COUCHY On The Rampage!!

Okay, Folks.. Sorry for the extended dry spell, Posting-wise!

I've been very busy lately, due to a number of Life details. Only one of which, has been putting together a formal Illustration portfolio. Essentially, evaluating a lot of the artwork I've done over the past few years.. And seeing if I can somehow "juice 'em up.." enough to make them a viable addition towards this effort?
This process usually involves tweaking any really obvious mistakes, found in the original art. And then coloring the black-and-white drawings with a splash of Digital Color, to give 'em a bit of the old ZING!

Here's my most-recent example..
This illo was completed for my friend Warren; who works at the Hunter-Straker Ltd. advertising/marketing agency, here in Toronto. I first met him at one of the local comic-book conventions.. He was kind enough to purchase a copy of my published Sketchbook. Bought a bit of my artwork. And then later on, he commissioned me to do a T-Shirt design; which was to be used for an annual Sporting Event that he organized with some friends..

Warren (along with his brother, I believe) stages an annual Sporting Event.. Which involves getting a whole group of drinking buddies together for a kind-of 24-hour Sports marathon.. He told me that the group attempts to play: (a) ONE full round of Golf, (b) ONE 3-period game of Ice Hockey, and (c) ONE 9-inning game of Softball.. All within a 24-hr period!
Their enthusiasm & stamina, (apparently) fuelled by copious amounts of beer and (possibly?) other libations?!

The first T-Shirt I designed for Warren, essentially featured their mascot "Couchy" (the couch potato, natch!), dead-drunk in an alleyway somewhere.
The one featured here, is my 2nd attempt.. For this one, Warren told me that he wanted more of a GODZILLA -version of "Couchy", terrorizing some non-specific Ontario township..
He seemed genuinely happy with the results, thankfully.

I'm by no means an "expert" when it comes to Digital Color.. But I'm getting a little better, each time out. With this one, I experimented a little bit with the 'Gradient' apps found in Photoshop. Some of which worked better than expected, like his bloodshot eyes..

I'm hoping to have an actual Portfolio "link" posted in my Blog's sidebar sometime soon. So please do check back & look for it, if you find the time.. Thanks!

Another Fritz "Funny Animal" rarity..

I found the following Frazetta artwork, on DocDave Winiewicz's blog, awhile back. Ain't it a beauty?

As you can see at the bottom, it's signed from "Franky".. Pretty unusual, for Frazetta.
It's a pen/ink drawing, dated from the mid-1940's. And was intended as a "gift" to fellow artist George Roussos. Who was a comic-book artist in his own right. And later on in the early 60's, he'd garner fame as "George Bell"; one of Jack Kirby's more successful inkers.
During this 1940's period, many young artists were clamoring to find "the good stuff".. Comic-book illustrations by artists of the past, which they could reference (and I mean reference, not "swipe" necessarily!) to help improve their technique/skills, in creating their own artwork.
Usually at the very top of that list, was: Hal Foster.. Especially his work on the 'TARZAN' newspaper comic-strip. Hence the message Frazetta wrote to George at the time: "You can have this George... but please get me those Tarzans!" And eventually, Frazetta did..
You can read the full story behind this, on DocDave's blog.. by clicking here!

Well almost a month ago, I happened to score another Frazetta comic-book gem off eBay.. This time, it was a copy of 'BARNYARD COMICS' #24; published by 'Standard', way back in 1949.. The Seller didn't mention Frazetta content in his listing. But fortunately, I have a number of checklists for this stuff. And I was able to snag this old book which included: TWO complete Fritz stories, PLUS another 2 text illos, as well!
All that, for just over 10 bucks?! Huzzah!!

Rather than selfishly hoard this material for myself, I thought I'd share the 'Hucky Duck' 3-pager with the wider Internet world.. Not only because I was amazed by the similarity of the large Bear pose, to the Roussos "gift" drawing.. But also, because it's one of the few Frazetta "Funny Animal" stories that hasn't been reprinted elsewhere. At least, not to my knowledge..


Amazing, isn't it?
The coloring is always so inaccurate & clunky.. But it has a real warmth to it. And I sometimes find that the bleeding of the colors, can actually enhance some of the panel work.. The lighting effects on Page One/Panel Three, work especially well! heh

See y'all next time!

Shirley Jean Rickert, R.I.P.

It was with some sadness and a bit of regret, that I read of Shirley Jean Rickert's passing, in this morning's newspaper.. I certainly didn't know her as more than an acquaintance. But we'd enjoyed a pleasant correspondence together; exchanging a number of e-mails, from around 2001 - 2004.
As regular visitors here are already acutely aware.. I have a fascination with 50's-era Burlesque/Striptease. Apart from hunting down & collecting vintage Men's Magazines,-- there really isn't a whole lot of substantial info to be found on the Subject.. Apart from talking to the principal performers, themselves. And most of them, are either senior citizens now.. Or simply put, are deceased.
Fortunately, Shirley Jean was computer savvy enough to create her own website, entitled 'www.measuresup.com' .. "Measures", being the name of her 2nd husband.

Shirley Jean was a Feature Performer, back in the 50's.. Dancing (mainly) under the stage name: "Gilda & Her Crowning Glory". This is what she looked like 'on stage', at that time:
But before Shirley ever got to a dancing career in Burlesk.. She had already enjoyed a very busy Show Business career as a child actor. Her own mother was a frustrated actress. And quickly established herself, as a very strident Stage Mom. Eventually , getting young Shirley a semi-regular gig on the beloved 'Our Gang' series of films.. Where Shirley usually played-up the role of the spoiled Rich Girl with the spit-curl hairdo..

You may recall that role, once you see this adorable photo:
After 'Our Gang' ended.. She found a steady role as the "Tomboy Taylor" character in the 'Mickey McGuire' series, starring: Mickey Rooney. Ostensibly, the series was based on the Fontaine Fox comic-strip of the same name. But the producers never fully secured the licensing deal from the cartoonist. And eventually the series ended, upon threat of a lawsuit..
As a young teen, she appeared in an early John Wayne serial, entitled: "Neath Arizona Skies". But as she got older, her cute child actress cachet diminished. And she found it very difficult to find steady work..
To keep busy, she studied formal dance.. And as she grew into an attractive young woman, she found uncredited dancing parts in many of Hollywood's most famous musical films, including: "Royal Wedding" and "Singin' In The Rain"..

Dance careers are understandably short. And those jobs too, began to dry up.. Which is when she walked into L.A.'s New Follies Theatre & got the idea to try her hand at a career in Striptease.. After only 7 months in their chorus line, she began performing as a Featured Act.. And continued to tour thru the U.S. & Canada, 'til she retired in 1959!

By the time I met Shirley thru the Internet,-- she had been suffering a number of personal setbacks. She had lost all of her personal memorabilia, in a house fire a number of years prior. And was bothered by a number of nagging health problems, too..
Her doctors had prescribed steady use of an oxygen tank, due to emphysema. And Shirley also underwent a number of surgical operations on both of her legs, to rectify circulatory problems.

Fortunately, I was in a unique position to help out with getting Shirley some of her lost memorabilia back. Not "originals", granted. But I made (and mailed her) extensive photocopies of some of the articles that I'd managed to collect of her, over the years.
She was particularly delighted to regain a copy of the following Pictorial that appeared in the October '56 issue of 'CARNIVAL' digest.. It shows a hint of (I think) Shirley's acting skills very well! A series of Funny Face photos, that she really got a kick out of seeing again:
I had asked her (in my e-mails) about some other Feature Performers she might have known.. But as she correctly pointed out to me: Featured Acts followed each other into each venue .. And rarely ever crossed paths. A detail, that I hadn't really thought of before! heh

The angioplasties she'd undergone had "worked wonders..", as she told me. And Shirley enjoyed another good stretch of personal health. But she was choosing to slow down. And by 2004, had moved into a Retirement Home in Ballston Spa, NY.. She seemed very content & happy with this existence.. But admitted finding it difficult to get by, purely on Social Security..

Many of her fans, continued to help her out. Replacing old photos & films that she'd appeared in. So much so, that she was now actively selling autographed Prints online, of her more popular photos.. I made sure to get a copy of this "cheeky" Pose! haha
After 2004, I kind of lost contact with Shirley.. Not intentionally, by any means. But "Life" got busier & the lapsed time between e-mail exchanges, got ever longer. We'd discussed doing a formal interview about her Burlesque career, someday. But never got it together..
I can recall in her last few messages, that it was her fervent Birthday wish to go on a Hot Air Balloon Ride with her grandchildren, before she died. I dunno if she ever got to fulfill that request.. But I hope she did!

She knew of my career as a freelance artist. And I made sure to send her a copy of my Sketchbook, once it was published. She wrote back to me, with her reactions : "The pictures are great.. I'm fascinated by your mind! -- Love'n' stuff, Shoil"

She was a sweet old lady, that passed away last Friday (February 6), at the age of 82.
She's survived by her daughter: Melody Kennedy.. As well as two grandsons and two great-grandchildren.

Inking & Coloring "cartoondavid"..

Hello!

Do you happen to know who "cartoondavid" is? If you've perused all of my Blog Links, then you would have already come across his artwork.. His name is: David Gemmill! A talented young cartoonist/animator, living in California..
I was first introduced to Dave's work, via his postings to 'The Drawing Board', many years ago.. But since then, his work has gotten exponentially better. And his popular Blog, has been a pretty regular pitstop for me, as I stumble my way thru the krazy InterNut-mo-sphere..

This is what some of his Drawings look like:

Mr. Gemmill's 'Funny Animal' creations, are amongst my very favorites.. I find them to be truly hi-larious! As I feel Dave has a very unique "take" on this normally staid & traditional genre. I'm always impressed by the way he's able to stylize his creatures.. A nice blend of lively/flowing linework, supporting fun Figure poses; which always feature an interesting set of contrasting shapes/volumes, to their overall proportions..

Unfortunately,-- very few examples of these critters have really been "nailed down" into finished Portfolio pieces. And the ones that are, have never been polished-up in a way that I (personally) feel suits them..
Not meant as a knock against Dave, by any means.. I just wish some of 'em had a lusher inkline around them. And were colored with more, than a purely "digital" Photoshop palette..
My guess would be that these ideas, simply don't interest David.. Or perhaps, that he just doesn't have the time to ink & color, every single one of them?

Either way, I wanted to take a stab at inking one of his Drawings, myself.. And though I've had this piece half-finished for many months.. I finally got 'round to getting the whole thing inked! Here' what it ended up looking like:
It may be important to note.. These 2 characters did not appear together, in Dave's sketches. I composited the pair together, because I thought it might make for a funny scenario.. Surmising the Poodle -type girl as a streetwalker.. With the little Fox/Wolf dude, as her pimp?! hah
To really sell the Staging, I needed to add some changes/edits to Dave's original work.. I hope that he doesn't feel like I overstepped any boundaries? Please lemme know Dave, if I have! I'll take the Post down, immediately..

As I'd taken it, this far.. I figgered what-the-hell,-- I might as well throw some color on them too..
Here's the final result:
I kinda like how everything turned out.. Though I think the Fox/Wolf guy's outfit, ended up making him appear more like a Vaudeville comedian, than a streetwise pimp.. I shoulda made the Poodle's tail the same shade of red/pink as her bouffant hairdo, too.. Oh, well.. Maybe next time.
'Til then, folks!

Beware The FACE!!

Hello!

Here's a quickie illo I did for the current Jam Thread in the "Superheroes" section of 'The Drawing Board'.. This month's Theme is entitled: "Appearances Can Be Deceiving.." In other words, characters that wear disguises, can change their shape.. Or, are simply pretending to be something/someone that they really are not..
I chose a character that I really know next-to-nothing about: "The FACE"!!
According to what I could find online about him.. "The FACE" was a WW2 war correspondent who fought America's enemies with his typewriter (as journalist Tony Trent).. And with his fists, as the crimefighting "FACE" alter ego!
He debuted in Big Shot Comics.. And was spotlighted in his own comic-book title, during the early WW2 years.. He later reappeared in 1948 and 1949 for a couple more issues, under his civilian name: 'Tony Trent, The FACE'!
The creator of 'The FACE' was Mart Bailey.. A solid artist, who earned a quick reputation for direct storytelling; though perhaps, without a lot of flair. Not much is known about him, really.. He worked as an Art Director on the children's comic-book series: 'Treasure Chest' thru most of the 50's.
Sadly, his career was apparently cut short sometime in the 1960's, after he endured a violent mugging..

I would never have heard of 'The FACE', had it not been for my good friend & fellow artist: Drazen Kozjan. He e-mailed me the following artwork as a JPEG.. An item that he'd purchased on eBay, a few short weeks ago..
"Ain't it the most, Daddy-O?!"
We both agreed that this fabulous image has a genuine Charles Burns "feel" to the overall Design & Inking.. Can't you just see Burns doing a riff on this guy? It'd be brilliant! Give 'em a crazy 'El BORBAH' -type crime story, with a lot of witty banter & fisticuffs?.. I'd definitely get in line at my retail shop, to lay down my buckaroos for that comic-book!

Happy Holidays 2008!

Season's Greetings, everyone!
Here is the 2008 version of my annual family Holiday Card..

This year, the Design was inspired by my cadre of l'il backyard critter "friends".. Done up in a very Frazetta-influenced "Funny Animal" style! The squirrel is pretty traditional-looking. But I was quite pleased at how the Blue Jay & Cardinal turned out.. I think it has to do with the more-realistic take on their coloring. Which I was able to accomplish, with the aid of one of Suzanne's helpful Bird reference books..
Most of the coloring is analog.. All of it hand done; except, for the Night Sky in the deepest part of the Background. Which involved a cascading series of Gradient Fills, applied with Photoshop. I also bought a few new juicy Prismacolor markers, which really helped things out.. Especially, with the large Foreground tree!

Getting this thing printed, was another story.. And, an adventure in itself!
I usually get 'em done at a Kinko's in downtown Toronto, in the wee overnight hours. When it's a lot less busy. And you can rely on the counter help to really focus on what you want done..
But when I dropped by with my burned CD.. I was shocked to find out that they'd turfed the few remaining Mac computers, that they had on-site. They've gone strictly PC. Which meant that my CD just wouldn't open. And hence, they wouldn't be able to print my Image File..
So, back to Scarborough I drove.. To burn a 2nd CD that would open on a PC platform. Back downtown to Kinko's.. Only to find, that the Christmas Card image STILL wouldn't open?! Grrrr....
Anyways, one helpful Kinko's gentleman (named "Bobby") suggested that I simply e-mail the File to them. As either a JPEG or PDF.. So, back to Scarborough, again!
This time, things worked out.. But of course, I still had to travel downtown for a 3rd time to approve the "proof" for the 100+ Cards which I needed. The yellows turned out slightly "green", I thought. But overall, I was pretty happy with the results.. And ecstatic, to finally have the Cards ready for mailing!

Today, is also my 46th Birthday.. And for whatever pathological reason, I always leave creating my Christmas Cards, to the 11th Hour. For me, any Christmas Card done BEFORE my Birthday, is a raving success story. So, if you're on my Card List.. Okay, it may not arrive before the 25th. But at least it'll be postmarked, before then! Which is why I refer often refer to them as "Seasonal Cards".. It covers my ass, if arrives before New Year's Eve!! har har

I hope everyone has a terrific Holiday Season.. Best Wishes to all of you, for 2009!

The "Queen Of Curves" is gone..

I read with a bit of sadness that Bettie Page died this morning, at the age of 85. She had been quite ill with pneumonia, for a number of weeks.. Before succumbing to a heart attack. I never met or knew this woman.. But enjoyed seeing her images, in many of the vintage Men's magazines I've collected over the years..
It seems (to me, anyways) a rather ironic coincidence, that she should pass away in the same year Dave Stevens has.. And during the very week that also saw the release of the much-anticipated Stevens coffee table book: 'Brush With Passion'.. An artist whose work in the early 1980's, was likely most responsible for her re-emergence as a Pop Culture icon?

While it's true that his 'ROCKETEER' comic-book, had a character modelled after Betty Page.. And re-popularized her, with a wider audience.. It wasn't the 1st time, that Stevens had featured her in his artwork. That distinction, is held by his spoof of Frank Frazetta's 'THUN'DA' comic-book cover. An illustration that Stevens drew on a lark, as a Portfolio piece!
How odd it must've been for him, to later meet & become friends with Ms. Page in real life? And to then use that Portfolio piece as the cover for a comic-book, featuring fictionalized stories of Bettie?! haha
While there were long lines of unscruplous ne'er-do-wells exploiting Bettie's newly-rediscovered popularity, for their own interests.. It was Dave Stevens that made a point of personally trying to "repay" Bettie, for his use of her image in his comic-book. And generally, because it was a decent thing to do!
So, besides the "Bettie Page Comics" project.. Dave also created (or served as Art Director on) a variety of Dark Horse merchandise.. Licensed items, designed to ensure that Bettie made a little bit of money on her own image, as well!
The Jim Silke books, come immediately to mind.. And Dave also designed a really nice Kitchen Magnet Set, featuring Ms. Page.. Which I think was the last "Bettie Page" merchandise he worked on, if memory serves..

In her most recent interviews, Bettie always referred to Dave as "my best friend.." And if you've seen any of the many Bettie images that Dave has created over his career.. Then you're probably already aware that he must've thought she was pretty special, too!
Here's one of my favorite images of Bettie.. A signed print that Dave gave me, many years ago..
That's all for now.. TTYLater!