Monday, June 7, 2010

Lloyd Dangle - Cartoonist Survey #132




Born in May of 1961, Lloyd Dangle is a writer, cartoonist, illustrator and political satirist. He graduated from high school in 1979 and attended the University of Michigan School of Art where he earned a BFA in 1983. While at the University of Michigan, Lloyd was the editor and a contributor to the college magazine, Gargoyle Humor Magazine. He spent awhile as a paste-up artist, designer and cartoonist for filmmaker Michael Moore's Michigan Voice newspaper in Flint, Michigan. Lloyd has a screen credit for sound recording in Moore's first movie, 'Roger and Me'. Moving to New York City in 1983 Lloyd worked for many newspapers and magazines including, Manhattan, the Village Voice, Elle and Nuclear Times. In 1988 he created his syndicated weekly comic strip, Troubletown which originally only ran in the San Francisco Bay Guardian. It now runs in many alternative weeklies such as The Portland Mercury, The Austin Chronicle, The Stranger, as well as The Progressive magazine. Troubletown has been collected in many volumes and is also featured in the anthology ‘Attitude: The New Subversive Cartoonists’. His cartoons and illustrations have also appeared in well over one hundred publications including the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Time Magazine, Weirdo, Cosmopolitan, Blab! And Wired.

Lloyd was actively involved in AIDS education by creating artwork for the handbook used in prisons and drug rehab clinics called "The Works." He also helped create a billboard, TV, and print campaign around a superhero, "Bleachman," whose duty was to teach IV drug users to clean their needles at a time when needle exchange programs were illegal in California. As the National President of The Graphic Artists Guild he organized education efforts for artists on copyright issues, contracts, and related business issues. He worked to create a Northern California Chapter of the Graphic Artists Guild and then went on to organize a statewide effort to reform California sales tax regulations. Under the California sales tax regulations, photographers, illustrators and other visual artists were denied protections under copyright that other authors were allowed. Eventually the sales tax regulations were re-written and effectively removed the tax collection burden for California artists selling or licensing rights to reproduce artwork within California. Lloyd lives in Oakland, California with his wife who is a graphic designer and fine artist and their son. Visit the
official Lloyd Dangle website here. You can also see much more of his work on his Troubletown blog. There are all kinds of goodies that you can buy at his Troubletown Megamart.

...and yes he created the company brand and packaging for the cold remedy Airborne.


What is your favorite pen to use?
A brush pen.

Do you draw in pencil first and if so do you use a standard pencil or a mechanical one?
Nope.

Do you do your coloring by hand or on the computer?
Computer.

If you do your coloring by hand, what do you use?
Sometimes I do watercolor.

What type of paper do you use?
Various types depending on my mood.

What thing(s) do you hate to draw?
Nothingness.

Do you buy your supplies from big chain art store catalogues/websites or a local one that you physically go to?
Mr. Art and my local Dick Blick's.

Are there any rituals that you do before starting to draw?
1000 sit-ups, no, not really.

Do you listen to music while you draw and if so what genre?
Drawing yes, but writing no, various kinds, jazz, blues, reggae.

Did you read comics as a kid and if so what was your favorite?
Peanuts.

What is or was your favorite comic strip?
Mr. Natural.

What was your favorite book as a child and do you still own a copy of it?
Go Dog Go...my son has it.

Did you have any formal art training and if so where did you receive it?
University of Michigan School of Art.

Do you feel that the Internet is a blessing or a curse?
Both.

Did either of your parents draw?
Mom a little.

Who in your life is/was the most supportive of your art?
Nobody.

Do you keep a sketchbook?
Always.

Have you ever taught cartooning/drawing and if so did you enjoy the experience?
No.

Do you feel that talent or passion is more important in drawing?
Passion.

Do you collect anything and if so what?
Gray hairs.

If you were an animated cartoon character who do you think you would be?
Popeye or Bluto.

Are you a righty or lefty?
Right handed.

If you weren't an artist what would you want to do for work?
Detective.

In one or two sentences describe your drawing area.
A table in my garage/ studio with lots of pens and brushes in tomato cans.

Do you play any musical instruments?
Guitar, but I suck.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to pursue drawing as a career what would it be?
I can't honestly say that it's a good idea.

Who is your favorite artist?
There are so many it's impossible. At the moment it might be Basil Wolverton.


Thanks again for participating Lloyd.

Up next is Canadian alternative cartoonist David Collier.

2 comments:

P.L. Frederick said...

Great introduction, David. I learned a lot from it.

David said...

Thanks Paula, that makes me feel good as I always have the hardest time writing the mini-bios that accompany the surveys...I'm not a smart man.