Inkspot71 by Australian Cartoonists' Association

THE OFFICIAL ACA MEMBERS MAGAZINE |

www.cartoonists.org.au

issue # 71 Spring 2014

WRECKING BALLS DEMOLISH BALD ARCHY PRIZE FEATURE STORY: THE FIRST STANLEYS 30 YEARS AGO

INTERVIEW: JOEL MISHON TALKS CARTOONY STUFF

REPORT: THE FUTURE OF THE ACA

more things: REVIEWS, PARZ, and LOTS more...

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New ACA website A brand new ACA Website is launching THIS MONTH! Stay tuned to cartoonists.org.au for a brand new, mobile and tablet optimised website featuring the brilliant work of our talented members. The new site is being completed by Jason Chatfield and Mike Nicholas. It includes all new portfolios, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram integration along with all the latest news and updates on the official ACA Blog. The ACA Forum will return later, but for the time being be sure to check out the ACA Facebook Page or follow the ACA on Twitter: @AUcartoonists.

issue # 71 CONTENTS President’s Parlay................................................................P1 A Word from the Editor........................................................P2 Parz.........................................................................P2-3 How the Stanleys Started................................................P4-7 Stanleys Cartoon Conference.........................................P8-9 Question Time with Joel Mishon.................................P10-11 NYC and Book Review......................................................P12 Futures and comics...........................................................P13 Monty Wedd’s Ned Kelly.....................................Back Cover

The ACA is proud to announce that it will screen the Australian premiere of ‘Stripped’ at the Stanley Awards cartoon conference. See what leading US comic strip artists have got to say about the comic strip industry. Stripped will screen on the Friday afternoon of the conference at the Menzies Sydney. Bring the popcorn.

Contributions to Inkspot art always welcome. Please send your words , photos and cartoons to inkspot@cartoonists. org.au. Please ensure all images are at least 300dpi in either tiff or jpeg format. Brown paper bags with cash to be handed over at midnight in the Macca’s carpark. Ask for Nigel.

--- ACA Committee --Patron Vane Lindesay

National Cartoonists Society President: Tom Richmond www.reuben.org

President Jules Faber jules@cartoonists.org.au Deputy President Jason Chatfield deputy@cartoonists.org.au Secretary Peter Broelman secretary@cartoonists.org.au Treasurer Kerry-Anne Brown treasurer@cartoonists.org.au Membership Secretary Grant Brown membership@cartoonists.org.au --- Committee --Nigel Bell (QLD) nigel@cartoonists.org.au Tim McEwen (NSW) tim@cartoonists.org.au Rolf Heimann (Vic) rolf@cartoonists.org.au

Cartoonists’ Club of Great Britain President: Terry Christian www.ccgb.org.uk FECO President General: Peter Nieuwendijk www.fecoweb.org --- Inkspot Team --Editor: Nigel Bell Sub-editors/writers: Lindsay Foyle, Christophe Granet, Peter Broelman, Jason Chatfield, Jules Faber, Nat Karmichael Layout ARTISTS: Chris Barr, Peter Broelman and Mark Tippett POORFREADER: Tgfsv Wddjjh2j

Ian McCall (VIC) ian@cartoonists.org.au Mike Nicholas (WA) mike@cartoonists.org.au --- Aca Affiliated Orgs ---

Inkspot is produced four times a year by the Australian Cartoonists Association PO Box 318 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 inkspot@cartoonists.org.au www.cartoonists.org.au Phone: 1300 658 581 ABN 19 140 290 841

AS we get nearer to The Stanleys, it’s time to start booking your tickets. And I mean seriously, because you do not want to miss out on what the new team has in store! That’s right, a new team is at the helm this year and has been working on a fitting Stanleys to celebrate our 30th anniversary. We’re headed back to the two-day conference format as well (which I’m thrilled about) and I’m glad to see its return. Some of the amazing highlights include some new faces and some old friends. There truly will be something for everyone and again I must stress; you don’t want to miss it! Back in July selected ACA Members and members of the exterior arts community were invited to what we called the Futures Meeting. Here we discussed at length the issues facing our Association as the paradigms are shifting and what we need to do to adapt for survival, Many great ideas have come from that meeting and several have been selected to be worked upon immediately. The first of these is the rebooting and updating of our website. Naturally, this is where many people are first introduced to us these days and it’s imperative that we have a fully functional site for the public to see what we can do. In coming months this will be changing for the better with a sleeker design and a better method for showcasing our work. The old Forum will be retired temporarily and moved to Facebook where Forum folk can still show their work and hang around the water cooler for a chat. The ACA also continues to make an impression at the pop culture convention Supanova, where we’re meeting with hundreds and hundreds

Caricature by Nigel Bell

President’s parlay

of attendees and putting our great organisation out there for all to see. After the Futures Meeting there’ll be other means by which we will do this and there are ways you can help. More about that as events unfold, but in the meantime, stay up to date with all things ACA by enjoying the magazine you hold in your ink-(or pixel-) spattered hands right now. You can also stay right up to the minute by following us on Facebook (do it while you visit our page and Forum) or on Twitter: @AUcartoonists That’s all from me for now. Don’t forget to book your Stanleys accommodation before it books out! The Menzies Hotel in Sydney on November 15-16 is gonna be the place to be. Don’t be seen anywhere else. See you there!

AUSTRALIAN CARTOONISTS ASSOCIATION NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Notice is hereby given to the Members of the Australian Cartoonists Association Incorporated that the Annual General Meeting will be held The Menzies Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales on Saturday, 15th November 2014 commencing at 9.00am and concluding at 10.00am. Agenda Items for the Chairman’s consideration must be received in writing by close of business 13th October 2014. Nomination forms for the committee and proxy forms can also be requested from the Secretary. Send to: ACA Secretary by email secretary@cartoonists.org.au, or by post to: Secretary, ACA, PO Box 580, Elizabeth SA 5112..

A word from the editor Timing. Timing is, as they say, the essence of Comedy. Waiting too long for the punchline (or, as a ‘for instance’, the next issue of Inkspot) can stretch the patience of the audience. And with this sotto voce example in mind, the timeless format of this issue, as previously, is the product of the Graphic grace of the ever regular Chris Barr, this issue’s contextual illuminations are by the frequently frequent Peter Broelman (aided and abetted by Jason Chatfield and Mark Tippett), and the sluggish mea culpas are all mine. The effort to bring said Stanleys into being are not borne by the ACA alone. We have Sponsors. In discussion with Steve Panozzo, early this year, Steve noted quite rightly that:“If we want their money in order to stage the awards and do what the ACA’s charter says we should be doing (promoting and encouraging our craft), then we need to give something back. Not just on the awards night, but throughout the year and in all facets of our Stanleys coverage (the brochure, tickets, audiovisual and verbal acknowledgement).” We need to be conscious of both giving due acknowledgement to these financial supporters, and also of using Sponsorship to build relationships. The nature and identity of the Sponsors will change over time due to changing needs (ours and theirs) and availability. We should be building new relationships as we keep an eye towards the future. A new relationship, Tim McEwen has pointed out, could be as simple as a venue - “I have a bit of a lead at the State Library of New South Wales in regards to conference and exhibitions... It’s still very early days ... so I don’t know how good a bet it is yet. Additionally, I think this will only work if we are opening the [Stanleys] conference up to the public for some free workshops, seminars, exhibitions and other activities... In brief, to publicise cartoonists to the wider public we need to be conducting events that invite them to participate with us. The 30th/90th anniversary is a great chance to rekindle that, and the SLNSW is a great place to get that going.” So it’s worth considering that a potential new relationship with a venue could, in equal measure, foster/create/ enhance relationships with patrons, supporters, audiences &/or future ACA members. And it was with an eye to the future, that the ACA, Illustrators Australia, the Australian Society of Authors, The Australian Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators got together to explore that future as we each perceived it affecting ourselves and each other, and what we might do, separately &/or together, to thrive in the evolving marketplace(s). In this Issue, Jason Chatfield, who chaired the meeting, presents his “First Report on the ACA Futures Committee”. And definitely in our near future: the Stanleys and the Celebration of our 90th year! While Mr Broelman has laid a mosaic of eye-catching ads is this Inkspot to give notice of the upcoming extravaganza, Lindsay Foyle has given us the rollicking tale of the birth of the Stanleys. So, in this Inkspot: Reviews, interviews, a holiday cruise, what has been, what is, and what is becoming. Enjoy! - Nigel inkspot@cartoonists.org.au

parz

Cartoon goes boom!

Lost Canadian found Canadian editorial cartoonist Terry Mosher (Aislin) visited Australia with his wife Mary and was warmly welcomed by Australian cartoonists during his holiday through Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart. Melbourne members greeted them at The Retreat while Sydney members had Chinese. He was so impressed he signed up to be a member of the ACA. We are yet to tell him he’s our president for the next 10 years. PICTURES: (Right) Cathy Wilcox reads Terry Mosher’s palms; (Below) The Sydney crew welcoming Terry and Mary before skipping out of Lee’s Fortuna Court Restaurant in Crows Nest, Sydney and leaving them the bill.

Every few years cartoons make the news and the Middle East is usually not far from such controversy. The Sydney Morning Herald published this Glen Le Lievre cartoon on July 26 accompanying a column by Mike Carlton. Federal Attorney-General George Brandis’ hair stood on end and the Australian Press Council said it was looking into the matter after receiving complaints. The ensuing melee saw Carlton ultimately resign and the SMH apologise. Thankfully Le Lievre remains a contributor to the SMH and The Age. See what other cartoonists think at www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/

Top effort Top Ryde Christophe Granet led the charge for the ACA with Rob Feldman (right), Lindsay Foyle, Josh Spencer and Ed Dyer at the Winter Heat Laneway Market at Top Ryde City in Sydney a couple of weeks ago. Well done, ‘toonies!

new members full Members FRANTZ KANTOR DAVE DE VRIES Johannes Leak PETER RYAN TERRY MOSHER (AISLIN) MIRZAEI PEIMAN

Associate Members KATHY LANGLADE GARY DAVIES DAVID DYE ALISTAIR PALMER MIKE WHEELER

Judy Horacek blog Gus gordon’s big pet book We love a good blog and Judy Horacek explains in her latest post the reasons why she wanted to create cartoons in the first place and her despair at current Australian politics. It’s worth a read. On the upside celebrated children’s book author Mem Fox has written a glowing endorsement of Judy’s latest book ‘Yellow is My Colour Star’. Judy said, “She liked it, she really liked it!” Check it all out on horacek.com. au. Got a blog? Tell us about it inkspot@ cartoonists.org.au

Interstate stuff

Keen to have a catch up with fellow members and get on the email list? For Victoria contact Rolf Heimann at rolf@ cartoonists.org.au. For SA Simon Kneebone simon.kneebone@internode.on.net.

After a month of working from Montmarte in Paris, Gus Gordon’s latest pièce de résistance ‘Big Pet Day’ has been released by book publishers Hatchett Australia. It is Gus’ first collaborative project with author Lisa Shanahan. ‘Big Pet Day’ features Lily who takes her dragon to pet day at school, the pet parade doesn’t go as planned and it’s up to Lily and her dragon to save the day.

Illawarra cartoon comp.

Sixteen-year old Maddie Hah has won the $1000 Illawarra Mercury Cartoon Competition. Supported by the ACA, the competition attracted 42 entries from young readers in the Wollongong area. Maddie also receives complimentary associate membership of the ACA for a year, tickets for two to The Stanley Awards and a caricature by Mercury cartoonist Peter Broelman who said, “Maddie’s cartoon focused on the irony of the words of our National Anthem and asylum seekers. It’s great to see a newspaper engage its young readers with a cartoon competition. More newspapers should do it!” See the entries by searching at www.illawarramercury.com.au. 3.

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How the Stanleys started by Lindsay Foyle

We’ve come from our cities On Oz here today No editors, deadlines To stand in our way To the city of Adelaide Tree lined and proud Where Mick Young stood up And spoke to a crowd Wayne Baldwin had done it With wife close at hand To gather together An unlikely band Of Australian cartoonists Gathered here all Jim Russell and Dan And Vane Lindesay stood tall And so it was opened A milestone of mirth And cartoonists drew For all they were worth Then into the Valley Of vintage we rode To Wolf Blass’ place And the bus did unload To hospitality we rarely achieve With the Adelaide Tizer close on his sleeve We raise our glasses now And together we say Thanks Wolf Blass, thanks Tizer You’ve shown us the way But the party’s not over For if drink you’ve a yen Hookie’s throwin’ a party In room No. 10 - Kev Bailey 1985

In 1924, some of the members of the Society of Artists became restless about how the Society was being run. So on 17th July 24 of them, along with one poet, formed their own body, The Society of Black and White Artists. The artists were Garnet Agnew, Jack Baird, Stan Cross, Fred Cumberworth, George Finey, Cecil Hartt, Frank Jessop, Joe Jonsson, Fed Knowles, George Little, Brodie Mack, Hugh Maclean, Arthur Maily, Syd Miller, Syd Nicholls, Mick Paul, Jack Quayle, Reg Russom, Cyril Samuels, Gayfield Shaw, Jack Waring, Harry J. Weston, Unk White, John Wiseman, and the poet was Will Lawson. For the next 60 years, the Society of Black and White Artists operated within Sydney under a variety of names and with varying degrees of success. However, by 1985, it was down to less than 20 members and struggling to survive. Unrelated to anything going on in Sydney, there was a gathering of cartoonists in Adelaide in February 1985. Wayne Baldwin with Michael Atchison – political cartoonist at The Advertiser – invited around 30 cartoonists to South Australia for a weekend cartoon event, which included an exhibition of cartoons at the South Australia Constitutional Museum. “The Adelaide cartoonists get-together was, for me, one of the first events in my career, up to that point, to congregate with cartoonists from around Australia in one venue and provide the opportunity to step out of the studio to look, listen and hopefully learn from likeminded creators. It was also the catalyst of future regular events for cartoonists,” recalled Neil Matterson - one of the Melbourne cartoonists who attended. “I had just joined The News in Adelaide,” says John (Stonie) Stoneham. As a bit of background he added, “I played in a rock band in the 60s with Roger Coventry, Lionel Coventry’s son. As the convention was being organized, we tried to get Lionel to go and he said, “no one would remember me”. We

took him along and he was blown away as his old buddies Jim and Dan Russell were there. They stayed in touch from then on until Lionel passed away the following year. It was a small wonderful thing for Lionel and his family.” The Advertiser had been enticed to be involved to give the activities a sense of grandeur. There was a bus at the airport to take everyone to the exhibition, while sipping on complimentary Champagne. The exhibition was opened by the then Special Minister of State Mick Young who had recently been teased mercilessly by cartoonists after the Paddington Bear Affair. The Advertiser paid for the many drinks, which were provided at the opening of the exhibition of 200 cartoons. Wayne Baldwin remembers, “It became so popular with South Australians that the museum extended its run for an extra four months.” Visiting the Barossa Valley was a highlight. Stoneham pointed out, “We all stayed at the Lyndoch Motel in the Barossa and I remember drinking to the wee hours with Geoff (Jeff) Hook, Kevin (Kev) Bailey and Allan (Sols) Salisbury.” The after-dinner speaker was legendary wine maker Wolf Blass. He also supplied many of the drinks for the evening. For a winemaker, he was very knowledgeable about cartooning due to his long friendship with The News’ Norm Mitchell, who had only died in 1980. The quote of the night belonged to Wolf: “Every cartoonist should have a winemaker friend to keep them full of ideas”. Stoneham added, “Bailey drew a hook on Jeff’s forehead so he would know who he was in the morning, and Sols and I put Rice Bubbles in the Champagne because we thought it was flat!” Kev Bailey, who had come from Hobart where he was drawing cartoons for The Mercury, said, “To meet the cartoonist behind the cartoons, which I see every day on the paper files in the editorial department back

Where it all started in Adelaide in 1985 - (L-R) Michael Atchison, unknown, Sean Leahy, Scott (Boo) Bailey, Geoff Hook, Dan Russell, Gary Clark, John Stoneham (rear), Vane Lindesay (nice hat), Jim Russell, John Rogers, David Swain, Kev Bailey, Mark Lynch, Neil Matterson, Lindsay Foyle, Allan Salisbury, Max Sutch, Allan Langoulant, unknown, Stephen Stanley (another nice hat), Rod Waller, Rolf Heimann (obscured).

home in Tassie, was nothing short of a sheer thrill. Jim Russell offered me advice and encouragement and just listening to Vane Lindesay’s stories was a real bonus”. The entire event ran over two days and came to an end on Sunday afternoon at a BBQ lunch and drinks at Atchison’s home. Matterson says, “Up to this event I had mainly only read cartoonists work without knowing anything about the human element be hind the work. The benefits that cartoonists derive from these events is significantly disparate, which possibly matches the disparate nature, sartorial presentation and wine preferences of those involved. At the time, I was a few years into being a freelance comic strip creator working from home. Adelaide was where I first met a number of cartoonists whose work fascinated me, and people who I hadn’t heard of, and a combination of both such as Lindsay Foyle who was working for The Bulletin. He suggested I send some work to The Bulletin (a return to the type of work that I had first started my career on in 1975 at The Sun News, Pictorial; spot political and social comment cartoons). Some influences from these associations aren’t always obvious but I have no doubt that the friendships and professional contacts forged at events like Adelaide combined over the years to add benefits incrementally to the overall craft of cartooning, especially mine.” Geoff Hook added, “There had been a disconnect between the cartoonists of Australia with their many backgrounds, styles and their far flung work places. I was delighted when Jim Russell sat down with me at our motel and we had a real heart to heart conversation about the state of Black and White Art - as it was then called - in Australia. As a result of our long discussion, and no doubt he spoke to others, Jim proposed that there should be a National Organization that included us all Australia wide.” Hook also said, “Of course it wasn’t

only editorial cartoonists like me that we were talking about. Nor only those who did black and white drawings. Jim saw it as an all-embracing association of cartoon art and caricature, we wanted to continue and spread the traditions of Smith’s Weekly and The Bulletin nationwide.”

Back in Sydney, few members of Black and White Artists’ Club committee even knew Adelaide was happening. However it did cause talk among cartoonist all over Australia. In fact John Thorby said, “I remember the committee meeting after the Adelaide function. The news about it came out of the blue. Jim Russell announced he had attended along with many interstate artists. I remember Jim being concerned that a national club could come out of this group in Adelaide. He said the natural home of these artists would be the Black and White Artists’ Club. So indirectly the push to go national had started.” Roger Fletcher says, “James Kemsley was very new to the committee then, he started pushing for national status and an awards night.” “The committee decided we would need a sponsor as the club itself was almost broke,” said Thorby. “It was decided that The

Bulletin would be our best bet for a sponsor - as so much art work was used weekly - and to hit them for $5000 to put on the night”. So early 1985, he along with Russell and Kemsley, contacted Lindsay Foyle, who had been a Club member since the early 1970s and was then working at The Bulletin. They asked him if he could set up a meeting with Trevor Kennedy, the Editor-In-Chief of The Bulletin, along with the editor, David Armstrong. The Bulletin was approached because of its traditional involvement with Australian cartooning. It was publishing more cartoons (up to 60) each week than any other publication in the country. A day or two before the delegation of cartoonists arrived in The Bulletin office, Foyle explained to Kennedy and Armstrong what they were going to be ask for. Both were keen on the suggestion, but not all of the details. As soon as the cartoonists walked into Kennedy’s office and introductions were over, he asked, “What are you after?” He was told $5000 a year for three years to sponsor the Stanley Awards. They explained their intention was to increase the profile of Australian cartoonists. They also said The Bulletin would get the kudos of being associated with a national media award. It was not inconsiderable as every editor of a major newspaper in Australia would be keen for his or her cartoonists to participate. Thorby said he “remembered Kennedy said the only way for him to be interested would be for The Bulletin to take complete control. There was no way he would be involved with bloody artists.” Kennedy offered to take full control of the awards night. It was considered an offer too good to be true and was quickly agreed too. Cont. overleaf PICTURES: (Above) Prime Minister Bob Hawke with Club Patron Jim Russell, Kerry Packer and Club President John Thorby; (Inset) Bob Hawke with 1985 Artist Of The Year Alan Moir.

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Russell came out of the meeting and said, “That was easy.” He never realized that Kennedy had made up his mind to take control of the awards the day before. The meeting had just been a formality. “Jimmy Russell had convinced himself shortly afterwards that the huge increase in sponsorship cash was down to his uncanny persuasiveness,” Fletcher recalled. He then added, “That is said with affection and humour. And I recall that John Thorby had to push to have the club’s name on the awards. The Bulletin swept in and really took over the awards. Our club had very little to do with it outside organising the voting book”. The reality was that there were a number of things the Club was in control of. Organizing soon started. Kemsley pushed to have a trophy based on Stan Cross’ famous “Stop Laughing This Is Serious” cartoon. Thorby said, “Our committee meeting was about a week after the Oscars and if you look at the statue itself it is similar to an Oscar.” Fletcher remembers “Disagreeing with James Kemsley over just about everything to do with The Stanleys”. “I was vehemently against competitions and prizes but was okay with the idea of awards for work - a virtual slap on the back and ‘well done’ from colleagues. I hated the statues and still do. I thought the perfect award for press illustrators was (strangely enough) an illustration rather than a statue. The Journo’s club foyer was decorated with semi-curved etched press plates and I thought miniature versions of those with the Stan Cross cartoon would be more appropriate and historical.” The battle over the trophies is one that Fletcher lost and Eberhard Franke was commissioned to design the trophies. As entries were to only be open to members who would also vote on who would be the winner of each award, it became necessary to expand membership. Cartoonists all over Australia needed to be invited to join. Thorby said, “An important member was club secretary Liz Lambert. Because of her connection with Readers Digest, we had early use of their computers for our membership. Name stickers were produced for labelling envelopes etc and because of my connection with News Limited, the

envelopes went through our mailroom. A generous gesture by the company.” Winners were not to be judged on one cartoon, but on their work over the preceding year. However, each artist would display a selection of their work in a book, which would be posted out to members. This method pleased many. Bill Mitchell was very pleased. He had lost faith with awards and his support for them was rekindled when the Stanleys started. “Most awards were for one cartoon while the Stanleys are meant to be for a years work and they do promote Black and White Art,” he once pointed out. By the time the first awards night arrived membership had grown to 112. The Bulletin Black and White Artists’ Annual Awards was held on November 1, 1985, and staged at The Sheraton-Wentworth in Sydney. The Bulletin’s parent company Australian Consolidated Press took complete control of running the night, paid for the voting books, the trophies, booking the venue and the list

of VIPs. Mike Carlton was MC and Prime Minister Bob Hawke was the special guest. There was another added attraction. Paul Rigby was flown out from New York to attend the event. Thorby said it was “A real Black-Tie extravaganza.” Sitting in the crowded room was Kerry Packer who owned The Bulletin. Packer boasted he had been taught to draw Ginger Meggs by Jimmy Bancks. Kemsley quickly produced a piece of paper so he could show off his skill and quickly asked him to sign it. Kemsley was always quick to ad to his collection of Meggs memorabilia. While not directly involved in the running of the night, Thorby said, “I remember we had to supply a list of the members for the PMs department to go over.” He added, “I was President, but I did not sit at the VIPs table. To me, it was more important to have a recognised cartoonist among their midst. So the honour went to Jim Russell as Patron. My time was taken up with behind the scenes activity. I was available for a

photo op with the special guests. I can’t remember if any of them even spoke to me.” Bill Mitchell was full of life and the star of the night, dancing across the stage with a straw hat (borrowed from Rigby) and cane to collect his award for being the best political cartoonist in Australia. Alan Moir took home the Artist of the Year trophy. It was a spectacular night and Hawke made a great hit with the cartoonists when he promised to establish a national gallery for Australian cartooning (and again in 1986 and 1987...). Les Tanner was working at The Age and said, “It is good to have awards but the best thing about the evening is it’s a good chance to catch up with old mates.” Alan Moir said on the night, “Cartooning is an extraordinary profession. I know of no other where there’s so much rivalry, respect and friendship.”

Thorby says, “What I do remember was after the last award was presented, I approached the microphone for the President’s thank-you speech and, to my surprise, all the VIPs got up and left the function. I was left to talk to half the audience of artists. I heard afterwards that as Sydney had an 11pm curfew at the airport - and as it was 10.30pm – Hawke’s minders got him out the door quick smart. As soon as he went the rest of the VIPs saw their opportunity to follow suit. Hence the half empty room. Since then I advised future Presidents to make their speech BEFORE the awards!” Cartoons and pictures: (Clockwise top left) Bill Mitchell’s Political/Editorial Stanley Award entry, Stanley winners (Les Dixon, Bill Mitchell, Theo Batten for Eric Jolliffe, John Spooner, Bob Hawke, Jim Russell, Alan Moir and Gary Clark), Jim Russell’s entry, Alan Moir’s entry for editorial, John Spooner’s caricature of Gaddafi, John Dixon’s Adventure Strip, Gary Clark’s Comic Strip, Eric Jolliffe for Single Gag and the list of members and inaugural Stanley Award entrants.

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Stanley Awards & Cartoon Conference These names and faces will feature at the Stanley Awards Cartoon Conference special two-day seminar on November 14 and 15.

Friday

Stanley Award sponsors Copyright Agency|Viscopy will give us an update on copyright issues. Julie Ditrich will talk about providing comics script and art assessments, short courses and training for comics creators. Julie Regan discusses the benefits of Creativity Coaching, and Lyndall Briggs addresses creatives, struggling with inner life issues that may be hampering their success. Noted artists Pat Grant, Madeleine Rosca, John Sommariva and Bernard Caleo will lead a panel discussion on comic and the graphic novel process. Wonder Woman artist for DC Comics Nicola Scott will show us her tricks to be one of the world’s leading comic book artists. Nigel Buchanan’s masterclass on digital illustration will impress. Roger Fletcher and Phil Judd will talk about childrens workshops and how they work. International guest Ajna will provide insight into the thriving cartoon culture in New Caledonia and last but not least the ACA will screen the Australian premiere of US comic strip documentary “Stripped”. Bring your popcorn

Ward O’Neill and Eric Lobbecke on the St. Just-leMartel Cartoon Festival. Mark Knight will celebrate 30 years of editorial cartooning by sharing his special moments and cartoons. Ever wanted to learn more about live caricaturing? Then Steve Panozzo and Peter Lewis will show you. Add to that some therapeutic yoga for your dodgy posture with Stacey Rosentreter, a Wacom Cintiq Companion for you to play around with (and take advantage of their special deal for ACA members) and lunch and drinks breaks and you’ve got a pretty full two days of cartoony awesomeness.

Saturday Night

It’s the 30th Stanley Awards at The Menzies Sydney. We’ll see who is recognised by their peers in the following categories: Caricaturist, Comic Book Artist, Comic Strip Cartoonist, Editorial/Political Cartoonist, Illustrator, Single Gag Cartoonist, Animation Cartoonist and Cartoonist Of The Year. Plus we’ll see who’s inducted into the Australian Cartoonist Hall Of Fame and the recipient of the Jim Russell Award for contribution to Australian Cartooning. There’s a fair bit in the planning for this special occasion and we need you there to help celebrate. The ACA’s own cartoonist band The Stanley Steamers is back and they’ll cap off the night with great music to dance the night away.

Booking info:

You can book online for The Stanley Awards and Cartoon Conference by visiting www.cartoonists.org.au. Registration forms can also be downloaded from the ACA website.

Friday Evening

ACCOMODATION: Contact The Menzies Sydney during business hours on 02 9299 1000 or email to: h2977-re@accor.com to book your room NOW!

Saturday

You will need to mention THE STANLEY AWARDS and quote the following code: 141114CAR for your special room rate of $245.

It’s the ACA Welcome Party at a venue to be confirmed. Do you know what graphic recording is? It’s big and David Blumenstein, Sarah Catherine Firth, Glen Le Lievre and Luke Watson will tell us all about it. Multi-award winning David Rowe’s masterclass will be another hit. Moderator Mike Bowers will control editorial cartoonists Bill Leak, Warren Brown, Cathy Wilcox, Fiona Katauskas, Mark Knight and David Pope as they discuss the change of government and what it means to them. Christophe Granet, Judy Horacek,

And please remember to spread the word either by word of mouth, social media (you can share these images from the ACA Facebook page) or carrier pigeon. The more the merrier. The ACA reserves the right to change the conference schedule :)

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ned inter question kelly time view

inter

Q: Are you a member of the Cartoonists’ Club of Great Britain? A: I was for a while back in the 90’s, but I am a much less active cartoonist myself now. Q: Are you still drawing with pen and paper or have you switched to drawing digitally? A: I don’t really draw much in anger as CartoonStock took over, but when I do draw I tend to work with fibre tip on cheap copy paper, and then scan into Photoshop to make it look good, add colour or tone etc.

Interview: Joel Mishon by Christophe Granet

It is my great pleasure to talk to Joel Mishon, a cartoonist from the UK. He is also the co-director of Cartoonstock.com, a website providing access to a large database of cartoons that clients can license online. Q: Joel, where did you grow up, where do you currently live and how old are you? A: I originally come from London, UK, I currently live in Bath, UK and I am 41. Q: How did you end up becoming a cartoonist? What did you study at school or university? A: I used to draw cartoons as a kid, but forgot about them a little as a teenager. I studied History at the University of Birmingham, and somehow found myself doing all the cartoons for Uni posters and the Uni newspaper. When I graduated it seemed obvious to continue with the cartooning. Q: Can you recall at what age you sold your first cartoon and to whom? A: I was 21, and it was to The Spectator. The joke was a biblical barter market scene. I think the caption read “Two sheep, two chickens and a goat! What’s that in old money?” Q: Where have your cartoons appeared? A: When I was an active cartoonist in the 90’s, my cartoons appeared in all the “usual suspect” UK publications such as Private Eye, the Spectator etc, plus lots of unknown trade publications including brilliant titles such as ‘International Commercial Litigation’ magazine.

Q: When was Cartoonstock founded? What prompted you to try to market cartoons online? A: 1998. Like other cartoonists who submitted work on spec to publications, I realised I had a lot of unpublished work that couldn’t all be rubbish, and I knew that other cartoonists must be in the same position. I was aware of Photo image libraries, and how they worked, and wondered if the same could be done with cartoons. I spoke to my now business partner Ed, and oddly he had been thinking on similar lines. He worked in new media and knew that all images would soon be digitised and delivered digitally. This was in the early days of the internet, so we were right at the forefront of what anyone was doing. Q: In your own words, can you summarize what CartoonStock provides to cartoonists and potential buyers of cartoons? A: We are a cartoon marketplace that everyone can find easily. Everyone looks for everything online now, so if someone is looking for a cartoon, they are likely to find CartoonStock first. Either a private individual for a small use and a small fee, or a publisher for a large use and a large fee, they can find the right cartoon, pay for it and download it immediately from CartoonStock. CartoonStock allows clients to find the right cartoon at the appropriate fee, and allows cartoonists to sell work to clients that they wouldn’t find easily themselves. Q: Ed Beardwell is the other codirector. Did you know Ed before starting Cartoonstock? A: Yes we were already working together doing animated screen savers for a company making animal-shaped covers for computer monitors. Ed was originally a flatmate of one of my friends from University. Q: If you are at liberty to say, can you tell us how many cartoonists are now represented by Cartoonstock? How many

from Australia? From New Zealand? A: We represent around 750 cartoonists and animators. Our records show 44 cartoonists based in Australia and 7 in New Zealand. How successful artists are on CartoonStock can vary, so some might see modest returns. Generally those who upload regularly and have a significant presence with us are more likely to see larger and more regular royalty payments. Q: Early on, you pretty much took on a lot of inexperienced cartoonists like me (and I am very grateful for it!). Are you now more picky when asked to represent new cartoonists? Who makes the decision to take on a new cartoonist? A: I am responsible for content on CartoonStock, but like anyone I am fallible, so I will often ask colleagues, most obviously Ed, for opinions, if I think I might be making a decision based on taste rather than quality and talent. We are more selective as to which artists we accept now, but will continue to take on new work whenever it has merit. We also now represent many US syndicated artists (in an agreement with Universal Press Syndicate), which helps deepen the quality of talent we display. Q: How do you promote the cartoons? Are you relying only on the accessibility of the website or do you actively promote directly to potential clients and companies? A: I can’t give details of our exact marketing mix, but we market the service as a whole rather than promoting individual cartoonists. Over the years we have tried various marketing methods including direct mail, print, web advertising, SEO, telesales etc as you would expect. Cartoons are quite a niche area, so finding an economic way of targeting a diverse audience is always a challenge, but it appears to be working. Q: Can you give an example of your best-selling cartoonist’s earnings last month (without naming names) and how many cartoons he/she sold? A: Generally better selling cartoonists earn between £300 and £3,000 in royalties per month from hundreds of transactions. The artists who gain most from what we can do tend to be those with regular uploads and more images. Q: What advice would you give your cartoonists to enable them to make more sales through Cartoonstock? A: Our adaptive ranking system means that our server presents cartoon search

results in an order based on several criteria. One of those criteria is how recently an image was uploaded. The system tends to favour recent uploads as these are likely to be more relevant/ topical, so artists uploading new material regularly are likely to do better. Our ranking system also favours cartoons that have sold well for us in the past. Whilst we often find unexpected markets for unsold material, cartoons that you have sold before may well be more likely to sell through CartoonStock, so make sure you upload those as well as unsold inventory (remember we don’t have exclusivity, so you can carry on selling your best-sellers yourself). Success is a numbers game, most clients search by subject/keyword, not by artist, so artists with more images, covering more subjects are more likely to make sales. Upload as much material as possible and try to cover as many subject areas as possible. If you specialise in a narrow subject area such as meteorology, you’re trying to sell all your work to a very limited market. Q: If not too secret, can you tell us how many people work at Cartoonstock? Do you handle the website hosting and development in-house or is it outsourced? A: We have a permanent full time staff of 11, working on customer service, accounts, web development, sales and marketing and outsource certain regular marketing and translation projects to other companies and freelancers. We don’t do our own webhosting, but do do all our own web development and other technical development including the Android app etc. Q: Do you still find time to draw cartoons yourself and, if yes, have you sneakily tweaked the Cartoonstock search algorithm to display your cartoons first? A: I don’t cartoon much now, but do have a few very old cartoons on CartoonStock. However Ed won’t let me tweak the search algorithm, and I am very bitter about it. Q: You have recently started another online business called Jantoo.com. Can you describe the idea behind the launch of Jantoo and which market Jantoo is aimed at? A: Jantoo.com is a new cartoon image library to cater to a new style of image buyer. As the image buying industry has matured, more and more people expect to be able to use images cheaply for personal and small scale use. It happened

view

in photography and we needed to find a way of protecting premium fees for premium uses of cartoons, and yet gain access to the large numbers of people who haven’t got big budgets, but do have some money to spend on content. The content we are offering is content that has done less well on CartoonStock, so it is a good way of finding a market for unsold cartoons from artists who we already represent, if they want to sign up. Q: Unfortunately, traditional print media (newspapers, magazines, etc...) tend to use fewer and fewer cartoons. Has it affected your business of digital delivery of cartoons or have other markets opened? A: When we started CartoonStock we didn’t really want to market directly to freelance cartoonists’ own markets i.e. newspapers and magazines, as artists might feel threatened. We wanted to find additional markets. Therefore we haven’t been hit directly by the decline in print media. A lot of our markets have always been areas that individual cartoonists wouldn’t have sold to before such as educational and presentational uses (though obviously we do do editorial, advertising, marketing and merchandise as well). Q: A lot of my cartoons sold through Cartoonstock are for educational use in a classroom environment. Another common type of sales is for company newsletters. Are these two types of sales typical for other cartoonists as well? A: Yes. In terms of number of sales we sell more educational and presentation licenses than any other. However while we sell fewer editorial and high end licenses they are for larger amounts so actual turnover is a good mix of the two types of use. Q: Have you ever been to Australia? A: No, but Ed my business partner worked and travelled through Australia for about a year. He loved it and keeps going on about Australian’s great “can do” attitude. Joel, it has been a privilege talking to you. On behalf of the Members of the Australia Cartoonists’ Association: Thank you... No, thank you.

11.

tales from

up over

NYC’s Chatfield infestation

In the grand old tradition of the original Ginger Meggs creator, Jimmy Bancks, current cartoonist and ex-ACA President Jason Chatfield and his wife Sophie are packing up pencils and scribbling from the New York for a while. “But will he still be able to do Ginger Meggs from there?” many of you have already asked. The short answer: “Yes. That’s the main reason for the move.” Says Chatfield, “As some of you may know, Ginger Meggs has actually been syndicated out of the US for the last 13 years through Universal Press Syndicate. The strip already goes to over 120 newspapers in 34 countries and gets translated into different languages. That’s been the case since my predecessor, James Kemsley landed that international syndication deal in 2001. It was a big coup for Ginger and a huge credit to Kems. I’d like to continue growing Ginger’s audience!” Universal have now generously assigned Chatfield a great editor who knows the strip back-to-front and will make sure the it’s to an international standard. The Universal marketing department are working away on a few surprises to bring Ginger to a bigger audience online also. Back in the 1930s, Jimmy Bancks received a substantial offer to move to the United States and take Ginger with him. Arthur J Lafave wanted to syndicate the strip but believed it would be easier to market if Bancks was living in America. Bancks went to the US more than once and was even a guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson! (back when it was in New York the first time). Lafave also wanted Bancks to do a daily version of the strip as well as his weekly edition (at the time Ginger Meggs was just a Sunday strip). Bancks was right about to move when Eric Baume, then editor of the Sunday Sun in Sydney, offered Jimmy Bancks a paycheque so big he had to stay (no chance of that happening in today’s newspaper market, sadly.) That paycheque made Bancks the highest paid artist in the Southern Hemisphere. He never got to expand Ginger Meggs’ reach

mary’s

review

Review by Mary Faber (6) with Jules Faber Jules says: Mr Chicken became a bit of an institution in our house. Mary was at an age where she was devouring books and I loved reading them to her. I also got to do lots of funny voices, which I haven’t had much opportunity to do since animation school. So Mr Chicken Goes To Paris became a

ACA’s Futures Committee

Chatfield eventually gets the point. L-R Clockwise: Don Mooney, Peter Mathieson, Peter deHaan, George and Maxine Haddon, Lila and Rolf Heimann, Jason Chatfield, Grant Brown, Dina Mann and Jim Bridges. to the Americas. After Bancks’ death, the strip dwindled in circulation until James Kemsley took over in 1983. Will Ginger become all Americanised? “Absolutely not. Not even slightly,” said Chatfield, “I’m very conscious of that. One of my Australian editors, Brian Mitchell has explicitly informed me that he will ‘violently end me’ if I start talking with an American accent, let alone Ginger. Meggsie is and always will be his own Aussie entity. “Each time I’ve written the strip abroad I’ve been even more conscious about keeping him as iconically Australian as he always has been. The only time any British or American culture creeps in is when it is already well and truly part of the Australian vernacular. “In truth, the strip kind of becomes a little ‘more’ Aussie when I’m writing it overseas. For the last 7 years, I’ve written and drawn the strip from Asia, Europe, America and that Zealand place. It can be written from anywhere without Ginger adopting the characteristics of the the place he’s being written in.” Chatfield will remain on the ACA Board and head up the newly formed ACA Futures Sub-committee, as well as rebuilding the new ACA website - www.cartoonists.org.au.

favourite. With his bizarre appearance and love of spontaneous adventure, not to mention the gravelly polite voice I invented for his speaking parts, became a book to read and reread. When we heard that Mr Chicken was coming back for another adventure, we couldn’t wait! Mary says: Mr Chicken is impossible to draw. He’s awesome. This book is cool, I love it. Jules says: Mr Chicken does appear impossible to draw, yet he also has that seemingly amazing ability to look like anyone could do so. That is Leigh Hobbs’ particular magic I think, but that isn’t to lessen the impact of Mr Chicken himself. This loveable monster (I can think of no other word for him) identifies with those things that children love: adventure, wonder and eating glorious food. The travel angle is almost an aside; It wouldn’t matter where Mr Chicken found himself, his story would be as easily devoured as one of his beloved cakes. Mary says: My favourite moment was when Mr Chicken eats with the Queen.

The artwork is awesome. Jules says: Mr Chicken certainly packs a lot into this adventure. London is a busy place and everywhere he goes there’s something else to revisit (it’s his favourite city and isn’t his first trip). Packed with more to see than his Paris adventure, I was missing Mr Chicken’s companion of the first, little French girl Yvette who showed off his friendly nature so well. Travel is always nicer with a friend. Mary says: I liked the cute little pigeons and I love the story. Jules says: Attention to detail is very nice and it’s apparent Leigh has enjoyed London himself with the intricacies of local knowledge peppered throughout. There’s a lot to see in the background and this is something children love to hunt through in repeat readings of books. Mary says: Better than Mr Chicken Goes to Paris. 4.5 stars out of 5. Jules says: That’s a hard rating to argue with. This is a glorious book, filled with colour and life and although it’s not Paris this time around, joie de vivre. I agree with Mary: 4.5.

On the evening of 18th June 2014, 15 members of various facets of the cartooning industry met at the Menzies Sydney to discuss the future of the ACA. For 6 hours, the wide-ranging discussion thoroughly covered the current state of the industry at large and how it pertains to the ACA’s current status and future. The formation of a Futures Committee, running in tandem with, but external to the ACA Committee is something the ACA hasbeen discussing for some time, having been initially raised by Mick Horne in 2009. Participants represented a wide cross-section of professional artists and also included non-members who had valuable input from outside the ACA square. A wide range of topics were raised and opinions and experiences shared. Members present were Tim McEwen (NSW), David Blumenstein (VIC), Lindsay Foyle (NSW), Peter Broelman (SA), Mike Nicholas (WA), Jules Faber (NSW), Christophe Granet (NSW), Cathy Wilcox (NSW), Nigel Bell (QLD) and Glen Le Lievre (NSW). The discussion was chaired my myself. Also present were delegates from industry associations including Nigel Buchanan (Illustrators Australia), Julie Ditrich (Australian Society of Authors) and Susanne Gervay (The Australian Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) along with written contributions from Bruce Mutard (VIC) and Judy Nadin (NSW). With the exponential increase of technology and its incursion into all facets of the traditional cartooning industry, one major issue has been at forefront of the Committee’s concern. That is, the ACA is bereft of young members to carry the ‘club’ into the future. Reflecting on our 90 years all the way from the ABWAC to the modern ACA, part of the problem identified by the Futures Committee was that the ACA in its current form hasn’t much to offer its existing members outside of the Stanleys and Inkspot, let alone little to attract new members. However, before the ACA can focus on attracting new members, need to focus on offering something new of value to those potential members, while still maintaining the value for you; our

By Jason Chatfield

stuff

loyal existing members. Those valuable new assets range from the re-instating of awards for young cartoonists, a vast, professional online resources as well as exciting new public events for members to participate in, and much more. To date, the strongest assets of the ACA have been the social and professional sharing of practical experience. These are still invaluable assets that we believe should be protected and sustained. We know what we are not; we are not a union nor an activist organisation, but we are a very strong collection of professional artists with many years experience. If we are to preserve the rich history of our association, then we require strong, decisive action to encourage growth in our ranks. Such was the width and breadth of discussion it was necessary to split the report into two. The first half on matters pertaining to the long-term strategy of the ACA such as the website and social media, strategic relationships with other like-minded organisations, administration reform including an administrative (and paid) officer, and branding and marketing. The second half on smaller issues to do with the day-to-day running such as a National cartooning day, press freedom, mentoring programs, a young cartoonist award, charities and overseas members. These recommendations have been made to the ACA Committee who will prioritise and strategise the best way to achieve these goals. The ACA will be announcing each one, and calling for volunteers to assist in carrying those recommendations through to fruition. That is where we need YOUR help.The ACA has always been gratefully run on the time and generosity of volunteers, so it is important the path we pursue includes spreading the load evenly to avoid individual burn-out. Please ensure your current email other contact details are registered with our Membership Secretary Grant Brown at membership@cartoonists.org.au We will be calling for volunteers via traditional post and email. Stay tuned for updates on the ACA Futures Committee.

Get comics in your face at Squishface Squishface is an open comics studio in Melbourne with a complement of eight resident artists, most of whom draw cartoons/comics, but also engage in other pursuits for fun and profit: graphic design, writing, animation, etc. Squishface residents took part in a Free Comic Book Day event run by All Star Comics in Melbourne (a shop so good they just won the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics retailer award!). We drew free sketches for a mass of attendees through the day while the guys from All Star flogged our books! Sarah is currently the director of the Homecooked Comics Festival, a festival focused on locally produced comics. This year it was held at the Northcote Town Hall and was a big success, thanks to our gang of volunteers and festival co-ordinator Clea Chiller. Later in 2014, we'll be running the Squishface Coaster Show for the third year. This is a marathon day of drawing and displaying art made on little cardboard beer mats - Last year we had about 300 entries, all of which were displayed at Squishface in a huge grid.

future

comic

stuff

Inkers and Thinkers is an academic comics conference about comics which took place in Adelaide in April. It's happening again in 2015, and another thing for 2015 is the first Australian Comic Arts Festival (ACAF), which will be held in Canberra in March! Finally, an expanded two-day Homecooked festival will be on again in Northcote, Vic on the 25/26 April next year, so buy your Melbourne-bound train/plane tickets now! And please drop by if you're in Brunswick at any point! You can drop us a line at info@squishfacestudio.com if you know when you'll be in the neighborhood! www.squishfacestudio.com

13.

ned

kelly

Ned Kelly goes the Full Monty

‘Ned Kelly’, the work of comic artist Monty Wedd has been commemorated in a lavish, coffee table edition, newly published by Margate resident Nat Karmichael. Published in the early 1970s by the Sunday Mirror to capitalise on the 1970 Ned Kelly movie starring Mick Jagger, Wedd harboured greater ambitions for his strip, swaying his editor to elevate his Ned Kelly from a shortlived film tie-in to an open-ended, "warts and all" expose that eventually spanned 146 weekly instalments. (1) Nat Karmichael's passion is comics old and new —his company Comicoz publishes both rediscovered and yet-to-be-discovered works, and he is particularly keen on telling Australian stories. So was Monty Wedd, who was an enthusiastic collector of Australian memorabilia, even opening his own museum. Unfortunately, Wedd didn't live to see the completion of the book — he died in 2012, aged 90 — but Karmichael has continued to work with Wedd's family to preserve his legacy. (2) "All of the original artwork has been photographically reduced into bromides (to the same dimensions as they originally appeared in the Sunday Mirror). I then began the task of scanning each of the 146 episodes into the computer, at 1000 dpi, in preparing them for the printer. Given that the Air Hawk book was scanned at 300 dpi, 1000 dpi will ensure that all the details

of Monty's artwork will be able to be savoured!" said Nat. As narrator, Wedd purposefully tries to distance himself, at times, adopting an almost procedural, textbook approach, complete with maps, staging instructions, explanatory asides and visual aids. The strip's studied period vernacular and antiquated design reinforce the illusion, capturing the appearance and tone of illustrated Victorian pamphlets. (1) "The more (Monty) investigated, the more he realised there was a bigger story there that (the) movie just wasn't touching and he felt `let's do a historically accurate depiction of his life'," Nat said. Wedd meticulously researched the comic strip's subject matter, visiting court houses where Kelly had been and using photos to inform his illustrations. (3) In recent years, American and British publishers have begun reprinting seminal newspaper comic strips, in pursuit of an ageing, cashedup readership. It's encouraging to see Comicoz, a small independent Australian publisher, make effective use of crowd-sourced funding to celebrate and share this forgotten gem, a unique and worthy inclusion in the ever-expanding Ned Kelly canon. (1) "I've always been fascinated by

Australian comics - both past and present," said Nat, "I think comics are a reflection of Australia and its history. Comics represent our way of life - how we think and our vernacular - so I think comics are historical artefacts of our past. "Sales figures are very encouraging. "Ned Kelly" Distributor, Dennis Jones & Associates, have just asked for another 100 copies of the book, after the first 100 copies they took were sold to various Booksellers around the country. "I know Ace Comics and Games in Brisbane and Hunters for Collectors in Newcastle have copies, and I welcome any retailer getting in touch with me, as it may be a while before the reverse happens!" The book was compiled with the support of Wedd's son, Justin. Ned Kelly, Narrated and Illustrated by Monty Wedd retails for $60 and is available from the Margate Post Office, at selected book-stores and online at comicoz.com/store. (1) Cefn Ridout, "Australian" (17/5/14) (2) Sally Browne, "(Qld) Sunday Mail" (15/6/14) (3) Kerstin Kehren, "Redclifee & Bayside Herald" (11/6/14)