Inkspot 50

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Inkspot #50 Spring 2006 www.cartoonists.org.au www.cartoonists.org.au#50 Spring 2006#50 Spring 2006#50 Spring 2006 www.cartoonists.org.au www.cartoonists.org.au www.cartoonists.org.au www.cartoonists.org.au www.cartoonists.org.au www.cartoonists.org.au www.cartoonists.org.au

www.cartoonists.org.au Inkspot #50 Spring 2006

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Number 41 : Wintr 2004

Number 50 Spring 20061300 658 581

ACA BoardPatron

Vane Lindesay (03) 9523 8635

Acting President / Membership SecretaryPeter Broelman

08 8255 9939 [email protected]

Grant Brown(03) 5446 2224 [email protected]

TreasurerMick Horne

(08) 9527 3000 [email protected] Presidents

Steve Panozzo (NSW/ACT)(02) 8920 9996 [email protected]

Rolf Heimann (Vic/Tas)(03) 9699 4858 [email protected]

Sean Leahy (Qld)(07) 3325 2822 [email protected]

Dave Allen(SA/NT)(08) 8370 9010 [email protected]

Greg Smith (WA)(08) 9409 5026 [email protected]

ABN 19 140 290 841Inkspot is produced four times a year by the

Australian Cartoonists’ Association.PO Box 318 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012

ACA AFFILIATED ORGANISATIONSNational Cartoonists Society

President Rick StromoskiSecretary Rick Kirkman

www.reuben.org

Cartoonists’ Club of Great BritainPresident Terry ChristienSecretary Richard Tomes

www.ccgb.org.uk

FECOPresident-General Marlene Pohle

Secretary-General Peter Nieuwendijkwww.fecoweb.org

Australia Post RegistrationPP 533798/0015

Inkspot Insomniac: James KemsleyInskpot Prifroader: Steve Panozzo

Inkspot contributors:Peter Broelman, Jason Chatfi eld,

Gary Clark, Chad Corley, Noel Ford, Lindsay Foyle,

Tim Harries, Rolf Heimann, Chris Kelly, James Kemsley, Pran Kumar, Steve Panozzo,

Adrian Sinnott, Ian C. Thomas

President’s Parlay

It’s not every day I have to bung on an act. Yet here I am completely un- rehearsed as the Acting President of the ACA.

A month or so ago, Brett Bower stepped down from the ACA Presidency due to personal matters. Formerly the NSW/ACT Vice-President, Brett stepped up when previous President James Kemsley had to pull the pin due to health issues back in March.

Brett initiated the Board meeting at Ballarat in March, a fruitful exercise that galvanised the Board and provided certainty for those Board members who were unsure on the direction we should be taking.

On behalf of the ACA I would like to thank Brett for his expertise and professionalism.

Being President of anything can be a demanding and taxing job (although George Dubya’s performance would suggest otherwise).

High on the agenda this time of year is The Stanley Awards. Full credit must go to Rolf Heimann, aided and abetted by George Haddon and their band of merry Victorians, for the full Stanleys weekend. It is an amazing workload Rolf has taken on and I’m equally grateful to the beautiful Leila for supporting Rolf. I’m sure a protest voyage to Muroroa Atoll back in the 70s seems a picnic compared to the tumultuous organization of a Stanleys weekend. Thanks Rolf!

It is the fi rst time since 1988 that The Stanleys have been on Victorian soil. We hope that our valued Melbourne-based members and friends attend The Stanleys in Ballarat. Please check out the Stanleys brochure or download it from www.cartoonists.org.au. We are sure you will have a great time celebrating our great passion.

This year we have been fortunate to secure The Age as sponsor for the Gold Stanley for Cartoonist Of The Year. Thanks must go to The Age’s Newspaper Sales and Marketing Director Antony Catalano for his support.

For the fi rst time The Stanleys is supported by fi ve of Australia’s major daily newspapers, each sponsoring a Stanley category: The Age (Cartoonist Of The Year), The Australian (General Illustration), The Sydney Morning Herald (Editorial), The Herald Sun (Caricature) and The Daily Telegraph (Comic Strip). It is pleasing to see these great newspapers support the ACA. Go buy a copy now!

Meanwhile our old friends at Corel (Humorous Illustration), Wacom (Digital Illustration) and Thomson Education Direct (Single Gag) are supporting The Stanleys again this year. Thanks to Richard Dodd, David Spencer and Bevan McPherson respectively for their continued support. Again the MEAA has given us their support. Jane Worthington would be pleased to know the ACA’s Walkley Award is pulling some serious $$$ on eBay).

The ACA Year Book is again an impressive compilation of the best of Australian cartooning. Thanks must go to Jason Chatfi eld who amazes us with his ability to never sleep and do ACA stuff and to David Follett for the magnifi cent front and back cover.

The Year Book has been kindly supported by old friends and new: Atlantic Syndication, Viscopy, the National Museum of Australia, Auspac and Copyright Agency Ltd. Big thanks also to those ACA members who have supported the Year Book with their own advertisements.

This year The Australian is conducting the Bill Mitchell Memorial Award for budding cartoonists less than 25 years of age. Keep an eye out for details in The Australian or keep tabs on the news fi ltering from the ACA.

As the ACA starts to wind up the calendar year (and elections at the AGM) there are many people who have put in to make the ACA what it is today. I guess that’s why I’m “acting” because this is truly a team effort – (in no particular order) Steve Panozzo, Jason Chatfi eld, Greg Smith, Dave Allen, John Martin, Rolf Heimann, George Haddon, Cary Clark, Jenny Hughes, Sean Leahy, Brett Bower, Grant and Kerry-Anne Brown, John Spooner, Alan Moir, Mark Knight, Chris Kelly, Ian Thomas, Christophe Granet, Jim Bridges, Dave Follett, John Moses, and last but not least James Kemsley who has masterfully put this issue of Inkspot together.

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Inkspot #50 Spring 2006 www.cartoonists.org.au

W ho was the Lone Avenger? What magic word gave Captain Atom his powers? Where did Molo the

Mighty come from? This October all will be revealed as the World’s largest exhibition of Australian Comic Books - Heroes and Villains: Australian Comic Books and Their Creators - opens at the State Library of Victoria.

This free exhibition explores the colourful, and sometimes controversial, history of Australian comic books from their wartime origins in the 1940s to the present day. Hundreds of Australian comic books and rare examples of original artwork - plus toys and merchandise such as Phantom skull rings and Ginger Meggs statuettes - will be on display, some for the fi rst time ever.

Exhibition curator, Kevin Patrick, is an Australian comics expert, collector

and devoted fan. Many of the items on display are drawn from Patrick’s personal collection, which he recently donated to the State Library, and includes nearly every Australian comic published from 1975 to 2005.

Costumed heroes like Captain Power and Dark Nebula, western gunslingers such as the Phantom Ranger and the Hooded Rider, and cheeky misfi ts like Da ‘n’ Dill and Fatty Finn all made up the unique and fascinating Australian comic book culture. “I am extremely pleased that these characters will be on show for the generations who grew up with them and, perhaps more importantly, for those who didn’t,” said Patrick.

Heroes and Villains will also be an online exhibition, allowing people all over Australia to interact and engage with the subject matter. The online exhibition will

include a blog, online chat with comic book artists and an online competition to have work produced by a professional cartoonist.

Patrick hopes that Heroes and Villains will give visitors a deeper appreciation for the art of the comic book. “I think many people will fi nd this a refreshing and fascinating insight into an often overlooked area of Australian publishing and culture,” he said.

Heroes & Villains: Australian comics and their creators

20 October 2006 - 25 February 2007Keith Murdoch Gallery, State Library of Victoria

Entry 1, 328 Swanston Street, MelbourneOpen 10am - 5pm daily

Free entryOnline exhibition goes live 20 October 2006

at: www.slv.vic.gov.au/heroes

Farmer Milks Coffs Cow

J ohn “Polly” Farmer (right) was standing amongst several hundred Coffs Harbour natives (and a few of his professional

colleagues), arms folded nervously, wondering why on Earth he was there.

You see, he had been fl own up to Coffs Harbour (all the way from Tasmania) by the Rotary Club of Coffs Harbour City to attend the 18th annual Rotary Cartoon Awards. He was staying at Nautilus Resort, at someone else’s expense. So he presumed he must have been there to collect an award... but all the category winners had been handed their medallions and cheques.

Granted, there was some serious competition - he was up against 350 cartoons from 36 Australian cartoonists, as well as 34 cartoonists from 17 other countries. There was a prize pool of $10,000 - three grand of which was going to Cartoon of the Year.

It was a momentous night in many other ways, too. The Rotary Club of Coffs Harbour City was formally handing over the permanent collection of over 13,000 cartoons to the city, and Coffs Habour City Council was taking over the responsibility of running the Bunker Cartoon Gallery and care of the collection under the auspices of the City Gallery.

Former Bunker curator, Dr. Leigh Summers, has (delightedly) assumed responsibility for the Bunker in her new role as City Gallery and Museum curator, so the whole box and dice is in good hands. Shellie Kelly has taken over the role of directing the Bunker.

Tom Hamilton-Foster, who with the late John Champion created and oversaw

the awards and the conversion of the Bunker - and indeed Coffs’ growing reputation as the “cartoon capital of Australia” - was there for the night and nodded his head sagely.

“This is a good thing”, he said conspiratorially “I’ve been pushing for this for years.”

“It’s the only way all this will survive and grow.”

Eventually, after Chris Kelly, David Rowe, Vince O’Farrell, Tony Lopes, Mark Lynch, Matt Adams and Peter Lewis (winning four awards on the night) had collected their loot, the time came for the announcement of Cartoon of the Year... and the slowly dawning realisation for Farmer that he had taken the top award.

The now very jolly band of cartoonists, including Steve Panozzo representing the ACA, then toddled off back to Nautilus for a round of brilliant food and several bottles of Victory Red.

RotaryCoffs HarbourAwards 2006

CARTOON OF THE YEARJohn “Polly” Farmer

BEST CARTOON WITH APOLITICAL THEME

1st. - Chris KellyMerit - Peter Lewis

BEST CARTOON - OPEN THEME1st. - Peter Lewis

Merit - Vince O’Farrell

BEST CARTOON - SPORTS THEME1st. - David Rowe

Merit - Peter Lewis

BEST CARTOON - AUSSIE MEDIA1st. - Vince O’FarrellMerit - David Rowe

BEST COMIC STRIP - FAMILY LIFE1st. - Tony Lopes

Merit - Mark Lynch

BEST CARICATURE OF A WELL-KNOWN PERSON

1st. - Matt AdamsMerit- Peter Lewis

INTERNATIONAL AWARDTHEME - CELEBRATION1st. - David Rowe (NSW)

Merit - Young Sik Oh (Seoul, Korea)

KAPOW! World’s Largest Australian Comics Exhibition


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Rolf Harris is the fi rst artist to be commissioned by the Royal Australian Mint create a new design in their new Great Australian Artists coin series.Janine Murphy, from the Royal Australian Mint said, “After months of careful consideration, three iconic Australian artists were short-listed. They were in turn asked to develop their own unique visual interpretation of the kangaroo.” Harris is the fi rst artist to be offered the privilege of designing the new $1kangaroo coin. He has crafted a uniquely Australian image of the outback, featuring the kangaroo and its joey embracing one another under a gum tree.

The offi cial launch of the Michael Collins Caricature Award took place Crowne Plaza Hotel in Perth. Sponsors and media were there to witness the bounce down of the fi rst event. The major sponsor, Australia Post, was

represented by Ian Leggoe, and Anne Liddle was there from the Heart Foundation of Australia, the MCCA’s charity for the inaugural year. The ABC’s Trevor Jenkins was the MC for the occasion, and received a framed caricature for his efforts.

Not content with producing his award-winning editorial cartoons Monday to Saturday, The Sydney Morning Herald’s Alan Moir has found other things to while away the idle hours. During September he gave a six hour illustrated talk on the History of Political Cartooning for the University of Sydney Centre for Continuing Education. Open to the general public and costing $125 the day-long course looked at the main streams of Western cartooning that came to infl uence Australasian cartooning, and how Australasians then went back to Fleet Street and changed the

P a r zNew Zealand-based member Alex Hallatt’s new panel is causing quite a stir in a good way. Titled Humancull.com (right) it has been in development for well over a year. It came out of Hallatt’s general concern about the planet, over-population and how humans are responsible for its decline, plus her more specifi c frustration with all the little things that people do to bring you down in life. What if you could save the planet by culling just the really annoying people in it? And so Little Green Men Disposal Services was enlisted, employing alienadmin with suits, rayguns and variable customer service. A comic strip was whittled down to a single panel and humancull.com is now live and updated daily. Check it out on www.humancull.com or on Comics Sherpa at www.comicssherpa.com/site/feature?uc_comic=csmfz. Not one content to sit on her laurels, Hallatt has also been busy marketing her quirky, off-the-wall Arctic Circle comic strip (below), which had its fi rst outing with the Rural Press dailies. Whispers are that it’s also crossing signifi cant “t”s and doting important “i”s in all the right places. Watch this space!

Australia’s largest comic expo, Supanova 2006, returns to Sydney from October 27-29, at the Exhibition Hall, Sydney Olympic Park. This year sees a change of venue to the larger Exhibition Hall where exhibitors and visitors a like can really stretch out! Children 5 to 12 years will be admitted free with a paying adult. Details can be found on the websitewww.supanova.com.au.

Drawings by ACA stawart Norman Hetherington were among 30 works on paper on display during August & September at the Marianne Newman Gallery in Sydney. Norman’s drawings complemented etchings by Sydney artists Guy Warren and Adam Cullen.

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instigators will write to the DailyMirror, where the Capp cartoonswere fi rst featured in 1957, askingif the newspaper would be willing tocontribute to the cost. The comic strip continues to enjoy worldwide popularity under the pen of Roger Mahoney with gag-master Roger Kettle.

Tanya Creer and Warren Brown ANDCorels’ Richard Dodd and better half Michelle Hickman will all miss Stanleys 2006, their fi rst cop-out in years. It’s not they they don’t like Ballarat, are sick of cartoonists and don’t hold out much hope of scoring runs in this year’s Bancks XI v Mailey XI cricket showdown. The reason is much simpler BOTH couples plan to produce their fi rst off-spring on the very weekend the gongs are handed out! What sort of planning is that? Anyway from the ACA and Inkspot team congratulations to you all. BUT next year how about keeping an eye on the calendar?

Beetle Bailey creator Mort Walker’s National Cartoon Museum is closing before it ever opened at the Empire State Building due to disagreements over the proposed lease. The museum was scheduled to open on the fi rst three fl oors of the iconic Manhattan skyscraper in 2007 with more than 200,000 pieces of comic art. New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs and City Council have together committed US1.8 million (AUS$2.4 million)to the project.

The juggernaught that is It’s A Jungle Out There continues to roll on. The Auspac Media syndicated comic strip by Australian- based Frenchman Christophe Granet (right) has recently been picking up papers across the country, including the Cairns Post. It seems Aussies are not the only ones who enjoy Granet’s work with the Rensselaer Republican, Indiana, signing up to publish the strip daily Stateside. Jungle also had recent highly successful exhibtion at the Coffs Harbour Bunker Gallery.

world of Political Cartooning. Moir’s talk also compared the cartooning of the Democracies to that of the autocracies and dictatorships, and looked at the diffi culties of cartooning in the developing world as well as discussing the law, censorship, and the new technologies.

Any ACA member, or any cartoonist for that matter contemplating a trip to Europe next year, should get out his atlas and look up Kruishoutem. It’s a busy little town in Belgium and it’s aiming to become a unique centre of cartooning. A purpose-build museum is being constructed as we speak.It will house the ECC, the European Cartoon Centre, and its website is already going. Kruikshouten will be a centre for exhibitions, for information and learning about cartoons. Its library is keen to acquire as many cartoon books as possible, so take a few of your books along when you visit!

While on the subjects of books the ECC currently only have one ACA Year Book in their collection and are keen to have a full set, If any members have copies they no longer want please contact Victoria VP Rolf Heimann, who among the many hats the scibbler now wears is the new Australian FECO representative. ALSO our hard working Treasurer Mick Horne is searching for copies of Inkspots #38 (September 2003)and #40 (Autumn 2004), in good condition. So if they’re taking up space on your coffee table or in a cupboard you can make Mr Horne a very happy invoice-payer.

From the CCGB’s Jester comes the news that a statue of Andy Capp could be put up in Hartlepool. Reg Smythe, creator of the cartoon character, was born in the town. He died in June 1998. The £20,000 (AUS$ 50,000) project would go forward if there was clear support among residents. If there is backing, the

SA VP Dave Allen is off to see the world, of course in the name of work! Having publishers and agents across the globe for his widely syndicated features Doghouse and Kid Stuff, Allen fi gured it was time he caught up with them. The next six weeks will see him working his butt off in Rome, Siena, Florence, Paris, the UK, New York and San Francisco. The life of a cartoonist is tough. Should be a lot of interesting stories around the Ballarat Lodge in November.

Depending when you’re reading this the Queensland Chapter of the ACA will be having a BBQ get-together at 12 noon, Roma Street, Parklands, Brisbane on Sunday 8th October. Contact QLD VP Sean Leahy at [email protected] for more details. If you’ve missed it still keep in touch wth Leahy for future get togethers in the Sunshine State.

Fur and feathers fl ew on a recent ACA Forum discussion when a couple members suggested, on the basis of saving money, that Inkspot should only be distributed electronically as a PDF fi le and not published in hard copy. Let us know YOUR views by emailing [email protected], writing to PO Box 318 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 or telling your local Chapter VP. Of course the thread is still on the Members’ Forum at www.cartoonists.org.au if you want to post an opinion.

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#50 Spring 2006 www.cartoonists.org.au


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During the fi rst 60 years that The Black and White Artists’ Club operated in Sydney, communication between members wasn’t diffi cult. Members either worked together or drank together. Anyone out of the loop was no more than a quick phone call away.

When the decision was made to turn the Sydney club into a national body, there was not much thought put into the changes that would need to be made to running the Club. It was obvious that new state sections would have to be created, but apart from the Stanley Awards there was little thinking on a national scale.

Had everybody really understood just what they were getting themselves into they might have had second thoughts. The fi rst Stanley Awards night was held on the 1st. of November, 1985 and was more successful than anyone had imagined. The big spin-off was the contact between cartoonists from different cities and the friendships that developed.

It didn’t take long before it was realised that the old style of communication between members had passed its use-by date. Club members still talked while they drank in bars, but the bars where now all over Australian and not just in Sydney.

ABWAC President John Thorby and Secretary Elizabeth Lambert put together the fi rst newsletter which was posted to members. It might not seem much now, but back then it was almost magic - a newsletter by cartoonists for cartoonists. It was produced on a typewriter, with some added content cut out from newspapers and pasted down. All up, it fi lled four photocopied pages. Back then, a technically advanced cartoonist had access to a fax, and whilst some cartoonists now draw on a computer and email cartoons all over the world, we still have members who draw on paper and don’t own a fax or a computer.

The fi rst copy of Inkspot is undated and starts with the words “Now that we have had out fi rst Annual Black and White Artists’ Awards and our fi rst Australian Annual General Meeting, we are pleased to present our very fi rst Newsletter -The Inkspot.” On the back of the document is a promotion for a dinner to be held on 5 April 1986 at the Southern Cross Hotel, where a book of original drawings was to be raffl ed, so it probably came out early in 1986. It also boasted that ABWAC membership had grown from 30 Sydney members in 1984 to 112, with representatives from every state in Australia.

Now, this newsletter should not be confused with the 10-page Inkspot that came out in March 1986, which is also numbered as issue Number One. It promoted a dinner to be held on the 1st of November, where the raffl e of the book of original drawings will take place. Same book, different dinner and the raffl e ended up being conducted at the second Black and White Artists’ Awards on 11 November 1986.

By comparison with the fi rst fi rst issue (see page 8) it was enormous - ten pages, all edited by Wayne Baldwin. He’d been the person behind the cartoon exhibition in Adelaide in 1983 and had convinced a number of cartoonists from all over Australia to go to South Australia for a conference, which was in reality a weekend of drinking followed by late night drinking and early morning drinking and lunchtime drinking. It preceded the formation of the national Black and White Artists’ Club and demonstrated how much cartoonists could benefi t from drinking with a wider range of friends.

The second-fi rst Inkspot was produced in much the same manner as the fi rst-fi rst and must have run up a hefty photocopying bill.

Issue three, which came out in September 1986, was the fi rst to have a full-page illustration on the front page. It was especially drawn by Franklin Johnson who had been

Twenty years - 50 issues(or is it 51?)

With this issue INKSPOT reaches a milestoneThe ACA’s own historian LINDSAY FOYLE

looks back on the Club’s newsletter


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a copyboy in Sydney at The Daily Telegraph in 1959 whilst waiting for a cadetship. He came from a family of talented artists, but he seems to have vanished from the publishing world soon after doing the drawing for Inkspot, which was still produced on a typewriter and pasted down. But it now had an ‘Executive Editor’ in Ian Cox, a past President of the Club and Baldwin remained as Editor.

It wasn’t until Issue 11 (Summer 1988) that a real printer got involved and the magazine acquired staples. This might have been deemed to be necessary because Inkspot had now grown to 28 pages and had been typeset. By the Spring of 1989, when Issue 14 arrived in our mailboxes, Inkspot had grown to 48 pages and a small number were being fl ogged on newsstands - anything to get some money in to offset the growing cost of what had become the ABWAC’s biggest expense. There was paid advertising, too and some talk of turning what had been our Club newsletter into a commercial magazine venture.

Production of Inkspot had moved along by Issue 24 which appeared in the summer of 1994 and was consuming more time and money, having grown to 72 pages with a 12-page FECONews insert. James Kemsley was now Managing Editor and Steve Panozzo Associate Editor. They have been involved in almost every issue since then. In many ways, this was a landmark issue which (among other things) covered the launch of Vane Lindesay’s Drawing from Life, the only book which details the history of our Club. There was also a story on the 1994 Stanley Awards which was the fi rst The Bulletin didn’t sponsor and was attended by Diana DeBring, the daughter of Cecil Hartt, the fi rst Club President. If all that wasn’t enough it was also the fi rst issue we’d produced since the death of Bill Mitchell and there was a fi ve-page tribute to him.

Finances were getting tight and within Inkspot there was a report on how little money there was to keep the club operating and producing Inkspot. Club patron, Jim Russell was turning every committee meeting into a battleground, wanting each issue to be fully subsidised by advertising before it went out. A wonderful idea, but we didn’t have anyone willing to sell advertising. What we got was mostly from Panozzo and Kemsley pushing the magazine’s virtues onto potential advertisers who seemed to be keen on giving us money. They were also doing most of the work on putting Inkspot together and there is a limit to how much time you can put into a project.

By 1995 Jimmy was victorious and instead of producing Inkspot, the ABWAC’s fi nances were being used to produce Sketches (a four page newsletter) which was meant to

supplement Inkspot while we waited for adverting money to roll in. Over the next fi ve years there were 16 issues, some getting up to eight pages and was starting to look suspiciously like Inkspot under a different name. Whilst Jimmy was offi cially the Editor, much of the hard production work was done in the Sydney art department of News Limited. It was getting silly as Inkspot was still being produced, even if it was at a reduced rate and in the Spring of 1997 a 52-page issue was produced with a cover story on Ginger Meggs’ 75th birthday.

After that issue, the committee capitulated to Russell’s wishes, agreeing that Inkspot would not be produced again until the cost was covered by advertising. Now there were advertisers out there who wanted to be in Inkspot, however they wouldn’t commit till we had a print date. But under Jim’s rules we couldn’t get a print date until the advertisers committed. Jimmy was wilting under the strain and Peter Broelman kept Sketches going in 2000 putting the February, April, June and August issues together under the designation of Dogsbody. He seemed to think it was a step-up from Editor.

In the end the Mexican stand-off was killed off and Inkspot was back in business, re-emerging from hibernation in 2000. At only 16 pages, it looked like the old Inkspot and had better content than Sketches. There was talk of Sketches continuing but it never got back into production. It had served a purpose in keeping the membership informed about the Club and cartooning and with an intention of producing four Inkspots a year, more issues of Sketches would just be too much of a good thing. To some extent, Inkspot Issue 30 (which rolled off the printing press in February 2001) had a bit of the Sketches look about it. As did the next nine issues, but by the summer of 2003, when Issue 39 was produced, Inkspot was again taking on the look of a magazine and not a newsletter.

Russell didn’t see these changes as he died in August 2001, but he would have approved of the new developments which included a rotating roster of production personnel as Inkspot moved from State to State, starting with the September 2003 issue. There’s even been an issue produced in New Zealand (number 45). Anyone wanting to produce an issue only has to put their hand up.

A colour cover in 2004, featuring Paul Rigby on it (Issue 41) began another era for Inkspot and since then there has been no looking back. Most of the printing since then has been done in Perth with Jason Chatfi eld doing the hard work of getting Inkspot to the printer and Mick Horne overseeing distribution. The good news is there have been more people involved in producing Inkspot over the past fi ve years than were involved in the preceding 19. Every one of them deserves a pat on the back.

While there have been many highs and some lows in the fi fty issues of Inkspot (and many would have differing opinions as to which has been the best one), it’s hard to go past Issue 48 (Autumn 2006). If they had it, our coverage of the Danish Muhammad cartoon saga would have had many publications around the world boasting about it.

Inkspot is not perfect. There have been problems with production with every issue, and many a time it could have been better had there been time and people to work on it. But it has done its job in keeping the members of the Australian Cartoonists Association informed about our association and about cartooning. Whilst a small Club magazine, it has also set a standard that is the envy of every other cartoon association in the world.

When the original Black and White Artists’ Club went national, the dream was to promote cartooning and bring the cartoonists of Australia together. It’s hard to remember how things were before either the Stanleys or Inkspot, but without both Australian cartooning would be poorer. However there are probably more than a few mass communication centres (commonly known as pubs) that are poorer - cartoonists no longer have to drink in bars to know what’s going on.

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profusely in the 120°F heat, because there was Steadman

running behind them to make a speech.From the manner

in which he was speaking to me, I

sensed he had already gulped a

few pints.“Pablo Picasso

was not an artist, but a cartoonist” was Steadman’s

opinionated view. I agreed.

“Yes, I have seen many of the great master’s drawings and they are in a

caricaturistic style” said the satirist

sipping his scotch.“In creation, it is

the art which matters solely.

Style is nothing.”“No!”, here I differed, “Style marks the character of a

man. ““Suppose I see a drawing by Ronald Searle, which is

not signed by him,” I ventured. “I could easily recognize the creation by the typical style of the cartoonist.”

Steadman asked for another glass, and after drinking half of that, he remarked, “All creatures of the universe are equal. Man is also an animal.”

“But a social animal.” I quoted Aristotle.“True!” he said, “Man should eschew anger, because it

is harmful to physical health.”“Anger also lessens the reason.” I smiled.“That’s a fact!”We were so engrossed in conversation, it didn’t occur

to us that it had started drizzling and everybody, except the two of us, had moved inside.

A day later, I was to speak at the NCS Annual General Meeting. I said that in recent years, we

have witnessed sharp competition between comics and the electronic media. We cannot stop the progress of science and technology because that is for the benefi t of mankind. But if cartoons and electronic media cooperate, they could be benefi cial to each other.

That is what actually happened to my comics. About fi ve years ago, a premier TV channel of my country, Sahara One, approached me to adapt my strip, Chacha Chaudary, into a serial. I agreed. After a few episodes were aired, the sales of my printed comics shot up, which, in turn, boosted the viewing audience of the television version! Now the serial has reached 600 episodes. I think my talk boosted the morale of many present there.

The 70th anniversary celebration of never-say-die strip Dick Tracy turned emotional and touching, when the veteran artist Dick Locher dicussed his long career which included winning the prestigious Pulitzer Prize.

The last day was the grand fi nale. This year’s traditional NCS Roast’ “victim” was Cathy Guisewite, a forerunner among women cartoonists, whose feature, Cathy, appears in over 1,400 newspapers around the world. The event was accompanied by cocktails and a sumptuous dinner, enlivened by a riot of music and laughter.

Face to Face with

SteadmanPRAN KUMAR, the ACA’s only India-based member,

was the only ACAer to attend the NCS’s 60th Annual Reubens in Chicago. For the rest of us, this is what went down in Pran’s second report from the

sub-continent for INKSPOT.

A fter an arduous 16-hour flight

from New Delhi, I landed at O’Hare International Airport, Chicago. Customs clearing was smooth and swift. It took less than an hour to reach the majestic Hotel Renaissance at West Wacker Drive, overlooking the Chicago river flowing into Lake Michigan.

After a good a couple of hours’ nap, I rang Rick Stromoski, the president of the National Cartoonists Society of America, to inform him of my arrival. Hardly a few minutes had passed, there was a knock at my door and lo, Stromoski himself was standing before me. The twinkle in his eyes indicated that he was happy to fi nd a fellow cartoonist who had come from the other side of the globe.

The Convention began with the chosen ten famous cartoonists who sat to oblige the crowd with their autographs and drawings. Soon there were long queues of fans against each table.

The next day, the place was abuzz with activities and laughter of large numbers of cartoonists who had converged there from all over the country, including luminaries like Jules Feiffer, Sergio Aragones, Mort Walker, Stan Goldberg, Jeannie Schulz etc.

Stephen Silver was chosen as Caricaturist of the Year. The slides show showed his valuable creations,

which he drew for Disney and Warners. The day went on to Will Eisner, the legendary creator of The Spirit, where his colleagues and friends paid rich tributes. Mort Walker and I had been corresponding for

years. Think of the excitement when we were stood face to face for the fi rst time at the rooftop cocktail dinner!

Some friends introduced me to

Ralph Steadman, (left) who was fl own in from England to

receive the prestigious Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award.

There is a story going around about this

Englishman. One day, more than 300 people were

sprinting, all panting and

perspiring

Pra

n K

umar


ASK LINDSAY! ASK LINDSAY!ASK LINDSAY!Every week the ACA receives numerous enquires about cartooning.

It generally falls to cartoon afi cionado and ACA comic historian LINDSAY FOYLE to supply the answers

10

I’m wondering who I should contact about possibly putting a 1946 cartoon by Bernard Hesling on our website. It originally appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald. I work for a program called Hindsight on ABC Radio National and he did a marvellous cartoon of Rowe Street in Sydney, the subject of a feature I’m currently making.

Kind regardsNicole SteinkeProducer, HindsightABC Radio National

I’m not sure who you need to contact about Hesling. He was lived in Sydney for many years before moving to Adelaide where he died in 1987. The Press Club there might have some record of him or even the large second hand booksellers might know something. He was well known. I’m not sure how much you know about him so I’ve included a short bio. I hope it’s of some help. If not come back to me and I’ll do some hunting around.

Bernard Hesling was born in Yorkshire England in 1905 and arrived in Australia in 1928 with no formal training in art. He started work at the age of 12 as apprentice house painter in England. He took to painting pictures after meeting a number of prominent artists in Paris when he was there, painting houses. In Australia he work for a short time widow dressing while he continued to paint. He held an exhibition in 1929 of abstracts and from 1933 to 1938 worked in advertising as an art director at the Elstree Studios in Sydney. During the Second World War he started submitting cartoons to the Daily Telegraph and eventually this led to a full time job. He also encouraged George Molnar to take up cartooning and helped him fi nd work at the Telegraph. After a few years he found he was no longer required at the Telegraph and took a job with the Sydney Morning Herald drawing cartoons. In the late 1940s he joined the staff of Smith Weekly and was there when the paper closed in 1950. For the Observer in Sydney he wrote art critiques and from 1950 to 1955 while he continued his art career paining murals. He pioneered the use of vitreous enamels in Australia and held a number of exhibitions in this medium in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne. He moved from Sydney to Adelaide in 1958 where he continued

with his painting and writing. Hesling’s cartoons appeared in the New Yorker, Manchester Guardian, The Listener, The Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Telegraph, Smith’s Weekly, Meanjin, Quadrant, Nation and a number of other papers.

For a short time his brother Charles also drew comics in Sydney but his career was cut short when he was killed in a car accident in the Sydney suburb of Lane Cove in 1931. Hesling published a number of books. His fi rst, in 1945 was a collection of his cartoons and most of the other seven were autobiographical. He was awarded an OAM for his services to art.

####

I am currently tracing the history of my family, and have found that my Great Uncle was a cartoonist in the period from 1920 through to 1964, when he passed away. His name was Samual Garnet Smith Wells; he signed his work as “Wells” or “S. G. Wells”. During his life he worked for the Melbourne Herald (till 1933) he then went to England and worked for the Daily Dispatch in Manchester, returning to Australia in 1939, he became the principal political cartoonist for the Melbourne Herald till 1950. After that he became a sports cartoonist for the Age. I am trying to acquire a copy of some of his works to include in the family history, I notice on your web site you mention the ACA archives, how can I access them? Is there a way I can acquire any of his work? I would appreciate any help I can get in this matter.

Yours SincerelyJim TonerEpping NSW.

There is not a lot of information on Sam Wells, but here is what I have.

Born Victoria 1885. Died Victoria 1964The Commonwealth National Library

has a drawing by Sam Wells showing artillery at the fort at Queenscliff fi ring at the German steamer Pfalz, which was attempting to get through the heads on 5 August 1914. After the war Wells joined the staff of Melbourne Punch. Later he worked for The Herald in Melbourne drawing sporting cartoons with a style not all that different from David Low. In about 1923 he put out a book of his

cartoons from The Herald called Wells Cartoons. In the early 1930s he was involved in the drawing of the Ben Bowyang comic. Wells left The Herald in 1933 to work in England on the Daily Dispatch in Manchester but returned to the Herald in 1939 to take on the job of principal political cartoonist a job Alex Gurney had been doing. Wells stayed with The Herald till 1950 when he was forced to retire because of The Herald compulsory retirement at 65 policy. Wells then took a job drawing sporting cartoons for The Age. He died in 1964. He also had cartoons published in the Newcastle Herald.

####

We have been researching the Internet for an Australian cartoon depicting a tramp with a bedroll on his back and is always accompanied by a small dog. We think his name was “Wombat” but not sure. We also thought the cartoon was by Jolliffe however cant fi nd it amonst his information. Can you inform us the artist and if possible show a copy of the cartoon we are looking for.

Thank you.Richard Holdaway N.Z

The cartoon depicting a tramp was most likely Cedric drawn by Doug Tainsh. It was fi rst published in Australasian Post in 1952 and ran weekly for the next 45 years. Failing eyesight forced Doug to give up drawing and his nephew Joff Manders then drew the feature till Post stopped publishing in 2002. Doug died in 2004. By the way the dog’s name was Digger.

####

Can you help me fi ll in the blanks please? I’m doing a cryptic crossword and am stuck on this clue. Australian cartoonist left but managed to return after a short time (6) I have: ?O?N?R hope you can help. Cheers!

Peter James McPhee.

I think Arthur Wakefi eld Horner is the cartoonist you are looking for he was born Malvern, Victoria 1926 and died Melbourne, 1997, but spent 30 years working in London returning to Australia in 1976. #


11


Multi-award winning UK cartoonist NOEL FORD ponders 21st century cartooning in this issue’s CCGB column

WHITHER OR WITHER? TRADTIONAL

CARTOONING?

Noe

l For

d

ME: Drawing digitally, enables me to zoom in to a small area of my artwork and work in greater detail.

THEM: I can do that by bringing my head closer to the paper (sic). I should have known better, of course, because I’d already experienced the resistance of many cartoonists to any new idea that threatens to make their lives easier (I’m an artist – I’m supposed to suffer) when I was one of the fi rst of our tribe to buy a fax machine (it cost a couple of grand – GB grand! – that’s how long ago that was). What a kerfuffl e that caused.

And where are all those nay-sayers today?

The buggers have all got computers, haven’t they? And if they’re not drawing directly with them,

they’re using them to colour and

tweak scanned art. And if they’re not

doing that, they’re scanning fi nished art

so that they can email it, because what editor wants

hard copy any more? Now, don’t get me wrong.

I’m not one who automatically rushes out to buy the latest gadget just because it’s

there. There was a time when I believed I was at the cutting edge of technology just because I had a phone (no, I don’t mean a mobile, I mean a phone that was attached to the wall with a bit of wire). And even today, I’m not swayed by such things as the the Wacom Cintiq where one draws on the actual screen. No, I’m a bit of a digital tradionalist there, I’m afraid, preferring a good old fashioned Wacom Intuos tablet where your hand doesn’t cover up half of the drawing! To tell you the truth……. oh, hang on. I’ve just realised that I’m running out of space on this page and I still haven’t answered the question I posed in the title. Are traditional cartooning methods dead? Well, I think I can emphatically answer……

As someone who has been drawing cartoons digitally for a very long time, I can’t help but be aware of the irony in writing this piece for a

cartoonists’ publication called Inkspot. Ink. I remember it well. It always added a frisson of excitement to my early cartooning years, be it in an uncapped bottle, carelessly placed mere inches from my artwork, or safely (I thought) constrained within the innards of my fountain pen, poised for that moment when an ill-executed stroke would snag the nib in the fi bres of the paper, creating a perfect (though unwanted) Ralph Steadman effect. I think the last time I had inky fi ngers was about nine years ago, and even then it wasn’t drawing ink. It was the time when, through a misguided sense of economy, I purchased one of those kits with which one can (attempt to) re-fi ll used printer cartridges. You know them? They come with a supply of indelible ink and a syringe that looks big enough to artifi cially inseminate a herd of friesians. I have never been able to prove it, but I have always believed the makers of those kits heavily invested their profi ts in dry cleaning stores. Anyway, I digress. Ink. Is it really an ‘endangered species’? You might have thought so at the time I began getting to grips with digital drawing and injudiciously extolled its virtues to the members of the CCGB through the pages of our monthly newsletter, The Jester. I didn’t realise what I was letting myself in for – I was harangued left, right and centre by traditionalists prepared to defend their holy medium with the fervour that ecologically minded fanatics reserve for the battle to save the last natterjack toad. I think that if cartoonists issued fatwahs, I’d be shacked up with Salman Rushdie. I was only trying to help! My attempts to convey some of the advantages of drawing digitally were countered, point for point, with a total disregard for whatever the equivalent of The Queensbury Rules is for ‘logic’.


12

Michael CollinsCariCature award inc.

All entries Are in AndAre now being judged!The Michael Collins Caricature Awardthanks everyone in the ACA who submitted an entry to the competition to win in over $5000in cash and prizes.We recieved over 70 entries from more than 40 artists around the country.The standard of the entries this year was overwhelming, and of world class quality.The winner will be announced at the awards night on October 18th at the Crowne Plaza, Perth. Tickets can be booked on 9409 5026@ $50/head.All pieces will be available for sale at the Kurb Gallery in Perth from October 18th for two weeks, as well as online at:

www.mccaward.comAim of the Award is to promote creativity and the art of caricature, thereby continuing the late Michael Collins’ efforts to develop future cartoonists and caricaturists.A big thank you to all who entered.All proceeds from sale of artworks go to the Heart Foundation. Special thanks to our main sponsor, Australia Post, as well as Crowne Plaza Perth, the Australian Cartoonists’ Association, Corel Australia, Australian Teaching Aids, Blue Moon Realty, Donaldson and Warn and Kurb Gallery.

See more entries from October 18th atwww.mccaward.com

13


When my girlfriend, Kate suggested I’d been working too hard and even cartoonists

deserve a holiday I didn’t argue with her. (I know better.) Though I did burst out laughing at her when she used the words ‘cartoonist’ and ‘holiday’ in the same sentence. Only when she said ‘holiday’ I thought she was talking about Margaret River or Dunsborough for the weekend. It turns out she had bigger plans. It was quickly decided that we’dbe heading to the Big Apple... withinweeks. But from the moment webooked our tickets to the momentwe stepped on the plane, the singlemost overwhelming thing was not themassive amount of work that had tobe done before my departure, or thehaggling that would have to be donewith the editor at the Herald, but theamount of support and encouragementI was met with by fellow cartoonists inthe ACA. This is one of the most valuablethingsaboutbelongingtoanassociationlike ours. Almost immediately I wasreceiving emails and letters frompeople like then ACA President JamesKemsley, cartooning legend PaulRigby and Jon Kudelka letting meknow they’d either written, called oremailed warning the US cartoonists ofthe pending Aussie invasion. You nowsee what I mean about this all beingcompletely overwhelming; especiallyfor a young bugger trying to chip awayat a cartooning career. Rather than just head straight toNew York and back, we decided to

make the most of being in the States.So we decided to tour most of the Westcoast, taking in the sights and soundsof Los Angeles and San Diego, hot-airballooning over the desert in Phoenix,going bush with bona-fide cowboys (non-brokeback style) in Sedona,flying through the Grand Canyon in a helicopter and utter insanity inLas Vegas. This was followed by aquick stint in Bass Lake and YosemiteNational Park and topped off with the biggest gay pride party in the worldin San Francisco. (Not that there’sanything wrong with that...)After getting our money’s worth onthe West coast, we headed back downto Hollywood to depart for NYC.

Before leaving Perth, I had managedto make a deal with the editor

that I could get a replacement forthe Fremantle , Melville and CockburnHeralds, as well as the Perth Voice, butI would still have to do my cartoon forthe big Mid-Week Herald from abroadand email it back home. The look onKate’s face when she was found thisout and attempted to explain the notionof the word “holiday” again brought acouple of chuckles to the surface again,but ultimately left her a little annoyed.As promised, I followed the news andsent back my cartoon every week. Thisusually took the form of me perchedon the end of the hotel-room bedscribbling away on a clipboard at someungodly hour. Though it didn’t alwaysgo THAT smoothly. The day I jumped into a helicopterto fly through the Grand Canyon was deadline day. I had managed to knock

out a cartoon about the World Cup(which was as huge in the US as itwas in Australia at the time) and hadit all ready to send. Only one problem:There was no internet at the Grand Canyon. Every other place we stayed Iwas able to leach some wireless, but onthis particular occasion I had neglectedto check ahead of time whether thelog cabins had internet access. Bigmistake. I raced around to find anything that I could use to communicate withthe Herald - a modem, a fax machine -anything! I managed to hitch a ride tothe nearest town, “Tusayan”; cartoonin one hand, laptop in the other. OnceI arrived I managed to find an internet café run by a surly and dangerouslooking Hispanic chap who seemedmore interested in the TV in the cornershowing Jerry Springer than servingme. Long and tedious story short; Imanaged to send the toon off to the Herald in the nick of time (with a subtledisclaimer to the editor in the emailstipulating: “Don’t ask for any bloodychanges!”) I found one of the mostoverwhelming features of the industryin the US was that everybody knewwhat you were talking about when yousaid “live caricatures” (and they couldpronounce car-ic-a-ture.) The reasonfor this was very simple - there’scaricaturists everywhere here; anypossible venue that could be remotelyseen as a tourist attraction has its owncaricaturist stationed smack in themiddle. Disneyland had some amazingDisney-trained caricaturists (with a

The Long Island chapter of the NCS - the “Berndt Toast Gang”

“From Perth to New York”A travel diary from WA cartoonist

Jason Chatfield


14

huge waiting-list), the San Diego Zoo had two stalls stationed either side of the massive complex, complete with two caricaturists each. I decided I should try and balance out some karma giving all of my live victims sweet revenge. To be completely honest the caricature came out looking terrible, but it turns out the guy had only been drawing for 8 days. Good times.

As well as San Diego Zoo we bumped into caricaturists at the top of Las Vegas’ tallest tower, at a number of casinos along ‘the strip’ and one hell of a lot of caricaturists in Times Square in New York. Though that’s a whole other story. (See this quarter’s Vi$copy newsletter for more on that.)

As cliché as it sounds, New York was everything I’d imagined and more. The pollution, noise and bustle was completely superseded by the incredible architecture and rich culture that overloaded my senses. I had been travelling with a small pocket sketchbook and managed to get in some quick drawings of the amazing faces and places that I encountered along the way. I now see how the great cartoonists who worked here could be so inspired by this place; so much life!

After cramming into our wardrobe-sized apartment on West 55th street, it was time to call Adrian Sinnott and Arnie Roth to see where we could catch up. Adrian, a very talented and generous illustrator had told me that Bunny Hoest (of the Lockhornscomic strip) was having her annual cartoonists’ bash for the Long Island chapter of the NCS; the “Berndt Toast Gang”.

Pat Olliphant had to head West and Bill Gallo was going to be in Long Island tomorrow, so I’d get to see at least two of the three Rigby-referrals. I could hardly sleep that night ,although the complete and utter exhaustion did the trick eventually.)

We stumbled on the train to Huntington station the next morning where we were met by Adrian’s lovely wife, Pat. We were taken back to his home and studio before jumping straight back into the SUV headed for Bunny Hoest’s house. I use the term “house” very loosely. It’s more like its own state,

but let’s call it a house.We arrived just after midday and the

party was already in full swing. I hadn’t realised what a big event this was until I had arrived and saw how many people were there; and WHO was there! Some of the biggest names in the cartooning industry were at this party... and I had about 4 hours to meet them all!

Within seconds of walking in Adrian was introducing me to

cartoonists left, right and centre. The most overwhelming (and sad) response was, “Hey you’re an Aussie! You must know Jim Russell?” Needless to say the reaction was always utter dismay at his passing. I had no idea he was so popular amongst these guys over here.

I moved on through the crowd of cartoonists laughing, telling stories and throwing back a few before drawing in the kids’ sketch books.

I quite literally bumped into Al Scaduto, a cartoonist for 60 years this year who has had a regular strip “They’ll do it every time” syndicated by King Features. The conversations and introductions during the day just seamlessly melded into each other as I was be introduced to pro after pro.

Joe D’Angelo, ex-president and chairman of King Features had a chat to me and told me to pass on his regards to Rigby, whom he regarded as one of the world’s best. He told me to talk to the now editor in chief at King about

syndicating some of my work. An incredible gesture, but I don’t know that my work would make the grade.

I needed a drink. So many people to talk to, so little time. I turned from being served at the bar to meet eye to eye with the one and only Sy Barry - the legend who, with Lee Falk brought us ‘the ghost who walks’; the Phantom. Sy was one of the most humble and friendly people you could ever meet. He had nothing but kind words to say about Australia and it’s cartoonists (he was down here for a Supanova at some stage.) He told me some curly stories about working with Falk and about the industry in general. I thought I’d tell him about the time I was bedridden for weeks after a car accident when I was 12 and all that kept me sane were the huge inch-thick editions of the Phantomthat my dad had bought me. He then told me a story about the brothers who actually taught themselves to read and write by reading the Phantom over about 5 years; Incredible stuff.

After telling me to pass on my best to Aussie Phantom-fiend, Steve Panozzo, I parted with Sy and was immediately introduced to Frank Springer (HedleyCase) and Stan Goldberg (Archie and Betty comics). Whilst talking I caught a flash of white out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see who it was, and my jaw dropped to see Mort Drucker standing right next to me. Adrian swooped in and introduced me. I didn’t want to babble on about how much I love his work etc. but eventually after talking for a while, he looked me dead in the eye and said “you can’t learn everything from one artist; you take what you can from each style and make your own unique style.” Shortly after that, Mort spoke at length with Kate about her job, and about how his daughter was in the same line of work. While they were talking I was pulled away and introduced to one of the Rigby

referrals; New York Daily News sportscartoonist Bill Gallo.It was a great thrill to speak with Bill, who’s been at the Daily for over 50 years in one role or another. He and Riggers are still great friends; and again he had nothing but praise for Paul and his Aussie colleagues. Bill also enquired as to “how Jim was going?”L-R: Tom Richmond, Mort Drucker, Yours Truly and Ed Steckley

Sy Barry - “The Phantom!”

15


From Sports to Mullets - I swivelledleft to be greeted by Rick Stromski;co-creator of the very funny “Mullets”comic strip. He, again, was such afriendly and receptive bloke; we spokeas if we’d met a dozen times before.Kate pulled me aside and said howshe’d never known of such a generousand friendly group of professionalsbefore. (And how friendly Mortwas!) She was so used to businessprofessionals in another world- thiswas completely unheard of - and shewas right. Cartoonists are a reallyunique bunch. As Adrian says, it’samazing in this business how we canbe such good friends and competitorsat the same time. The afternoon was rolling on and Istill had so many cartoonists to meet!After lunch down on Bunny’s privatebeach... (yes, you did just read that) Imade my way back up to the marquee.From down the other end of the backyard (about 50 metres) I spotted a pairof massive tree-trunk arms I’d seenbefore. In fact I’d seen this bloke drawnby dozens of different caricaturists, and saw his work every month in MADmagazine. It was Tom Richmond. I introduced myself to Tom andI’ll admit, I was a little intimidated.I had no idea what they guy waslike and if he didn’t like me he couldprobably break off my leg with is massive drawing arm. Thankfully, hewas by far the friendliest of all of thecartoonists I met that day. Not only didhe take the time to answer all of myfan-boy questions, but he offered me tonnes of priceless advice on drawingtechniques, approach, drawing handsand the art of caricature, which hassince had an utterly profound effect on my work. After meeting his business partnerand fellow caricaturist Ed Steckleyand having a great talk about livecaricatures it was time to take thetraditional group photo. It was herethat I bumped into Disney animatorNancy Beiman. Nancy has made itdown under for a few Stanley Awardsand is very familiar with the talent thatwe have in our club. Turns out shewas the animation supervisor for ‘theFates’ sequence in one of my all timefavourite Disney features; Hercules.Incidentally she’s just finishing work on a book for cartoonists on how todraw story boards. She brought thedraft along and it looks fantastic. As the crowd began to thin, Iquickly met and spoke with a couple ofRays; Ray Alma from MAD magazineand Ray Billingsley who does the very

successful “Curtis” comic strip. On the way out I met BerndtToast Gang Prez Mike Lynch whoseemed very amused that I onlyknew who he was through readingMark ‘Andertoons’ Anderton’s blog.I said a final goodbye to Mort, who parted with a huge smile saying“Good luck, Jason, and God bless!” I thanked Bunny for the dayand met John Reiner (who does theLockhorns comic strip with Bunny)just as I was walking out the door.Adrian and Pat raced the next trainto Manhattan to its next stop wherewe quickly jumped on and collapsedin an exhausted heap. You thinkthat’s the end don’t you? So did Kate!

Acouple of days later it was timeto catch up with Arnie Roth. For

those who aren’t familiar with Arnie’swork; he is one of the most talentedand successful cartoonists you’ll find. He’s illustrated all sorts of books,dozens of album covers including aheap for Dave Brubeck, he’s been onThe Tonight Show (Johnny Carson),Letterman, The Today Show and TheJoan Rivers Show just to name a few.He was an editorial cartoonist forboth the New York Post and the DailyNews as well as having syndicatednewspaper comics and being involvedin animation with Paramount pictures,and is a good mate of Paul Rigby’sso needless to say; he had a wealth ofexperience and knowledge to draw on(pardon the pun.) Arnie was one of the cartooniststhat Rigby had set me up to meet whileI was in the big apple, and man am Iglad he did. Kate and I took a cab tohis apartment overlooking CentralPark before sitting down and talkingabout the cartooning industry over abeer. Arnie suggested that we go down

the street to one of his favourite Jewishdelis for lunch. He showed me throughhis studio and his extensive gallery offramed originals including a MacNellyand a colour Rigby. He signed a copyof his 50-year collection and gave it tome before we headed out the door. I sat and listened in awe to Arnie’shilarious stories, scared to take a biteof my pastrami on rye for fear that itmight shoot across the table from asudden burst of laughter. I could havesat there for days on end listening tohim, but alas humans need sleep, andKate had suffered enough cartoon talk for one trip! Arnie walked Kate and Idown the street, bidding us farewellbefore nimbly dashing across the roadthrough traffic as if he were my age. What a character. By the end of the trip I wascompletely exhausted, and Kate wasa saint for putting up with me chasingcartoonists while she stood patientlynext to me with barely a clue whatwe were yammering on about half thetime. Though she did get her revengewhen she booked us on the “Sex &the City” bus tour through New York.

All in all, I’d say that despite theamazing things I saw before New

York, the trip wouldn’t have been halfas exciting had I not met some of theseamazing cartoonists. I would highlyrecommend anyone planning to travelto the states to get in touch with yourACA VP and see if they can get incontact with someone in the NCS toshow you around, or at least buy youa pastrami sandwich.

Jason Chatfield is a freelance cartoonist and caricaturist based in Perth, WA and is the editorial cartoonist for the Herald and Voice newspapers group. He was the winner ofthe Australian Bill Mitchell award in 2005.

Arnie Roth, showing off his full colour Rigby original in ‘the gallery’


16

There is no shortage of good circulation-building ideas in the newspaper industry today. The agile and creative minds

of editors and marketing people are constantly producing new promotions, special inserts and new ways to capture new magazine and newspaper readers both through the print media and the internet.

Some award-winning ideas, such as The Adelaide Advertiser and Sunday Mail’s build a robot campaign are quite brilliant and achieve their goal of increasing readership and circulation.

However, just like the graphic symbol that represents one of the pinnacles of all good ideas, a brightly shining light bulb, most circulation-building brainwaves have a relatively short lifespan and, like light bulbs, need regular replacement.

Creativity, in all its forms and dimensions, is one of the greatest strengths of our industry and is a prime attraction

and motivation for readers to continue buying newspapers and magazines.

But, somewhat sadly, in all the rush to uncover creative new ideas, some established and proven circulation winners are being neglected. The most glaring example is the comics page, a great idea now languishing and in need of attention. William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper publisher who transformed the newspaper industry in the USA, is credited with coming up with the revolutionary idea that the way to attract young readers to newspapers and develop a lifelong newspaper reading habit was to introduce comics.

Hearst also had another good idea. He introduced large headlines to add weight and importance to news stories and grab the attention of adults. That worked, as did Hearst’s strategy of introducing comics to attract young readers.

Large headlines have survived as a good idea. So why not comics in the way

that proved so successful in the Hearst era?

The current dilemma over winning the hearts and minds of young readers is highlighted in a recent PANPA Bulletin. Among other things, the article notes: “Capturing younger readers is probably the most serious issue facing newspapers today”. And goes on to say:“ Most of the strategies used so far don’t work “.

The article was based on a US report which stressed that newspapers needed to think seriously about attracting readers as young as eight years of age, or miss out on attracting them at all. This is just as relevant in Australia as it is in the USA.

The report noted trends that are leading to the reinvention of the newspaper itself. However, it went on to state that special sections, supplements and clever websites were not succeeding in attracting young readers.

After extensive research 50 editorial strategies were offered as possible

Back toBrilliance

Gary Clark is the ACA liaison offi cer to the Pacifi c Area Newspaper Publishers’ Association.

His article was written for editors and published inthe August 2006 edition of the PANPA BULLETIN.

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17


solutions to the problem. I won’t elaborate on them here, but I’d like to suggest that while all of the strategies have their merit and may help, the comic page still remains the simplest and most cost effective method of attracting young readers and keeping them long term.

To some, this thinking may seem old-fashioned. But the truth is that exciting, well presented, interesting and readable comics sections have helped build the circulations of some of Australia’s and the world’s best newspapers. However, somewhere along the line in recent years many of our editors and publishers have downgraded the importance of the comics. Everyone agrees we live in a changing environment and that we must move with the times. Comics can adapt to this changing environment but to allow them to perform to their maximum as readership builders they must receive a fair share of the resources and creative thinking that is currently being directed towards other features and sections.

Specifi cally, there is not so much a need to review the content of the comics page, but there is a defi nite and urgent need to review its placement, presentation, marketing, promotion and integration with other sections which form the total newspaper package.

The fi rst goal that needs to be achieved is to lift the profi le of the comics page.

If comics pages are going to reach their audience they need to be easily found. Unfortunately, today’s increasingly common trend is to bury comic sections deep in places where they are diffi cult to locate – then squeeze individual comics down in size to save space. Some newspapers have reduced the comics to almost illegible sizes.

This sends out a clear message. It’s almost as if the newspaper editor is saying: “ We don’t think this comic strip is important, so don’t read it.” And many older readers who grew up with the comics feel alienated and won’t read them because their failing eyesight can’t cope with the tiny print.

The headlines that William Randolph Hearst thought so important to attract readers are non-existent in the comic sections. Most comics pages carry no header or at best a very small header, which ignores the conventional wisdom that a well-designed banner or brand, properly promoted, has the potential to lift a product to the top of its market.

Comics strips and their characters are also like brands, usually well established and much loved. Yet, they are rarely used for promotional purposes, either to promote the newspapers in which they appear or to promote the sections in which they appear.

In a world now alive with colour – on television, in magazines, newspapers and even the ‘junk mail’ shoved into our letter boxes – many comics remain a poor

relation and appear in black and white. Even with the most modern full colour presses, not every page of a newspaper has access to full colour, as we all know.

But publishing them on mono only pages, as most daily newspapers do, is again a clear indication to readers that the publishers think they are of secondary importance, when, in fact, full colour daily comics would not only bring the comics page alive for the readers but also uplift their profi le and recognise them as being an important part of daily readership.

Editors need to take a leaf from the past and come to understand that reading comics is not old-fashioned or passé and, despite some views to the contrary, has not been supplanted by computer games as a pastime for children.

Some bold and creative new thinking is required. Make the comics a special feature. Have a dedicated comics page. Brighten up their presentation. Give children a reason to read them.

Where necessary, draw these young readers back to newspapers by

playing on of their greatest interests – computers and the internet. Most newspapers have online versions of their comics, but very few web versions have integrated their comic features. This is a lost opportunity to connect with young readers and strengthen the comic brands carried in the print version.

Web comic features can aid greatly in deepening brand loyalty to comics by offering background information, character biographies and opportunities for readers to interact with their favourite features.

The other major benefi t of online comics is the valuable feedback that can be gained from readers. The potential benefi ts of putting comics online, with clever links back to the printed originals, are enormous. This potential is largely untapped and well worth directing creative resources towards.

To create comic promotions that work in attracting young readers, enlist the support of creative, enthusiastic young people who read, care and understand about comics. If necessary a special allowance to hire such a person should be allowed in budgets.

Comics are a creative, fun and important part of part of your newspaper.

The idea that sparked their creation has not lost it’s brilliance.

With renewed commitment and creativity the comics page of today can shine as brilliantly as it did when the inspiration for their creation fi rst illuminated the newspaper industry.

If you would like to help raise the profi le of cartoons, comics and caricatures throughthe pages of the PANPA Bulletin or simply

have something to say on the matter ofillustration in newspapers and magazine

send your article to [email protected].

NOTICEOF

ANNUALGENERALMEETING

The Annual General Meeting of the

Australian Cartoonists’ Association Inc. will be held at

Doherty’s Ballarat Lodge, 613 Main Road, Ballarat, Victoria

on Saturday 4 November, 2006 at 9:00am.

Only fi nancial Members may attend.

Only fi nancial Full Members can vote.

A NEW BOARDThe 2006 AGM will see the

current positions on the ACA Board declared vacant

and a new Board will be elected for the next

two-year term. In order to elect a new

Board we are asking themembership to nominate themselves, or others, for

Board positions.

Send your nominations to:The Secretary,

Australian Cartoonists’ AssociationP.O. Box 176

CAMMERAY NSW 2062


18

After our triumphant return from the International Cartoon Festival in Shrewsbury, James Kemsley asked if I would write a short article about freelancing in New York. Never one to miss an opportunity to say something, I acquiesced (an online thesaurus can make anyone sound brilliant). Now I’m not a “native” New Yorker although I’ve lived here so long my relatives in Ireland forget I was born there. I’ve been freelancing here for over 20 years in varying capacities. I have been a technical illustrator, a mechanical artist, production manager, art director, that guy who makes those intricate boxes for our marketing pitches, screen printer, professor, web-designer, Mac repair guy, etc.

Sitting here staring at the computer screen at the end of a typically long day, I’m trying to think how best to sum up working here in the “Big Apple” (Do they even call it that anymore?). I’m really about an hour outside the city itself and rarely have to go there on business anymore. When I do go in it’s usually for something enjoyable, such as meeting a couple of travelling Australians. I can thank this computer for that. No more spending 3 hours sitting in traffi c trying to deliver a job at the end of a 30-hour marathon to meet a deadline.

Some of my cohorts in the Berndt Toast Gang, the local chapter of the National Cartoonist’s Society, would probably like to re-title this article ‘FREE’ lancing in New York. The days when this was the one place where every cartoonist or illustrator could be guaranteed enough work to keep them busy for their lifetime have gone. Some of the most talented people I’ve ever met have no work.

Now that I’ve totally depressed you, it’s not that there is no work but the rules have changed. It’s almost impossible to track down an art director and most are overwhelmed with projects in corporations unwilling to hire enough staff. After all, nowadays you only need to push a button, right? It’s that thinking that has watered down our once and, hopefully future, esteemed profession. The thinking that a computer can make up for a lack of knowledge or talent is short-lived but it creates temporary diffi culties for the professional. Only today a client called to ask me for a graphic that we had used in a HTML newsletter. They have decided to produce future newsletters using a piece of software rather than my

services. Of course the software wouldn’t accept an image that had been sliced into multiple pieces and they needed it as a single image. Later, another call... “Gee, I need to fi gure out how you write a link to another site, this stuff isn’t as easy as we thought. We’re going to have to call the software company tomorrow.”

So how do you make a living in one of the more expensive cities of the world when the deck is stacked against you? By trying to be a professional. Recognizing the value in what we do and then making our clients realise it (which is the hardest part). One of the more successful freelancing illustrators I know won’t pick up his pen for less than $500. Now that sounds crazy until you start thinking about it. Whether you work traditionally or electronically, just sitting at your desk costs money. Taxes, electricity, rent all need to be factored into what you charge. Work for too little and you may as well work for free.

Now the other problem, since you can’t call them how do you let them know you exist? Many artists buy pages in art guides such as Workbook. Even

Freelancing in The Big Apple

How does an Irish cartoonist make a living in the world’s most competitive city?There is a way as the NCS’s ADRIAN SINNOTT explains... BUT there are rules to follow

19


these books have come to realise the importance of the internet. Some have actually stopped printing a book and offer only space on their site. Others rely on direct mail. I tend to lean towards direct mail and self-promotion. The books are more valuable to those of us that have reps. Since I don’t, I try and plan my own methods of generating publicity. I buy mailing lists and produce my own materials. I try and use them to cater to the type of work I’m looking to develop. With a mailing list you can get right to the person that needs an artist. I know it seems a bit old fashioned using “snail” mail but it’s part of a concerted effort to keep my name in front of the people who make the decisions. That includes taking advantage of technology, having an easy to fi nd and navigate website (boy,

do I need to update mine), ftp space to transfer big fi les, multiple e-mail contacts, etc. Busy art directors don’t have the time to talk on the phone and most seem to prefer corresponding via e-mail. Not only can they answer when they’re ready but they have a written record they can refer to when checking a project’s progress. And it works both ways. I much prefer it to talking on the phone because I can decide when I have the time to deal with their requests. I can continue working towards a deadline when a client’s question can wait.

Even though the computer has irrevocably changed our business and

many of the things I enjoy the most, like drawing on paper, seem to be vanishing, I have found that my clients are only concerned that the fi nal art be digitized.

The thing that had always put them off before was the cost of high-quality drum scans. Now, with the improvements in scanners and scanning software (there are a couple of inexpensive after-market programs that can make even a mediocre scanner produce printable work), a good operator can get the detail and colour needed. If you had told me that last year I would have said you were crazy. So I can still work on paper when I want or I can work entirely digitally. The advantage to working traditionally for me is that I have an original piece of art that my great-grandchildren will be able to bring on “Antiques Roadshow”.

So here I am outside this great city and live in a very busy suburban area with a lot of small to mid-sized businesses. Yet I prefer, and try to maintain, only clients


20

in Manhattan itself. Not that I’m entirely successful, I do work for local clients on occasion. Usually they fi nd me when I’m starting to be concerned about the phone not ringing and the only e-mails are ones offering to make me rich if I loan money to someone in Nigeria or sell me a product that will enhance parts of my physique. A friend in the auto industry called this situation “AoD” for “Air of Desperation.” You start to exude it like perspiration and the worst clients can tell from miles away. My preference for avoiding local clients comes from the fact that I prefer cheques that don’t bounce or, barring that, a cheque of some sort. I have found that the ad agencies here tend to operate on a shoestring (even though the owner drives a BMW 7 series or AMG Merc). There are many expenses operating a business here and the last one on the list to get paid is the artist. After all, they’ve already used the art, it’s not the type of thing that can lead to embarrassment, such as having the offi ce electricity shut off during a meeting. This is obviously a generalization but many local businesses, even those of a relatively large size, tend to be very amateurish when it comes to hiring an artist. I’ve lost more art, waited

6-9 months to get paid, have had to take clients to court to get paid, or have never gotten paid, when they have been based on Long Island. I sued one client after waiting almost a year for $250. I won and still no cheque. I paid an extra $50 to have the sheriff go in and collect, only to be told that it was no longer the same company. I had been calling the company for months. The phone number and address were the same, all the staff were the same! The company had changed it’s name from “Two to Two Marketing” (the name has been changed to protect the guilty) to “Two to Two Direct Marketing.” I would have had to prove that the corporation’s assets had been purchased by the new company and if they had, I was not entitled to be paid. But it would have meant hiring a lawyer. I said goodbye to my $300. I was lucky as I never let the invoices accumulate, a photographer I knew was left holding $14,000. Ever since I look carefully at any offers of work from local companies and make sure that the fee and payment schedule has been agreed to in advance with, hopefully, a deposit up front. I must say things seem to be improving. Back to that acting as a professional bit, the more professional we are the better we’ll

be treated. A lot of the problems in the industry have been self-infl icted.

I’m still working toward making my freelance career a success or the

success I think it should be. Being near New York isn’t as important as it once was but the knowledge and friendship I’ve received from cartoonists who were here during the “Golden Age” certainly have made it rewarding. One amazing thing about this business is how we can be friends and competitors at the same time. That’s not something that happens in many professions. Wait a minute. Why am I telling you all this. Forget everything I just wrote, business is terrible, much better to give in and take that job at the local DIY center. After all, the paycheque won’t bounce.

Adrian Sinnott is a member of the NCS and a freelance cartoonist & children’s book illustrator based on Long Island, New York. The illustrations which accompany this article are from a selection of his children’s books including the bestseller The Fear Factor Cookbook. Amazon.com carries a large selection of Sinnott-illustrated books.

21


ab

c

ab


22

Your View On...

Eric Löbbecke, NSW

Christophe Granet, NSW

Anthony Slater,WA

Tom Vogel,VIC

Adrian Maidment,Taiwan

George Haddon,VIC

23


Stephen Gunnell, NSW

Richard Jones, NSW

Will Goodwin, VICPeter McAdam, NSW

Roy Bisson, NSW

Thank you to everyone who contributed to YVO.

UNFORTUNATELYspace constraints

didn’t allow us to use everything emailed. We hope you enjoy those

which did fi nd space.the subject for issue #51

will be

“MONEY.”Please email

your submissions [email protected]

Robert Mason, VIC


24

Tragic IdiomO.V.Vijayan’s Cartoons & Notes on India, with a foreword by Bruce PettyEdited by Sundar Ramanathaiyer and Nancy Hudson-Rodd;by D C Books, Kottayam, Kerala Reviewed by Rolf Heimann

It is a blessing as well as a vexation to belong to the English world. The advantages are obvious: Never before in human history have a people been able to move over such vast

stretches of the globe without having to learn other languages; but this fact also confi nes and isolates English-speakers. Flooding all over the world and colonising whole continents had its drawbacks: Until recently Anglos looked at other nations as prospective conquests, enemies or potential enemies, and as such their cultures have traditionally been appreciated with faintest, and at best patronising interest only.

The jaundiced view of a cultural border-crosser? Of course. But then you have to admit that you have never heard of leading Indian cartoonist O.V. Vijayan. I happened to be with the compiler of the book, Sundar, in Coffs Harbour in March 2005, when news of Vijayan’s death reached him. Sundar’s tears were proof that the Indian cartoonist had truly enjoyed the affection of his countrymen.

As a writer, the cartoonist Vijayan was equally eager to communicate. Even so we have to read some of his sentences twice and then their meaning is often divined rather than understood. For instance: ‘…That the developed world is incapable of providing us with crutches, and that they quite often undergo inspirational poverty worse than us, is not comprehended in a comparative study of the colour of skins…’ But let us bear in mind that this is a translation from Malayalam. Vijayan’s cartoons are more direct and to the point, though aimed, of course, primarily at an Indian audience.

Vijayan writes: ‘Destroying illusions is the most important among the duties of a cartoonist. But whose illusions? … The vanities and falsehoods of those who occupy leadership positions… are the themes of a cartoonist. In essence, it means that the cartoonist will always have to function as an opponent of the establishment…’

Opposition for opposition’s sake has its perils, as many a cartoonist all over the world has found. Yet cartoonists can’t afford to sit on the fence, even when two viewpoints seem to

have equal validity. When necessary, Vijayan can show both sides – and why not? – cartoons can also be food for thought, they don’t have to batter the viewer with a particular bias. A case in point are the two cartoons pictured here, one showing the obvious, namely that a poor country like India can’t afford nuclear weapons, the other stating the sad fact that India has ‘to speak nuclear’ to be heard. Food for thought indeed; India does not face isolated problems, but interconnected chains of them.

Nobody can state Vijayan’s creed better than the man himself: ‘The West, with nearly a century of stable institutions, could afford salon humour; I cannot, even if my fellow cartoonists think they can. The cartoon is an attribute of democracy; but mine is a precarious island democracy whose shores are being licked by erratic waters all the while. On this insecure perch, do you expect me to laugh – or cry?’

Open the pages of ‘Tragic Idiom’ and you will not only open a time capsule of India’s recent problems, but you will see an Indian artist and thinker taking careful note of them, more often with sadness than with hope, but always intelligently.

-RH

The Big IssuesCartoons by Andrew WeldonCelebrating ten years of The Big IssuePublished by The Big Issue Australia, Melbourne, $6 only available from The Big Issue vendors

Reviewed by Rolf Heimann

Can we change opinions,’ Weldon asks in the foreword of this book, ‘or are we just preaching to the converted?’ The past year has certainly shown that on the world

stage cartoons are taken seriously. It is not likely that Weldon’s cartoons will spark riots, but they

have been an integral part of The Big Issue and as such have helped to change our perception of the marginalised who have traditionally sold this magazine on street corners, at the same time reminding us just what the big issues are in life.

Weldon has been doing it of the last ten years, so that this collection of cartoons provides chronological markers and reminders of this decade’s curious events. His lines are childishly simple, unpretentious and sparse, and totally unambiguous. He does not like Bush. He does not like religious hypocrisy, he does not like nuclear power. He certainly does not like Howard. Maybe he is preaching to the converted, but I say: Keep preaching.

Is the book printed in Australia?You bet.

-RH

25


Rolf Heimann is the Vice-president of the Victorian Chapter of the ACA and a Gold Stanley recipient.

He cartoons under the nom-de-plume of Lofo.

Ian C. Thomas is a regular reviewer for Inkspot. He currently draws Dillon’s “Rock ‘N’ Roll Fairies” in Total Girl Magazine and “Moth & Tanuki” in the Manga comic OzTAKU.

Tim Harries is a member of the CCGB and a regular reviewer for The Jester. He is the daily cartoonist for the South Wales Argus andother clients include Reader’s Digest, UK and USA, BBC, Mensa.

He is based in Newport, South Wales.

Azerath Trade Paperback Series Oneby Daniel Lawson and Ryan Wilton US comic size, B&W, 208 pages, $34.99Phosphorescent Comics (April 2006) ISBN 1921193034

Reviewed by Ian C.Thomas

In the shadow of the mighty Mount Azerath…” So begins the epic manga fantasy series from Newcastle team Daniel Lawson (writer) and Ryan Wilton (artist). The fi rst eight issues have

been gathered together into this beautifully presented, extremely limited (signed edition of 50 copies) trade paperback, with 12 bonus pages, so there’s never been a better time to begin.

Azerath follows the often humorous and always compelling adventures of attractive half-demon, Kailyn, and her hapless companions, Bergus, a drunken human former-squire, the innocent girl Loisatia and the deluded Holy man, Migen Phensic. The group works its way through a nightmare forest, peopled with demons and bizarre creatures, oversexed Wood Nymphs, cannibal humans and the odd settlement, trying to climb Mount Azerath and defeat the Evil Witch who oversees this realm.

While these picaresque adventures have an emphasis on humour and action, the comedy elements of the story are well-realised and leave scope for real dramatic shock at points. Drawn in a dynamic Manga style, the narrative richly conjures up a fully-realized fantasy world, with maps, back-stories and plenty of witty dialogue and action. The lessons of Manga have been well-learned both in writing and art – strong pacing and panelling, full bleed pages and strong use of greytoned black-and-white art. Wilton’s drawing style is unmistakeable and original, making the characters lively and appealing.

The series is published by professional Australian comics company Phosphorescent, under their innovative Creator Line imprint (for creator-owned titles). Most teen comic readers would enjoy this highly entertaining comic, though I think the potential audience is much broader, particularly for the graphic novel collections.

With this limited edition book being a prototype of sorts for the international version (likely to be in a smaller, more typically manga format), I strongly recommend interested readers pick this one up now! The individual issues come out every three months (now up to issue 10) and Azerath continues to be one of the fi nest Australian comic series.

Available at: http://www.phosphorescent.com.au/comics/azerath/

-ICT

Pooch Café: All Dogs Naturally Know How to Swimby Paul GilliganPaperback, 128 pages, $US8.76Andrews McMeel Publishing ISBN: 0740733028

Reviewed by Tim Harries

If you’re not familiar with Pooch Café, this is the perfect opportunity to catch up with a great new (well, new-ish) strip. In the few years it’s been running, it’s garnered a loyal

following across the world and it’s not hard to see why. Created by Canadian cartoonist and illustrator Paul Gilligan, Pooch Café charts the lives of Poncho the dog and his master Chazz, along with a memorable cast of supporting characters.

Despite a seeming overabundance of strips in the funny pages featuring ‘cute animal and long suffering owner’ Pooch Café stands out - the writing is smart and most importantly, really funny. The artwork is terrifi c too - Gilligan looks like he enjoys drawing these characters. I particularly liked the design of the main character, Poncho, with his angular ears, tail and nose and big black eye - a great look that reads well in a b/w strip.

Gilligan also has occasional fun with cartooning icons, referencing David Lynch’s frankly bizarre strip ‘The angriest dog in the world’, and offering a sly nod to Snoopy’s balancing skills; “I don’t know how the other guy did that for 50 years” bemoans Poncho, as he slides off the top of a doghouse. Well I laughed anyway.

The blurb on this, the fi rst collection of strips (dating back to 2003) describes Pooch Café as ‘a place where dogs can go and hang out, sit on the furniture, brag about their masters, and compare notes on such weighty issues as toilet breath, projectile barking, cat infestation, and life among the humans’.

I’d describe it as one of the better modern strips available, and a worthy purchase. If you’d prefer not to indulge in a bit of ‘walkies’ to the nearest bookstore, Pooch Café: All Dogs Naturally Know How To Swim can be ordered from Amazon.com for around 12 dollars.

Reprinted from the July 2006 issue of The Jester.-TH


26

New FECO websitehttp://www.fecoweb.net

At the end of 2005, FECO decided to renovate its website so that it becomes interactive, making it

possible for members to access and collaborate together “on-line” in all languages.

The site has been online since June 2006. It is a public website,accessible to all net surfers, except the parts reserved for members of FECO (for example: contests). There is also amultilingual private section accessible by personal password; it is the new communication and workspace ONLY reserved to the members of FECO who have their PERSONAL code of access.his private area is strewn with small beacons; they access online help provided by spip.net, the software that manages the new site.

For the time being, only the heading “CONTESTS INTERNATIONAL” has found its feet; all the info is accessible in the public part of the site with the same password as on the old site, i.e.: Login: fecocontests - password: andyslist.

Obviously FECO does not want to focus solely on contests, but wishes to create a place of meeting, refl ection and work between its members.

You can create text and images by connecting to the private part of thesite at www.fecoweb.net This section is protected by a personal password, which is also your signature. To be able to create postings, you will need to apply to the webmaster, Alexis (E-mail: [email protected]), who will send you your login signature and personal password.

For methods of publication you can consult the online help facility, Help Fecoweb, on the navigation bar

(the help facility is in French and will be translated soon into English). In the private part of the site (button administration), there are two private forums, one reserved for authors and the other for FECO administrators, where you can express yourselves on all that relates to the world of the drawing of humour, press and caricature.

Personal e-mail addresses are hidden for your protection against spam. The site is divided into headings, each with their own sub-headings. At each heading, you can allocate a particular language. That way, each country can develop its own heading in its own language, within the general site whose language is English.

The private administration of the site is multilingual (see the fi ne print on the navigation bar under administration), but the various threads remain in the original language that the author will have used. Nevertheless, those interested can translate the articles and a link will be established between the various translations. All the graphics and documents are screened by a moderator.That means that the articles or drawings that you submit to the FECO website must be approved by one of the administrators, otherwise it won’t be visible on the public part of the site.

Alexis, FECO Webmaster [email protected]

Put Viscopy to work for YOU!

Well, here we are, and it’s almost November. Of course, you all know what that means - the annual ACA Convention is once again on

its way. It’s a great chance to let ACA members know a little bit more about Viscopy and what we do, so we always look forward to being there. Hopefully, we’ll have the opportunity then to talk more in-depth about the advantages of Viscopy’s licensing administration services. But until that time, I’ll give you a brief introduction, if I may.

Of course, many cartoonists have syndication agreements which preclude our ability to give assistance, but as we do receive inquiries from ACA members about licensing, (How much do I charge? Does Viscopy have standard agreements available? Should I ask for royalties or an up-front payment? Etc.) we are aware that cartoonists also undertake freelance assignments and occasionally require advice. In these cases, Viscopy has the ability to assist visual artists in several ways, including determining what rates to charge, negotiating a licensing agreement and assisting with copyright infringements, moral rights infringements and other issues that unfortunately do sometimes arise.

Under the basic form of membership that most ACA members have with Viscopy, these licensing administration services aren’t available. However, if you are a cartoonist that engages in other freelance work, such as creating logos or promotional illustrations that aren’t syndicated, it would be worth considering upgrading your membership with Viscopy - just contact me, Chad Corley, on 02 9368 0933 or email [email protected], and I can get you started. If necessary, we can exempt any syndicated works with which you have prior agreements, as Viscopy does not wish to become involved in the pre-existing legal arrangements of our members...we only want to help when and where we can.

So, if you’re doing freelance work and you fi nd yourself in a fi x - whether it’s dealing with a diffi cult client, not knowing what to charge, not knowing what type of agreement you need or just wishing you had someone else to bother with the details - well, that’s what we’re here for, and we deal with issues like these every day. Give us a call, consider upgrading your membership, and let Viscopy show you the value of our services.

Until next time,Chad CorleyMembership & Distribution ManagerVISCOPY

Our contact details are:45-47 Crown StreetWoolloomooloo NSW Australia 2011

Telephone +61 2 9368 0933Fax +61 2 9368 0899www.viscopy.com

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27


28

One of the highlights at last year’s Stanley Awards was Allan Salisbury celebrating 35 years of his comic Snake. This year, with the help of exhibitions coordinator Alisanne Ramsden he’s put his life on the wall at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in Launceston with an exhibition titled, appropriately, Art and Sols - A Cartoonist’s Tale. The show opened in July and will run till October, after which it will embark on a national tour. The exhibition contains

just over 80-framed cartoons that stretch over 100 meteres and goes back to Sols early days,

some 35 years, when he was drawing Lennie the Loser. There are also strips from Fingers and Foes and The Old

Timer and the evolution of Snake. In 2000, Snake was used on the logo of the Valley Vipers, who played professional baseball in Arizona. Sols says he never got paid for this, but there are bits and pieces in the exhibition from this little escapade. It all adds to the mix of a wonderful exhibition and shows Sols’ development from his early tentative lines to strong confi dent style of someone who really knows how to draw comics... Ross McMullin has written two books on Will Dyson and on September 23 was at the Norman Lindsay Gallery in Springwood to talk about him. Dyson was a frequent visitor to the gallery back in the late 1920s when it was Lindsay’s home. There is also an exhibition of 30 Dyson drawings on the walls and they are expected to stay there till the end of the second week in October. McMullin will be a guest at this year’s Stanleys in Ballarat... Alan Moir became only the second journalist, and the fi rst cartoonist (?), in fi fteen years to be invited to present a lecture in Parliament House, Canberra in June. The Theme? The History of Political Cartooning and its Role in Democracy. Alan assured Inkspot his talk, despite its title, wasn’t as pompous as its surroundings... Talks by editorial cartoonists must be the fl avour of the season; apart from the very busy Moir speakers’ circuit, News Ltd’s Jon Kudelka and ACA member Paul Batey have spoken about their profession at Newcastle’s This Is Not Art Festival while in Brisbane the Sun-Herald’s David Pope kept a group of industrial relations academics entertained talking about the problem of didacticism in cartoons... The vibrant WA Chapter has a cartoonists/writers workshop happening in October. It’ll

be an opportunity for the west coast ACAers to get together with a group of writers and a publisher to see if they can help each other out. Contact WA VP Greg Smith for details... Passionfruit Gallery & Netanya Resort presents multi-Stanley recipient Brett Lethbridge in Maroochydore & Noosa for an exclusive two week showing of his new collection, Tender Skies. The exhibitions will run until October 16. For further media enquiries contact Katie on 0414 800 854, or email [email protected]... Wollongong’s Illawarra Mercury is the latest newspaper do do a revamp of its design and opt to start using their daily comics in colour. They join Launceston’s Examiner, Melbourne’s Herald Sun, the Canberra Times and a host of weeklies, twice and tri- weeklies in what appears to becoming a trend. Part of the Mercury’s new look was to give their editorial cartoonist, Vince O’Farrell, a full page not only to highlight his work

but also to publish a selection of the best editorial cartoons from around the globe... It’s been a great quarter for ACA members’ publications. Tony Lopes has released his second collection of Insanity Streak. Costing $12.95 it will be published mid-November, having already been launched in the UK by Ravette, Judy Dunn, in her delightful whimsical style, has released A Rich Tapestry. Published by Wild & Woolley, it is available at Gleebooks (Glebe) and at Bray’s (Balmain) or try http://wildandwoolley.com.au. Michel Streich’s wonderfully rich and lively line has embellished Gerard Windsor’s words in Ned Kelly and the odd rellie. The 116

page hard cover collection of fi fty humourous illustrated poems about famous Aussies will be published in November by University of Queensland Press. RRP $19.95, with the talent involved cheap at twice the price.

but also to publish a selection of

wildandwoolley.com.au. Michel

Arising from the Swamp and donning his “delegate” hat, Gary Clark recently attended the 37th ANNUAL PANPA CONFERENCE on behalf of the ACA.

The Conference, held at Jupiter’s Conference Centre on Queensland’s Gold Coast, ran over three days and featured an unending procession of speakers from diverse segments of the newspaper industry. Topics were many and varied, ranging from marketing and advertising to how the investment industry views newspapers.

It was easy to think that these sessions didn’t directly relate to cartooning, but Clark reports that they in fact did after a careful listen. Each session contained a wealth of valuable information on how the newspaper business operates. It only took a little imagination to convert that information into how we can collectively contribute our specifi c creative skills to it.

Basically, Clark reckons it was a worthwhile exercise just being immersed in the nuts and bolts issues that occupy the attention of those involved in the production and perpetuation of that daily wonder we take for granted called a newspaper.

It wasn’t just by the scale of the task and the physical act of producing so much content for print each day that was impressive. It was also the vast amount of creative thinking that continually goes into tackling the multitude of challenges that face the newsprint media today.

Clark was also impressed also by the research,detailed planning and forward thinking that looks way beyond the next deadline. There was clearly much to learn and future editions of the PANPA Bulletin and Inkspot will make the best of that information available.

However, there were gaps in the thinking detailed by many speakers; gaps in thinking about cartooning and media art and their increasing contribution to the reinvention of a 21st century newsprint media. But, according to Clark, that is our job.They’ve already got enough on their plate.

Inkspot 50

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