Thomastoons Cartoon Blog

World's First Animated FilmBy Cartoonist Rob Thomas

If you've never heard of Emile Cohl before, you're in for a real treat.

Emile Cohl (1857-1938) was a French caricaturist, cartoonist, toy inventor and animator best known for creating the first fully animated film, fantasmagorie (1908).

A very entertaining, short film devised in a 'stream of consciousness' style, fantasmagorie was composed of 700 stick-figure drawings, each of which was double-exposed, and has a running time of nearly two minutes. Filmed with black lines on white paper, Cohl later reversed the negative in order to achieve the effect of white chalk on a blackboard.


The making of 'Fantasmagorie' was an arduous process, during which Cohl placed a drawing on a lightbox, photographed it, then traced it on the the next sheet with slight changes, and repeated the process until finished.

By the way, the title refers to the 'fantasmograph', which was a mid-nineteenth century lantern which projected ghostly images that floated across the walls.

The Magic Pen of Ronald SearleCartoonist Extraordinaire by Rob Thomas

If you're not familiar with the work of British cartoonist Ronald Searle (born March 3, 1920), strap yourself in.

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Searle wields his pen like a samurai on crystal meth. Just check out this drawing.

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We're talking serious artistry here. Is this guy's linework freakin' outrageous or what? His extreme contrast between thin and thick, greywash and splatter technique are very to similar to Arnold Roth and Carlos Killian.

But wait, here's another one.

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Searle drew cartoons for Punch, covers for the New Yorker, and even did animation for Disney.

He is also the creator of St. Trinians School.

Actually, St. Trinians is a series of cartoons about a fictional school for girls. The girls are wicked (and well-armed), violent little creatures and the female teachers aren't so nice themselves.

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I've always loved his animal drawings, especially his big, fat cats.

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Ronald Searle's life story is no less fascinating than his artwork. There's a great BBC documentary (2006) about his life and work, if you can get your hands on it.

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Charles Schulz VideoAn homage by Rob Thomas

Another short video guaranteed to make you smile.

Saul Steinberg-Cartoonist or Artist?An homage by Cartoonist Rob Thomas

Saul Steinberg is mostly known for his work in The New Yorker, where he did 85 covers and 642 drawings, many of them cartoons. In fact, his linework and graywash technique still influence cartoonists to this day.

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Steinberg's art was definitely out there. Many of his drawings are highly detailed and large in scope.

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On the other hand, he loved to experiment with minimalism.

Steinberg was an artistic genuis, but he was no cartoonist in the traditional sense. To many, his cartoons made no sense, and the humor was questionable, but then again what is a cartoon?

I've always thought that cartoons should be funny, and quick to understand, but who am I to define what a single cartoon means to a million different people.

Maybe Steinberg was on to something. Then again, who needs to be laugh out loud funny when you can wield a pen like he could.

The Strange World of Mr. Mum, Part 2An homage by Cartoonist Rob Thomas

Here are a few more rare Mr. Mum cartooons for your amusement. Be sure to read Part 1 (below) to learn more about Irving Phillips and this cool strip.

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The Strange World of Mr. Mum, Part 1An homage by Cartoonist Rob Thomas

Here's something you won't find anywhere else.

Years ago, I hit the motherload in my local used bookstore while browsing through an obscure old book called 'The Art of Cartooning' (Jack Markow, 1954).

The small, paperbound book included examples of an amazing Strip called 'The Strange World of Mr. Mum', by a guy named Irving Phillips.

Here are some scans I made from the book.

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Mr. Mum is a bald guy with a dog who witnesses the most unexpected scenes, from aliens to flying carpets.

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Our bald little friend never speaks, and almost looks bored or indifferent to everything he sees.

It's my guess that Irving Phillips was making a social statement about modern life in the big city. Mr. Mum's world was no less absurd than our own, and therefore nothing surprised him.

Mr. Mum ran in newspapers from 1958 to 1974. It was a single panel on weekdays and become a full size strip on Sundays, still without a spoken word.

Saturday Evening Post Cartoon Classic"Cartoonist Rob Thomas on the classics"

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?

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.

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...

More Mordillo, please!"Cartoonist Extraordinaire"

Those of you who are not familiar with Argentinian cartoonist Guillermo Mordillo are in for a treat here. Check out these classics.

This guy is a real artist. Such use of color!

And of course, he accomplishes all this without the use of a single word!
I think I'll continue to introduce amazing cartoonists like Mordillo in the future. There are lots o' them.