April 27, 2006
Orang-utan... she started it
I loved this newspaper report. When animals attack! What chance do you have of getting bitten by a Golden Retriever? How about a Dolphin? What do you think you'd have to do to piss off an Orang-utan. Hey, spray it with cold water in a cold climate!
November 8, 2005
November 2, 2005
October 11, 2005
June 10, 2005
April 9, 2005
January 10, 2005
November 23, 2004
November 9, 2004
October 12, 2004
October 1, 2004
'So' series book gags
Thought I'd post up some gags since it's been so quiet here recently. Here are some assorted gags that I have done for the 'So' series of books by J.A. Mawter (So Gross, So Feral, So Sick, So Festy, So Grotty and now So Stinky!) I draw about 140-150 gags, 4 poems and 4 chapter opener 'montage's' per book. They are a fair bit of work to say the least. The gags fit into the margins. I make sure the humour is ridiculously silly and pretty out-there. The stories are normally about all the gross stuff boys like so I find myself drawing gags about bums, girls, cockroaches, all manner of bodily functions and even dead people. It's a fun gig.
July 8, 2004
June 23, 2004
June 22, 2004
June 20, 2004
Trog's birthday tomorrow
From the UK's Daily Telegraph:
Tomorrow will mark the 80th birthday of Wally Fawkes, better known to our readers as the cartoonist Trog. For some, the passing of the years charts a slow decline: for Wally, it brings the triumphant maturing of his talent.
He was named Cartoonist of the Year in the 2004 British Press Awards and, with characteristic modesty, remarked that when he started out his employers advised him that it would take time to become recognised . . . "but they didn't say it would take 60 years".
In truth, Wally has long been recognised by fellow cartoonists as the art's most incisive practitioner. As Nicholas Garland observes on page 7 of the Review, the strength of his outline - combined with his innate skill for caricature - means that his works uniquely dominate the page.
Not many men reach the pinnacle of one profession: Wally has scaled two, combining his work as a cartoonist with a career as an acclaimed jazz clarinettist. The world of music has no doubt provided frequent relief from the vagaries of Fleet Street. When The Observer dispensed with Wally - a decision it later regretted - it was to our enormous gain.
Custom has never staled his infinite variety: Wally can always be relied on to surprise us. We look forward to many more surprises to come.
http://www.opinion.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2004/06/20/dl2002.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2004/06/20/ixopinion.html
June 4, 2004
May 6, 2004
Saudi Shootings
Five of the seven people killed by gunmen in Yanbu, Saudia Arabia, on Saturday morning, May 1, were employees of the engineering firm ABB Lummus, which serves the petrochemical industry.
According to multiple news reports, the gunmen breached ABB's security using company uniforms and identification and opened fire on ABB employees with automatic weapons.
Read the full article at Chemical & Engineering News
March 11, 2004
Inaugural Herblock Prize Awarded
Journal News editorial cartoonist Matt Davies has been named the first winner of the Herblock Prize, awarded in the memory of legendary cartoonist and three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Herbert Block.
Davies, 37, won the award from a field of 64 prominent artists and was chosen by a panel of judges that included Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau and New Yorker magazine editor David Remnick.
"He was a clear unanimous first choice of the judges," said Frank Swoboda, president of the Herb Block Foundation. "You look at his cartoons, you look at the message. He is taking a look at some preposterous situations and blowing holes in people's preponderance. He is very much in the tradition of Herb Block."
Davies will receive the award tonight in a ceremony at the Library of Congress.
http://www.nyjournalnews.com/newsroom/031104/b0111herblock.html
February 29, 2004
Councillors At Daggers Drawn:
From the Illawarra Mercury: The inference is that the anonymous cartoonist in this case is reasonably skilled. If he stays anonymous I wonder if we'll see the power of the satirical cartoon used increasingly in gutter politics?
By ANTONY FIELD
February 28, 2004
"THE investigation into defamatory and offensive cartoons aimed at Wollongong City Council widened yesterday when a second councillor laid a complaint with police.
The political cartoons, alleging corruption and sexual impropriety, have been circulated widely
among some councillors, the media and businesspeople.
One councillor informed Wollongong police after receiving the cartoons in the mail and detectives are trying to fingerprint the documents in an attempt to discover the source.
Chief Inspector Mark Lavers of Wollongong police confirmed a second councillor had received the cartoons and handed them to police yesterday.
It is understood a third councillor, one of the subjects of the cartoons, will make a complaint to police today. Details of the cartoons cannot be revealed because of their defamatory nature."
The highly controversial drawings, which feature the council's general manager Rod Oxley and four councillors, have also been referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) by Mr Oxley.
Lawyers had advised him to contact police and ICAC.
Chief Insp Lavers said police were liaising with ICAC about the complaints and there was still a question over whether it was a civil or criminal matter.
"It is a criminal offence to send offensive material electronically or through the mail, but as for defamation that would be a civil matter," he said.
Few councillors were prepared to comment, but those who did treated the cartoons with contempt.
One councillor said it was deplorable and gutter tactics.
"It is personal, nasty and hurtful and I hope the offenders are found and properly charged," the councillor said.
Another said it was the worst example of gutter politics they had seen and hoped police would take strong action to prevent it happening again.
A third was disgusted Illawarra politics had reached an all-time low. "It indicates certain wannabe councillors ... have absolutely no concept of how to deal with city issues."
Wollongong businesspeople were also shocked by the cartoons and condemned those responsible.
A number of prominent city identities, including lawyer Mark McDonald, real estate agency owner Mark Luchetti and Illawarra Business Chamber members received the cartoons in envelopes marked private and confidential.
They do not have any connection with the contents of the cartoons.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Mr Oxley strenuously denied he had improperly used his position to "advantage certain people and that, as a consequence, I have received personal financial gain from such actions".
He said the "scurrilous and unfounded allegations" not only cast doubt on his honesty and integrity, but also cast a significant shadow over the process of government and the development industry in Wollongong.
IBC chief executive officer Tim Lewis said the chamber resented the kind of cowardly slur contained in the cartoons.
"It's not just on Mr Oxley but, from our perspective, it's a slur on the business community. The inference is that developers are paying kickbacks," he said.
"If people have accusations they should step up to the plate and make them. They should have the moral fortitude to go through the appropriate channels."
He said if the claims were not substantiated, those who had been slandered should look at their legal options.
Mr McDonald said the cartoons were pathetic and reflected more on those who produced them. The drawings entrenched a negative image that had shrouded Wollongong for too long, he said.
Mr Luchetti said he was so put out by the cartoons he rang Mr Oxley and Lord Mayor Alex Darling to inform them.
"I think it's a disgrace. (The author) obviously feels they can't win through the normal election process ... I'll give them one thing - they're not bad at drawing."
An ICAC spokesman said he could not confirm he had received a complaint about the cartoons, but it could arrive today.
"We assess every complaint that's referred to us. It depends on the nature and the seriousness of the complaint as to how we deal with it. Some matters may not be in our jurisdiction and could be referred to the Department of Local Government or the NSW Ombudsman," he said.
ICAC last week warned election candidates not to use the organisation in political attacks on their opponents, by exploiting the complaints process.
February 19, 2004
Curious George 2D Animation's Last Chance?
The on-again, off-again CURIOUS GEORGE feature is currently in
production for Universal Pictures and Imagine Ent., having settled on
a 2D look after abandoning CG plans with Industrial Light & Magic
because of the great expense and "creepy" look, VARIETY reports.
Shooting for a November 2005 release, CURIOUS GEORGE (with Will
Ferrell signed to voice the Man in the Yellow Hat) represents the
only animated feature on the horizon at a major studio utilizing a
traditional aesthetic, which means it is being closely watched by an
industry currently obsessed with CG for any signs of a 2D commercial
breakthrough. With a moderate budget of around $40 million, and with
60% of its animation outsourced around the world, Universal has a
staff of 75 (include exiles from Disney and DreamWorks) working
14-hour days on character animation.
The fun-loving but mischievous monkey (symbolizing the boundless
curiosity of children) has become a literary icon for kids since the
first book by H.A. and Margret Rey was published in 1941. A series of
seven books and more adventures have sold more than 25 million
copies. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard of Imagine have been laboring to
produce an animated version for years, obtaining rights from John
Shapiro and David Kirschner, who are still attached as producers.
Grazer and Howard naturally reject the notion that 2D is dead, and
are tapping into a topical "retro vibe." Plus the traditional
approach is thought of as the best way to approach the mostly
watercolor look of the books. Universal, which has numerous animated
features in development, hasn't produced one since BALTO in 1995.
However, the studio has enjoyed phenomenal success with the LAND
BEFORE TIME franchise on DVD and video. In fact, Universal is
spinning off an animated CURIOUS GEORGE children's show for PBS
affiliate WGBH spearheaded by Louis Feola, president of Universal
Worldwide Home Ent.
Jun Falkenstein (THE TIGGER MOVIE) directs from a script by Karey
Kirkpatrick (CHICKEN RUN), Joe Stillman (both SHREKS), Michael
McCullers (the AUSTIN POWERS sequels) and Daniel Gerson and Rob Baird
(MONSTERS, INC.).
Animation World Network
