I don't know about you, but I really dig cartoons that put me one step ahead of the people in the drawing. Makes us feel like we're 'in the know', along with the cartoonist.
Also, it's a compliment to the reader when cartoonists assume that we're smart enough to 'get it'.
This is a classic Saturday Evening Post cartoon from 1959 by Elmer Atkins. Cartoonists and artists will appreciate the classic X-shaped composition (train track and road intersecting), with a horizontal horizon line at the top of the drawing.
Here is one of mine that runs along the same principle. It also involves a train, which is always a good recipe for disaster.
Yet another of mine, which also involves the prospect of some impending disaster. It's safe to say that this is my favorite formula for writing cartoons.
They are also big sellers. The above convicts/train train cartoon has appeared in more magazines than any of my cartoons.
Who says trains don't get good mileage?
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« September 2007 | Main | November 2007 »
October 2007
October 31, 2007
Escher as I'm sitting here
"Cartoonist Rob Thomas on M.C. Escher"
Everyone has seen Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher's whacky woodcuts and lithographs. Mostly we know him for his optical illusions and impossible constructions which are mathematically inspired brain-busting marvels.
One thing Escher was not, however, was funny. If he had any sense of humor, I imagine he would have done stuff like this.
Additionaly, he was obviously a very insensitive fellow. I mean, come on, where's the Escher wheelchair ramp?
October 30, 2007
Before and After Cartoons
"thinking small is the key"
Here is yet another of my old cartoons before and after improvements.
The objective was to remove a lot of extra clutter and make the cartoons more easily understandable at a small size, especially for mags like Reader's Digest, who print the cartoons at microscopic size.
OLD VERSION:
What in the @&!#@! was I thinking of when I drew this. Maybe I was out to impress and hadn't learned the less is more principle yet.
NEW VERSION:
Much better, don't you think?
Less is more...less is more...less is more...
October 25, 2007
Size Matters in Cartooning
"thinking small is the key"
In the beginning, when Arthropods and Dinosaurs roamed the planet, and photoshop was in its early stages, I executed (pun intended) some lousy drawings of what were pretty good ideas.
Not that the drawings were necessarily bad, but they simply didn't translate well when shrunk down to magazine size.
The year was 1999 BC (before computer, or at least before I had one), so Kinkos was the only way to shrink my cartoons and view them at a smaller size.
Fast forward to Photoshop, and looking back at some of my early stuff I can really see how 'muddy' (think tarpits) those drawings were, so I took them into Photoshop and erased tons of background clutter. The results speak for themselves.
OLD VERSION:
NEW VERSION:
As you can see, not only did I omit a bunch of crap (trees, bear, mountain, other details), I also moved things around to acheive a less horizontal composition, since magazines tend to like more square cartoons.
Another important thing was to enlarge the suitcases. In fact, this was critical to the gags success. I even thinned out some of the inner lines on the men for more thin/thick line variation (look closely at the park ranger's hat, face, hands, etc).
Did I have to do this? No, but hey, as long as I'm there...
October 24, 2007
Mergers and Acquisitions
"A break from my usual cartoon talk"
The financial world was stunned today by one of the most savage takeovers in U.S. history.
In a bold leveraged buyout, the Tennessee based multi-national conglomerate CuteThings Inc. rocked Wall St. when it
acquired the Detroit based Evil Clown Corp. for an estimated 500 Gazillion dollars and 37 cents, making it the largest merger in U.S history.
October 23, 2007
October 22, 2007
A Case of Plagiarism?
"Cartoonists think alike"
Recently I found a cartoon by French Cartoonist Jean-Jacques Sempe which is strikingly similar to one I drew a few years back. I'm guessing that Sempe's idea came first, but then again there is no date so I can't be 100% sure.
Personally, I think Sempe's idea is slightly more elegant and profound than mine. However, although his composition is impressive, I think his version is overdrawn. Personally, I'd rather include only those bits of info which contribute to the idea. Maybe I'm just lazy.
So I ask you, "Is this plagiarism?"
Umm, I doubt it. This sort of thing happens all the time in cartooning. Truth is, we're all too busy to bother stealing from one another, and it's inevitable that this type of overlapping will occur.
Ask any cartoonist. He/she will tell you the same.
October 20, 2007
The Great Sempe
"An Homage by Cartoonist Rob Thomas"
French cartoonist Jean-Jacques Sempe is the latest in my series on the great cartoon masters.
One of my all-time favorites, Sempe mixes a simple line style with complex compositions in a way that reminds us of the impressionists. Just check out this cover for the New Yorker.
October 18, 2007
Cartoons by Quino
"An homage by Rob Thomas"
Quino is another great Argentinian cartoonist worth checking out.
Quino is pretty much a legend in his homeland, where his strip 'Mafalda' ran for many years. The strip is reminiscent of Charles Shulz 'Peanuts'.
Most notable about Quino's artwork is the masterful inking, the combination of thin and thick lines, the attention to detail, and the unique hatching.
The humor shows wisdom even when it is a downright silly sight gag, because it is almost always based on a truth which we can relate to.
More about Quino in the future...
October 17, 2007
The Morgue is Full
"Good News for Cartoonists"
For cartoonists, a 'morgue' is a sanctuary, a welcome place we visit often for inspiration.
Actually, morgue is a little nickname we use for our reference library of images. Quite often, we find ourselves drawing objects or certain animals for the 1st time, and so a visual reference can be a lifesaver in a crunch.
Just a few short years ago, most of us were cutting photos out of magazines and hording them in folders, but now that is soooo 20th century. Can you say Google images?
As for the term, I'd probably guesstimate that it goes back around 50 years, but I'm just pulling that figure out of my you-know-what.
FYI, here are the first 10 folders in my morgue.
