Forgotten Comics: Lyonel Feininger

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,

Ordinarily, I’d just put this down in my Weekend Reading section on Friday, but it’s so beautiful and wonderful to look at, that you need to see it now.

If you love old comics, want to see how one of the masters used to use his newspaper space or wonder why so many cartoonists complain about how the shrinkage of the reproduction size of their art harms the art form, go check this out.

Animator Michael Sporn has posted a nice selection of Lyonel Feininger’s classic strip: The Kin-der-Kids. Michael says the strip stands “with the best of Winsor McCay’s comic strips and, in some ways, is even more graphically daring than McCay.”

Feininger had a fascinating career that started in cartooning and ended in fine art.

After you're done looking at his comics, be sure to check out his wild, later stuff.

Click to continue reading Forgotten Comics: Lyonel Feininger

Steve Rude Could Use Some Help

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Independent,

Steve Rude has been having some financial difficulties. His story has been all over the internets, but in the event that some of you people (gasp) don’t read Tom Spurgeon’s The Comics Reporter or Heidi MacDonald’s The Beat or Robot 6, I’m directing you to Tom’s story.

The Dude’s been auctioning off some of his sweet, sweet Nexus original art on eBay to cover his debt and give him a shot at keeping his home from foreclosure. The prices are nice, but more importantly, this is going to a good cause. Nexus, written by Mike Baron and illustrated by The Dude, was one of the big independent creator-owned comic books to succeed in the growing direct market of the 1980s, and owning a piece of Steve’s fantastic art is like owning a piece of history.

Years ago, at the request of First Comics’ Rick Oliver, I once gave The Dude a ride from the San Diego Comic Con to LAX. We should all live so long to have a 2-hour ride with him in the car. Heidi MacDonald was also with us. Good times!

If you can spare the cash, if you like original art, if you like Nexus, help out the Dude.

[Artwork: Nexus, © Mike Baron and Steve Rude]

Campaign for Drawing: Gerald Scarfe, Quentin Blake and Steve Bell

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,

Even though I’m not a big collector of original art, I love looking at it and the pieces that I own are very special to me—and they’re framed and mounted on the wall of my office. I love to thumb through originals when I go to Comic Con International. I like to feel the weight of the art board, see the underlying pencils and study how the ink line digs into the paper.

The Campaign For Drawing is a British organization that’s holding a silent auction. The campaign is devoted to creating a “new regard for the value of drawing to help people see, think, invent and take action. Its long-term ambition is to change the way drawing is perceived by educationalists and the public.” Their Big Draw Auction features original art by a couple dozen wonderful artists and cartoonists.

Over at the website, you’ll find some excellent pieces by artists Tony Husband, Steve Bell, David Roberts, Martin Rowson, Posey Simonds, Gerald Scarfe, Bill Stott, cartoonists from The Guardian and Private Eye, Ken Pyne, Lucinda Rogers, Robert Duncan, Rosey Brooks, Anthony Brown, Quentin Blake and lots more.

Click to continue reading Campaign for Drawing: Gerald Scarfe, Quentin Blake and Steve Bell

Read More | Campaign For Drawing via The Blog Horn

Distraction-Free 3D Illustrator Rhonda is Open for Beta Testing

Posted by Kris Madden Categories: Editorials, Reviews,

Like DarkRoom or WriteRoom, which provide full-screen text-editors for writers, Rhonda offers something similar for 3D artists, with a minimalist environment and user-friendly interface. If you’re familiar with AutoDesk’s Sketchbook Pro take on no-frills 2-D illustration, you may want to check out Rhonda for working in 3D. Before you get too excited about creating the next Shrek in Rhonda, know that it just opened Beta testing and they are still working out the bugs and issues, etc.

Click to continue reading Distraction-Free 3D Illustrator Rhonda is Open for Beta Testing

Robert Englund Loves Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash Artwork and Not Much Else

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Interviews, Marvel Comics,

Robert Englund, best known for his portrayal of Freddy Kruger from the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, recently commented on WildStorm’s Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash comic; however, he seems to merely enjoy looking rather than reading it.

“Well, I love the artwork. I absolutely love the artwork. I like the storyline but I love the artwork. I think the cover art is just phenomenal,” the Los Angeles native explained.

Makes me wonder if he actually read the books…

Click to continue reading Robert Englund Loves Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash Artwork and Not Much Else

Read More | Comic Book Resources