Goodbye Dick Giordano

Dick Giordano passed away form complications of pneumonia on March 27th.  he was known primarily as an inker, embellishing the work of Neal Adams that signaled a new era for Green lantern, Batman and Green Arrow.

A comprehensive outline of Mr. Giordano's career may be found at wikipedia.  Here's the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Giordano

Like a Rolling Stone

Here's a caricature I did of the Rolling Stones.  Doing a group of people poses its own problems, not the least being capturing everyone's likeness.  My favorite here is Charlie Watts.  Have a great weekend.

Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy

Here's a caricature of REM I did when I worked in Nashville.  The band was still a quartet and I think they were coming to town.

At The Speed Of Lead!

I wish I could do this.  I've had numerous offers over the years to draw caricatures in places like malls or special events.  The speed at which these folks can capture a likeness of a person eludes me.  Even after years of doing weekly caricatures for our local paper, I still draw at the speed of lead.

I'd Like To Steal... Uh... Buy A Vowel, Pat

Happy - Happy - Joy - Joy to Bill Wray

Today is the birthday of American artist Bill Wray.  Wray worked on the Ren & Stempy Show as well as MAD magazine.  Happy Birthday, Bill!!!

Also, today in history, Harry Houdini was born.  Besides being an extraordinary magician, Houdini was the first man to fly an airplane on the continent of Australia.

Funny Face

I'm devoting this week's blog postings to caricatures in honor of Mort Drucker's birthday yesterday.

One of the trickiest skills for me to master when I was a newspaper artist was capturing a likeness of an individual.  I was never one of those talented people who could sit in a mall and bang out  caricatures of folks in five minutes. 

Here's my take on Lyle Lovett.  Hope you enjoy.

Happy Birthday to Mort Drucker!!!

Today is the birthday of Mort Drucker, the magnificent caricaturist for MAD magazine.  Drucker is renowned for his ability to create recognizable faces in multiple settings and poses - he's drawn movie and television parodies for MAD since the early sixties.  Happy Birthday, Mr. Drucker!

Here is a link to "lines & Colors, which gives a much better overview of Drucker, along with more samples of his work. http://www.linesandcolors.com/2006/04/02/mort-drucker/

Check out this video clip of Mort working in his studio.

And let's also say Happy Birthday to Bud Sagendorf. Mr. Sagendorf was an assistant to E. C. Segar, the creator of Popeye The Sailor Man and drew the Popeye comic books for King Features, as well as the Sunday newspaper strips. Bud would have been 95 today. Here's a link for a more complete synopsis of Bud's career. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Sagendorf

I Can Relate To That

Since I'm a complete novice to blogging, I find it difficult to do on a daily basis - mainly because I live a really complacent life.  Therefore, I look to other cartoon blogs to get ideas (steal) and inspiration (plagarize).

One of my favorites is by a cartoonist in England named Dave Walker.  Mr. Walker draws cartoons that focus around his church.  He also writes what he calls the dullest blog in the universe.  The blog is truly awe inspiring in its tediousness.  I envy him.  Check it out here: http://www.cartoonchurch.com/blog/2010/03/15/the-dullest-blog-in-the-economist/

What's so Funny?

Here's a magazine cover from my illustration days. This was for a story about local comedy clubs.

SCORE!!!

Drew Litton, formerly of the Rocky Mountain News, is now a contributor for ESPN.  Read more at http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlLA/in_n_out/former_rocky_mountain_news_cartoonist_lands_at_espn_155079.asp?c=rss

Happy Birthday, Hank!

Yesterday was the birthday of Hank Ketcham, creator of Dennis the Menace.  Happy birthday, Hank!  To read more about him, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Ketcham

Pickled Tink!

As a huge fan of the comic strip 'Pickles,' I was really happy to read this.
http://www.timesleader.com/opinion/Hold_the_Pickles__Perish_the_thought__But_tell_us_what_floats_your_boat_Joe_Butkiewicz_Opinion_03-14-2010.html

Birthday Boys

Tomorrow is the birthday of two MAD magazine contributors. Happy Birthday to Sam Viviano and Al Jaffee. Sam is a magnificent caricaturist and Al is the creator of the inside back covers that folded into a different image.

Illustration

Here's an illustration I did from my days in the newspaper business.  I hope you enjoy it.

I wish I'd said this

What I love about cartooning is the window into the mind of the artist. Here's a video featuring Ken Robinson talking about creativity. I wish I was this succinct and eloquent. Enjoy!

Chuck's back!

Chuck Harrison is back on line!  Check out his strip at http://www.dcstrip.com/

The Spirit of Comics

Happy Birthday to the late great Will Eisner!  To read more about his amazing contribution to the comics medium, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Eisner

Sacramento Comic Con

Looking forward to seeing folks at the Sac Con this Sunday. Stop by my table and say "Hi."
http://www.sacramentocomics.com/html/index2.html