the blog spout

2008-08-25T16:12:00.001-04:00

The 70's

In 1971,I heard of an opening at Ralph Bakshi studios in NYC, It was a beginners job opaquing a new Animated Cartoon, An X rated animated cartoon called "Fritz the Cat. The feature film was looosely based on Robert Crumbs character created for the underground Comix copyrighted in 1965.

I met Ralph Bakshi,interviewed for the job, and was hired as one of the many opaquers on Fritz the Cat.

It was , what most people would feel a boring necesary job.

We were the infantry, we took the inked film acetate cell, turned it over, and painted the

reverse side with an acrylic cell vinyll paint. . That was it, that was all we did all

day long.

We followed a chart with a lined drawing of the character on it. The line drawing had numbers and coresponding arrows pointing to the character for color. So simple almost anyone could do it.For an artist, this was mana. I loved my job. Every day I would grab the train from Long Beach, NY and travel the 90 minute ride to the city, just so I could be a part of this animation film. I met wonderful people, and watched an animated film come to life. Face it I was a kid.

I met the guy who created Baby Huey, I believe his name was Marty Taras, he was a gentleman, and he was a dead ringer for Baby Huey, in size, demeanor, and personality. . He

was one of the animators on the film, in New York City. It was amazing to watch how animation was created via Ralph Bakshi and company. The Original drawing was drawn by an animator, and given to another animator, called an inbetweener. He or she would , t

race the pencilled art, and make small adjustments to give the illusion of movement.. Sometimes only a part of the body, not the whole body was was drawn, it was all dependant on the characters movement. The crew involved was a tight knit group of incredibly talented artists,

The finished pencils were all checked , then given to an inker. He, or she would trace over the lines with a pen, on each cel. When that was completed, the acetates were given to the cell painters. The background was based on photos of the city, then turned into a magnificent water color paintngs for the film, It was an amazing production, and a lot of fun to see it being produced.

There is a wonderful book called "Unfiltered" The complete Ralph Bakshi, by Universe Publishing Co, I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys great art, cartoons, or animation.

It will explain the whole process, and display the amazing artwork that went into each of the RalphBakshi animated films, Enjoy

Below is my little animated cartoon, promoting the web site

www.caricatoonist.com

It can also be seen at

www. partypop.com

along with samples of the artwork, from TCS.

2008-06-20T17:27:00.000-04:00

An Artistic Interposition The 70's ( continued)

There has ben too many words, and not enough art, so I am interjecting at this point more art from the past.

That was a bit of fine madness from 1972.

In 1971, I was fortunate to meet wallace Wood. Woody, was living in Long Island, with a bride,and ready made family. The unfortunate part was that Woody was never happy.

I worked in Woody's studio , in Valley Stream, NY with the talents of, Nicola Cuti, Syd Shores, Jack Able,,and the occaisional visiting, artist who happened by. My job was to spot blacks, ie:

blacken in the areas on his comics strips, Sally Forth, and cannon. The strips were created for the overseas weekly newspapers. You haven't lived as an apprentice, until you hear tsss! over your shoulder, as you are inking in the art of the master.I looked over my sholder, and there was Woody, grimacing at the work I had just completed.Just like that, with a flourishing whip of the masters hand, with some whiteout, the page was good as new.Woody, just smiled at me, and said continue. Woody was very forgiving, and also giving. He would let me do more and more, on a page of his creation. I always was watchful, and knew that I could not be Woody,

so I went as far as I could with the inking. He taught me a lot.As the years passed, we went our separate ways. Woody was a wonderful teacher, and good soul, we were good friends.

Those who know Woody have had different impressions of him. I enjoyed his company, and friendship..and was awed by his amazing talent

Published 1993 Eros Comix © Bill Pearson

Artist Memoirees ©2008 stevens

2008-05-20T17:17:00.000-04:00

The Seventies...continuing...

OK, Ok, it's been a whle since I addressed this blog, I'm sorry.

I've been trying to keep it real, and locate pertinent information to make it so.

That's a job in itself.

This chapter is about...Love, from the 70's

I know , I know, Love?

Boring, time to move on...

I felt the same way, then I found a large batch of cartoons addressing love, so I said

Buck up and just write it, so, either close your eyes, or read on, I might just do the same

So here it is

Love.

The Webster's dictionary justified my chapter with the following...in no particular order

love (luv) a noun. An intense and warm feeling for one another. To like, or desire enthusiastically, A zero score in Tennis, ,Need I say more.

The first ones called, "Take off your Glasses"Next is something I called "Ah Love...."

".. and finally "Out the Window"

Sure they are cynical.I was depressed, and my cartoons were my therapy. It was a hard time. Susan liked strays of all kinds, the house always had some new entity in the fold for a while.

A new dog, cat or person was in our home, or life. someone said ,of me, that I would give you the shirt off my back, but first I'd have to draw it . That was pretty true, below you will see an example of , just that.

The funny part about this shirt is that I created myself, in 1971, as Young old John, white beard and all. Suzy and I had an unusual relationship, I had no where to go, we enjoyed each others company I guess, but we stayed together because where would we go. That would soon change.

To be continued,, Soon I hope, sorry about the delay. Time passes too quickly.

Artistic Memoirees ©2008 stevens

2008-04-22T10:54:00.000-04:00

The 70's continued

Driving a cab, didn't put enough food on the table, nor pay the rent, so in 1971, I donned a suit and tie, and headed back to the big Apple. I took a job as a pasteup/mechanical artist, for a retail newspaper. If you were born in the after 1979, let me explain what a pasteup/mechanical artist does. He cuts out type from a galley of body copy, and art and paste it into position on a board.

A tedious, necessary, lousy start up position in the art field. The work of drudgery. The word pasteup is so old, the at my spell checker is quizzing me

on the correct spelling. Today in our wonderful age of computers, the pasteup/mechanicals are all done digitally, and not with rubber cement, or wax to paste it down.. Did I mention lousy start up position. Well, that was how ads were put into Newspapers and fliers back in the dark ages of printing. Hey, It paid the bills, sort of...

The company I worked for either handled retail stores, or was a store ad agency, I can't remember which. I think it was Korvettes, a long ago gone retail store, like K-Mart. It 's not that important. I mentioned earlier that I always pushed the envelope, so my area where I worked was no exception,. I had my own cartoon characters everywhere around me, I even had a 4' high cartoon creature towering above my drawing desk lamp. The place was a cartoon carnival. The organization, humored me, somewhat.

I remember they had a great relaxation room, that everyone went to during lunch hour. There were billiard tables, and everyone congregated there. I loved to write and draw, but with all the commotion during lunch hour, I couldn't hear myself think. So, I did the obvious, I chose my lunch hour from 1PM to 2PM, when no one else was there. I drew cartoons vigorously in the peace and quiet of the large room. One day my concentration was interrupted, by an "Ahem"

" What are you doing here?' question. I proceeded to explain how I was an artist, and how I...

I was cut off by "Lunch hour is from 12 noon to 1PM, This room is not open after 1PM."retort.

I said I wasn't bothering anyone, and, the peace and quiet is so conducive to creating art.

Whereupon, he said" This room is open for lunch only , and from 12 noon to 1Pm, who is your supervisor."

Needless to say, from that day forward I ate my lunch at my desk, whilst I sketched cartoons in my book, from 12 noon to 1PM.

One last vignette, about Korvettes, it's not art related, but since I'm stuck at my desk in time, I figured I drop it in.

One afternoon, as I was slaving over my pasteups for an always exciting weekend special flier, I looked up and saw a couple dressed up like they didn't belong in our Korvettes establishment.

He was tall, smartly dressed, and she was attractive, and wearing clothes, that you would never find at a Korvettes store. As they walked from department to department, they were introduced to each person. " This is Ed Furstenberg, and Diane, they will be working with us"

my manager said, and off they sauntered . I thought, I can't see them soing pasteups, and I was right, in fact I never saw them again , until some time later, when I picked up the Daily News, and read the About Town page. The Crown Prince of Austria, Egon Von Furstenberg, and his lovely wife were in America , to learn about the retail business. Eddy Furstenberg, Cmon !

I realized after working at a job I hated, that my days were numbered. The week moved slowly, each night I would go home, and tell Suzy about my escapades, and the pending sword .

Her reaction, "you'll find another job, we have cat's to feed". Throughout the week, I slowly took down my cartoon museum, by Thursday, it was totally fresh and clean, ready for a new lackey. Friday, at 4:30, I placed a clean white board on the drawing table, said my few goodbyes, waited to 5PM to leave, and I never got a call from my boss to see him. I was amazed.

Monday morning, I showered, put on my best clothes, headed to the train station. I bought a weekly ticket, grabbed a coffee, and newspaper. I got the best seat on the train, since it was the end of the line, and headed to the city. Squeezing my 6' 2" frame into a packed subway can, was again to be my continuing joy. I grabbed another cup of coffee to face the day at the office .

Getting off the elevator, and crossing through the corridors to the art department, I received a few quizzical looks. I stopped short, when I saw a pair of crossed legs, sitting at my drawing table.

I heard a cough, and another, and the "John, can I see you in my office" was heard next.

I traipsed into the managers office, sat down and waited. "John, It's not working out, we have to let you go" he said sheepishly. I said, "Wait a minute, doesn't that always happen on Fridays, I just bought a weekly ticket"

..........."I forgot" was his only reply.

Artistic Memoirees ©2008 stevens

2008-04-16T19:32:00.000-04:00

The 70's

Above is my first and only puppet I created in 1970. His name was Jeremiah, based on a character I created in a Children's Book Class at The School of Visual Arts , back in 1966.

I have been trying to locate that book, but have so far, had no luck. It was interesting, because

I dummied up the entire book .

The story followed this large Green character, who did everything to fit in with everyone else. The last page he finally found his place in society. He was happy as a lark, sitting in a cage, with a sign above saying "Please don't Feed the Jeremiah"

It was an Anti Children's book. I always pushed the envelope ay SVA. Sometimes the instructors accepted my creativity, sometimes they thought I was a smart *ss.

As an artist, you are always asked to draw something,

or create something for someone.

Susan and I lived in the 840 house, It was an apartment house where some of the wealthy lived, right on the beach. Across the hall were Mike and Judy with their two german shepherds,( Yago, and Tasha,) Bobbi and Joey lived next door,and upstairs was two of the band members of the Vanilla Fudge.

It was Joeys birthday, so they asked me to create a gift for him. Joey was a smoker, but a particular one. He never bought store bought cigarettes, "I don't trust them" , he would say.

He would buy tobacco, papers, and roll his own cigarettes. Below is the mobile gift I made for him. I gave it to him in pieces, in a box. He had to build it himself. based on my directions, and cut outs. He got a kick out of it.

Because you create something for a friend, you must create something for your girl.

Suzy's birthday was coming up, and I had no idea what to get her. Heck, with the cost of the apartment, I had no money anyway.

So I used my hands, and created her, what I called the "Jiggasaurus". It was a jig saw puzzle birthday card. Each piece represented one of my characters, or a portion thereof. I also created a story to go along with it.

Each page was pasted on the walls throughout the apartment. It told of how the Jiggasaurus came to be, as it blew into town with one purpose. To get each piece together, to celebrate Suzy's birthday. It was at least unique. The pages are all but lost, I have but one photo to show you how the Jiggasaurus looked ,in part, for Suzy's Birthday. See Below.

What I find interesting as I dig through my old files, is that , not only the evolution of my art and style, but also at how we dressed , and our appearance back then, either in art or in life. .

Note the Bell bottoms and the platform shoes. Even I, at 6'2", wore platform shoes...

More Artistic Memoirees to follow later...

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

2008-04-06T06:49:00.001-04:00

The Blog Cab Tales via the 70's

As I mentioned last time , to put food on the table, and more importantly,

to pay the bills, I took a job driving a cab. The job was mine , due to our neighbor, and a friend of Susan's. The neighbor's name was Jerry, he lived in the next building , with his room mate, who was the co owner a competing cab company . I think his name was Rich, his partner's name Steve.

Well, since everyone knew Susan, I got the job.

I will illustrate tell some Taxi Driving Tales,

with a brief cartoon illustration to make my point.

All stories are factual , based on my memory, and not embellished.

This being true, they

may leaving you hanging for more,

since you are use to TV shows and fictional accounts of facts.

The above illustration is entitled

"The day I sunk the 42 car"

Each vehicle was given a number, and I drove, the checker cab,

known as the 42 car.

Each of the next four vignettes,

will tell tales of that vehicle, and me.

One snowy, icy morning, I received a call to pick up a customer,

from their home, for passage to the rail road station.

Normally, a 5 minute drive,

but the area was a new development in Island Park, NY.

I wended my way through the dirt roads, picked up the passenger,

and headed towards the railway station.

The customer was in a hurry to make the 7:55 train,

and told me of a short cut through the construction areas.

On a clear day, that would have been a fine idea,

but with intermittent,ice, and rain, not so.

I dutifully followed the passengers' directions,

a left here, a right there, until we hit a pocket of ice.

The cab skidded a bit, but I kept control of it.

The next move was to be our final move.

I slowly made a left turn, through what appeared to be a clearing,

but alas, the road had it's own mind.

The ice gave way, and we began to sink.

A checker cab is a fairly heavy vehicle, so we

sunk pretty quickly. The car didn't sink straight down, it went face down.

All the passenger cared about was missing her train. She said to me, forget it, I'll walk, opened the door, and water rushed in.I turned off the motor, grabbed the keys, hopped out the back door, and muddled my way thigh, to ankle, deep in frozen water , hearing the words "Idiot" "Jerk", and worse as I traversed my way back to the cab station. The cab was saved, I froze my assets off.

"Driving a cab, can be Murder"

One evening, about 9;30 PM, I received an unusual call,to pick up a customer at The Long Beach Motor Inn.

Why this was unusual, was because, The Long Beach Motor Inn had a direct line to the Long Beach Cab company, our competitor. I took the call, drove to the Motor Inn, waited for the fare.

I brown leathered jacketed young man hopped in the car, and said "Let's Go!" He seemed hopped up on something.

I said where to, he proceeded, to not only give me the address, but also to disclose his tale.

He began with, "You look like a pretty together guy...", with those

words he proceeded to tell me how he robbed a jewelry store, in Long Beach, NY

earlier in the day, and how he got away with $28,000 in gems.I lived in Long Beach, and heard of no robbery this day, so I thought he was Bull Sh*tting me., so I listened , because my tip was in balance. I drove him to his destination, he said" Wait here, I 'll be right back,and cut the top light". Usually that means that you'll never see your fare again. Just as I was about to leave, he appeared , shaky and sweaty, he said" Let's Go" I said where to now, "Back to the Hotel", he retorted . He paid the cab fare, and handed me a $20 tip. That was quite unusual.

Upon heading back to the cab stand, I clicked on the radio, to hear of a brutal murder in Long Beach, earlier in the evening. The cab office sat next to the Nassau County police booth. The police were always dropping by to talk, and grab a coffee. This evening the cab stand was a beehive of activity. There was indeed a murder, in Long beach, NY. A brutal murder, not that long ago. I didn't put two and two together, so I went about my business, ended my shift at midnight, headed home. When I got to my apartment, Susan was entertaining , our neighbor, Jerry , and a few friends. I was wide awake, so I partied into the early morning with them.

I told them of my unusual passenger earlier in the evening. They all laughed at the dumb story.

The next evening while driving my Checker cab, I got a call from the dispatcher, to come in immediately after the paid fare.As I drove into the cab station, there were two plain clothes officers to greet me. They asked my name, and inquired if I had anyone strange in my cab last night. I told them that most of my passengers at night are strange. They said I picked up this fare, last night, at The Long Beach Motor Inn. I sunk in my seat. They said "Could you identify this person, if you saw him again?" I said "If you have a picture" Then one cop turned to the other and said, "Do you have the picture?" Whereupon, the other cop said, "No, I thought you brought the pcture." They jumped in their car, and said , "We'll be right back." As I was returning from my latest fare, I received a call from the dispatcher, "John, your friends are back, you better get back here, in a hurry."Before I could even park the car, the two officers flipped out a photo, and said "Is this the man you drove last night?" I said,

"Yeah, only he's a bit uglier. "

Apparently, how this all unfolded was that , my neighbor Jerry's room mate, Rich, knew the person who was murdered. She was his mothers good friend. Rich notified the police, after

Jerry told Rich my story, and the police came to the cab station to quiz me.

They caught the perpetrator about two weeks later.

Thinking no one was home, the perp broke into a house in Long beach, , to steal a T.V, and a few other items. He was startled by a woman , who caught him robbing her. She tried to stop him, He pulled a knife, and stabbed her. Not only did he stab here, but he then stabbed her 27 times, and raped her. He wanted the police to believe a maniac killed her, not him.

I lived in fear, until they caught him. Simple police work, was how he got caught.

All televisions had registration code numbers, to identify the owners. When the perp fenced the TV, and the person tried to sell it, the police arrested the seller. The seller turned against the perp, and the perp was arrested. I was to be his alibi, since he called just after the murder, was all shaky, and nervous, and gave me a preposterous robbery story. I would be sure to have his alibi covered, It didn't work out that way.

Be rewarded when?

Sometimes we got to pick up the last call drinkers, from the bars, and drive them home.

It was a task that all late night cab drivers had to do. Rewarding? well that would depend on the luck, and possible good fortune of the driver. The idea was to get them in and out of your cab as quickly as possible. Not only because they might throw up, but also, cab driving is a numbers game. The more passengers the more money you make. It was as simple as that.

One evening, I picked up and old sot, who wanted to go home from the pub. The problem was not only was he sleepy, but he also, couldn't remember where he lived, in Long Beach.

I kept naming apartment houses, not only to assist in his identifying where he lived, but also to keep him awake. Long Beach is aptly named, it is a long strip of beach property with apartments, and houses scattered throughout. My voice was becoming hoarse after driving up and down the strip calling out names of hotels, apartments, and streets. He was half asleep, I think he was beginning to feel that my "42" cab was his home. finally as it was getting almost light, he remembered, I promptly drove him to his home. He asked "How much"

The fare was normally $3.00 from the bar, to his home. but since he claimed squatters rights, I charged him $10.00. He payed gladly, and threw in a $5.00 tip. His last comment to me was" You will be rewarded in Heaven, my friend." My guilt widened at that moment for overcharging him.

The cat lady

During the day shift, frequently we would assist the elderly with their grocery bundles.

One afternoon, I received a call to pick up a fare at the King Kullen food store.

At the curbside there was an old lady with a shopping cart filled with about 12 bags of groceries.

She was to be my fare. I helped her into the car, she had an odor about her. I placed all the grocery bags into the trunk, and off we went. When I arrived at her home, she asked if I could carry the bags into the house. I obliged. When she opened the door, I realized what her odor was. She was a cat lady. She had about 2 dozen cats of all colors and sizes running about her home. There was newspapers everywhere, and the pungent smell of cat urine permeated the place.. After several trips, all the grocery bags were in the house.. She thanked me , and apologized, that she couldn't afford a tip. She offered me a cat. I said no thank you. As I walked towards the door, she said"Wait" "I have something for you, sir, something for your kindness"

She handed me a Tiffany lamp, as a gratuity. I was amazed, I said no, but she insisted.

So I walked out with a Tiffany lamp.

Years later, my ex-wife sold it at a garage sale. It wasn't a Tiffany.

Thanks for your letting me bend your ear, uh eye for this Adventure in cabbing,

More art and the 70's to come.

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

2008-03-30T02:01:00.001-04:00

Ah ,the 70's, at last...

When I left off last time I was mentioning about Susan, my parents, and

yes, there will be art. I assure you lots of art.

My parents were old fashioned,

or perhaps unbeknownst to myself, I was a rebel.

My parents were furious that I left the nest.

After all,my sister and brother did the honorable thing,

waited to get married, before fleeing the coop.

They insisted I come to my senses, and come right home, now !.

I did not. They were the co- signers on my 1969 Kharman Ghia,

They called my note,and alas, I lost the car that I loved... my first car.

I know it's about art... I'll get there.

I had no job, a new playmate, an unrealized anchor of an apartment,

and as I said no job.

Oh did I mention that Susan quit her job .

I did the honorable thing, I got a job driving a cab. Susan, stayed home.

I got a credit card, Susan stayed home,

I fixed the apartment up, well, actually, we fixed it up.

I paid for it.

It was paradise, and insanity all wrapped up into one.

Susan made friends easily, she was likable. I worked, so she stayed home, sort of .

She was never alone, she and her several cats, and more friends.

I wasn't that alone either.

I got a job driving a cab.

I had lots of passengers in my cab , during my, too long to remember, shift.

Actually, that's not true, I was very lonely.

One thing though, It was my most prolific time of creating cartoons.

(I'll try not to drag out too many, just enough to make my point.)

I filled books, upon books ,of cartoons during that time.

It was kind of a cathartic beginning

of my cartoon therapy, without the doctors.

I feel this may be a long chapter , so bear with me.

My cartoons were about feelings, emotions, and innermost thoughts.

Maybe not funny, a little crazy, but, a learning experience, that was for certain.

No Pain, No Gain, to speak...

To be Continued....

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

2008-03-20T07:50:00.001-04:00

Where was I?...

Did I mention a while back that I got Lyme disease, and can't find my keys, or my way some times.... If I asked that question previously, I apologize.

..... That's in the future, and I'm trying to keep this in a chronology of decades, and also about art.

Ok I'm back, yeah the 60's to the 70's.

Underground Comix

I had a few chances at the underground, whether, I missed it because of timing,

or because mistiming, or because of something else, I'll leave that in the past.

I did receive quite a few letters of encouragement, from various magazines, even had work published at a fairly young age.

After I left Go Magazine, I mentioned I met a girl.

Susan, Let's call her Susan Smith, it's easier that way.

I met Susan travelling to and fro, Go magazine, on the Long Island Rail Road, I think it was fro.

We sat next to each other on a crowded car. she smiled her crooked tooth smile, and asked to see my portfolio of cartoons . (These were my cartoons from Go Magazine, Esquire Sox, music cartoons, Royal Crown Cola,and all.) Her eyes lit up, she was impressed, she thought I was famous,. I was young and naive, not famous.

My stop was before hers. She said let's meet again.

We each travelled to NYC on the same train line,

it was inevitable we would meet again, and so we planned to do so.

We met daily in the same car, to and fro. we became friends.

We dated, even though she had a boy friend in the service,

which I found about as time passed.

Wait, this is about art...

Ok, she was an artist, and I was a cartoonist kind of artist,Kindred?

I lived at home, at the cross of a point in my life, that was depressing, and enlightening.

My brother and sister got married the same

year, so I was left to live at home with my

Father, Mother and Grandmother

, in the same house, after the flight of the two older siblings.

Not the healthiest of options. The fire or the frying pan.

Wait this is about art....

I moved in with Susan, much to my parents disfavor, to say the least!

and so it goes....

To be continued

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

2008-03-16T13:39:00.001-04:00

As we leave the decade called the 60's, there was so much creativity unfolding ,

and people, who I have had the pleasure to meet during there own artistic beginnings.

Some had success, and , are icons, and some simply faded away, and some passed on too soon.

,The 60's created an evolutionary beginning of new comic book concept.

, Haight Ashbury, Zap Comics...Bob Crumb,

The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers ,by Gilbert Shelton,

JunkWaffel, by Vaughn Bode, and so many more.

Aside from the West Coast there were entreprenoirs, on the East Coast, also.

Small publications popping up all over the place,

for example, as shown below, Moonchild Comics.

created by, Nicola Cuti, from Valley Stream, NY.

I met Nicola Cuti, I believe in 1968. How we came to meet,

I don't recall.

We lived one town from each other in Long Island, NY.

He was a talented writer, and an established magician. A gentleman.

He was a good friend, as the years passed, I would say sadly, that he was a

better friend to me, than I was to him. For that, I am truly sorry.

Nick, or as he would prefer, Nicola, was amazingly prolific. He wrote for

Warren Publications, Creepy, and Eerie. Wrote for Wallace Wood on Cannon,

and Sally Forth, for the Overseas Weekly.

Created E-Man, illustrated beautifully, by his good friend Joe Staton.

He created his own cartoon character "Moonchild"

and amongst other things developed an East Coast Underground Comic Book

Showcase, for talented unknown artists, to as he has said, " keep his Volkswagen in Gas."

Prolific, Hungry and Talented, would best describe a young Nicola Cuti, that plus an honest

friendly,and he would give you the shirt off his back if you needed one.

Heck, He gave me his Volkswagen when I was down and out. That is a good friend

In his third issue, of Moonchild, Nick offered me several pages to showcase my comic strip'

Below is a copy of that strip printed in Moonchild, 1970.

Nicola introduced me to many cartoonist, and helped me along the way.

I worked in Wallace Wood's studio, in Valley Stream, Long Island, because

Woody needed an an assistant, and Nick mentioned me.

Nick knew everyone, and everyone, knew, and liked Nick.

I remember going to the first National Comic Book Convention in

the Hotel Commodore on July 4th through 8th in NYC.

The cost was $7. for 5 days, I believe it was 1968.

Phil Seuling , was the convention chairman.

The place was packed, The dealer room overflowed into the hallways.

It was surreal, almost uncomfortable. My first taste of what fans were about. It seemed as if anyone who was involved with comics, including some of the underground cartoonist, were all in this one hotel. .

To be continued...

Artistic Memoirees ©2008 stevens

2008-03-14T03:40:00.001-04:00

Slowly towards the seventies

Above is a cartoon portrait of me from a

Warren Publications , "Creepy" Magazine

friend, Barry Rockwell, The story was titled

"Jack Knifed", written by Bill Parente.

Style, Where does style come from.

Barry Rockwell, was a phenomenal, and is a phenomenal artist.

You can tell he understands, and must have studied anatomy.

I studied cartoons, and since I couldn't draw like Al capp,

or his staff, I drew in a style that I felt comfortable with.

I studied the art of Ed" Big Daddy" Roth, and Mad Magazines

Paul Coker Jr ,especially the Horrifying Cliche's,

(written byPhil Hahn,Jack Harahan,George Wooodbridge,and May sakami)

While working at Go Magazine, I found Rizoli Bookstore down the block,

and purchased as many foreign magazines, as I could afford.

What I enjoyed about the French Pilote magazine,

and The Italian, Linus magazine,

and the others, was that, since I did not understand the languages, it forced

me to create my own idea for gag cartoons. It was better than turning a newspaper upside down

to look at things differently, and it worked. Many of the cartoons were reprints

of old American strips, others were totally foreign, and some were captionless.

Below you will see how my style began, through the enjoyment of a few talented

cartoonist, with unique styles, and approaches to cartoons. Later I learned from others.

The first people who molded my cartoon approach were Ed"Big Daddy"Roth, and Paul Coker Jr

My style will evolve, through the desire to create art, and time spent searching for new

ways to approach my art. Most of all, trying to keep humor somewhere nearby,

through the highs and the lows of my life.

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

2008-03-11T02:54:00.002-04:00

It Still the 60's ...Sheesh !

OK, Ok, well, it was a decade , 10 long years,so,

what's so hot about the 70's anyway ?!

Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself again.

Yesterday, I was writing about Go Magazine,

and the creative ventures I became involved with.

Since this blog is about art, and cartooning,

it's time to show some artwork.

I mentioned the Esquire Socks, and

Royal Crown Cola Campaigns, so here are a few

more cartoons, from that time.

Go Magazine was growing from a small newspaper ,

to a weekly with over 750,00 circulation,

which kids trusted, and the, 34 radio stations

liked the self promotion of the center spread.

There was Go Franchising, ,

Pop Shops,, a retail establishment serving teenagers,

and young adults with audio, audio visual,

fashion, musical instruments, books & magazines.

It was growing with the support of national advertisers.

The "tatty little sheet", as Robin Leach used to lovingly refer to Go Magazine,

was also going in for a face change.

Ruby Mazur redesigned the newspaper concept,

into a full fledged news stand magazine.

It was all a wonderful time,

I was given an opportunity, to come out of the dark,

and display my cartoons in the periodical.

For this I give a great heart felt thank you,

to all at Go Magazine, who gave me an opportunity to shine,

especially Ruby Mazur, our art Director.

The above facts were taken from the March 5, 1969 Ad Daily,

and promotional material produced by Go magazine Advertising.

And now a few more cartoons

Below is the cartoon which ran in Go Magazine as my visual concept

for a record,( We couldn't get permisson to use the name of the record at the time,)

Shel Silversteins, "A Boy Named Sue", sung by Johnny Cash.

We were Ahead of our time, by about 11 years.

This last Cartoon, never get's old, unfortunately,

It was originally printed in GO Magazine, Thanks to Ruby, in the summer of 1969.

It's very pacifistic, I don't know if you can read the type, but the last line says

..And eventually, after war is all over,man will be able to live in peace again,

The last picture says it all.

I left Go Magazine in 1969 ,I met a woman, we headed for the coast, The East coast,

Long Beach, NY, Not the West Coast. Boy, did I ever get that all wrong.

More about that as Artistic Memoirees continues.

I want to thank Robin Leach, for his interest, support, and kind words.

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

2008-03-08T19:55:00.003-05:00

Continuing into the 70's

There were many perks at Go Magazine. Records, Lots of records.

The editorial job was to review music. Each day , slews of 45 RPM

records were delivered. So many that, there was an overflow.

I loved the music, and as this blog pertains to art, I used the records, as art,

in a creative way. After listening to the 45's, I tacked them on my bedroom wall

end to end, from floor to ceiling. Beneath the Records The wall was pale blue,

with clouds painted on it.

The records on the wall over the clouds gave an illusion

of a Giant Gate . It was rather Cool.

Whenever I wanted to listen to a 45, record , I would replace it with another one.

As I said there were a lot of records.

Not only were there 45's , but Albums too. I hope I'm not losing the MP3 crowd. :)

There were amazing albums, promotional copies that no one wanted,

Jimi Hendrix Electric Lady Land, , The Who, Ten Years After, Chameleon Church,

Yes, Chameleon Church,with Chevy Chase. I collected everything. I had an eclectic taste.

I only wish I had some of those today.

I was a Yuppie, or a Yumpie in the 80's, and moved for work, too much,alas,

so went the record albums. More of the 80's in future blogs.

As the popularity of Go Magazine grew, so did the influx of mail, and packages from record companies. Lorraine Alterman, kept a good handle on things in the Editorial Department.

She was an excellent editor, with a hard working staff.

My dark room wasn't a dungeon, but a large room, right between the Editorial, and the

Production Departments, I was in the middle of how a publication was produced.

A wonderful learning experience, and yet, I was left alone to produce the visuals for

the publication.

Speaking of Visuals, I mentioned yesterday, that I created an Esquire Socks monthly

comic strip. It was well received. Joe asked me to try something for Royal Crown Cola.

I created some characters, drew a few strips, on spec. (unfortunately, I misplaced some

of my earlier 60's cartoons, so I can't display them here.) The Royal Crown, did not fly.

I was full of ideas.

I asked Joe, if I could do something with records. I told him, my idea, and he said, sure,

but you realize, this will be on spec, no money, I said, OK.

I chose 3 popular records of the time. Good Morning Starshine, from the Broadway show

"Hair", Shel Siverstein's, "A Boy Named Sue", and "Working on A Groovy Thing", which was a

R&B song from GO Magazines affiliate publication R&B World.

I played the records over and over, I took notes, jotted down the lyrics, and made sketches.

The "Good Morning Starshine", played out in my head as the end of the world, ( just follow the lyrics.) "A Boy Named Sue", I followed the story line, but added a twist to the end, and "Working on a Groovy Thing" was the creation of a Frankenstein monster, only Hip.

I drew them up, brought them in, showed Joe. Joe showed them to the record companies.

I have mentioned Joe Coleman quite a bit, since he gave me my first opportunity to create cartoons professionally, but I would be remiss, if I did not thank Ruby Mazur.

Ruby Mazur, was the Art Director of Go Magazine, he gave it the look , the style, and it's feel.

He also, gave me a chance to show my ability to create cartoons. An artist needs direction, and a good Art Director, can set an artist on the right path. Ruby had that ability, and he did it with a gentle manner. It's nice to hear that Ruby found success, although, he was destined for it

Congratulations Ruby!.

My Rock & Roll cartoons were printed, with one stipulation. We could not use the title of the songs in the strips.

Apparently, to create a weekly comic strip about songs, would be impossible.

First , there would have to be an OK from the author of the song, then the artist, then

the record company, and so on.

Besides, who really would ever want to see visualizations of music anyway?

That was one comment I heard in 1969.

Flash ahead for a moment to the 80's,

a new television program begins, with the visualization

of rock music, 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.

Was Go Magazine ahead of itself?

Yes, in many ways it was, with a great bank of talent.

What happened to Go Magazine?

Continued tomorrow, or perhaps Monday,

as I search for the missing Visuals.

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

2008-03-06T09:34:00.001-05:00

Go Magazine 1969

Someone asked me, "How do you know if anyone reads your blogs?"

A good question. That question was answer yesterday morning , when I received a post

from Robin Leach. If you read my blog yesterday, You would know that Robin Leach was the

publisher of a Rock and Roll Newspaper, called Go Magazine, in the late 60's.

Thank you Robin.

Robin Leach informed me of some of the history of our fellow Go employees.

I didn't know that Ruby Mazur, our Art Director,at Go, Created the famous Rolling Stones Tongue artwork,or that Lorraine Alterman, was married to the late Peter Boyle, of" Young Frankenstein", and" Everyone Loves Raymond.

It was nice to hear that Jan Wenner, the creator of Rolling Stone, gave credit to Go Magazine, when he speaks of his publication.

Robin Leach is the most recognized name, with Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous, and his other TV programs.

Check out Robin Leach's website via www.lasvegasmagazine.com,

then hit the Icon for Robin Leach at luxlife, and see what the rich and famous are up to, around Las Vegas . My Thanks & cartoon apologies to Robin Leach

Go Magazine was a unique vehicle,probably one of a kind.

As I mentioned earlier, It was filled with great stories, informational bits about records, and the artists, reviews and advertisements for the latest record albums .

The center spread was for all the national radio stations, fort their contests, their parties,

or for whatever they chose. I can't remember how many AM stations were involved, but they

kept me busy.I loved it. I was alone most of the day, creating veloxes.

Above is a sample of a velox of the BEE Gees circa 1969

Occaisionally,I would create type for headlines, and always be sketching cartoons.

The Executive Offices were one flight up, I hardly saw anyone, being in a dark room, most of the time. I had plenty to work on, with the National ads, and the local radio press, and getting this all together on a timely basis.

The team worked like a family, and it was great fun. Sure ,there was pressure, especially at crunch time, but the paper always got out on time.

As I mentioned, I always drew cartoons, and tacked them up on the walls of my dark room.

Pretty Crazy, A dark Room Museum, that no one could see.

Oddly enough, someone did see my dark room out museum.

The next morning when I arrived at the Go offices, set up my camera, for a workout.I turned the lights on, and noticed a few of my drawings were gone. At first I was angry, then flattered, then as I was beginning to go through another emotion, I was asked, to see the Advertising Director, Joe Coleman. Joe told me he liked my unusual cartoons, and he would like to set up a meeting with the Advertising Director, Basil Thompson, at Esquire Socks. Joe wanted me to comp up some ideas about Esquire Socks in a comic strip format, for the meeting. I was psyched. The meeting went well. The idea was launched, and there was a small write up about it in Advertising Age.

Not bad for a kid less than a year out of Art School.

To be continued.

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

2008-03-04T03:43:00.000-05:00

Unfolding into the seventies

Following the surprise of finding type on my shirt sleeve , the next morning,

I realized I had better honker down, and find a job, before I lost my taste for food.

Not really, I still lived at home.

A good fortune, and then again ...... Not!

The Sunday NY Times ran some ads, for a few different jobs,with a new company.

The job that intrigued me was " Stat King Camera Operator".., creating veloxes, for a newspaper,and to assist in creating Typositor Headlines

"Newspaper job, Camera Operator, New Company, in NYC, " I applied.

You Bet !

The interview went well,and the paste up position,was suggested. I declined.

They, then suggested the Camera operator job.

I said yes .

Now, of course it may not have been as simple as that, but... then again..

The stipulation was, that, because this was a Newspaper,

a" Weekly Newspaper", there would be nights when we would have to stay

until the paper was put to bed, at what ever the time.

Oh yes, and no overtime pay.

I took the job, low pay and all.

The Newspaper was "GO" Magazine, it was a newspaper filled with ads for Record companies, Great stories, and the two page center spread that was for all the AM Radio stations, info, contests, and such, across the Nation

Yes, only AM, radio was around, as I recall, back then for Our type of music . I believe that FM Radio began in the Mid 70's, but don't quote me on that .

Since name dropping is part of this blog, I'll mention some of the people who wend in and out of this Artistic Memoiree, at Go Magazine. In no particular order, there was,

Robin Leach , Publisher, Ron Hutchinson Executive Editor ,Phil Flam, ,

Joe Coleman, Ad Exec, Ruby Mazur, Art Director, Lorraine Alterwein, Editor.

Chris Hodenfield, writer, Jody Sten ,and a staff of hardworking, fun people.

I apologize to all those I have left out, or spelled names incorrectly.

I'm amazed I remembered, as many as I did.

l will continue more of the Go saga tomorrow.

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

2008-02-22T00:05:00.001-05:00

Slowly leaving the 60's

As my years at the School of Visual Arts came to a close. It was time to

search for a full time occupation. In 1969, the job market for a young artist

in Manhattan, was, at best , by todays standards, archaic.

The choices, , for a beginner, in the publication field was ,

paste up artist. That's about it.

That or, the mailroom, and hey, that's where I began, I gotta move up.

Oh yeah the pay was about the same...

My first job interview was quite exciting, it went quite well, I thought.

I was pleasant, they were pleasant. Nice small talk.

Then I was brought into their art studio.

I was told to sit down at the drawing board.

I was given a galley of type. There was a wax machine nearby.

They told me to place the type into position, along with the various photographs.

Next, they placed an alarm clock next to me, and said.... GO !

My job was to take all this pile of type, and make some semblance to it, paste it into position.

I was then to add the photos, and before the alarm went off, I was to give them

two pages of a magazine spread, following a rough drawn out layout of how the page should look, which they provided.

I was left alone,I worked feverishly, the clock ticked. I Rushed about, I waxed the galleys.

I measured the columns, I measured the pictures. I was beating the clock. Wow!!

This was great, well not really, actually , no one really enjoyed paste ups back then,

but that's how publications were put together, before computers.

I looked about the room, still alone, still time left. I checked over everything, pictures fit perfectly, the type fit like a glove.

I took my jacket off the back of my chair, and put it on, primped myself, as the alarm rang.

The two employer representatives walked in., looked at my finished pages, looked at each other, nodded, thanked me, and said they would call me, to let me know.

I left feeling full of myself, I aced it!

I was done with a two page spread in under the given time.

I took the long Island Railroad home, , feeling pretty good about my day,

Sitting comfortably, with my hands behind my head.

My concentration was interrupted, by the conductor who inquired,

" Why are you wearing a paragraph of type, from last weeks Time Magazine, on your sleeve ?"

They never called.

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

2008-02-19T17:21:00.001-05:00

Artistic Memoirees 2008 © stevens

The 60's plus a short stop to the present, no pun intended... or perhaps understood.

Yeah, even I did my part as the Red Togged , White bearded old Corpulent Gent, in 1969.

Me, own mother, din't even rec'gnize me... whatever. It's a picture from the 60's, of me

as the segue .

I decided to place an old black & white cartoon sketch of my cartoon artwork, juxtaposed

against some of my never before viewed private collection of pastel portraits, and paintings

to show, that yes, after 40 odd years of plugging away at drawing, I really am an artist.

Later I'll go back to the art of the 70's and on, as it transforms, because I have so much of it...

Any way, here's the black & white 1967 cartoon, which , actually means something....

Hope you enjoy.

Here are some of my paintings, done in acrylic

The oriental words I found in a book, the meanings seemed right, for the painting, when I created the painting. I lost the book, so , I apologize to my Oriental friends if my words, or the ability to create those words is incorrect. I gotta find that book, I know it's here somewhere...

"Autumn Mermaid", above is

is a 3- Dimensional painting

Artistic Memoirees ©2008 stevens

2008-02-18T20:25:00.002-05:00

Artistic Memoirees

The late 60's

Cool Times !

In the late 60's I attended The School of Visual of Arts full time.

I met many wonderful artists, , and became best friends to

an amazing young artist/illustrator/ caricaturist, named

Barry Rockwell. I was wowed at Barry's ability to draw virtually anything,

and his ability to capture a likeness. Barry would look at my art, and

gave it a non-malicious name " Stevens- Stiffs."

We got along , so incredibly well, because

He enjoyed my humor, weird that it was, and I his art.

Another great friend was a young talented man named Ron Tunison,

Ron had many passions, ok, ok, this is about art... Anyway. His first love was

for all things civil war., Ron, was the modern day Matthew Brady.

The gang of us would parade out onto the woods, in our best authentic war

attire, and lie face down in the mud, for the best shot, to look like it was photographed in 1863.

It was great fun.

Then Ron and Barry turned their talents to sculpture.

I lost track of both these men after graduation, time has a way of making friends drift into different ponds of life.

I located these wonderful old photos, and a few more. Then I thought, why not try to google their names. I found them, first I am happy, to see that they are still

alive. Then to see their accomplishments as artists. I am proud to say I have known them, and I wish them great success in their futures

May God Bless you Gentlemen

Above ,are a few of the photos of a crazy afternoon in Northport, NY way back in the late 60's

Those days of so much fun, and beginnings of a journey, into where anything is possible.

The above photos of Barry Rockwell & Ron Tunison circa 1967.Hopefully , more pix to come.

If you are interested in finding more about these two talented, and unique gentlemen, or perhaps have something commissioned from them, see their web sites as follows:

For Barry Rockwell's wonderful fine art, unique, and very funny approach to commercialism go to.... www.barryrockwell.com,

His childrens books, and educational art can be viewed @ marcialord.com

www.historicalsculptures.com, is the place to see Ron Tunison's amazing military sculpture. art that is incredibly lifelike. You will be amazed at his ability to see into the sole of a soldier.

Sit back, turn on your computer, and enjoy the talents of two creative geniuses, each to his own.

Artistic Memoirees ©2008 stevens

2008-02-14T18:54:00.002-05:00

OK, OK

I think today should just be a day of old cartoons

without all the whoopla, so without further ado, the cartoons,

and sketchbook sketches, of art to be or not to be....

as they were in the 60's That's about enough for today, it's a tip of an iceberg of sketches, and ideas,. Anyway. I am trying to locate more of the past. I actually unearthed a mouse, who has been burning the candle with me, in his own bizarre sort of way. I believe he smuggled himself into my studio inside one of the old photo books. He sure is a big fella.

I thought of naming him Mickey, or perhaps Walt, but I fear he will not be here very long.

Anyway, That's it for today.

Artistic Memoirees ©2008 stevens

2008-02-13T12:40:00.005-05:00

Yeah,The 60's

I bought a 1969 Volkswagen, Kharman Ghia convertable, cool car.

The reason why I placed these two pictures near each other, was because I noticed

that how disjointed my body looks in each of them.

The one on above was taken in 196o, when I was 13 years old, prior to my back complications.

The one belowt was taken in 1969. My legs still look twisted.

As I mentioned earlier, I have always been fighting health problems, and my creativity

has been my Bandaid, so to speak.

Funny thing, I kept on finding a character that always some how popped up in my sketches,

A smiling face, I guess that represented my belief in happy endings, through it all,

he was always somewhere.

I was made fun of in Grade

school ,they called me Banana legs , because I ran funny,

due to,my as of then, unknown back trouble.

I buried myself in art, to mask the pain. The pain of embarrassment, and ridicule.

I mentioned how, in High School, I used my ability to use artwork ,

to make a little lunch money,

and to have protection from the bullies. Again artwork.

To jump ahead briefly,

I had an emergency back operation in 1977, 5 days after ,

being there, with my wife during the birth of our first daughter.

I was in the hospital for about two weeks following the surgery,

and had to learn to walk all over again, with leg braces, and the

wonderful therapy ,of Easter Seals Rehabilitation.

I never stopped drawing, I sketched in books, I penned cartoons in bed,

I never gave up my dream, to be an artist, but also, cartoons were my therapy.

It kept up my spirits finding humor, in all things, and for a short while

it got my mind off the constant pain.

Even today, as I sit and draw , or write, I am somewhere else.

That is why when I began this blog I wanted to use it as a teaching vehicle, and ,

not only as a showcase of my artistic evolution.

As the smiling face below says, "meanwhile on another page", or away from this reality for a short respite.

2008-02-10T00:12:00.000-05:00

The 60's...As you might have known..

Boy they sure do go, on don't they!

After Graduation, I headed to NYC to look for work,

and also to have a little fun.

I was full of myself, and thought the world was waiting for me.. Wrong !!

I dropped into the Mad Magazine offices, with my portfolio under my arm.

Great artwork from High School. I was a star pupil of the Arts, in High School,

I was ready to show the world I had arrived.

Believe it or not, I walked into the offices of Mad Magazine,

without an appointment.

I was invited in, I met Nick Meglin, the Co- editor,

I unfolded my black cardboard case,, a gift from my Uncle Fred,

and waited for his reaction. There was silence,

Then, after a long pause, he said

"I can draw better than you,

and they don't let me draw for the magazine" .

More silence.... Deafening Silence.

Fumbling, I wrapped up my artwork, placed it into my portfolio.

I thanked him for his time, and walked out of the office,

stepped into the elevator, and deflated myself towards the street.

I don't regret the time spent, it was valuable.

Nick, was correct, I was truly a novice,and had a long journey ahead of me.

The choice was mine to quit, or continue... I chose to continue.

What I did learn from this lesson , was, that you can reach the right people,

and, that it is then your choice to continue or feel defeated when you hear negative criticism

To find more about Mad magazine,Check out the official web site, www.dccomics.com/mad ,with subscription information,message boards, and archives.

I took the train to NYC every day to look for a job.

I'd look in the Sunday NY Times,

for Art jobs, but without the education,

or experience, the quest was pointless.

I dropped into , I believe it was a newspaper called ,The Journal American.

They had, what was known as a bull pen,

in the office of the newspaper.

Why I went there , escapes me now.

I imagine because I was young, I was treated nicely.

I was shown around the office. I met a gentleman, who was actually working on a comic strip. His name was Frank Fletcher. He saw I had great interest in the comics, and stopped drawing, and sat down to talk to me , and explain a little bit about Newspaper Syndication. It was fascinating. I can almost remember how the office looked, so antiquated

by todays standards, but it was a special moment, a memorable experience. I wish I could remember more.

I googled Frank Fletcher and located some information at Lambiek.net. it is a foreign web site which has wonderful information about so many cartoonist. If you enjoy old cartoons, or are interested in cartooning, I would recommend you taking a visit.

Going on the train for an hour, to look for work every day, becomes depressing, and boring,

NYC has so much to offer, so every couple of days I had some fun, I forgot about job hunting.

I would go to TV show tapings for Jeopardy, the Match Game and The Merv Griffin Show, and a few others.. I became a regular.

I would hang around the NBC studios, and pretend to be somebody,.

Heck, I was dressed up in a nice suit and tie, and I was always there ,saying hello to everyone. I acted like I was in authority. Now remember, this was 1965. Believe it or not, I would take the elevator up , as I had done seeing the TV tapings, and go off on my own. I would walk down the halls of the Johnny Carson studio, and actually look in onto the stage. This was early in the day, so there was no one there. I even popped into a Soap Opera TV show, of course, that was a mistake. I headed out of there quickly, and decided not to tempt province ever again,

but what a kick !!

You could never do this today,

I was young, and curious, and lucky, and it was 42 years ago.

So it was back to job hunting.

One more story, it's art related, sort of.

My father worked as a salesman, and one of the other salesman ,

in his company,overheard my dad mention that I wanted to be an artist.

That evening, my dad told me that I had an appointment in NYC,

to meet an artist, to discuss possible art positions.

I was ecstatic, I couldn't wait.

The next morning I took my usual train ride to NYC, took a subway, downtown.

Looked at the paper, to check the address, and came to the apartment.

I rang the bell, I got off the elevator, knocked on the door. Someone peered through a push away peep hole. The door was opened. I introduced myself to a rather beautiful woman.

She told me to sit on the couch, and we'll be right with you. In the corner of the newspaper strewn living room, was an

old man hunched over a drawing board, paying no attention to me at all.

The attractive young woman, says, come this way, I enter a bedroom. Well, not exactly a bedroom. There was a crummy bed with a sheet on it, and not much else in the room.

The attractive girl, starts to take her clothes off. She says, well what are you waiting for...

I'm standing, fully dressed in a business suit ,in a shell of a bed room, with an attractive

brunette, in her bra ,and panties, and I say, " I'm here to show my artwork to .......

whereupon, she breaks out laughing, gets dressed, goes into the other room, and tells the other 3 girls the story, whereupon they break into a louder laughter. The artist lifts his head,

takes a quick look at my cardboard portfolio of art. Then closes it up, and says, I'm sorry kid, but there is no position available at this time. I stand there as the laughter begins anew.

My dad , nor I ever spoke of the episode.

Attending (SVA) the School of Visual Arts , the Cartoon Workshop

was a lot of fun. A wonderful way to end a day, after working in the mail room.

Yep, that was my first job, out of High School. What a cliche....

My parents felt that I needed a better education, so I enrolled in SVA full time.

I began their Summer Sessions, in 1966, to catch up.

When I attended SVA i 1966, it was a non-credited school,

but all the instructors were professional artists

That being true, there credentials were all of the highest caliber.

The SVA instructors were the top professionals in each field ,

a who who list of professionalism.

SVA has been an a credited school for many years,

as I have said this was back in 1966.

See My previous blog for more information regarding SVA & their web site information.

2008-02-08T11:01:00.000-05:00

The 60's...

..A cartoon rough sketch, This is how I drew in the 60's..

...Just a moment in time....

On July 20, 1969 , I was at the Newport Folk Festival, in Rhode Island..

It was hazy and damp, there were crowds about, but it wasn't insane.

There was a white Volkswagen Mini-Van parked, on the grounds,

with a 12" TV on the top of it.... with rabbit ears for reception,

A large crowd gathered around the van....

"One small step for man..."

On Stage, behind us, was Janis Joplin,

belting out her song..

I want to believe it was

"Give Me Another Piece Of Your Heart"

that was about 39 years ago.

It was Totally surreal

Above are some of my beginnings as a cartoonist so to speak. They are roughs, and such,

More to come later.. and my influences.

2008-02-06T23:28:00.000-05:00

The 60's again... Before we adjourn back to the 60's,I'd like to stop for a moment to visit the 50's

I remember as a child in grade school, how we had to duck under

our desk and cover our heads, for a mock Nuclear Bomb Blast drill.

Well, perhaps not everyone remembers, but I sure do !

The Government even had a cute jingle created for it,

and a cartoon character.

A Turtle.... How appropriate.

The song was called "Duck & Cover".

Can you imagine how safe that would be, to bury your head in your hands, and sit under a desk,while an atomic blast lit up the sky from an azure blue to a hellfire red!

Someone commissioned me years ago to draw a cartoon depicting this innocent act of insanity.

There are many subtleties within the cartoon

see the cartoon below ( with my apologies) especially the eyes !

If you have any interest in Duck

& Cover, or how it all came about , visit www.conelrad.com

It's an interesting bit of information, and a fun read.

Now back to the 60's,

Through my High School years of back pain, Back Braces, Body Casts,

Traction Devices in the Hospital, and finally a Back Operation

for a Herniated Disc at the

ripe old age of 15, I graduated High School.

In 1965, I attended the School of Visual Arts, (SVA) at night, for their

Comic Art Workshop class,The teachers were Chas Slackman,

and R O Blechman. The class consisted of about 15 people,

Roz chast , later to become an incredible, unique cartoonist , with

publications like New Yorker, and many others to her credit.

Bill Lee, a cartoonist, and also the past cartoon editor of Penthouse magazine

Bill Woodman, a funny, funny cartoonist, with many publications under his belt. and Elcik, , Hudson, , Martelli,. Golden, , and so many more.
Each humorist had their own view, and creative approach to cartooning.

R O Blechman, was the cartoonist who created the animated cartoon about a man talking to his

stomach, shown here.

I believe it was alka seltzer...

His style was a squigley line, quite wonderful, and award winning. His list of clients are the who's who of industry.

View his web site at www.roblechman.com, and see some wonderful creativity.

I'm sorry I could not locate a web site for Chas Slackman,, I am still searching through my library of books,. If minds serves me well, I recall his style as being illustrative, with great crosshatching, but , of course that was over 40 years ago.

As I recall, Chas Slackman, was a large gentleman, with a handlebar moustache,, and a cigarette holder, and his style of ilustration was uniquely different from Blechman's. All in all, it was a wonderful class.

See, www.schoolofvisualarts.ed to find more about creative ventures, and learning opportunities

At the end of the session a small book was created. with only the best cartoons.,. Alright, I already admitted that I was new to this territory, and yes, you will not find my cartoons in the issue.
One evening as I was leaving SVA, I bumped into , Nick Meglin. Somehow we briefly got into a conversation about Mad Magazine, and before I knew it I was carpooling home to, Lynbrook, Long Island with, Al Jaffe, and a few other Mad Magazine cartoonist,. They offered me a ride home, since I only lived one town away from Nick Meglin. That was , as you can see, a night to remember.

I will display some of my art to show you my humble beginnings, frightfully, tomorrow.

2008-02-06T02:57:00.000-05:00

The 60's

When I was in High School,I complained about back pain.

President Kennedy had a Physical Fitness Plan, and the gym

instructors bought into it, big time.

"Lift those weights, We're gonna beat those Russians." was their mantra.

I tried to lift the bar bells, but the pain just intensified.

My parents were smart enough to realize that, I wasn't going

through "growing pains". They, immediately sent me to an orthopedic doctor.

The diagnosis was a herniated disc.

The prescription was back rest, lots of back rest.

So, I stayed home on the couch, and drew pictures.

I also built model cars. I built lots of model cars!

I found the art of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, through

building his model cars.

Below is half of his ad for Airbrushed T-Shirts, & Sweatshirts

I believe from 1962, or so.

I wrote to Ed Roth's widow, Ilene, to get approval to display the above ad,

she replied with a nice e-mail, along with her approval, and a compliment on my web site.

I told her how as a child I was sick, and copied the art

of Ed"Big Daddy" Roth

to learn cartooning.

I also mentioned that I built model cars, and, loved his Beatnick Bandit.

I redesigned his Beatnick Bandit Model car

by putting the engine under glass, (Totally impractical) and, moving the drivers seat to where the engine was.

I sprayed the car with gold flake paint, and second coat of candy apple red paint . I upholstered the seat , and entered it in a model car contest where I won 2nd prize. She got a kick out of the story.

If you are interested in the art and automobiles of Ed "Big Daddy"Roth , go see their web site:

ratfink@manti.com

and enjoy !!

As I mentioned , I was in and out of school with back problems .

The unusual prescribed devices to aid my herniated disc,

such as a Girdle shaped back brace and my body cast, made me

an easy target for the cruel kids to toy with.

I was tall, lanky, and incredibly uncoordinated carrying a full body cast beneath my clothes .

I had two things on my side,

1) Art, ie, My ability to draw cars, with funny creatures driving them,

2) the school" Greasers". who loved their cars !

You see, I would charge them a quarter for a cartoon of their car.

I would make money, and they would befriend me,

and no one would mess with me, because,

I was Their Artist.

The system worked.

Thank You Ed "Big Daddy" Roth" !

Artistic Memoirees @2008 stevens

2008-02-04T12:30:00.000-05:00

Many people have watched me draw, and have seen the final creation and said "I wish I could draw". Well I hope, by writing this memoir, I may touch someone's life, and perhaps by seeing my art as a young man, they may come to see that the creation of art is ongoing, experience. An experience that can be relaxing, fun and rewarding. So if you love to put pen to paper, or stylus to tablet, or just enjoy doodling , don't quit, even if someone says you can't draw. Just relax, let you mind wander, and have fun. The only thing, is hang on to one or two of your favorites, and always put the date of the drawing. Draw for yourself, and just keep practicing, every day, if you enjoy it. The more you draw the better you will get. Just don't quit. Save your drawings in a folder, or paste them into a book. As time passes, look back at the first one. The change will be gradual, and you may want to quit , but don't give up. Draw the lamp, some flowers, your favorite comic book character, anything that pleases you. It's about you ,and for you. If you really enjoy it, you will find it is a wonderful gift, that you can develop, and sometime share with others. As you can see by some of my early drawings, that I was a terrible artist.

l have always had two constants in my life, drawing, and sickness. I drew all the time, through nosebleeds, ear aches, asthma attacks, back trouble, arthritis and various hospital stays.

Drawing was my solace. In the beginning, they weren't very good drawings, particularly, but they were all mine.

2007-12-26T10:22:00.000-05:00

The Mid to Late 60's
As a child I loved to draw, I drew all the time,
My parents were constantly placing paper on the floor,
so I wouldn't ruin the hardwood flooring, or the rugs.
I drew because it was fun, I drew because it was an escape
but, because I was totally inexperienced,
my drawings were absolutely terrible. Awful !!
I can't show you any because they are all gone now....

Probably for good reason.
In regard to cartooning,
My Grandmothers brother was my first influence. ,
I called him Uncle Fred.
He wanted to be a cartoonist, and tried., apparently, he also was a baseball player.

I dug up some old photos from the early 1900's, These pictures were from 1915, I believe he played for a minor league baseball team, but I don't recognize the uniform.

I can't ask any of my relatives,

they all passed away,and, or I have lost contact with them.

My Uncle Fred was a successful artist in his own right, and
could draw amazingly well, but he never became a cartoonist.
As a child, he would show me some of

his printed artwork.
The Brooklyn Herald newspaper, yellowed with age

with his front cover illustration of the Lusitania, before it was torpedoed, in 1915.
A full page advertisement, for the 1912 Auto Show,in NY.
How, I wish I had them today, They were absolutely stunning
I heard tale that they were tossed out after his death.

It really upsets me to this day, that his art was thrown away.

I only have one of his pieces of art, which I am displaying here, I believe it was painted in his later years in the mid 60's.

I always drew , it was my escape.
I was always sick with some malady, or another,
and art was my escape from all the pain.
I loved the newspaper comics, and I saved them,
in fact I still have many today,
all neatly cut into strip format, sitting in a box for many years.
My favorite was Lil Abner. I loved the art,
Later I learned that , some of the finest cartoonists, and illustrators , namely, Bob Lubbers, Frank Frazetta, and Mad Magazines, Jack Rickard were drawing the beautiful artwork,
and to a lesser extent Al Capp .

If your interested in more about Al Capp, check out a web page called GoofButton.com, and see the Feb 22, 2007 posting, or you can google him.

The comic strip art was absolutely beautiful. When Frazetta left Al Capp, the art was taken

over by Jack Rickard. The samples I will display here are from the days when Jack Rickard

drew with, or should I say, drew for Al Capp

I attempted to copy their art , but I was an

inexperienced artist.

So I just drew the best I could. Copying, and tracing the art over and over again.
The drawings were just awful.
As I said , it was my only escape, from everything

, and I fell into a world of my own drawings.
Bad art or not, I never quit, and , my artwork evolved ,
An evolution based on need, many times, and on so many changes in my life.
I will attempt to locate various pieces of art, and any correspondence from various artists
to show you some of this creative growth, and how, and why the art evolved.
Along with that I would hope that anyone
who has had the desire, to create or just draw doodles for fun,
would continue to create, and perhaps open a conversation regarding same.
Years ago, I created a cartoon school.
I based the idea on how I would like to have been taught.
It was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life.I'm getting a head of myself. That was in the 80's.
I realize the blogging is suppose to be done as a diary,
with today being the first entry, and so on.
I will be posting these chapters, from the past to the present,
The reason,
well.... I remember a lot from my past,
but in the present, I can't find my keys.
I apologize, and I will attempt to keep the chapters in a decade chronology, as much as possible.
I will also be mentioning names of people who have spun in and out of my life.
I will do this, to keep it real
but I will, as previously mentioned attempt to keep it in an orderly manner.
In 1965, I worked at a large company, in the mailroom,and attended The School of Visual Arts, at night.

The course I chose, was the Comic Art Workshop.

The instructors were, Chas Slackman, and R O Blechman.It was creative, fun, and best of all, my first love,
Cartooning.

Oh Yeah, back in the Fall of 1964, I received this correspondence from Lil Abner

cartoonist, Al Capp, His advice was simply, Do it your own way.

see Attached letter.

the blog spout

Artist Memoirees ©2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees ©2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees ©2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees ©2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees ©2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees ©2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees ©2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens The 60's

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens The 60's

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

Artist Memoirees©2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees @2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens The 60's