I'm In A New Yorker State of Mind

I was in my local bookstore the other day leafing through the latest edition of The New Yorker.  Of course I searched out the cartoons first.  It got me to wondering though, how many cartoonists and illustrators who have participated in the Cartoonist Surveys have contributed to The New Yorker?  I did a search and I came up with 32 out of the 282 of them.  Below is a list of those cartoonist and illustrators in alphabetical order.  The links bring you to their answers to the Cartoonist Surveys.  If you come across any that I missed, please leave a comment so I can add them to the list.

Lou Brooks

Chris Browne

Roz Chast

Jeff Danziger

Peter de Seve

Nick Downes

Drew Dernavich

Benita Epstein

Joseph Farris

Drew Friedman

Martha Gradisher

Bill Giffith

Robert Grossman

Marcellus Hall

Jerry King

John Klossner

Anita Kunz

Peter Kuper

Carol Lay

Marisa Acocella Marchetto

Ian David Marsden

P.S. Mueller

Rina Piccolo

Mike Reagan

R. Sikoryak

Bob Staake

Mick Stevens

Richard Thompson

Adrian Tomine

Kim Warp

Shannon Wheeler

Mark Zingarelli

A Little Cartoonist Eye Candy for New Year's Eve

I’ve always enjoyed seeing what cartoonists keep on and around their drawing areas. These are just some of my favorites. (I do not own any of the images below; they are strictly for ogling purposes.)

Anders Nilsen

Bill Hinds

Bill Mauldin

Brian Crane

Charles Beyl

Charles Schultz

Chip Bok

Chris Schweizer

Chuck Ayers

Dave Coverly

Frank Frazetta

Frank Scicchitano

Gerry Alanguilan

Greg Evans

Ivan Brunetti

Jack Kirby

Jan Eliot

Jay Fosgitt

Jeff Keane

Jeff Stahler

Jerry Scott

Jerry Van Amerongen

John Hambrock

Jonathan Lemon

Kevin Fagan

Lectrr

M. Wartella

Mark Anderson

Mark Parisi

Peter Guren

Ray Billingsley

Rick Kirkman

Scott Campbell

Sergio Aragones

Sergio Cariello

Tom Batiuk

Tom Richmond

Vanessa Davis

David Wasting Paper would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous 2013!

Super President!?

I found this video of President Reagan addressing the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists back in 1987 to be interesting.

Not sure who will prevail in 2012's Presidential election, but my vote is going to James Norcross!

Mike Shapiro - Cartoonist Survey #151

Born in 1962, Mike Shapiro is a full-time freelance cartoonist and caricaturist. In 1987 he had his first cartoon published in The Saturday Evening Post. Since that time his cartoons have appeared in many publications including, Barron’s, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Reader’s Digest and Forbes. Mike has done work for animation studios, advertising agencies and has been published in numerous books and humor collections. His work has appeared in museum and gallery shows such as the International Museum Of Cartoon Art and a Wall Street Journal cartoon exhibition. Mike’s cartoons are also featured as part of a permanent collection at The Harvard Business School's Baker Library. As if all that wasn’t enough, he is also a talented caricaturist and frequently draws at live events. Mike lives in Washington, DC with his wife and their two children. Visit his website and blog.

What is your favorite pen to use?
For magazine cartooning I use a Pigma Micron 08. I use a Copic Sketch marker for live caricatures.

Do you draw in pencil first and if so do you use a standard pencil or a mechanical one?
I pencil first with a mechanical pencil. 0.7 HB led.

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

What type of paper do you use?
I use 24 lb., 8 1/2 x 11, Laserjet for magazine cartooning. 11 x 17 65 lb. cover stock by Cougar for caricatures.

What thing(s) do you hate to draw?
Nothing really comes to mind.

Do you buy your supplies from big chain art store catalogues/websites or a local one that you physically go to?
When I'm organized I order online. More often than not I go to a chain. The one by me is Plaza Art.

Are there any rituals that you do before starting to draw?
Nope.

Do you listen to music while you draw and if so what genre?
I usually listen to something. I like a lot of different kinds of music. I also listen to sports talk, NPR, etc. If none of that's working for me I'll have the TV on in the background.

Did you read comics as a kid and if so what was your favorite?
I read the strips, some comic books. MAD, etc. When I was a little older I got into The New Yorker.

What is or was your favorite comic strip?
If I had to choose I'd say Calvin and Hobbes. I also love Doonesbury.

What was your favorite book as a child and do you still own a copy of it?
Nothing stands out. My parents made sure we had a house full of books including all the classic kid's books.

Did you have any formal art training and if so where did you receive it?
I studied animation at the Joe Kubert School.

Do you feel that the Internet is a blessing or a curse?
A little of both.

Did either of your parents draw?
No, but my dad loved comic books and cartoons.

Who in your life is/was the most supportive of your art?
My parents were very supportive when I was growing up and my wife is very supportive now.

Do you keep a sketchbook?
Yes. I usually use a Pilot Precise V5 Rolling Ball Extra Fine when I'm drawing in it.

Have you ever taught cartooning/drawing and if so did you enjoy the experience?
I taught a basic cartooning course class for kids a few years ago. I enjoyed it and would do it again.

Do you feel that talent or passion is more important in drawing?
I've found that the best artists I know have worked the hardest at their craft. This is without exception in my experience. This seems to be the case in almost everything. The best musicians I know put in the most time practicing and thinking in a constructive way about music. This probably holds true for plumbers, auto mechanics, neurosurgeons, and homemakers. So, if passion leads putting in the necessary time, I'd go with passion.

Do you collect anything and if so what?
I don't collect stuff.

If you were an animated cartoon character who do you think you would be?
El Kabong.

Are you a righty or lefty?
Righty.

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

In one or two sentences describe your drawing area.
My work space is currently in our basement. It's a finished basement so in addition to my drawing and computer gear there's also a few couches , a stereo, and TV. It can be easy to goof off down there. Often late at night I'll just work at our dining room table.

Do you play any musical instruments?
I play drums. I'm better when I practice.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to pursue drawing as a career what would it be?
The harder you work at your craft the better you'll become . . . and don't put a couch by your drawing table.

Who is your favorite artist?
Tough question. There are too many to name.

Thank you very much Mike!

Up next is cartoonist and animator, Graham Annable.

Sage Stossel - Cartoonist Survey #143

Executive editor of The Atlantic Monthly Online and cartoonist, Sage Stossel grew up in the Boston area and majored in English and American Literature and Languages at Harvard University. While at Harvard she drew the weekly strip about college life, “Jody” for the Harvard Crimson newspaper. After college she took a temporary job at The Atlantic Monthly and soon became a full time employee, contributing Web site reviews, authoring interviews, illustrating, hosting message boards and producing the digital edition of The Atlantic on the Web.

Her weekly editorial cartoon which appears on The Atlantic Monthly Online, “Sage Ink” was launched on Election Day in 1996. Sage’s cartoons have been featured by CNN Headline News, The Boston Globe, The Provincetown Banner, the New York Times Week in Review, Cartoon Arts International/The New York Times Syndicate, The Palm Beach Post, Nieman Reports and many others places. She has created two children’s books, "We’re Off to Harvard Square" and "On the Loose in Boston". Her work is also in, "Attack of the Political Cartoonists" and the 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010 editions of the "Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year" books. Sage works in Boston and lives in Cambridge, MA. You can see many of her cartoons on her website and over at The Atlantic Monthly Online.

What is your favorite pen to use?
Uniball Roller Grip 0.5mm

Do you draw in pencil first and if so do you use a standard pencil or a mechanical one?
I use standard pencils (I can’t seem to draw with a mechanical pencil without breaking the lead.)
Do you do your coloring by hand or on the computer?
By hand, but sometimes I make adjustments afterwards in Photoshop.

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

What type of paper do you use?
Regular printer paper.

What thing(s) do you hate to draw?
I especially dislike drawing cars, which I'm embarrassingly ignorant about. Earlier this year, an editor sent a cartoon back to me because I’d accidentally drawn a car's door opening backwards.

Do you buy your supplies from big chain art store catalogues/websites or a local one that you physically go to?
I like to go to the store in person.

Are there any rituals that you do before starting to draw?
I entice the cat over to keep me company.

Do you listen to music while you draw and if so what genre?
I usually listen to NPR on my laptop.

Did you read comics as a kid and if so what was your favorite?
I was into Peanuts and Garfield and the Asterix books.

What is or was your favorite comic strip?
Probably Peanuts.

What was your favorite book as a child and do you still own a copy of it?
I used to love a book called the Christmas Cat, by Tasha Tudor and her daughter Efner Tudor Holmes. I also loved Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. (I still have copies of both.)

Did you have any formal art training and if so where did you receive it?
No formal training, but after college (where it hadn’t occurred to me to take art classes) I took some adult education classes at the Museum School in Boston.

Do you feel that the Internet is a blessing or a curse?
It can be an addictive time-sink, and it's certainly taken its toll on the publishing industry, but I can't imagine not being able to look things up instantly, or work on projects and collaborate with people remotely.

Did either of your parents draw?
No, but my father’s mother was an illustrator.

Who in your life is/was the most supportive of your art?
My Dad started egging me on to do cartooning after I made him a humorous comic book for his birthday when I was twelve.

Do you keep a sketchbook?
I usually have a Mead 4 x 6" spiral-bound book of index cards (blank on one side) in my bag or coat pocket.

Have you ever taught cartooning/drawing and if so did you enjoy the experience?
I taught cartooning to junior high and high school kids a few years ago. It was nerve-wracking, because the junior-high kids would get crushes on each other and express it by hitting each other over the head and so forth. But I learned a lot in the course of preparing to teach them about different facets of cartooning, and gathering examples. I also learned from the kids - like about Manga, which most of them were really into. And one kid was a graffiti artist, who would tell me about the world of tagging. He wanted to develop signature characters that could be drawn with a flowing line really quickly (presumably before the police could catch him). So I brought in a book of Al Hirschfeld caricatures for him to look at, which he loved. (He was convinced that Hirschfeld must have been a master tagger.)

Do you feel that talent or passion is more important in drawing?
I think it takes a combination.

Do you collect anything and if so what?
Nothing intentionally, though I do end up with a lot of books.

If you were an animated cartoon character who do you think you would be?
Maybe Casper.

Are you a righty or lefty?
Righty.

If you weren't an artist what would you want to do for work?
My non-cartooning job is as an editor, which I enjoy.

In one or two sentences describe your drawing area.
I sit or lie on the living room floor, with pens, pencils, erasers, and scratch paper spread out around me, and my laptop nearby.

Do you play any musical instruments?
I used to play the piano, but I don't have one at the moment.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to pursue drawing as a career what would it be?
Do other things, too, so it’s not just you and the Blank Page.

Who is your favorite artist?
I like Ed Sorel, Sempe, Red Grooms, Maira Kalman, Ludwig Bemmelmans, Winslow Homer, John Sloan, and lots of others, but I don’t have one favorite.


Thank you very much Sage.

Up next is Stephen DeStefano, storyboard artist, character designer and cartoonist.

2010 Bunny Bash

A couple of weeks ago, Ed Steckley (Cartoonist Survey #108) invited me to attend Bunny Hoest’s “Bunny Bash” on Long Island. The Bunny Bash is a get together of cartoonists and their friends and family which is held annually in June at the house of Bunny Hoest, the writer of the cartoons The Lockhorns, Laugh Parade and Howard Huge.

The Bash started many years ago when Bill Hoest, creator of the Lockhorns comic panel, wanted to show his cartoonist buddies the house he had designed and was in the process of building. He invited over members of the Long Island chapter of the National Cartoonists Society (a.k.a. “Berndt Toast Gang” named in honor of Walter Berndt, the cartoonist of “Smitty”) for lunch and a tour of the construction. After Bill passed away in 1988 his wife Bunny continued to host this annual gathering.

My wife Patti and I made the trip down last week. It was quite a long trip, but well worth it. Bunny’s home, the grounds and the ocean made an amazing backdrop for the event. Everyone was very welcoming to us newcomers. When we first arrived the skies were looking ominous, but after a very brief shower and wind storm, the sun broke through the clouds and conversations carried on, never missing a beat. We found out later that this storm produced a tornado which touched down in Bridgeport, CT creating all kinds of damage and sending 25 people to the hospital.

This is a picture taken from the back of the house. The house is constructed of old cobblestones that used to pave the New York City streets. Some of them still have the actual tar on them. The place is right on the water and is simply beautiful.

Above is a photo of me and cartoonist Mike Lynch who drove down from New Hampshire. Mike was the first person we met at the party and he had us laughing from the very start of the conversation.

We then met Ray Alma (Cartoonist Survey #124) and his wife Caryn who couldn’t have been more friendly to us. Ed Steckley (Cartoonist Survey #108) and his wife Heather showed up a little bit later and upon arrival Ed took Patti and I on a quick tour of the studio. On the way up to the studio, I took the above picture of legendary MAD magazine cartoonist and caricaturist Mort Drucker relaxing on the couch.

Here is Ed looking pensive while sitting at the drawing board. Note the original Lockhorns panels on the left hand wall.

Here I am sitting at the same drawing board.

It was such a treat to meet Mort Drucker, who was nice enough to pose with me.

I also had the honor to speak with long time New Yorker magazine cartoonist George Booth.

Here is a photo of me and Bunny. She was such a gracious hostess and a delightful woman.

Patti and I had such a good time. We want to thank everyone for being so nice to us, especially Ed and Heather Steckley, Ray and Caryn Alma, Mike Lynch and of course Bunny Hoest!