Inkspot 66

Number 66, Summer 2012

The Stanley Awards 2011:

What happened, in words and pictures!

A LSO INSIDE ...

PETER VISKA’s MonsterChef • JULES FABER at GRAPHIC • Your View On... The Carbon Tax CHRISTOPHE GRANET Sautés DERIB • When ROLF Met MAO • GARY CLARK at the Bunker www.cartoonists.org.au

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P R E S I D E N T ’ S PA R L AY ACA Board Patron Vane Lindesay (03) 9523 8635 President Jason Chatfield president@cartoonists.org.au Deputy President Jules Faber deputy@cartoonists.org.au Secretary Peter Broelman secretary@cartoonists.org.au Treasurer Grant Brown treasurer@cartoonists.org.au Membership Secretary Dee Texidor membership@cartoonists.org.au Vice Presidents: Lindsay Foyle (NSW/ACT) nsw@cartoonists.org.au Luke Watson(Vic/Tas) vic@cartoonists.org.au Gary Clark (Qld) qld@cartoonists.org.au Simon Kneebone (SA/NT) sa@cartoonists.org.au Mick Horne (WA) wa@cartoonists.org.au ABN 19 140 290 841

Inkspot is produced four times a year by the Australian Cartoonists’ Association.

PO Box 318 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 ACA AFFILIATED ORGANISATIONS National Cartoonists Society President: Tom Richmond Secretary: John Kovaleski www.reuben.org Cartoonists’ Club of Great Britain President: Terry Christien Secretary: Richard Tomes www.ccgb.org.uk The Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation President: Andy Davey Secretary: Clive Goddard www.procartoonists.org

FECO President-General: Marlene Pohle Secretary-General: Peter Nieuwendijk www.fecoweb.org Australia Post Registration PP 533798/0015 INKSPOT

Editors: Steve Panozzo & Jason Chatfield The “i” Team: Peter Broelman, Jules Faber, Lindsay Foyle, Christophe Granet, George Haddon, Rolf Heimann, Mick Horne, Ian C. Thomas, Peter Viska Cover: Smoking Monkey by Reg Mombassa

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www.cartoonists.org.au

Welcome to another issue of Inkspot! This issue has been a long time coming, but I think you’ll agree it was well and truly worth the wait.

After an eventful summer, the ACA are ready to sink our teeth into the new year with gusto. On a personal note, my partner Sophie and I got hitched over Christmas. (It makes it easy to remember the anniversary!)

The 2011 Stanley Awards took place in November and were a huge success. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I’d personally like to thank the team for putting it all together.

Congratulations to all of the winners in each category, and in particular a big thank you to 2011 Cartoonist of the Year Anton Emdin for writing up his account of the entire weekend.

You can find Anton’s piece on page 8, along with all of the results.

A huge thank you to our generous sponsors, the Herald Sun, CAL, WACOM, The Australian and The Sydney Morning Herald.

I’m only just thawing out from a cartooning trip to France where I met some of the most inspiring and brave cartoonists in the industry today.

I was the Australian representative for the 13th Annual RIDEP, with one cartoonist from each of the 13 other countries all sharing their work and stories with the public for a week of exhibitions, conferences, press appearances, teaching at schools and public drawing.

I’ll be writing up my account of the trip for Inkspot #67 along with photos and cartoons. It really was an eye-opening week. Apart from learning a lot, I came to understand just how very lucky we are in Australia to enjoy the democratic freedoms we so often take for granted in 2012. Where we see ourselves as court jesters and satirists, these cartoonists in countries like Tunisia, Sudan and China are more like freedom fighters and revolutionaries. Inspiring stuff.

I caught up with the lads and lasses of our brother organisation in the UK, the PCO (Professional Cartoonists Organisation) on my way back to ‘the colony’. Among other cartoony things discussed, the issue of an online presence, and the production of periodical club magazines/newsletters was of particular interest.

Their version of Inkspot, called the Foghorn has become more of a stand-alone magazine that is also for

Caricature by Singapore editorial cartoonist “Miel”

Issue #66, Summer 2012 www.cartoonists.org.au ( 1300 658 581

sale through the PCO website. They’re considering switching to an entirely online PDF model. We will be watching with interest to see how it goes.

Where Inkspot began its life as more of a club newsletter to dissemminate information to our members, it has been since superceded by email, the forum, blog, the website, the Facebook page and now the Twitter feed (@AUcartoonists) for informing members. This means Inkspot has become more of a time capsule of members’ activities, and non-time sensitive long reads than an up-to-the month news source.

The discussion about Inkspot’s purpose and evolution has been on-going with the board and on the forum, but don’t panic; Inkspot will still be printed and posted out as it has been, at least for the time being.

Suggestions or ideas about how we can make your Inkspot better are always welcome. Send an email to inkspot@cartoonists.org.au with your feedback.

The year ahead looks to be very promising for the ACA. The 2012 Stanleys are slated for Newcastle, and the board are busily putting together another amazing weekend for your enjoyment.

Newcastle has a lot of modern facilities in beautiful beach-side settings we’re excited to explore.

Stay tuned for more details as they’re confirmed. Until then, enjoy Inkspot!

Jason Chatfield Follow the ACA on twitter: @aucartoonists

PARZ!

The Drugs are on Mark

Congratulations to Mark McHugh on the successful completion of his pharmacy degree and the subsequent purchase of the Dee Why Day & Night Pharmacy on Sydney’s northern beaches. Considering he’s now juggling three kids and a busy shop, he might have to think about ordering an extra consignment of NoDoz.

For Craigsake...

Serial credit card addict, Federal Labor MP Craig Thomson, has found himself the subject of the latest homage to “For Gorsake, Stop Laughing” , Stan Cross’ legendary 1933 cartoon.

Regrettably, it didn’t get a run. Peter Lewis, who created the cartoon (below) for The Newcastle Herald, said, “unfortunately the Editor rejected it because he felt not enough people would remember the original Stan Cross toon”.

Fortunately, we remember Stan’s cartoon with fondness and are happy to reproduce the cartoon here for all to see. Nice one, Pete!

A Magic Discovery Suspected stolen works by Norman Lindsay, including one of his Magic Pudding characters, were found by police

in August at a home in Western Sydney.

Detectives say they found 16 drawings and two paintings, all believed to have been stolen.

The drawings were believed to be authentic works dating from early last century. One is of a character from Lindsay’s best known children’s book, The Magic Pudding, which he wrote in 1917.

Heimann vs. Chairman Rolf Heimann recently visited Guiyang in China to give a PowerPoint presentation about caricaturing in Australia.

The International Cartoon and Animation Centre to be built in the capital of Guizhou province is an ambitious project that incorporates a hotel with 250 rooms and an imaginative complex dedicated to cartoon art; the first stage should be finished in 2012. The contest is now in it’s fifth year. Rolf is on the Board of Governors, representing Australia.

This year there were 4,000 cartoon entries

to be judged and two days of animated cartoons to be watched. While recuperating from his duties he discovered this look-alike (above) of the late Chairman Mao Zedong, who is running a small shop in a village in Guizhou as well as enjoying a part-time job as an impersonator. Alyx Duncan, the third person in this photo, is a New Zealand film maker, who is making a documentary about the event.

Viska Cooks Up a BiteSized Monster Hit If you’re watching your fair share of kids’ TV, you may notice the return of a disgusting cooking show that is full of innuendo and cholesterol.

No, we’re not talking about the return of Nigella Lawson, but the launch of a new 10-part animated children’s show called MonsterChef. It’s got to be good, because it’s produced by Victorian ACA member Peter Viska’s company, Viskatoons Animation, based in Richmond.

www.cartoonists.org.au

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Photo courtesy Steven K Smith

PARZ! > Along with other leading Australian animation studios, Viskatoons was invited to submit concepts for a series that were edgy and original, and came up with a send-up of the ever-popular MasterChef.

The twist was to have the contestants – Regi Mortis, Horri Bull and Serpentina – cook up the WORST meal possible, which would be then masticated and judged by Gorge and Mutt. The worst dishes win.

Archive - Pauline.Hannah@dia.govt. nz - for A$20 (free postage!). Pauline will advise payment details. In the meantime, Ian says that they’re looking for a book chain to make the book available across the ditch. If anyone has any bright ideas, please let Pauline know when you order!

Titles for the one-minute segments include Finger Food (with real fingers), Barf Bourgignon (where a contestant brings up a judge), Ratapooie (self explanatory), Iron Guts Chef, Gorey Roll, Worst Wurst and Secreted Ingredients.

Heng Shen Yeap and Peter Viska were responsible for the scripts and pushing the concept to the limit, while the animation and design team – Yeap, Astri Setiono, Marta Testoro, Laura Stitzel and Isaac Cafarella – animated the Flash-produced episodes which largely involved manipulating collage images.

The backgrounds were also collages created in Photoshop.

Peter and the studio are currently working on pre production for Jar Dwellers SOS, a new animated series for Network Ten, but that’s another story!

All Blacks Have a Ball in Black and White Our friends at the New Zealand Cartoon Archive in Wellington have just published a book to celebrate the opening of the revamped NZ Rugby Museum in Palmerston North.

Written by Archive founder Ian F. Grant, Having a Ball: A Cartoon History of New Zealand Rugby (ISBN 9780958232050, NZ$24.95) looks at the triumphs and disasters, the sport’s development in New Zealand and the effect on the national psyche. The cartoons cover over 4

www.cartoonists.org.au

Rafty Hits a Century at 95 How many of you know that Tony Rafty (above) accompanied Don Bradman’s “Invincibles” to England in 1948?

a century of rugby obsession, with work

by Trevor Lloyd, Sir Gordon Minhinnick, Nevile Lodge, Murray Ball, Garrick Tremain and Tom Scott among many others.

As a special offer for Inkspot readers, Having a Ball can be ordered directly from Pauline Hannah at the NZ Cartoon

The caricaturist’s caricaturist has immortalised most of the world’s biggest names in international cricket, from Walter Hammond in 1936 to Mitchell Johnson in 2007.

“The Rafty Retrospective”, hosted by the International Cricket Hall of Fame in Bowral late last year, was a testament to the longevity and scope of Rafty’s cricket caricature career. And, true to form, he was on hand at the opening, still bowling maidens over.

WEG’s Still Got It! ABC1’s programme for obsessives and hoarders, Collectors, recently featured WEG’s 1966 Saturday Herald Football Premiership poster (above left) which was successfully auctioned for $3,000.

According to Mario Lopo of Gardenvale Collectibles in Melbourne, the 1966 poster has been valued at $4,500.

So, on balance, it looks like the successful bidder snagged a bargain!

HeartKids, By George!

After 6 years bravely drawing caricatures at the annual HeartKids Victoria Christmas Party, George Haddon finally admitted that he needed a hand getting through the constantly multiplying queues. Anyone working at these events faces endless queues and it’s especially hard when you have to turn kids away. It certainly alarmed George when he found out that, in 2011, organisers were expecting around 500 Heart Kids and their families!

The call went out and the ACA cavalry descended on Melbourne Zoo, coming to Haddon’s rescue - well, 8 of them (right).

Caviar’s Black Humour

Hemmed in by the HeartKids crowd, Alan Rose (top, blue hat), Jock Macneish (blue shirt), Luke Watson (black shirt ), Levent Efe (striped shirt) and George Haddon (mass of steely grey hair) feverishly keep the kids happy

of the Year, Anton Emdin, also found his work hitting the frog-and-toad, scaring motorists (below).

Mooney Valley Racing Club recently held an online cartoon competition, which was run on their Facebook page, the theme being the undefeated Australian thoroughbred racehorse, Black Caviar. Visitors voted by selecting the ”Like” button; the cartoon with the most “likes” was declared the winner.

Working almost exclusively through artists’ agency The Drawing Book, Emdin’s character design for Luxbet’s latest ad campaign found their way onto billboards and the sides of buses and taxis (and beer mats, natch!).

In the end, 1,320 fans voted and selected Mark Guthrie’s cartoon ( below right) as the winner with 415 votes, earning him a cheque for $1,000. Well done, Mark!

Jules Does Harvard a Faber

No Emdin Sight for Anton’s Talents In what might only be described as a freakish year, newly-crowned Cartoonist

When academics at Harvard University were recently studying cartoons relating to the Murray-Darling river system, Jules Faber’s name popped up in their search engine.

to contribute to the Murray and it seems Faber’s cartoons for the Daily Examiner in Grafton reflected the local sentiment to this request. Enthusiastic locals then posted scans of his cartoons on their various blogs. When pressed for further comment, a Harvard representative remained silent on whether an honorary doctorate was in the mail... so Jules just drew himself one.

Judy’s Double Punch!

Not one to do anything by halves, Judy Horacek has two books coming out in April this year.

“One is a wonderful version of These are My Hands and These are My Feet, published together as a back-to-back book

The Murray-Darling region is constantly beseeching Grafton for permission to run a pipeline from the Clarence River

Cartoon by Mark Guthrie

“They guys were great,” said George, “Everyone had a great time and a lot more kids got drawn”.

Photo courtesy Matt Jackson

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PARZ!

“I made one big print of each of 10 of my favourite small drawings, most of which were originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald,” Martin explained.

by the National Library of Australia,” she enthuses. “That is, you read one book, then you flip it over to read the other.”

Mr. Chicken Stages a Coop at NIDA

The other book is a little book, The Before Mother’s Day, featuring Horacek’s delightful illustrations. For more on the books, visit her website, http://horacek.com.au

Laughing with Lawson is Hale and Hearty Congratulations to Stuart Hale, who took out the award for best original song at the Lawson Idle Lawsong competition in November. Stuart’s composition “Lawson Rising” got the audience laughing along.

“The theme’s imagery of Lawson rising like a phoenix inspired my concept of the town rising in altitude” crowed a triumphant Stu. “It was all downhill from there!”. The song describes the town of Lawson participating in a hilarious drag race up Greater Western Sydney’s Blue Mountains.

Roger Corbett, of the band The Bushwackers, presented Stu with a prize

Australia’s premier drama school, The National Institute of Dramatic Art, will explode into madness when Leigh Hobbs’ anarchic Mr. Chicken takes to the stage in May, 2012.

ney in late September, entitled “Perspective on Success”. The ubiquitous Anton Emdin, Chris Wahl, John Shakespeare, Jason Poulos and Franz Kantor were among 30 artists who took part, giving their own personal perspective on what it means to be successful. We’d be surprised if the show itself didn’t live up to the title!

Meanwhile, First Dog on the Moon (known to the ATO as Andrew Marlton) took gallery goers on a trip through his own creative landscape, where he remains “too busy drawing pictures of marsupials and then laughing at them while in the bath” than to philosophically lead us from the precipice of Earth’s “creeping twilight”. On show at Platform in Melbourne during December/January, “The Universe According to First Dog on the Moon” was the Crikey cartoonist’s first “story”.

Also on show in November was the group exhibition, “Clovelly Artists”, featuring the work of Matthew Martin, among other local luminaries inhabiting Sydney’s beachside suburb, such as H.G. Nelson, Peter O’Doherty and Martin Sharp.

of free studio time at his Valley Studios in Springwood (below).

It’s Showtime!

The Drawing Book - illustrators’ agent to more than several ACA members - hosted an exhibition at the Lo Fi Gallery in Syd6

www.cartoonists.org.au

Celebrating the National Year of Reading, NIDA is presenting a riotous adaptation of Hobbs’ Mr. Chicken Goes to Paris, which explores themes of friendship and belonging, and is intended to inspire primary school students to take up the tradition of reading and storytelling. After the show, the cast and crew will takes questions from the audience.

“Mr. Chicken and I are thrilled to bits that he’s about to hit the stage”, said Hobbs.

Performances run from 23 until 26 May at NIDA’s Parade Theatre in Kensington, Sydney. For bookings, visit Ticketek’s website at http://premier.ticketek.com.au

Hook Snags an OAM Geoff Hook has been turning the spotlight on politicians for 40 years. Now it’s his turn to hit the headlines in his own right.

“Jeff”, who has been telling people that he’s 83, was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day honours for his service to the print media as a cartoonist and political and social commentator.

“It’s the sort of thing you read about happening to other people, and can understand why those people have been honoured, but you don’t really consider yourself in that category,” he said.

He still draws cartoons when the mood takes him, which are uploaded to his website by wife Pauline “as I’m a bit of a dill with the computer”.

Well done, Jeff, from all of us!

Busy Andrew, Well Done!

Seraphina’s parents, Andrew Weldon and Mary Ellen Jordan are responsible for a cute new rhyming picture book entitled Lazy Daisy, Busy Lizzie (Allen & Unwin, ISBN 9781742374291, $19.99).

The book was launched in October by Judy Horacek, surrounded by kids in farm animal costumes!

Mailbag.

When I received the first notification of my ACA dues, I actually decided not to renew. I mailed the invoice to the PO Box at Strawberry Hills with a note to that effect. When I received the latest Inkspot, though, I found the articles very interesting and it caused me to change my mind.

Now that I have retired, I experience conflicting emotions when I read Inkspot. Part of me wishes I was still in the game - when I read about the live gigs, I feel all the tummy-churning and excitement that used to accompany my live gigs. Another part of me feels envious of the achievements of these younger blokes: “why didn’t I think of that? What a pity I didn’t have the internet’s Social Networking when I was working?” etc.

I temporarily forget my present lack of energy/endurance ( I used to sit for hours and concentrate on 5-minute drawing after drawing at conferences and functions) and find myself wondering if I could take it up again - until reality returns. Then I feel relieved: “I don’t have have to do this anymore, I’m free to do anything else I have time to do!”

Growing old has it’s good and bad aspects. We just have to take each day as it comes and enjoy what we can.

Many thanks

Ken Dove

BUDERIM, QUEENSLAND

Syrian Cartoonist’s Hands Broken as a Warning A renowned political cartoonist whose drawings expressed Syrians’ frustrated hopes for change was grabbed after he left his studio in August and beaten by masked gunmen who broke his hands, dumping him on a road outside Damascus with a bag over his head.

Perhaps the most admired cartoonist in the Arab world, Ali Ferzat, 60, earned international recognition and the respect of many Arabs with stinging caricatures that infuriated dictators including Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi and, particularly in recent months, Syria’s autocratic Assad family.

With his sharp, wry sense of humour, Ferzat has had his satirical cartoons published in the region’s newspapers and around the world. In 1994, he was voted one of the world’s top five humanitarian-themed cartoonists.

masked men said, according to the relative, who spoke anonymously for fear of retaliation.

Before inheriting Syria’s Presidency from his father in 2000, Bashar Assad, a Britishtrained eye doctor, used to visit Ferzat’s exhibitions and offer encouraging words, the artist has said.

When the new president opened Syria to reforms, Ferzat was allowed to publish the country’s first private newspaper in decades, a satirical weekly called The Lamplighter.

The paper was an instant hit, with copies of each issue selling out a few hours after hitting the stands. However, frequent government censorship and lack of funds forced Ferzat to close down the paper,

just as Assad began cracking down on dissent and jailing critics after the brief, heady period known as the Damascus Spring quickly lost steam.

“They have tried everything to stop us,” he said at the time. “Sometimes they cut our electricity, or stop the paper supply, or sue us or steal newspaper copies or threaten writers.”

Ferzat became a vehement critic of the regime, particularly after the military launched a brutal crackdown on the country’s protest movement.

His illustrations had grown bolder in the months before his bashing, with some of his cartoons directly criticizing Assad, even through caricatures of the president are forbidden in Syria.

As he lay badly bruised in a hospital bed that night with his hands swathed in bandages, Ferzat remembered the gunmen telling him that “this is just a warning,” as they beat him, a relative said.

Soon after the attack, his website, www.ali-ferzat.com (where he published his cartoons and satirical commentary) was taken down. It has now been reinstated, following international statements of condemnation, complete with pictures of his injuries and several cartoons of support from cartoonists around the globe.

“We will break your hands so that you’ll stop drawing,” the

Ferzat is the head of the Arab Cartoonists’ Association. www.cartoonists.org.au

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THE 2011 STANLEY AWARDS AND CONFERENCE WEEKEND Cartoonist of the Year Anton Emdin shares how the Stanleys looked through his eyes.

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a quick drawing with brush and ink on paper. Then I moved on to another drawing using Photoshop and the new Wacom Citiq 24HD. (For those interested, I may be doing a review of this sometime soon, as I got to spend a few hours on it while setting up and doing the workshop.)

I’ve have to say, I’m not used to drawing in front of so many people – it was definitely an experience!

Once my hand stopped shaking I had to Conference Day 1. get used to talking and drawing at the same time, which is not as easy as it seems when First up was little ol’ me! I was honoured to you are used to quietly working in your be asked to hold an inking workshop titled studio. Thankfully a lot of questions were INKS VS. DIGITAL, addressing drawing being thrown in and it seemed to go pretty in both traditional and computerised well. There was a bit of time at the end, so techniques. at the request of an audience member I did While setting up for it, I had one of my a bit of simple colour work, too.

Stanleys highlights before it even started; Digital inking on the Wacom Cintiq Drawing quietly and trading tips for over 24HD – it’s a beast! an hour with Swamp‘s Gary Clark. I may My aim was to show that you could use have to share a cool trick he showed me in both traditional and digital techniques – customising to a Faber-Castell PITT pen either separately or together to make an some time. illustration or cartoon. I hope that everyone There was a lot to cover in the walked out with a few new tricks to add to workshop, and it felt like the hour flew by. their process.

I started with a quick presentation of some Thanks to Jules Faber for MC duties, of my illos, then warmed up and inked and Peter Broelman for an hour of filming over my shoulder!

That little camera gets heavy after a while!

Next up we had Children’s Illustration panel with Leigh Hobbs, Stephen Axelsen and Cathy Wilcox which gave some interesting insights into the world of publishing and the art-making process.

I had a great chat with Leigh beforehand but missed out on meeting one of my favourite newspaper cartoonists, Cathy Wilcox.

Aussie Legend Reg Mombassa Anton Emdin’s “Inks VS Digital” workshop. entertained us with

’ve only just recovered from what was another brilliant Stanley’s weekend. Every year the Australian Cartoonists Association holds a twoday conference capped off with an awards night dinner and party. This year’s special guests were the one and only Ron Cobb and Reg Mombassa.

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www.cartoonists.org.au

stories and insights into his illustration, art and cartoons over the years. Reg’s work with Mambo has covered the bodies of millions of Aussies. It would be hard to find someone that has lived here throughout the last couple of decades who is not familiar with his art. Not many illustrators can say that!

After lunch we heard Nat Karmichael talk about John Dixon‘s Airhawk, followed by the Aussie Comics Panel with Tim

_________ “For me, Cobb’s work is so successful because he has the ‘holy trinity’ of the great cartoonist: Idea, Composition and Draftsmanship.”

McEwen, Dave Follett and Jozef Szekeres.

They spoke about their work and Tim shared his extensive knowledge on Australian comics and creators. I had no idea that so many Aussies were doing well in the major publishers like Marvel and DC, and it was great to see quite a few titles being produced here. What came through in abundance was their love and devotion to the craft – a trait shared by most comic creators I’ve met.

Then, special guest Ron Cobb took to the podium and chatted about his prolific career as a political cartoonist. His style has been revered (and emulated) over the years and hearing him talk about his processes was very interesting.

A lot of questions were being thrown in about his technical process which I was very happy about.

For me, Cobb’s work is so successful because he has the ‘holy trinity’ of the great cartoonist: Idea, Composition and Draftsmanship. With all these planets aligned you get a truly memorable cartoon and Ron has many, many of these in his catalogue.

Saturday: Conference Day 2 Due to family duties (read: wrestling childerbeasts), I unfortunately missed the AGM and Steve Little and Fran Stevenson’s talk on the Bunker Cartoon Gallery in Coffs Harbour, but I did arrive to see the über-talented Eric Lobbecke do a workshop on editorial illustration.

Eric is one of my favourite newspaper illustrators and he bravely gave himself the task of completing an illustration within the time a typical deadline might be. So, in 45 minutes he would sketch, scan and colour a finished piece. Unfortunately, his scanner was having technical issues, so he had to colour up a different sketch he had scanned beforehand. Nonetheless, I was enthralled to watch him work and talk about his thought and art processes.

It was interesting to see that he draws all the linework in pencil and goes directly to colour in Photoshop.

Like in my talk, Broels filmed over his shoulder so the audience could see every pencil stroke. This is something I love to do, and I know a lot of other artists learn a lot from this simple act of observation. Eric mentioned he found it difficult to draw and talk at the same time… Hoorah, I am not alone!

Torkan and Staria creator Roger Fletcher took to the stage beside NSW VP, cartoonist and cartooning historian Lindsay Foyle (although Roger has the gift of the gab, and I don’t think Lindsay had much of a chance to even draw breath!). Roger’s Torkan strip is 35 years old this year – an amazing achievement and a testament to

Roger’s skill in telling a story, and enticing readers to come back week after week.

After lunch we were treated to a great presentation by Andrew Marlton, who draws under the pseudonym First Dog on the Moon for Crikey. Andrew’s work is effortlessly funny, and he had us laughing the whole way through. I even got a nod in his Stanleys comic strip! (below right) Next, Jordan Verzar chatted with Jules about the very successful GRAPHIC festival, including reading email excerpts from Robert Crumb about his cancellation from the festival. He also showed a highlights reel and hinted at some ideas for next year. I’m a big fan of the festival, and it’s great to see a collaboration between Graphic and the ACA. The highly anticipated talk on Ron Cobb‘s Hollywood career was on next, and Cobb seemed even more at ease, recalling stories of Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott and H.R. Giger to name a few. Ron worked on some of my (and the world’s) favourite films: Back to the Future, Star Wars, Alien and Aliens, Total Recall and many, many more sci-fi films.

Cobb’s masterful painting and vision of the future has helped shape what we see now on film, and the room was transfixed

on the production art that appeared on the screen. After the talk we crowded around to get a glimpse of some of the original pieces he had brought with, and cursed his immense talent!

Bruce Petty couldn’t make it, so the dapper Glen LeLievre held the floor and delivered a great talk on his experience with The New Yorker; showing many of his very funny cartoons. I’ve toyed with the idea of sending in some ideas, but with the bombshell that most artists need to submit for years – YEARS – before even getting one published, I wonder how strong my resolve is! Apparently, the record is ten years before being published. You gotta admit, that fella had a thick hide.

That concluded the Stanleys Conference so (here comes another highlight…) editorial cartoonist Jos Valdman and I went for a quiet beer with Ron Cobb in the lobby bar! We had a great chat about movie special effects, models and CGI. I could have stayed there all night, but there was something else on. What was it? Oh yeah, The Stanley Awards! So I had to drag myself away and get ready for Australian cartooning’s big night…

(Continued, Page 8)

First Dog On The Moon’s Cartoon - drawn live at the Stanleys Conference.

That was only Day One of the conference done, so Alex Hallett (Arctic Circle) and Mark McHugh (Easy Tiger) and I headed off to The Clare for some jugs of fine ale and shared some comic strip stories.

An hour later we walked (with a little more spring to our step, I must admit) back to the hotel to join the others for a meal in a private room, followed by drinks in the bar. ACA President/Ginger Meggs cartoonist/caricaturist/editorial cartoonist/ stand-up comedian/musician/what-the-hellCAN’T-this guy do well-Jason Chatfield had me in stitches over a long dinner.

I slapped the backs of talented folk such as comic artist and ACA newbie David Blumenstein, definitely-not-a-newbie Steve Panozzo, ACA Patron Vane Lindsay, Peter Broelman, Luke Watson, Dee Texidor, Chris Barr, and a host of other fine, talented scribblers.

I had planned on an early night, but this was not meant to be, and I stumbled home for a few hours kip before the next day’s seminars.

www.cartoonists.org.au

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f you’d arrived in the foyer of the Mercure Hotel in central Sydney on Saturday 12th November, 2011, you would have encountered a rare sight; cartoonists, illustrators and comic book creators dressed up to the nines. Suits, ties, clean underwear, and even a handpanted tie and gold winged sneakers!

Usually known for being casual, we donned the dapper duds and drank, danced, dined, duelled and other things beginning with “D” ‘til dawn.

hospital. Connor is a little older now, and a great guy.

A great part of the evening was the presentation to Marie Fletcher, and then to Roger, a hand-bound book of original Torkan homage art from 35 artists on the occasion of Torkan’s 35th anniversary.

We paid homage to Ginger Meggs’ 90th Birthday by drawing the famous Aussie redhead for the Cartoon of the Night competition during the night.

cut loose, and the Stanleys Steamers made sure that happened right. The Steamers are a band made up of ACA cartoonists – who woulda thought that scribblers could shred, but they did – and how! The band comprises of Peter de Haan (vocals, guitar, mandolin), Alan Rose (vocals, harmonica), Roger Fletcher (guitar), Jason Chatfield (vocals, guitar), Sophie Miller (vocals, keys), Bill James (bass) Shane O’Neil and Buddy Ross (drums).

Professional impersonator Rodney Marks fools the room with his New York character “Ewan Dye” (You-And-I)

Yes, it was the 27th Annual Stanley Awards by the world’s oldest cartooning club, the Australian Cartoonists Association (ACA), and a fun one it was!

After pre-dinner drinks, the night kicked off with Reg Mombassa and Pete Doherty’s duo “Dog Trumpet” playing a few tunes to set the mood.

Reg is a deft hand with the slide guitar, and as I had found out at the conference, a really good bloke too.

Our MC was Brendan “Jonesy” Jones (half of the “Jonesy and Amanda” radio team) and he did a cracker job of hosting the evening, even admitting he had a thing for Roger Fletcher’s Staria when he was a teenager!

During dinner we were also treated to a satirical presentation by Rodney Marks, performing as ‘Ewan Dye’.

Every year there is a silent and regular art auction, and I this time I picked up a sweet, signed Ralph Steadman print! The auction was presided over by the very impressive Antonio DiDio, with money raised was being donated to the Westmead Children’s Hospital and I was pleased to meet an exceptional young bloke named Conner Maclean who dedicates his time to raising money for the 10

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This year the Jim Russell Award for Contribution to Australian Cartooning went to the tireless and effervescent Rolf Heimann! Rolf has been breaking boundaries between Australia and the world, and truly deserves this great honour.

The results of each of the categories are to the right. Congratulations to all nominees and winners. Andrew Weldon and David Pope couldn’t be there, but recorded their acceptance speeches to be played on the big screen.

You may have noticed my name on the list, and I am extremely honoured to have been awarded the gong for Best Illustrator and also the big one: Cartoonist of the Year! My wife, Ash lost her mind when my name was called!

I cannot stress what a surprise and honour this was to receive. I did not in my wildest dreams think that I would win it. I’ve had quite an amazing year, and this really is the icing on the cake. Somehow I think I will always remember 2011!

Ok, the Oscars music is starting to play, and I can see a large hook protruding from the wings…

So, with the formal part of the evening out of the way, it was time to

The dance floor jumped and jived, while those non-dancers amongst us tapped our feet and tried to drink the bar dry.

The party moved on to the bar and balcony… and then eventually to room 1431 where way too many people squeezed in for a killer after-party thanks to Pete Rigby. The room got pretty packed and loud, and at around 3am it wasn’t much of a surprise when the hotel security turned up and we were flung into the street…

Luckily, the Broadway Hotel was just a couple of trips and totters to the left, and the cartoonists carried on celebrating another great year of Stanleys fun!

I’d like to thank all the 2011 Stanleys Organising Committee member for putting on a brilliant weekend. There is a mountain of work and stress that goes into it that we lowly attendees don’t see.

So hats off to: Jason Chatfield, Jules Faber, Peter Broelman, Mick Horne, Kerry-Ann Brown, Lindsay Foyle, Grant Brown, Phil Faigen, Roger Fletcher, Dee Horne, Hywel Kemsley, Peter de haan, Stephen Axelsen, Luke Watson and Peter Rigby. ‘til next year!...

2 0 1 1 S TA N L EY AWA R D S Recipients and Nominees

ILLUSTRATOR Sponsored by WACOM

COMIC BOOK ARTIST Sponsored by MEAA

Anton Emdin -RECIPIENT David Follett Pat Campbell Matthew Martin Jozef Szkeres

David Follett -RECIPIENT Roger Fletcher David Heinrich Jozef Szekeres Stuart Hipwell

COMIC STRIP CARTOONIST Sponsored by The Herald Sun

SINGLE GAG CARTOONIST Sponsored by CAL

Tony Lopes -RECIPIENT Gary Clark Glen Le Lievre Alex Hallatt Andrew Marlton

Andrew Weldon -RECIPIENT Glen Le Lievre Matthew Martin Cathy Wilcox Matt Golding

EDITORIAL/POLITICAL CARTOONIST Sponsored by The Sydney Morning Herald

2011 CARTOONIST OF THE YEAR Sponsored by The Herald Sun

David Pope -RECIPIENT Peter Broelman David Rowe Mark Knight Cathy Wilcox CARICATURIST Sponsored by The Australian David Rowe -RECIPIENT Joanne Brooker Luke Watson David Pope Judy Nadin

Anton Emdin -RECIPIENT David Rowe David Pope Andrew Weldon Mark Knight Peter Broelman 2011 JIM RUSSELL AWARD For Contribution to Australian Cartooning Rolf Heimann

The Australian Cartoonists’ Association thanks the proud Sponsors of the 2011 Stanley Awards

Corporate supporters:

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A GRAPHIC ACCOUNT

Deputy President Jules Faber and his rhino went along to the 2011 Graphic Festival: a weekend of Graphic Storytelling, Animation & Music.

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was headed to Sydney for the second GRAPHIC Festival and my four year old daughter Mary had insisted someone needed to ‘keep an eye on me’. Rhino was given the gig and rode happily in my camera bag, soaking up the atmosphere of the Opera House’s own comic art appreciation weekend.

DAY 1: Arriving on Saturday morning, I headed over to see this year’s Stanleys guest Ron Cobb and how everything was going with him and his wife Robin.

We chatted for a bit before Rhino and I caught a bus to the Opera House.

I love getting to the Opera House. Its unique architecture has made it an Australian icon and in that sense it’s sort of our own Statue of Liberty. It’s the thing to be photographed with in Australia and as we climbed the stairs we passed countless tourists posing for photos in various ways. Some humourous, some solemn and some defying accurate description. I reflected on this with Rhino as we climbed the stairs; that the Opera House is perfectly suited to portray the diversity of the comics field. It attracts all sorts of people from all walks of life in exactly the same way comic books do.

Noting the threatening weather, we ducked inside and found the room in time to see the show had just started - a showcase of Australian comic book creators. Mandy Ord, Leigh Rigozzi, Oslo 16

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Davis, Pat Grant and ACA Member Matt Taylor were each displaying their work on the big screen and discussing how and why they work. They all delivered in a unique fashion, maintaining interest in this well-received show. Looking down from my balcony seat, I was pleased to see our ACA flyers adorning every table.

As the crowd applauded and filed out, it was also encouraging seeing how many people were carrying them away with them or reading them in the fresh light.

We broke for lunch and I joined a group from the Australian comics scene at a nearby pub. Among the twenty or so in the crowd I was happy to see some

old friends and a good handful of ACA Members including a few who’d be presenting content at the upcoming Stanleys Conference in November. Rhino wanted to get back to the House in hopes of interviewing some of the guests, so we finished our drinks and wandered off, briefly joining Bernard Caleo for the walk. Having presented at GRAPHIC last year, I asked him how this year’s Festival was in comparison. His enthusiastic response mirrored my thoughts – this year’s Festival was a more diverse and interesting mix which was saying something given last year’s had been pretty impressive for a first time event.

This second year of GRAPHIC saw a wide variety of things to enjoy – from panel discussions to workshops, live performances to new videogame

technologies, premiere documentaries to international animation screenings.

Being but one man and a rhinoceros, we couldn’t be everywhere at once, but instead had chosen the events most relevant to the ACA. Meeting up with organiser Jordan Verzar, we growled about the Robert Crumb affair as we went in search of the dynamic Scott McCloud for Rhino’s interview. We missed him. Somehow he’d slipped through our net but no matter, we had instead stumbled upon the comicsmaking workshop and ACA-ers Andrew Weldon and Matt Huynh were preparing their class with other local comics luminaries.

After a brief chat, I left them to it and engaged in a couple of conjoined conversations with firstly three young guys who were clutching flyers and wanting to know more about the ACA Conference. We were joined midconversation by two women who were also curious. We talked for a while before I ducked back to my hotel to prepare for the opening night party- pre-show drinks before Gotye played to animated backing screens. ACA Member Anton Emdin was to be my man-date and we were among the first to arrive fashionably early. We met and chatted with groups of Australian comics folk before the lights flashed for the show – Anton and I hadn’t managed to secure tickets so instead we chatted for a while before we left the Opera House, picking up Leigh Rigozzi on the way, and made it to a nearby outdoor bar.

We hadn’t been seated long when the previous threats from the weather began escalating into a noisy brawl. And not long after that it all ended in tears. The four of us quickly dived under cover as the outdoor area was drenched in heavy rain. Intermittent showers followed and we made our way back and forth from the only seating outside to the standing room only within the bar. Anton and Leigh doodled in Rhino’s sketchbook in the periods waiting for the rain to end but he stayed in his camera bag, periodically poking his head out to sip a drink or check on the rain.

Eventually getting back to my hotel, I wrung myself out and looked forward to the far more solidly packed second day of the Festival.

DAY 2: Overnight, the rain had eased and we made our way through the city to the Opera House. We had slept late but Rhino had crawled into the shower ahead of me, before we made our way to the Lovely Horrible Stuff, a talk by Eddie Campbell (of From Hell fame, the epic tome about Jack The Ripper by Alan Moore).

Eddie speaks well and has a deliciously meandering storytelling style, barely containing his enjoyment as he steadily works toward the secret and perfectly delivered punchline. I enjoyed the talk very much but immediately renewed my pursuit of those illusive interviews. I didn’t have long before I needed to be in the talk on Altered States featuring the US cartoonist Jim Woodring, Australia’s Reg Mombassa and Eddie Campbell again with mediator Gary Groth. This was an incisive discussion on what the work of artists can do in comics and indeed in art. Some interesting points were raised, some terrifying stories from Jim Woodring were shared and we were witness to very thorough dissections on some of each artist’s most recognised works.

When it was over, each of the artists assembled outside the room and sat signing books for the crowd. Immediately lengthy queues sprung up and I noted that Reg Mombassa’s queue hadn’t yet formed coherently. Seizing the opportunity for an interview, I approached him and we talked for a few moments while he signed Rhino’s book.

He didn’t have time for an interview but instead we talked about the Stanleys and within the ensuing week Reg had agreed to be the ACA’s guest in November. On the back of this meeting and still feeling elated at having met one of Australia’s most iconic and brilliant artists, I met up with Anton again amidst a gaggle of local comics creators. We solemnly and

silently nodded our heads at each other before filing into the Scott McCloud talk on Understanding Comics.

McCloud spoke in an amiable manner and immediately had the crowd eating Rhino catches up on some light reading. out of his hand. For through comic books, noting several from a mesmerising forty-five minutes, he our own Members peppering the stands. spoke on the subject of comics before Everywhere I went I saw the ACA addressing the audience and taking emblazoned across GRAPHIC. Our flyer – questions. It was with heavy heart the which gave details about the Stanleys on audience finally dragged itself out of the one side and our Conference on the other theatre to find he was set up outside to – was everywhere; on coffee tables, in the sign books. Rhino pulled me into the line sales area, on tables in the theatres, at the and we waited. box office and the cloak room, and most ACA Member Dave Blumenstein passed importantly, in eager hands. I saw people by with his wife Sarah and we chatted for flicking through back issues of Inkspot in a moment, catching up on the end of the the waiting area, bookmarking articles discussion from the pub the previous day. with their fingers as a friend arrived They went on to the Air Your Grievances before walking off with it to finish later. discussion hosted by Andrew Weldon I eavesdropped on two young men, one and I turned back to the queue to see I wearing an Astro Boy T-shirt, animatedly was almost at the signing table. discussing Ron Cobb. Across the Rhino pushed the book at McCloud and weekend I was greeted with numerous we talked. I asked him if he had time broad smiles of old friends excited for an interview but by this time it was about Ron being at the Conference and getting late and he and his wife had frequently told how his work had affected somewhere to be when they were done or influenced them. signing. I thanked him and left, seeing the Rhino and I were exhausted after our enormous line that had grown behind us as we filed past on our way to the Air Your weekend. We gathered together with a group of cartoonists for the last time Grievances discussion. It was exciting to and made our way back to the pub. I was see works from numerous ACA Members leaving the following day at first light and in the top ten, including Anton Emdin, as the rain was picking itself up from the Brian Conradsen and the eventual gutter and preparing to bravely re-enter winner, Shelley Knoll-Miller. the fray, I reluctantly bid my farewells.

Afterward I looked back and saw the line Waiting for the train at Circular Quay, for McCloud was still sizeable. His smile Rhino thumbed through the works he was as welcoming as it had been at the had collected on the weekend. start.

Trotting back to the hotel, he emphaI’d noted when perusing the books for tically stated he would be coming back sale earlier that the ACA flyers were right next year and I was welcome to join him. beside the till. These were being taken He’d beaten me to it. I was gonna say that. by people sifting through the extensive range of available books. Rhino flicked

Gary Groth mediates the “Altered States” talk with Reg Mombassa, Jim Woodring and Eddie Campbell. www.cartoonists.org.au

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Kauff ’s is Jester Laugh a Minute You’ll all be pleased to know that the muttonbirds birds are returning along with our hearing and we’re all getting over Rally fever here in Coffs.

Lisa also hopes to get the local cartooning fraternity marching alongside the float – suitable incriminating photos are promised.

The first showing of the Rotary Awards was duly followed with the second showing with a strong emphasis on the World Rally Championship entries which went over really well with the many rev-heads who visited the Bunker during this time.

Also, as part of the sesquicentennial celebrations, a time capsule (and supporting booklet) is being compiled which will be opened in 36 years’ time, a date selected to mark another anniversary: 200 years since John Korff named the town “Korff’s Harbour”. If you have been a winner of a Rotary Cartoon Award over the past 23 years you will be pleased to know that a digital image of your work will be included in the time capsule as part of the Bunker’s history.

But the quiet time was only short lived as next was our annual International Buskers Festival which brings another whole lot of crazy people to town and soon to be is the climax of the city’s 150th anniversary celebrations. There’s never a dull moment in this city of ours.

The Bunker Cartoon Gallery will have a bigger-than-Ben-Hur presence in the Sesquicentennial street parade, with a jester leading a parade of children dressed as cartoon characters, followed by the Bunker float. Bunker Coordinator, Lisa Magri, and the volunteers have put lots of work into bringing the two-dimensional characters from your works to life. We’re all looking forward to the day, which will be a fun way to promote the Bunker and cartooning.

On 1 October, the worst learner flyer in the world, Ding Duck with his everpresent L-plates, Wart and all his friends from Swamp joined Gary Clark at the opening of his exhibition. Gary’s new works and those from the Rotary Collection were on show at the Bunker until 29 October.

In honour of Ding, all local L-platers were invited to come to the opening wearing their L-plates. Throughout the exhibition, all L-platers who visit the Gallery - including those who passed their P-plates after October 1 - were invited to enter a draw

to win an A3 Swamp cartoon print of their choice from the 190 held in the Rotary collection.

During November, cartoons were projected digitally onto the Bunker walls.

Cartoons from artists who use digital media equipment were selected from the collection for the exhibition.

In December, the always popular, fabulous works of that fabulous and always popular artist Judy Nadin were on show.

We’ll give you a rundown in the next Inkspot.

And, in the first half of next year, the Bunker will hold its own celebration in honour of Meggsie’s 90th birthday – the exact date is still to be confirmed as is the date for the Bald Archy Prize Exhibition which we will again host in 2012.

Steve Little, the Chairman of the Bunker Advisory Board, and myself attended the Stanley Awards in November and had a great time. We loved seeing our cartooning friends and even made some new ones. We’ll write a little more about that next issue, too.

Keep cartooning!

Fran Stephenson info@rotarycartoonawards.com ABOVE: Hec Goodall’s World Rally Championship cartoon, donated to The Rotary Collection, September 2011 18

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DEEP SWAMP flying and the pursuit of his flying licence, even making a promise that when he attains his wings, Ding will lose his L plates and graduate to the air.

The master...

For once I was on time for a show at The Bunker. Gary Clark was attending the opening of an exhibition on Swamp, the continuing success story in Australian comic strips that has earned him a swag of awards, including multiple Stanleys.

I was so early, in fact, that I got to look around the show for Inkspot with my fouryear-old photographer/daughter Mary who is so enamoured with crocodiles at present that she was hoping to get Gary to draw Old Man Croc for her.

He then spoke about the history of the strip and how it came about, citing the influence of his father on him at age four as the germ of Swamp’s beginnings. Looking at Mary, who was amusing herself drawing while he said this, I was taken by the importance of our influence as cartoonists on the young. Mark Flanders had said it himself moments before in his address, when he acknowledged the past and present Elders before acknowledging the future Elders, those children today that we influence and educate. With Swamp being a staple in my cartoon reading since I was young, I considered what influence it has had on me as a cartoonist as well. Gary spoke of the strip having run for the last 31 years; over three quarters of my life. It’s impossible to consider that some part of it hasn’t drifted down into my psyche and added to the plethora of influence artists of all stripes carry within.

The speeches over, the show was officially opened and the audience chatter renewed itself. As with any official gathering, the end of the speeches seems to herald an exit point and the first audience members begin filing out. However, it was refreshing to see that the crowd barely abated with numerous folk wanting to meet Gary and have him sign copies of his various books.

While the grown-ups had made speeches, Mary had drawn a picture of our galaxy, replete with stars and nebula and spiral arms. I thought it to be another picture to add to her already bulging file at home, but instead she earnestly told me it was for Gary and sought him out to swap it for the picture he’d drawn for her. He encouraged her to sign it for him and although not adept with writing, she’s great with a representative squiggle. Handing him the finished work he thanked her, stating he would put it in his portfolio when he returned home. She was smiling broadly as we walked off holding hands.

Soon Mary was nearing the tired end of the day so we made our goodbyes. On the way home, I was asked to frame Gary’s cartoon of Old Man Croc when we arrived and place it on the floor next to her bed.

At this point I was again reminded that as cartoonists we certainly do have influence over children, and not just our own.

I compromised by suggesting we place it atop Mary’s chest of drawers where she could see it from her bed. She thought that wasn’t ideal but a passable idea.

One can only imagine right now what influence this moment will mean in time to this particular four-year old, but if her career (in whatever field she chooses) is as impressive and as extensive as Gary’s, then she’ll certainly be more than successful in that aspect of her life.

Jules Faber (NSW/ACT Chapter)

Gary’s show was an impressive collection.

Covering a broad expanse of his career, cartoons on display were taken from personal works and the extensive collection Gary has donated through the Rotary Cartoon Awards over the course of the last 23 years.

After some informal chatting, the show opened with a “welcome to country” from Mark Flanders of the Gumbaynggirr Nation who revealed in an unscripted addition to his speech what a fan he was of Gary’s work. He then finished with a quick piece on the didgeridoo that played surprisingly well in the Bunker’s acoustics.

As this point it was my job to speak about Gary’s career before introducing him to the crowd. He spoke about his love of

... and the aficionado.

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Christophe’s Sautée - Derib Our intrepid European correspondent Christophe Granet surges ever onward with his scintillating series of rivetting interviews, quizzing the masterminds behind Bandes Dessinés and the wonderful world of European comic books and graphic novels. This time, sizzling on the hearth is artist Derib...

This issue, I’m talking to Claude de Ribaupierre, otherwise known as Derib, a legend in the Bande Dessinee (BD) world, who, since the 1960s, has created many BD series and won numerous major international awards.

Q: Like many ACA Members, you drew a lot as a child; can you tell us more about your formative years?

At a very early age, and with my father’s encouragement, I learned to draw the human body and its bone structure. I used to enjoy copying the drawings of my favourite artists, most of whom were published in the Journal de Spirou, like those of Franquin and Jije, and even produced a number of Peches de Jeunesses like Plume Blanche, Celui qui devait mourir, Mitraille, etc.

I was fortunate enough to work alongside two very talented artists who would later on develop their own characters: François Walthéry, who created Natacha hôtesse de l’air (21 albums to date, see www.natacha-comics.com) and Roland Gossens, who is known as GOS, who ended up creating the Scrameustache (41 albums to date).

Q: I grew up in France, reading every Yakari book I could get my hands on. I was therefore very excited to see that CineBook is releasing Yakari in English. I have bought all the available Yakari books in English for my kids, who love them.

Can you tell us about how you came up with Yakari and for the ACA Members what Yakari is about?

My main duties were to create the backgrounds and to ink the roughs that Peyo had created of the Smurfs.

I created Yakari 46 years ago while I was working for Peyo on the Smurfs’ albums. I then met Job and we have now told the stories of our little Sioux for the past 40 years. Yakari is a young Sioux Native American who has the unusual talent of being able to understand and speak animal languages. During his adventures, he meets all sorts of North American animals. His best friends are a girl Sioux, Rainbow, and his pony Little Thunder. He has a totem animal, Great Eagle, who frequently appears to him to give him critical advice.

Q: Who were your colleagues at Studio Peyo?

Q: Buddy Longway is also one of your long running series that I used to read avidly

(NOTE: Peches de Jeunesses (Mistakes of Youth) is a range of books that have been published, gathering BDs from artists when they were just starting out)

Q: Aged 20, you went to Brussels, the uncontested capital of Bande Dessinee, to join Studio Peyo. Peyo, of course, is the creator of the Schtroumpfs (Smurfs) and Johan & Pirlouit. What were your duties at the studio?

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back in France. What is it about and is there any chance of having Buddy Longway released in an English translation?

The series is a family saga which centres around the eponymous character Buddy Longway, a trapper who lives in the wilderness. He lives as a partner of a Sioux Native American woman called Chinook.

In the course of the series, they have two children: Jeremy and Kathleen. The main topics of the series, which is set in the 19th century, are living in the wilderness, interracial relationships, Native American culture, coming of age and ageing. Unfortunately, there is no current plan to make this series available in English.

Q: Many of your BDs (Yakari, Buddy Longway, Go West, etc...) have native American characters, from the Sioux nation I believe.

Do you have a particular love for this tribe?

As far as I can remember, through the Bandes Dessinees of Paul Cuvelier, like Corentin chez les Peaux Rouges, I have been fascinated by the Sioux.

Over time, I researched heavily the life and culture of the Indians from the plains and this led me to draw Red Road.

Q: Can you tell us about some of the awards you’ve won as a cartoonist?

I have received three prizes at Angouleme (the major BD festival in Europe): One for Buddy Longway (“Best Foreign BD”) and two for Yakari (as voted by the children). I was recently awarded the “Elephant d’Or” from the Chambery Festival as recognition of my contribution to Bande Dessinees. Overall, I have been awarded 17 prizes at various festivals.

Q: I just love the way you draw horses. I believe one of your first jobs was as a horseriding instructor. Does your love of horses come from those days?

Jo, a young woman, has contracted AIDS. The album relates her story and how she copes with her illness, aided by the love of her boyfriend Laurent.

Q: Do you happen to know how many BDs have you created?

Over a 45-year career, to date, I have drawn 80 BDs. Q: What are you currently working on?

I am currently working on the 37th album of Yakari titled Le Mangeur d’etoiles and on Tu sera reine, a BD explaining the way the Herens cows are raised in the region of Valais, Switzerland.

Derib, may I say again what an honour it is for me to have you answer my questions. Should you ever come to Australia, please let the Australian Cartoonists’ Association know!

Q: Have you been to the USA a lot to be able to draw the American West so well?

Ironically, I have never been to the USA. I have, however, researched the characters, cultures and landscapes from books and archival photos.

Q: Australia does not have, unfortunately, cartoon festivals. How many cartoon festivals do you go to on average every year, and which ones are your favourites?

I have the privilege of attending two to three festivals every year. I tend to favour the small festivals, where there is still a chance of meeting directly with the public and other artists.

I have always loved horses and I have owned horses for over 30 years and participated in horse-riding competitions. Nowadays, however, I am content with just drawing them.

Q: Can you tell us about your album Jo? The story revolves around the fact that www.cartoonists.org.au

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Reviews Francis Bear

by Gregory Mackay Published by Corky Comics ISBN 9781921775116 $17.50

Francis Bear is the inspired creation of Gregory Mackay, a Melbourne-based artist well-known for work on such classic Melbourne comics as Pure Evil, the Silent Army anthology and oneshots such as Arachnodactyly and Terminal.

A simply-drawn teddy bear with a wonderfully deadpan expression, Francis meets every new situation with self-defeating inventiveness and a remarkably even temper. Francis shares his immediate world with an unhelpful friend, Doug the Dog, often drinking and wandering the streets of some seemingly familiar suburbs.

Whether cruising the hardware store, applying for a job, making a film, worrying about his health, getting the car fixed, launching an airship, mowing the lawn or meeting a new friend, Francis manages to take seemingly ordinary situations to surreal extremes. With his laconic outlook and well-meant but misguided impulses, our sympathies are always with him.

That’s the masterful thing about this collection of comic tales: the appealing look of the characters initially belies the underlying pathos of their everyman adventures. As the content of the stories includes regular drinking and some occasional expletives, the book clearly isn’t targeted at children (which the art style might suggest on a cursory look). It’s a

touch Richard Scarry and a touch Krazy Cat, but why should kids have all the fun anyway?

The book is laugh-out-loud funny (I made the mistake of trying to read it quietly on a train). This humdrum world of anthropomorphised animal characters going about their mundane lives – with many unexpected twists – is also evocative, poignant and captivating. Mackay has drawn the book in a simple style, using consistently heavy black-and-white lines, accompanied by looming spot blacks.

The stories vary in length but overall form a loose narrative arc that makes them satisfying to read together.

Mackay recently returned from spending time in Europe, where he was an artist in residence in Trondheim, Norway. Francis Bear apparently also made friends there, with this new anthology being published in French by The Hoochie Coochie at the same time as this local release in English.

Available from: http://www.bookshop. unimelb.edu.au/cbc/?IS.9781921775116

Ian C. Thomas

May Gibbs: More Than a Fairytale

by Robert Holden and Jane Brummitt Published by Hardie Grant ISBN 9781742701509 $49.99 (Hardcover)

When most people think of May Gibbs, they have a mental image of her “Gumnut Babies”: Snugglepot and Cuddlepie or Bib and Bub. That is not surprising. Her books with these images in them have been read to children for almost 100 years and there is not a child alive who, having been told about Banksia Men, do not think of Gibbs’ images everytime they see a Banksia Tree. So popular are some of these books that they have almost never been out of print.

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However as Robert Holden and Jane Brummitt have tried to establish, there is much more to May Gibbs than just some children’s stories.

Gibbs was born in England in 1877 and migrated to South Australia 1881 when her father decided he wanted to be a farmer.

He failed at that and the family eventually moved to Western Australia 1885. May spent part of her remaining childhood near living near Bunbury before eventually settling in Perth.

Gibbs’ mother and father were accomplished artists and encouraged her when she took and interest in art. Like almost all artists working in Australia in the late 1800s and early 1900s she took on newspaper illustrating along with cartooning to survive while trying to sell paintings.

In the first decade of the 20th Century, Gibbs took three trips to London where she enjoyed some success as a newspaper artist and book illustrator. After her first two trips she returned to Perth to again work for newspapers and probably became Australia’s first female political cartoonist. After her last trip to London she moved to Sydney and quickly established herself as a freelance artist. She drew covers for The Lone Hand and The Sydney Mail (a weekly newspaper published by The Sydney Moring Herald) and sold bookmarks to the troops as they embarked to fight in the First World War. Holden and Brummitt have used many illustrations in the book to show how Gibbs’ early work evolved and the Gumnut Babies went from interesting side-images to become central characters in her children’s books and comic strips.

The book is beautifully illustrated and contains much more than just the Gumnut Babies. There are some excellent images Gibbs drew of herself, her mother & father and many other subjects. To add interest

there are also some drawings by Herbert Gibbs, which testify to what a good artist he was too.

Gibbs was over 90 when she died and had spent most of the second half of her life drawing the comic strip, Bib and Bub. This book does not deal with that part of her life and concentrates on her early life. It contains some nice information, but tends to overstate her achievements a little. It would have been nice if there was a little information in the book about what a tough nut she could be when dealing with editors and publishers. It also leaves out her friendship with Frank De Groot, and there is only scant reference to her contacts with other artists working in Sydney almost 100 years ago. But, as these were only social connections and the book is more about her art, perhaps this is understandable.

May Gibbs’ contribution to Australian publishing should not be underestimated either. First edition copies of her books can easily sell for over $1,000. She would have loved that.

Lindsay Foyle

The Autobiography of Kerwin Maegraith Edited by David Maegraith Published by spaark books/CreateSpace ISBN 9781461019534 US$19.95 (Paperback) Kerwin Maegraith had the luck (or misfortune) to work at a time when many brilliant artists were also working in Australia. The luck was that their drawings drew attention to newspaper art, which helped other artists find work. The misfortune was that their work tended to overshadow his contributions and he is not one of the better-known newspaper artists from the first half and middle of last century.

David Maegraith says in the foreword that his grandfather was a larrikin, a brilliant artist, a journalist, a songwriter and an adventurer. He also adds, “This book is an edited version of his memoirs. They were in such disarray when I first came across them that I needed to edit and mould them into the form they are now.

Regardless of omissions, this is a valuable book and adds to the history of an excellent artist and one of the best illustrators of children’s books and comics in the world.

Both Holden and Brummitt have studied Gibbs for many decades and they have completely demolished the argument put forward by some who have suggested she was limited in her drawing abilities.

Even still, the manuscript needs work – and maybe will benefit from further revisions”.

He is probably right in most of these claims. His grandfather does seem to have been a bit of a larrikin, and there are references to his songwriting, journalism and adventures in the book. There is even a little about his short boxing career. There are also about 50 caricatures reproduced in the book. While interesting, they may not be the best examples of Maegraith’s work. There are better examples in his 1927 book, Celebrities in Caricature.

However, they are mostly of well-known people who get a mention, which does add to the interest of the book.

Maegraith was born (1903) and raised in Adelaide and worked in Sydney in the mid-to-late 1920s. He contributed to Smith’s Weekly, The Daily Guardian, The Sunday Times, Art in Australia and Beckett’s Budget. The list of publications he contributed to is extensive to say the least: The Advertiser in Adelaide, the Daily Herald in London, The Bystander, The Sketch, The Sydney Morning Herald and the Daily Telegraph. There is also mention of a few other titles, which seem to have missed the history books.

In his early days in Sydney, he knew and worked with many of the journalists who went on to be big names in later years.

He lived in the same boarding house as Errol Flynn before Flynn went to New Guinea. He made friends with Patrick Sullivan when he visited Sydney, who, at the time, was probably the biggest name in animation in the world. While it is not mentioned in the book, Maegraith wrote a very good article for The Sydney Mail on 1 July, 1936, a few years after Sullivan’s death, which helps prove Sullivan created Felix the Cat, but that is another story.

Maegraith worked in London for a time and followed the Australian cricket team around England on the 1934 tour while drawing for the Daily Herald. He went on to became a war artist attached to the 1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron of the British Pacific Fleet during the Second World War. The book comes to an end with him www.cartoonists.org.au

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still serving in the military. There must be much more to his life story and maybe it will be included in a revised edition of his autobiography if it gets into print. Maegraith died in 1970 and, without doubt, lived an interesting life.

homogenisation that was wrought by the computer.

It’s also really, really heavy - 296 page, hardcover tome, recording 50 years’ worth of Alex Stitt’s career.

David Maegraith’s claim that the manuscript could do with some more editing is also a reasonable claim. Lurking within The Autobiography of Kerwin Maegraith, there are the makings of a good book.

What a shame there had not been further revisions before this book went to the printers. It would have been helped with a few the addition of a few more dates and some accuracy with publication titles.

According to the author, Stitt:Autobiographics is “a book about the graphic design work created by a sizeable group of atoms, molecules, fats, acids, proteins, cells and synapses that have come together to work in concert for a brief time span, regrettably now nearing its likely us-by date, and answering to the name of Alexander Stitt”.

Given there is a lot of name-dropping in the book, an index would have been a very handy addition too. However none of this takes away from the fact that it is a nice book that adds significantly to the scant history of Australia’s black and white artists.

The book does not seem to be available in bookshops, but there are a number of suppliers online. A Kindle edition is available through Amazon for US$8.99.

For the paperback, you can order through Amazon, or the publisher, CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/3583239

Lindsay Foyle

Stitt: Autobiographics

by Alex and Paddy Stitt Published by Hardie Grant ISBN 9781742702223 $89.95 (Hardcover)

I will say it right here and now - this is an amazing book. Buy the bloodything. Full stop.

Let me explain. First of all, this book is many things - it’s an autobiography. It’s also a graphics textbook. It celebrates what design was like before the mass 24

www.cartoonists.org.au

This is the first Australian autobiography to have impressed me in this way. The only other books to have inspired me creatively were Chuck Jones’ two volumes - Chuck Amuck: The Life and Times of an Animated Cartoonist (1989) and Chuck Redux: Drawing From the Fun Side of Life (1996), both of them deeply personal, professionally revealing and educational at the same time.

I never hesitate in commending those two books to anyone who wants to learn about the craft.

It’s also a window on my childhood. When I was growing up, Alex Stitt was everywhere - on posters, postage stamps, books, album sleeves, magazines, movies and television.

You could well be forgiven if you thought that we only had four cartoonists working in Australia during the 1970s and 1980s, of which Stitt seemed the most prolific, tapping as he did into the jugular vein of Australia’s social fabric.

In collaboration with Phillip Adams and composer Peter Best, he gave us possibly the best and most effective community service campaigns the world had seen - Life. Be In It, Slip!Slop!Slap! and Care for Kids. His character of Norm in the Life. Be In It campaign became a cult hero in 1975, even ending up in his own comic strip. He had to knock the campaign up in 24 hours.

The result changed (and even saved) lives, inspiring Australians en masse to exercise regularly.

What’s interesting is how Stitt’s style - so immediately identifiable and unique - seemed to somehow suit almost any medium and any theme. Among many other things, he created a memorable series of TV ads for the Christian Television Association and masterminded the animated film, Grendel, Grendel, Grendel.

Stitt was inspired to create this book amid the devastating Victorian bushfire in 2009 when it looked like his amassed memorabilia of a 50-year artistic career could be engulfed by the inferno that eventually claimed the lives and possessions of friends and neighbours. The result is our gain. He admits he is surprised at how well his work has weathered the passage of time. And the sheer volume of output seems staggering, even given his 50-year career. The lessons of graphic design are present throughout. Make no mistake, through all the humour, recollections and tales of adventure, at the heart of this book is the reveal of technique, an instruction on the art of graphic design, of animation and the creative industry. You can really learn much from this book.

In the interests of keeping an open mind, he has - very bravely, I think - set the text in fonts he never uses (and even one he makes a point of avoiding). Surprisingly, it works. A friend of mine used to avoid a certain restaurant simply because the signage employed a font she hated. I’ll have to buy her a copy.

Steve Panozzo

Also Out There...

The Best of Senior Moments Cartoons is a new book created, produced and self-published by our not-so-old friend Ken Alvine. Ken has collaborated with cartoonist Dave Carpenter to create a humorous look at the joys and tribulations of aging in our modern society in a cartoon format.

ACA members can buy the book directly from Ken by emailing him at... smoments7@aol.com

Reviewed next issue:

The Mad Art of Caricature by Tom Richmond... but you don’t need to wait for the review to get your copy!

Visit http://www.deadlinedemon.com

Rowe and Bosch Take Out Walkleys Perennial award-winner David Rowe (NSW/ACT Chapter) has snared the 2011 Walkley Award for Best Cartoon, ahead of a field that included Oslo Davis, (VIC) Mark Knight (VIC)and the commended David Pope (NSW/ACT).

The Sydney Morning Herald’s Simon Bosch (NSW/ACT) pipped Rowe, Mario Lendvai and Tony Bela (NSW/ACT ) to walk away with the Walkley for Best Artwork. The judges assessed Rowe’s cartoon, Mini-Murdoch as ‘very clever, superb’ and was a ‘highly detailed, very stylised and utterly compelling cartoon.’ We think so, too!

Don’t Feed this Artist! being too lazy to revise this, I assume everyone survived.

I got up early (for me), fed my noisy cat and after several other human things made my way to Federation Square (the off centre, centre of Melbourne) for my three-hour drawing demonstration; a sort of tempory residency paid for by the Melbourne Writers’ Festival.

I was drawing with a chisel-point Artline marker to improve the visibility on a large screen through which, due to some incomprehensible miracle of technology, the drawing would be shown. Actually, it was a camera, on a stand above me, like a robotic vulture staring at me with it’s glassy, uncaring eye.

My involvement in the Melbourne Writers’ Festival (MWF), began with my contribution to a project called Drawn From Life, curated by Oslo Davis, a major project for the MWF. It was a comic newspaper - all comics - featuring local and international artists, all of which featured an autobiographical element to them. There was an impressive list of artists- Australian and international- and it was handed out for free on train stations and at the MWF events. It’s a great read, fascinating and entertaining and pretty unique. The MWF seems to be really pushing the graphic stroytelling medium this year, hence the “Don’t Feed the Artist” spots at Fed Square. I believe there were quite a few other cartooning and graphic storytelling events also.

I wasn’t the only the only one in the “Don’t Feed the Artist” slot. They only do it one artist at a time (possibly to avoid bare-knuckle fighting or group sex or something). Other fine folk who were doing it include Mandy Ord, Alex Hallatt, Judy Horecek, Bruce Mutard and Jon Kudelka. At the time of writing, and

I drew a lot of pictures (I’m quick with a Texta), shading with a crayon, and being the Writers’ Festival I assumed there should be some story, so I drew a lot of sequential stuff. Amongst others, I drew chickens, a robotic cat, evolution, an elephant sucking up a turtle into it’s trunk, inflating heads, dinosaurs, my cat tying itself in a knot and Tony Abbott with a big mallet with ‘No’ painted on it. Quite a few passers-by gave me the thumbs up on that one, leading me to believe I’d found the only place in Australia where he isn’t hugely popular. If so, I might go live there.

It was funny, or at least me and my MWFappointed girl assitant thought so, that there was a group of intensely interested, lower primary school kids present. I was drawing dinosaurs and things for them when one little kid, aged about 6 or 7, held up Drawn From Life and said, ”It says fuck on the second page!”

“Oh really?” I asked.

“But they mean it in a nice way”, he said emphatically. ”Yes, that’s right, they mean it in a nice way” I said...

After that, about 25 of them got me to sign Drawn from Life; some of the naughtier kids were trying to get me to do it twice. I think the teacher was happy. A lot of the kids were complaining about my signature, but they had fun.

Overall, I think it went well. There were various groups of people coming up to the table, a lot of people watched from the cafes and general interest abounded a bit. I drank three coffees and two energy drinks and had a prepared list of ideas, most of which made sense to me at the time. And as I hoed into a Hungry Jacks burger on the way home, I thought to myself: no one did feed the artist.

Although I got offered a croissant.

~ Matt Bissett-Johnson (VIC/TAS Chapter)

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Mark McHugh

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Phil Judd

Paul Stanhope

Jason Poulos

Barry Richards

Your View On...

THE CARBON TAX!

www.cartoonists.org.au

Jules Faber Phil Somerville

Jack Edmunds

Alan Moir

Lindsay Foyle

Many thanks to everyone who contributed cartoons - sorry we couldn’t feature them all!

The next issue’s topic is...

ANYTHING! But it must be drawn with your OTHER hand...

Please send your cartoons to: inkspot@cartoonists.org.au www.cartoonists.org.au

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Original artwork by Stanley Award winner Anton Emdin. Commissioned by Copyright Agency.

w o n k t o n t h g i m u What yo . . . . t h g i r y p o c t u o b a Copyright protects your works. And unless you’ve agreed otherwise with a client or employer, you own the rights to your drawings and illustrations. But did you know that copyright can potentially make you money?

this information is the basis by which we pay rightsholders.

Copyright Agency licenses text and image based works to educational institutions, Government, business and non-profit organisations, in return for fair payment to creators and publishers. Each year we survey our licensees to see what has been used, and

Membership of Copyright Agency is free and there are a number of benefits you’ll enjoy when you sign up. To find out more please contact Tristan Chant, Visual Arts Manager on 1800 066 844 or email tchant@copryight.com.au.

In 2011, we made payments of around $250,000 for the reuse of cartoons.

www.copyright.com.au 28

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