Toles & Kuper's cartoon worlds meet at Trump and Elm Street

Daily Cartoon: Wednesday, September 6th

By Peter Kuper

New Yorker.com September 6 2017

'Dreamers' try to dream the American Dream, but then …

By Tom Toles
Washington Post September 6 2017

New caricature coasters at the Hay-Adams

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg of the Supreme court in a caricature drawn by Ann Telnaes on a coaster from the Hay-Adams' Off the Record bar.



Kim Jong-Un by Matt Wuerker and Angela Merkel by Kal.


Mitch McConnell (from 2014) by Kal and Vladimir Putin by Matt Wuerker.

Mitchell MacNaughton - An Artomatic Interview (updated)

by Mike Rhode

Mitchell MacNaughton's caricatures and cartoons recall the 1960s as well as today's issues. He's sharing a room at Artomatic in Crystal City and agreed to answer our usual questions.

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

Many people would label my work as political cartooning, although that’s not quite how I would describe it. Sure, for many pieces I use ink and my subject is political, but I think that there in a certain refinement that would put it closer to the art side rather than the cartooning side.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

If I’m solely creating a black and white piece, my tools include micron pens, black India ink, and either charcoal or a black colored pencil. If I’m creating a piece in color, it could range from gouache to watercolor with certain elements re-colored digitally.

When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

I was born in 1989 on farmlands in Western New York, where I would live for 17 years until I left for Pittsburgh.

Why do you draw and comment on characters and events from the 1960s?

I find mid-century America fascinating because the dynamic of the country completely shifted in a handful of years. President Kennedy came to office on a wave of optimism as the U.S. came to terms with it’s post-war life, then his death is the first in a dark period that saw other assassinations along with riots and strife, and the decade comes to a close with the start of one of our lowest points of the modern century - The Vietnam War. It’s span of years that starts out on a high and bottoms out in a low, and for some reason that intrigues me.

Why are you in Washington now?  What neighborhood or area do you live in?

I had always wanted to live in DC, as it’s a natural fit for somebody with my artistic themes, and after years of plotting a planning I finally got my chance when I was offered a job at a political direct mail agency. While here, I have never lived in any neighborhood outside of Alexandria.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

While in studying for my degree in graphic design, I knew that my priority was becoming an illustrator. Thankfully for my perseverance, I had many teachers who insisted that I would fail or that the market was too crowded, so while I was in their classes I would look up artists and and search illustration advice websites out of spite. I took what I was learning in my design courses and let that influence certain facets of my drawing that created my current style.

Who are your influences?

Currently I am obsessed with Kukryniksy - a group of 3 artists who created work out in Russia during World War 2. In fact, I would say that the whole era of political art during World War 2 had a great effect on me. Artists used their astounding talent at a time when the world was witnessing pure evil, and the artwork was unyielding.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?

I would work up the confidence to promote myself much earlier. I am the only artist in my family, so I was (and to an extent still am) blindly wandering around trying to figure out what to do, and that creates a sense of never being good enough to compete with those who seem to have it figured out.

What work are you best-known for?

To the extent that I am known, it would probably be for my drawing style and political subject matter.

What work are you most proud of?

I am most proud of creating artwork that highlights certain news stories in the world that may not get as much attention, such as the human rights abuses of Bashar al-Assad or civilian casualties of drone strikes. When you are a political artist, it can be very easy to take the easy attack on a subject, suck as making Trump bright orange, and while that can be fun it should not be at the expense of using your skill to touch on other issues.

What would you like to do  or work on in the future?

One project that I have had on my mind is an animated story/documentary about my uncle’s time in Vietnam and his life after being exposed to Agent Orange, but that is a hefty project that requires many steps in the build-up. Another interest I have been wanting to purse is taking classic literature and spoofing/rewriting them to mock out current political climate.

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

If I’m feeling the rust coming on then I have to get up and step away from my desk, because I know that if I don’t I will just end up on Youtube and destroy my entire night. Usually I can go play video games for an hour or so to refresh myself and get back in a work mode.

What do you think will be the future of your field? 

That’s so hard to say. The illustration and art field feels like it is and has been going through such a rapid transformation with the shifting a mediums that they depend on, such as print media and the freelancing economy. All I can do is keep making my work and hoping that I can find new ways to keep it from becoming stale.

What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Intervention, or others? Any comments about attending them?

I have only attended Small Print Expo as a visitor, where I spent most of my time at the Fantagraphics’ tables.

What's your favorite thing about DC?

I absolutely love the amount of food choices. Possibly it’s because I’m originally a small-town rube, but I’ve become so much more adventurous in my eating here simply because the options are all present for you to try.

Least favorite?

Transportation as a whole. The Metro system only functions in various stages of broken, making a two station trip take upwards of 30 minutes. That isn’t to say that driving is any better, because the drivers here are absolutely wild. Trying to get out of D.C. on these roads with it’s drivers is like trying to escape from a Supermax prison. Nearly impossible.

What monument or museum do like to take visitors to?

My favorite without hesitation is the Presidential portrait room at the National Portrait Gallery.

How about a favorite local restaurant?

Cape Banh Mi in Alexandria. The catfish is one of the best things I have eaten.

Do you have a website or blog?

macnaughtonillos.com for my art and artotunion.com for my blog.

Joe Sutliff launches Trumpy doll Kickstarter

The direct link is https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/485242647/trumpy-doll/

March 2: Steve Brodner in Baltimore

Steve Brodner will be speaking on Johns Hopkins' Homewood Campus at 5:30 on March 2. See the image for more details.

Mike Jenkins' Capital Artworks

Mike is a local caricaturist who lives in Northern Va.

From his Facebook page:

Capital Artworks' personalized art entertains with caricatures at an event or art for a special gift. See www.CapitalArtWorks.com to see what we're up to!

Biography

Capital Artworks was started by award winning Editorial Cartoonist Mike Jenkins after he left the newspaper business. Combining his caricature skills with his ability to express a unique angle on a story graphically, Capital Artworks was born. By hiring only the best caricature artists, vetted and trusted by Mike personally, to meet his high standards, Capital Artworks entertains at events big and small alike and to create that perfect gift for a milestone event.

Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat with Rajan Sedalia

Sedalia working on a caricature.

Rajan Sedalia was a volunteer caricaturist at the Cartoons and Cocktails fundraiser this fall, donating the cost of a sketch to the charity. A cartoon he donated also raised additional money. Sedalia has some creative urges beyond cartooning - recently The Washington Post outed Rajan as a yarn-bomber.

ComicsDC: What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

I have an egg & sperm comic strip. It started because I am fascinated by the things we do, and things we say to camouflage those feelings.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination? 

I always start with a pencil or prismacolor pencil. Then, I'll add black ink and go digital from there. I've been sketching on tablets, as well.

What neighborhood or area do you live in? 

I live in Brookland, and will be opening my studio within a few months. It will hold graffiti classes, live art and English as a third language class for dogs.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

I attended art schools and university in Ohio and Michigan.

Who are your influences? 

Chuck Jones and James Brown.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change? 

I would be born from wealthy, and well-connected parents.

What work are you best-known for?  

I don't know.

What work are you most proud of? 

Nothing.

What would you like to do or work on in the future? 

I would like to continue doing with I'm doing.

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block? 

Exercise and take a nap.

What do you think will be the future of your field? 

His finished caricature of our beloved founder.

What future?

What's your favorite thing about DC? 

It's getting bike friendly.

Least favorite? 

De facto segregation.

What monument or museum do you like to take visitors to? 

I enjoy them all, particularly in the warm weather.

Do you have a website or blog?  

www.artjar.com

Telnaes caricatures for Post opinion blogs

Ann Telnaes has done the caricatures of writers for The Post's opinion blogs.

She says she "did the Sargent, Wemple, Rubin, and Eskew & Rogers ones."

KAL's take on Poe, now in your local bar

As he's noted on his Facebook page, Kevin 'Kal' Kallaugher drew a caricature of Edgar Allen Poe for The Raven Special Lager beer. These were bought in Alexandria at Total Wine in Landmark.

Bob Staake featured in today's Post

Bob Staake is featured in today's Washington Post for a decade of weekly contest drawings.

Bob Staake's favorite cartoons of 20 years of Style Invitational
Washington Post March 3 2013
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/bob-stakkes-favorite-cartoons-of-20-years-of-style-invitational/2013/02/27/b7c015e2-7b99-11e2-a044-676856536b40_gallery.html#photo=1

Bob Staake establishes the zaniness to the unwary of the Invitational. Bob started illustrating the weekly contest example in 1994, and he's drawn close to 1,000 images.

and a biographical note:

The art (or 'art') of the Invitational
By Pat Myers,
Washington Post (March 3 2013).
online at http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/the-art-or-art-of-the-invitational/2013/02/28/65239f10-7564-11e2-95e4-6148e45d7adb_story.html

Give me some old school PSAs

PSA's (aka Public Service Announcements) still exist, but are probably not as noticable to most in our media saturated environment.  As you might expect, cartoonists and cartoon characters are often a part of them. Of course, they also serve as an advertisement for the cartoon itself. Here's a current one that I walked past for a couple of months (excuse the cell phone quality):



This Blondie panel from 1970 was in a newspaper in the National Museum of Health and Medicine:



These comics of the Pink Panther, Blondie, Beetle Bailey, and Mutt & Jeff all come from Navy medical newspapers or newsletters.











Speaking of Mutt and Jeff, cartoonist Al Smith drew it for about 50 years. Here he is entertaining patients at a 1971 visit to Bethesda's National Naval Medical Center.



Caricaturist Jack Rosen visited Naval Hospital Orlando in 1979.



Of course, sometimes an ad is just an ad. This US Postal Service Mover's Guide Official Change of Address Kit, January 2013, has a Disney advertisement, and is available right now from your local post office.



These are minor footnotes in a larger history of comics, but hopefully enterained you briefly.

Obama, after Kal UPDATED

 

KAL gave a great presentation at an exhibit a few days ago. He talked about his career and political cartooning for an hour and a half, and it was great fun throughout. (The drawing above was a rush job, done on vacation at a dude ranch, and colored with a children's watercolor set.)

 

 

 

 

At the very end of his talk, he took the audience of about 30 people through a lesson in how to draw Obama. His was better, naturally, but it's pretty amazing that he got us to draw a recognizable caricature.

The exhibit, which includes some original artwork by KAL, is open for a few more days. If you go, make sure you see the second part of the exhibit downstairs.

 



 

Donkeys and Elephants: A Celebration of American Political Cartoons

January 4 - January 26, 2013

Studio Gallery Hours:
Wednesday - Friday, 1 - 7pm
Saturday, 1 - 6pm

Directions To The Gallery

  2108 R Street N.W. Washington, DC 20008   |   info@studiogallerydc.com   |   202.232.8734

A flea market miscellany

Here's some of the oddball stuff I picked up last weekend:



Bull of the Woods by J.R. Williams cartoon desk blotter / calendar from Vogt Roller Co, Chicago, IL in March 1953.



Bill Clinton superhero caricature on an Inauguration '93 button.

 
 
A counterfeit Bart Simpson saying "I belong to The Johns Hopkins Health Plan. Why In The Hell Don't You!" on an advertising button.



Nutty Awards #4 postcard by Jack Davis.  Topps produced 30 of these in 1965.

Stephen Hess on Obama caricatures

Martin, Michel.  2011.
Political Caricatures Of Obama, 'Birther Movement' Hint Of Racism.
National Public Radio's Tell Me More April 27, 2011http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/27/135770521/politcal-caricatures-of-obama-birther-movement-hint-of-racism
http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/tmm/2011/04/20110427_tmm_01.mp3

Tom Spurgeon has some commentary on the piece, which also included political cartoonist Mike Luckovich.

Kal Draws Bill Clinton

Kevin Kallaugher of Baltimore writes in

I have just posted a video and sketches from the recent "World in 2011 Festival" in NYC where I was the official artist. Guests included  Bill Clinton, Commander of the US Navy Admiral Roughead, Celebrity Chef Jose Andres  and Grammy award winning artist Loudon Wainwright III.

You can view them here: http://www.kaltoons.com/wordpress/2010/12/sketches-from-the-world-in-2011-festival/


Kal
Kevin Kallaugher
kal@kaltoons.com
www.Kaltoons.com
The KAL iPhone App is now available at the iTunes store.


and to bring it all back home, while Clinton was a famous person in Washington, Jose Andres (pictured above) lives here and started his restaurant empire with the excellent Jaleos, featuring Spanish tapas.

Richard Thompson on his USN&WR days

Complete with a Bill Clinton caricature for old times sake - Your Old Caricature from USN&WR for Today, November 28, 2010

Palm restaurant caricature pictures incidentally in Post

Palm restaurant caricature pictures appeared incidentally in Post today, in an article on waiters who remember orders as opposed to writing them down. The article, oddly enough, appeared above the fold on the front page so one could seen Brant Parker's Wizard of Id in the background by the waiter's head.

Tom Toles back when he was a Buffalonian

Here's some 1973 art by Toles - scott edelman, "Tom Toles and the Cosmos," Failing Better blog 03 September 2009.

Mardi Gras parade with life-size Thompson finger puppets

The planning:



Design sketches for BonoTom's Richard Thompson-influenced entry at the Clarendon Mardi Gras parade in Arlington, VA.



The parade on Fat Tuesday in Clarendon, Arlington, Va:


The Secret Service clotheslined the guy in the vest seconds after this picture was taken.




That's the head of last year's float.


A print of two of Thompson's caricatures is wrapped around the beads they're tossing.