2015 Fall Meeting - Please RSVP

Our annual Fall Meeting is coming up soon. It will be taking place at The Kenosha Festival of Cartooning, Wed. Sep 17 - Fri. Sep 19th. in Kenosha, WI.

The festival is a giant 3-day celebration, and tons of good fun. This year's awesome line-up of speakers will include: Jan Elliot, Bill Morrison, Darrin Bell, Mark Tatulli, Ed Steckley and, Mark Anderson.

MEMBERS: Please take a moment to RSVP here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1xLr1Vk3sD5I8uswf69Ck18_m-XrzMLUixWJlajq5bhU/viewform 

More info coming soon!

A Cruise With Cartoonists!

From Tom Richmond's Blog:

This has been in the works for a while but is just getting announced today: A week long “Cruise with Cartoonists” in the Caribbean January 17th-24th, 2016, all funds raised will go to benefit the National Cartoonists Society Foundation!

If you’ve ever seen me post about the National Cartoonist’s Society Reuben Awards Weekend here and think “It would be a lot of fun to go to one of those events and get a chance to meet some big-name cartoonists”, now’s your chance to do it… but for a whole week, not just a weekend. On one of the largest and most luxurious cruise ships in the world. All around the Caribbean. With free drinks. NCS Foundation president Steve McGarry has put together a terrific lineup of guest cartoonists and event itinerary for the cruise.

Here’s what it is all about: Those who cruise with the Cartoonists group will get admission to any and all of the events planned with the guest cartoonists. These include speaking presentations, workshops and talks about breaking into and working in the business, entertainment events like the “Quick on the Draw” show, several “Meet and Draws” where you can get free autographs and sketches by all the cartoonists, cocktail parties and other fun. You’ll also have your dinner table hosted by one of the cartoonists once or more over the course of the trip. Plus, you get the free beverage package, which includes all the house wine, beer, soda, well, call and premium cocktails, and frozen drinks you can handle all week!

Here’s the speaker lineup:

• Jim Borgman– “Zits” syndicated comic strip; Pulitzer prize winning editorial cartoonist; 1993 Reuben Award winner
• Lynn Johnston– “For Better or For Worse” syndicated comic strip; 1985 Reuben Award winner
• Jeff Keane– “The Family Circus” syndicated comic strip
• Rick Kirkman– “Baby Blues” syndicated comic strip; 2012 Reuben Award winner
• Mike Luchovich– Two time Pulitzer prize winning editorial cartoonist, 2005 Reuben Award winner
• Steve McGarry– “BiographiC” and “Kid’s Town” syndicated comics; “Minions” movie story artist
• Bill Morrison– “The Simpsons” and “Futurama” artist and art director; NCS President
• Mike Peters– “Mother Goose and Grimm” syndicated comic strip; Pulitzer prize winning editorial cartoonist, 1991 Reuben Award winner
• Michael Ramirez– Two time Pulitzer prize winning editorial cartoonist
• Tom Richmond– uhhhhhh… moving on….
• Jerry Scott– “Zits” and “Baby Blues” syndicated comic strips; 2001 Reuben Award winner
• Rick Stromoski– “Soup to Nuts” syndicated comic strip; Greeting Cards

All of these cartoonists will be doing individual presentations, as well as participating in group activities like several “Meet and Draws”, hosting tables for dinner, and lounging around by the pool.

As for me, I will be doing both a presentation on my work and a 2 1/2 hour workshop on drawing caricatures… the first time I have EVER done a public workshop (and maybe the last time). I’ll also be drawing free caricatures of people at these meet and greets, hosting a table at each dinner, participating in the “Quick on the Draw” event… and lounging by the pool.

This is going to be a really fun week… and it all takes place on the giant cruise ship “Freedom of the Seas”, with port stops in Haiti, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. If you are a fan of cartooning, interested in doing it as a career, or just want to have an excuse for taking a January cruise in the Caribbean, look no further.

So how to you book this incredible trip? Just visit the NCS website or this direct page for all the details. The price includes food AND drinks for the entire week. If you book the trip under my name, you will get something extra: I will take the time on the cruise to do a pen and ink caricature of you, on your own or with your significant other. This will not be like the quick 10 minute sketches I do at the meet and greets. This will be something I spend some time on. How do you book under my name? Just select it in the dropdown box on the booking page:

That’s it. I’ll get a list of people who booked under my name, and I’ll bring my fancy pens and paper!

The best part of this is that all the proceeds go to the NCS Foundation, to help fund their programs like the “Cartooning for Kids” children’s hospital visits, the Jay Kennedy Memorial Scholarship, the Milt Gross Fund for cartoonists experiencing financial hardships, and other worthy endeavors.

I hope to see you on the high seas!

2015 Reubens (Thank You Tom!)

(Illustration by Ed Steckley)

The NCS just finished it's annual awards weekend where dozens of the country's top cartoonists changed out of their sweatpants into tuxedos for the most prestigious event in cartooning. This year the festivities were in Washington, DC. (I should clarify that the awards were for work that was done in 2014, but the ceremony was held in 2015). Visit the National Cartoonists Society website for a complete list of winners and nominees.

A big congrats to all the nominees, and especially the winners. Chapter member Tom Richmond won a silver Reuben Award in the category of Magazine Illustration.

Tom also deserves a standing ovation for his tireless work as the President of the National Cartoonists Society. Tom has now officially handed that responsibility over to Bill Morrison. Thank you, Tom, for all your tireless work keeping the NCS circus train rambling smoothly down the tracks.

Before handing over the mantle, Tom ended his tenure with a touch of class. Each table at the Reuben awards banquet was decorated with an original framed sketch of one of our nation's presidents, framed and displayed beautifully by Tom's wife Anna. You can read about it on Tom's blog.

Tom, we hope you enjoy some well-deserved rest!

Indiegogo Campaign Launches for Kenosha Festival of Cartooning

The Kenosha Festival of Cartooning is an annual 3-day event dedicated to the celebration of cartooning. It's totally FREE and open to the public. To help keep it that way, they have just launched an Indiegogo fundraising campaign. You can support them here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/2015-16-kenosha-festival-of-cartooning

From their website:

The Kenosha Festival of Cartooning is a 3 day festival, in Kenosha Wisconsin. There are live presentations, workshops, comic art on display, panel discussions, and community outreach by some of the nation's top cartoonists. 

There are live presentations, workshops, comic art on display, panel discussions, and community outreach by some of the nation's top cartoonists. All events are FREE and open to the public. 

Guest speakers for 2015 include:

Mark Tatulli of Lio, Heart of the City, Desmond Puckett, Emmy Award Winning Illustrator


Bill Morrison – Art Director: Futurama, Co-Founder of Bongo Comics, Simpsons and Disney Illustrator, Roswell: Little Green Man


Jan Eliot - Stone Soup


Darrin Bell - Candorville and Rudy Park as well as Nationally Syndicated Editorial Cartoons


Mark Anderson - Andertoons


Ed Steckley –  MAD and CRACKED; Advertising Illustrator

Our moderator will again be the amazing Tom Racine of Tall Tale Radio.

You can support the Kenosha Festival of Cartooning here.

2014 NCS "Silver Reuben" Divisional Award Nominees

The nominees for the 2014 NCS Divisional Awards have been announced:

Advertising Illustration

• Kevin Kallaugher
• Ed Steckley
• Dave Whammond

Editorial Cartoons

• Clay Bennett
• Michael Ramirez
• Jen Sorensen

Gag Cartoons

• Liza Donnelly
• Benjamin Schwartz
• Edward Steed

Magazine Feature

• Ray Alma
• Anton Emdin
• Tom Richmond

Newspaper Illustration

• Anton Emdin
• Glen LeLievre
• Ed Murawinski

Newspaper Strips

• Brian Bassett (Red and Rover)
• Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine)
• Glenn McCoy (The Duplex)

Book Illustration

• Marla Frazee “The Farmer and the Clown”
• Yasmeen Ismail “Time for Bed, Fred”
• Shaun Tan “Rules of Summer”

Online Long Form

• Vince Dorse (The Untold Tales of Bigfoot)
• Mike Norton (Battlepug)
• Minna Sundberg (Stand Still, Stay Silent)

Online Short Form

• Danielle Corsetto (Girls with Slingshots)
• Jonathan Lemon (Rabbits Against Magic)
• Rich Powell (Wide Open)

Greeting Cards

• Gary McCoy
• Glenn McCoy
• Maria Scrivan

 Comic Books

• Jason Latour (Southern Bastards)
• Babs Tarr (Batgirl)
• H. Williams III (The Sandman Overture)

 Graphic Novels

• Jules Feiffer (Kill My Mother)
• Mike Maihak (Cleopatra in Space)
• Jillian Tamaki (This One Summer)

Newspaper Panels

• Dave Blazek (Loose Parts)
• Mark Parisi (Off the Mark)
• Hilary Price (Rhymes with Orange)

Feature Animation

• Paul Felix (production designer: “Big Hero 6”)
• Tomm Moore (Director: “Song of the Sea”)
• Isao Takahata (Director: “The Tale of Princess Kaguya”)

Television Animation

• Mark Ackland (Storyboards- “The Void” : “Wander Over Yonder)
• Patrick McHale (Creator “Over the Garden Wall”)
• Kyle Menke (storyboards- “Star Wars” parody episode “Phineas and Ferb”)

Congrats to all the nominees!

RIP Roy Doty

We are sad to report that our dear friend and longtime NCS member Roy Doty passed away this morning. He was one of the greats, and such an important, well-loved presence at NCS events. He will be missed.


Here is some bio info on Roy from his website, as well as a few samples of his work:

Winner of the National Cartoonist Society's Reuben Illustrator of the Year Award for 2006, for more than forty years, Roy Doty's humorous cartoon Illustrations have appeared on packages and book covers, as print advertising in glossy magazines, and in syndication. They have appeared in campaigns for not-for-profit organizations and on television. Each Doty design is unique and has a life of its own. 

Doty's drawings have been used to brand major products, and his client list reads like a "Who's Who in the World of American Business." He has won innumerable design awards from his peers, and many additional awards from The National Cartoonists Society, where there is a Roy Doty biography. 

While you may not immediately recognize the Doty signature, you're bound to recognize his style, with its emphasis on clean uncluttered lines, and his marvelous whimsy and attention to small details—which is to say that you've probably seen this popular American cartoon artist's work on any number of occasions. 

Doty has over 60 books for children and adults to his credit, many of which he has written himself. His take on the contemporary American scene is classic and nothing short of amazing.

Guest Speakers Announced for 2015 Kenosha Festival of Cartooning

Date: Sept. 17-19, 2015

A stellar lineup of artists will be speaking at the Kenosha Festival of Cartooning this year, including:

• Jan Eliot (Stone Soup)
• Bill Morrison (Bongo Comics - The Simpsons, Futurama)
• Mark Tatulli (Heart of the City, Lio)
• Mark Anderson (Andertoons)
• Ed Steckley (Illustrator)

More info about the guests here. I'll post more details when they becomes available. In the mean time, save the date!

EDIT: You can also follow the Festival on Facebook.

Register for the 2015 Reuben Awards Weekend

It's that time of year again! The Reuben Awards Weekend is May 22-24 in Washington DC.

From the NCS Website:

Members of the National Cartoonists Society will be receiving the official brochure for the 2015 Reuben Award Weekend in their mailboxes in the next week or so. Tom Richmond’s cover art shown above. With it goes the announcements of the speaker lineup and special award winners: 

• Mort Drucker- First recipient of the “NCS Medal of Honor”; Speaker

• Jeff Keane- Recipient of the NCS “Silver T-Square” for outstanding dedication to the Society

• Brian Crane- Reuben winning creator of the syndicated comic strip “Pickles”; speaker

• Doug Mahnke- Superstar comic book artist; speaker

• Mark Anderson- Gag cartoonist, “Andertoons.com”; speaker

• Juana Medina- Illustrator, first recipient of the Jay Kennedy Memorial Scholarship; speaker

• Nick Galifianakis- Cartoonist, author, illustrator; speaker

• Ann Telnaes, Pulitizer prize winning editorial cartoonist; moderating a panel on “Cartooning and Free Speech” 

The 69th Annual Reuben Awards Weekend will be held May 22nd-24th, 2105 in Washington D.C.

Registration deadline is May 11, 2015. NCS Members can register here. Early bird pricing ends April 30. Registration closes May 11, after which you will have to register on site.

"I Am Charlie" International Cartoon Festival, January 30th, 2015.

In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris, The Universal Tolerance organization has announced a newly-minted cartoon festival to support the human rights of journalists and cartoonists around the world. This is an open competition and all artists are encouraged to enter. The deadline (and the start of the festival) is January 30th, and there are prizes being awarded for work that best exemplifies specific themes related to Charlie Hebdo, peace, and tolerance. You can learn more at:

www.universaltolerance.org

 

https://www.facebook.com/IamCharlieCartoonFestival?pnref=story

http://universaltolerance.org/en/component/k2/item/1217-i-am-charlie-religious-tolerance-respect-and-freedom-of-expression-cartoon-festival-january-30th-2015

NCS President Tom Richmond Talks to ABC Radio about Hebdo Shooting.

Sad and tragic events today in Paris. Our own Tom Richmond comments on behalf of the NCS and cartoonists everywhere. 






Listen To Tom's Comments Here.