TCAF unveils 2014 Festival Poster by Isabelle Arsenault

From the Toronto Comic Arts Festival.

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival is proud to reveal its second poster image for the 2014 event, by Montreal illustrator Isabelle Arsenault.

If the New Yorker Were Set in Paris

Emily Greenhouse on the New Yorker website.

Last January, the French graphic artists Aurélie Pollet and Michael Prigent, living in Paris and “entourés d’artistes,” invited illustrators to envision the Gallic capital. Under the imprimatur of their association, La Lettre P, they gave them, Prigent told me last week, “a carte blanche to express with the greatest possible force their vision of Paris in an image”—all this “with the covers of The New Yorker in mind.” In implicit homage, Pollet continued, “we wanted to imagine the covers of an imaginary magazine: The Parisianer.”

100 cartoons by Cartooning for Peace for Press Freedom

From Inter Press Service.

The USA are spying on us

A woman and her husband are seated at a table. As she talks, he seems to be ignoring her, his head hidden behind a newspaper.

“At least Obama is listening to me,” she says.

This is just one satirical reference to the ongoing international surveillance scandal, in a book published earlier this month by the French-based group Reporters Without Borders, which works to protect freedom of expression and of information.

The Story Behind "Saying Grace"

David Apatoff in Illustration Art.

Saying Grace, 1951 by Norman Rockwell

The brilliance of Norman Rockwell's painting Saying Grace has always been in plain view for anyone of good will and good taste to appreciate, but since it sold at Sotheby's last week for $46 million, art critics are finally able to appreciate it as well. 

Merry Xmas

Rick McKee wins United Nations/Ranan Lurie Political Cartoon Award

From The Augustra Chronicle:

A political cartoon criticizing the United Nations’ handling of Syria, drawn by Augusta Chronicle cartoonist Rick McKee, won first place in the international organization’s annual awards.

Reprint on the "National Newswatch" website (2)

I didn't notice it at the time, but a cartoon of mine ran on National Newswatch last December 2nd.

George Orwell Writes His Literary Agent

Pat Oliphant in The Nib.

Finalist at the 2013 United Nations/Ranan Lurie Awards

This cartoon, published in Le Droit last September 9th, received a Citation for Excellence at the

2013 United Nations/Ranan Lurie International Political Cartoon Awards.

I was awarded the same prize in 2009:

Reprint on the "Yahoo! Canada" website (5)

The above cartoon was published by "Yahoo Canada" on December 12.

Celebrities edited into classic paintings

From 22 Words

Angelina Jolie

Over the last couple years, the folks at Worth 1000 have held almost 20 “Modern Renaissance” contests to see who can most skillfully and creatively manipulate an image to put a celebrity into a classic painting. Here are some of the best and most interesting…

Reuters Photos of the Year 2013

From Fubiz.

Peter Thomas, Germany

No matter if it is to illustrate a news story, a natural disaster or to highlight the testimony of victims of armed conflict, the Reuters news agency collects and distributes thousands of photos every year, taken on all continents. 

Here is a selection of the 93 shots found in Reuters Photos of the Year:

World Press Cartoon 2013 (my cartoon)

I received the 2013 catalogue of the Sintra, Portugal World Press Cartoon competition.

The jury this year included Antonio Antunes, creator of the contest and exhibition, Francisco Puñal Suárez (Cuba), Marilena Nardi (Italy), Riber Hansson (Sweden) and Ricardo Antunes (Brazil).

Here is my drawing in the gag cartoon category:

Steve Bell Wins the Political Cartoon of the Year Award

Text and photos by Kasia Kowalska in Procartoonists.

Steve Bell (after Gustave Doré), The Guardian

Steve Bell was announced the winner of the coveted Gillray Cup for Political Cartoon of the Year for his portrayal of Margaret Thatcher, above, with Andy Davey as the runner up. Morten Morland was named 2013 Political Cartoonist of the Year.

"Searle in America" Exhibition in San Francisco

"Searle in America" from November 16 to March 30, 2014 at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco.

The Cartoon Art Museum presents the first career retrospective of the work of famed British cartoonist and illustrator Ronald Searle in Northern California.

Animator Matt Jones, Exhibition Curator and longtime manager of the Ronald Searle Tribute blog, has assembled the best of Searle’s work produced while on reportage assignment around the United States. 

Amnesty – "Not Here But Now" Campaign

From Fubiz.

The Walker Agency reminds us of the extent to which human rights are violated on a daily basis in some countries. Wanting to shock residents of Zurich, 200 "trompe l'oeil" posters were distributed for Amnesty International in the Swiss city.

Dave Brown Interview

Kasia Kowalska in The Independent.

The Fighting Portsmouth tugged to its last berth to be turned into bagpipes

Dave Brown is defending his title as winner of the Political Cartoon of the Year. Kasia Kowalska meets the man behind the pictures.

Remembering Roy Peterson

Shannon Clarke in The Ryerson Review of Journalism.

'The company does not love you': the editorial cartoon after Roy Peterson

From his termination at The Vancouver Sun to his role in the community of illustrators, we remember the "Great Cartoonist"

Cartoonists in the Digital Age

An opinion piece on the Procartoonists blog.

© Roger Penwill @ Procartoonists.org

An excerpt:

"The Best Of Britain's Political Cartoons 2013"

Britain doesn’t just have some of the best journalists in the world, it has excellent cartoonists too. Here are 12 of the best from the last year, taken from The Best of Britain’s Political Cartoons 2013.

Some of my favourites from a top 10 list on BuzzFeed:

Zapiro Cartoon Not Cricket in India

From The India Times.

Johannesburg: Several community organisations here have called on the Indian cricket team to boycott the tour of South Africa, starting next month in the wake of the Ganesha cartoon controversy, involving cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro.

BBC News - Steve Bell sketches the roots of cartoon satire

A legacy of political satire is on show as two exhibitions in Aberdeen trace the history of sketching the great and powerful.

Reporter Kevin Keane viewed some of the artworks and newspaper cartoonist Steve Bell spoke to the Sunday Politics Scotland programme about his approach to cartoon satire.

"The Last Things He Saw" by Steve Brodner

Steve Brodner on his blog.

Bruce McCall Interview

… with Ken Rockburn on CPAC.

Author, illustrator and cartoonist Bruce McCall has lived in New York for the past 40 years but he grew up in the quiet, peaceful idyllic town of Simcoe, Ontario. Never a strong performer in school, Mr. McCall displayed, from a very young age, a talent for drawing and writing.

Bruno Bozzetto at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco

Raffaella Spinazzi in FANY-BLOG.

On November 21st, 2013, the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco will host an exhibition of Bruno Bozzetto, almost entirely dedicated to his animated feature film Allegro non Troppo, an explicit homage to Disney’s Fantasia.

“Bruno Bozzetto: Animation, Maestro!”

The Walt Disney Family Museum 

November 21, 2013–March 17, 2014

International Day to End Impunity

Saturday November 23 is the International Day to End Impunity, a day dedicated to a call to action to demand justice for those who have been targeted for exercising their right to freedom of expression, and to shed light on the issue of impunity.  One of the people you can support (with a simple tweet) is Egyptian cartoonist and CM member Doaa Eladl.

Two Reviews of "Dear Mr. Watterson"

Gary Goldstein in The LA Times.

The hugely popular daily comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes," syndicated from 1985 to 1995 in as many as 2,400 newspapers, provides a surprisingly rich engine for filmmaker Joel Allen Schroeder's captivating love letter of a documentary, "Dear Mr. Watterson." The film, named for "Calvin" creator Bill Watterson, offers not only an in-depth look at the comic strip's unique influence but also a concise snapshot of the dwindling state of newspapers and their "funny pages."

The Changing Etiquette of Theft

David Apatoff in Illustration Art.

Lisa Congdon, a west coast illustrator, was outraged to discover that her art had been used without her permission by a corporation, Cody Foster Inc., for its line of Christmas ornaments. The illustrator complained that the stolen art was "100% mine" and launched a publicity campaign attacking the plagiarism of her work:

However, during her publicity campaign it was discovered that the illustrator herself had "borrowed" someone else's copyrighted work to make her illustrations.

I Wish I'd Drawn…(24)

… this wonderful cartoon by Vancouver's Dan Murphy.

Some other nice Rob Ford cartoons:

"Finding Vivian Maier" a film by John Maloof

From Web Burgr.

A self-portrait of Vivien Maier

Imagine this: perhaps the most important street photographer of the twentieth century was a nanny who kept everything to herself. Nobody had ever seen her work and she was a complete unknown until the time of her death. For decades Vivian’s work hid in the shadows until decades later (in 2007), historical hobbyist John Maloof bought a box full of never developed negatives at a local auction for $380.

Another Classic Barry Blitt "New Yorker" Cover

"Reboot" by Barry Blitt

Hank Ketcham

I've always admired "Dennis the Menace" creator Hank Ketcham's elegant artwork. I like the details in the background in the above drawing. We even see a sign on the other bench. And what clean lines.

Here are a few examples of a side of the artist we seldom see:

Britain: The Sun drops editorial cartoons from weekday editions

Andy Davey writes in Procartoonists.

Rome Burns, Andy Davey for The Sun

After more than 40 years, The Sun has cut editorial cartoons from the weekday editions of the paper.

Stephen Harper: The Portrait Gallery

Poster by Norman Takeuchi

This group show features accomplished artists who explore, through portraiture, the impact of Stephen Harper’s political philosophy and his actions as leader. Organized by Ottawa curator Don Monet, this show will include the famous naked portrait of our Prime Minister, Emperor Haute Couture, 2011, by Kingston artist Margaret Sutherland. Other featured artists include: Russell Yuristy, Mahshid Farhoudi, Reid McLachlan, Norman Takeuchi, Sharon Lafferty, Greg Ludlow, Peter Dolan, Clare Brennan, Tony Clark, Barry Padolsky, Tony Fouhse, Jeff Molloy and Katherine McNenly.

Banksy in New York (2)

Beth J. Harpaz in The Globe & Mail.

The secretive street artist Banksy ended his self-announced monthlong residency in New York City with a final piece of graffiti, a painting donated to charity and a debate: Is he a jerk or a genius?

I Wish I'd Drawn…(23)

…this gag by Chaz Maviyane Davies

Logos retouched

From Robert L. Peters' blog.

The art group Maentis is known for its satirical and sometimes corporate-based visual gags. Their latest project involves a culture-jamming redesign of some familiar logos to make a statement about the brands behind them… see more here.

Slaves of the Internet, Unite!

Tim Kreider in the Opinion section of The New York Times

NOT long ago, I received, in a single week, three (3) invitations to write an original piece for publication or give a prepared speech in exchange for no ($0.00) money. As with stinkbugs, it’s not any one instance of this request but their sheer number and relentlessness that make them so tiresome. It also makes composing a polite response a heroic exercise in restraint.

"Fight the Power!: A Visual History of Protest Amongst the English Speaking Peoples"

From The New Internationalist

In his famous history series A History of the English Speaking Peoples Winston Churchill seemed to think that history was about wars and made by great leaders.
Fight the Power! begs to differ and instead presents A Visual History of Protest Amongst the English Speaking Peoples.

I Wish I'd Drawn...(22)

...this wonderful cartoon by Brazilian cartoonist Dalcio Machado

Ralph Steadman Interview

From The Talks

Mr. Steadman, why do you draw?

Drawing is something you do for yourself and for no good reason, really. It’s also something you do on your own. It’s a lone business.

The making of Gerald Scarfe's 'Watch Out, Gromit!'

Dozens of sculptures of Gromit, one half of the highly successful animated series Wallace and Gromit, have raised more than £2.3 million ($3.84 million Cdn) at a charity auction to benefit a British hospital.
I posted an article earlier this month.

Here is a short video of Gerald Scarfe talking about his contribution to the project.

Festival of Cartoon Art Update

From the Billy Ireland Cartoon $ Museum Library blog.

Poster by Paul Hornschemeier

Cartoon Library friends and fans, we’re coming up for a breath of air during the final stretch of planning for our Grand Opening Festival of Cartoon Art to let you know that the rumors are true: Festival registration has sold out and is now closed.

Banksy in New York (1)

From Fubiz




The British artist Banksy decided to make the streets of New York his new playground for the month of October.

He are a few of his interventions:

Goodson Illustrators Draw Support For Gay Rights in Russia

From Desktop

Marie Lafrance

Illustration agent Anna Goodson has engaged her mob of illustrators to draw their support for the LGBT community in Russia. Goodson wrote on her personal blog that “I have been really disturbed by what’s been going on. I was wracking my brain to try to figure out a way to make a statement.”

Daryl Cagle Interviews Egyptian Cartoonist Doaa el Adl

Cartoonist and syndicate owner Daryl Cagle interviews Doaa el Adl in St. Just-le-Martel, France.

St-Just-le-Martel International Festival of Caricature, Editorial and Gag Cartoons

Pat Bagley in The Salt Lake Tribune

The idea for the International St-Just Cartoon Festival came more than 31 years ago to Gérard Vandenbroucke, the mayor. As far as I can tell Gérard has always been mayor of this small town set in rolling french countryside where cows seriously outnumber people.

Cartoon of the week (25)

Viewed 380 times on Twitpic.

In last Wednesday's Speech from the Throne, Stephen Harper made Malala Yousafzai an honorary Canadian. Meanwhile, in Quebec, public employees will be forbidden to wear veils at the office.

Al Hirshfeld Exhibition at Lincoln Center

From The New York Times

“The Line King’s Library” an exhibition of Al Hirschfeld's art at Lincoln Center from October 17 through January 4, 2014.

Rare Bill Watterson Interview

From mental_floss

For the December issue of mental_floss magazine, Jake Rossen managed to do something we thought was impossible—he snagged an interview with the legendary Bill Watterson! Since we’re guessing there are a few Calvin and Hobbes enthusiasts in the audience, we thought we’d provide a glimpse of the e-mail exchange. For our full story on the comic strip, be sure to pick up the print magazine (you can get a free issue here).

"Calvin" Meets "Cul de Sac"

  Michael Cavna in Comic Riffs

Bill Watterson’s oil-on-board tribute artwork of “Cul de Sac” character Petey Otterloop was the cartoonist’s first new public art in more than 15 years. The painting fetched $13,000 at auction last year for Team Cul de Sac’s charity project to fight Parkinson’s. (courtesy of Bill Watterson / Team Cul de Sac 2011 - .)

Bill Watterson and Richard Thompson are ‘happy’ to share new two-man Ohio State University show next March.

"Dear Mr. Watterson" to be released November 15

Alan Gardner in The Daily Cartoonist

Great news! Joel Schroeder’s documentary Dear Mr. Watterson will be in select theaters and available for download through iTunes Music store starting November 15. See the screenings page on their website to see if it will be in a theater near you.

A new trailer has been released (see below).



More about "Dear Mr. Watterson" here.

"Private Eye: A Cartoon History"

From Procatoonists

Fans of Private Eye cartoons were in for a treat last September, as editor Ian Hislop and cartoonist Nick Newman took to the stage for two separate events looking back over 50 years of visual humour in the magazine – where they picked out a few favourite gags and discussed the challenge of selecting the cartoons that make it into the magazine.