Stuff from my Studio
February 1st, 2019 | Posted in Stuff from my Studio
People in the military all know what a challenge coin is, but few civilians do. A challenge, or unit, coin is a medallion that represents affiliation, support or patronage to the organization minted on the coin. Almost all military units have their own coins, carried by the members of the units, and commanders often have special coins to give out when someone does something special for the unit. According to legend, the challenge coin originated during World War I, when American volunteers from all walks of life filled newly formed flying squadrons. Some of these volunteers were wealthy students from such schools as Yale or… READ MORE
December 6th, 2018 | Posted in Stuff from my Studio
Many of the items in my studio are souvenirs from my travels here and there, and this ubiquitous piece of broken marble is one of the oddest of the bunch. Back in 2009 I was honored to be one of ten cartoonists who traveled to Iraq and Kuwait with the USO to visit U.S. troops stationed there. One of the stops we made on the tour was Baghdad, where we drew for military personnel at various locations in the Victory Base Complex. Among the places in the VBC we visited was Camp Slayer, which contained Saddam Hussein’s very optimistically named “Victory Over America” palace. Saddam ordered… READ MORE
September 25th, 2018 | Posted in Stuff from my Studio
Photo ©2012 Greg Preston This is one of my favorite pictures in the world. It was taken by photographer extraordinaire and author of the terrific books “The Artist Within” Volumes 1 and 2, Greg Preston. The 2012 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award Weekend took place in Las Vegas, and we had both a MAD panel and a 60’s “MAD MEN” themed party to celebrate the magazine’s 60th birthday. I still pinch myself that I am included in this photo of serious legends of cartooning and comics (and a couple of models). This picture is hanging right above my drawing board to motivate me to work… READ MORE
August 21st, 2018 | Posted in Stuff from my Studio
I have several really awesome pieces of original comic/cartoon art I’ve gotten over the years from friends and fellow cartoonists. This is one of my favorites because it’s Batman, it’s by the legendary Jack Davis, and I asked him to do it. Back in 2014 we were brainstorming ideas for a T-Shirt to produce for the National Cartoonists Society’s Comic-Con booth. We settled on doing one themed on Batman, since it was the 75th anniversary of the character’s first appearance. We asked a number of well-known NCS members to give us a piece of Batman art, and we received some really great ones. Here’s the… READ MORE
May 29th, 2018 | Posted in Stuff from my Studio
I just returned from another fabulous National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award Weekend, this time held in Philadephia. It was a great time as usual, planned and hosted by NCS President and first-lady Bill and Kayre Morrison. Getting to hang out with so many of my peers whom I respect and admire is one of the highlights of my year. Receiving the statuette above was one of the highlights of my life. This is THE Reuben Award, designed by Rube Goldberg himself, which I was honored with at the 2012 Reubens in Las Vegas. This year’s winner was animation legend Glen Keane. His and the names… READ MORE
May 10th, 2018 | Posted in Stuff from my Studio
Another episode in this occasional feature where I show something from my studio and tell the story behind it. Here we have another seriously awesome Bat-item- a 3 foot tall statue of Bats as he appeared in Frank Miller‘s “The Dark Knight Returns”. That 1980’s graphic novel was what really got me back into comics. I got this as a little present to myself after wrapping up a killer book job. READ MORE
April 5th, 2018 | Posted in Stuff from my Studio
Back in 2009 I was invited to be a guest speaker at a cartooning festival in Cali, Colombia called CaliComix. I met some very talented cartoonists there, participated in a lot of different events including some drawing jams, and had a great time. Cali was a beautiful place. I bought this hand-tooled leather bottle and glass set there to remember the visit. If your interested, I blogged about the trip. READ MORE
March 8th, 2018 | Posted in Stuff from my Studio
These two sculptured caricatures of me that adorn my studio shelves are by some insanely talented friends of mine. The top one is by Celestia Ward, who along with husband Robert Sundin III (a.k.a. Sundini) own Two Head Studios and are prominent caricaturists in the Las Vegas area. Celestia does 2D and 3D work, among a lot of other creative endeavors. If her name seems familiar to you (and you have read my book The Mad Art of Caricature) that’s because she was that book’s editor!! She did this sculpture for my 35th birthday in 2001. She is depicting me at the drawing board, airbrush… READ MORE
