tom Bancroft (Paperback)
• Wacom Bamboo Splash Pen Tablet – includes Autodesk Sketchbook Express and ArtRage software.

In the event any of the books listed are no longer available, David Wasting Paper reserves the right to substitute titles. Total value of prizes to be awarded is over $600.

MAIL SUBMISSIONS TO:
David Wasting Paper, c/o David Paccia, PO Box 579, Raynham CTR, MA 02768

QUESTIONS?
SEND ANY QUESTIONS TO: David Paccia c/o dmp1234@yahoo.com
 

THE QUESTOR TAPES (1974) Now on DVD

For the first time, Gene Roddenberry's 1974 TV pilot THE QUESTOR TAPES is available on DVD. It's part of the manufactured-on-demand series from the Universal Vault.

QUESTOR has been a favorite of mine since I was allowed to watch it way back when it was first aired. Since I was a wee tot, I had to go to bed in the middle of the movie and it wasn't until a rerun years later that I got to see the whole thing.

Slated to go into production for the following season, QUESTOR was bumped for another sci-fi series THE PLANET OF THE APES.

[Mild spoiler alert]

THE QUESTOR TAPES pilot echoed a lot of Gene Roddenberry's favorite ideas: an android trying in a Pinocchio-like way to understand what it is to be human, searching for its creator, and we even touch on a superior benevolent alien race that's attempting "to prevent Earth from destroying itself before it can mature into a peaceful society." (A theme of the pilot-within-a-series STAR TREK episode "Assignment: Earth.")

Plus the QUESTOR has Dean Wormer (John Vernon), acting as bad guy, so it's got that going for it. Not to mention the ever-so-likable Mike Farrell and the commanding presence of Robert Foxworth as Questor.

The series, if it had been made, would have been a buddy series with Mike Farrell helping the android become a bit less of a fish out of water.

The best of the post-TREK pilots, QUESTOR's themes were woven into the next 2 Roddenberry produced projects; principally the characters of V'ger from STAR TREK THE MOTION PICTURE and, I know you all ready know it: Data, from NEXT GENERATION.

Richard Colla, the director, is quoted in Retrovision Magazine's fond and thorough overview of the pilot titled Gene Roddenberry's The Questor Tapes: The Unfulfilled Promise:

"It was a wonderful experience for me," he says. "We were kind of reinterpreting Spock and Kirk, because that's really what it was -- the emotional side of man and the intellectual side of man and they come into conversation with each other. So what you really have is a character talking to himself, and that's delightful."

Above: the cover to the novelization by D.C. Fontana.

A note on the Gil Melle music that's heard at a minute plus in: yes, that theme is the same music that Melle used for the later 1970s NIGHT STALKER series. Melle was so fond of that cut, that rather than see it forgotten in this unsold pilot, he played it for STALKER's producer Dan Curtis, who agreed and used it in the main title for the short-lived series. This is all from my memory of reading TV’s Biggest Hits (Schirmer Books, 1996) by Jon Burlingame.

-- Above edited from a March 13, 2008 blog entry.

An excellent overview of the production by John Kenneth Muir here. 

My thanks to Christopher Mills.

Cartoonist Mary Gibson's Sketchbook

Above: a self-portrait of Mary Gibson, her cartoon portfolio in hand, from BEST CARTOONS OF 1944.


I received an email from a fellow named Chris about a cartoonist named Mary Gibson.

"My mother, Mary Gibson, was a fairly well known cartoonist during the 1940s and 50s. Her work appeared in several national publications, The New Yorker, Esquire, Collier’s, etc. Your blog shows one of her cartoons. Mary died in 2007. I am currently in the process of scanning her cartoons to create an archive of her work."

This was terrific news and I wish Chris all the best with scanning in years of national and local cartoons that his mother drew. 

 

Above: a sketch of Mary Gibson drawn by fellow cartoonist Kirk Stiles.

Chris sent on a few scans from Mary Gibson's sketchbook. I expected to see some interesting doodles from Ms. Gibson. But I was in for a surprise. She was not the only person who drew in her sketchbook. There are drawings by other cartoonists of the period. She must have passed it around when she and other cartoonists were getting together or doing the rounds of the gag cartoon markets.

Kirk Stiles sketches a boxing match:

Looks like cartoonist Eric Peters was there too:

Salo drawing more of the same:

An unsigned sketch of that man with the hat:

George Wolfe with a (self?) portrait of a man who appears to have cut himself shaving:

This sketch is signed "G.H. Greene" and I am sorry to say I do not know who he is:

An unsigned drawing -- but it looks a little like Al Ross drew it:

 

Here's a drawing by Al Ross:

My thanks to Chris for letting me share these.