 May 14th, 2007
A Bi-Weekly Update On What's New At The ASIFA-Hollywood Archive
Theory: Parody- Whack Comics  A week or two ago, I was taking part in a discussion on the Cold Hard Flash blog about ripping off other artists' work. One of the people discussing the subject brought up the concept of parody, but seemed to have no idea what actually constituted parody. Parody is self-evident. The Supreme Court Justice, Potter Stewart said, "I find it difficult to define obscenity, but I know it when I see it." Parody is like that too. But if you're going to be a cartoonist, you have to be able to do more than just recognize it... you need to be able to control it and utilize it as a tool. If you succeed, you can create something that does much more than just make fun of another work- it can illuminate an otherwise unthought-of truth, making your parody a creative work that stands on its own. If you fail, you risk plagiarism. Filmography: Ruff and Reddy and Pinky, the Pint-Sized Pachyderm  In 1957, MGM shut down their animation department, but Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera were prepared. They immediately went into production on a low budget cartoon series designed for television. It was the seed that went on to grow into a television empire, yet the series hasn't been distributed in years and few kids today know Ruff and Reddy the way they know other Hanna-Barbera creations like Yogi Bear and Fred Flintstone. Pinups: Early Sokol Playboy Cartoons  Over a year ago, we began our series of posts on Playboy cartoonists with a feature highlighting Erich Sokol. Sokol was arguably the most gifted artist who ever worked for the magazine, with a keen eye for all of the elements of good drawing- composition, clear silhouettes, original color harmonies, interesting staging and a keen sense of light and shade. There's a lot to be learned from these masterful cartoons. His style evolved as time went by, and his images became more and more beautiful. Byrnes' Complete Guide To Cartooning Pt 5- Sketching  We continue our series of posts on Gene Byrnes' Complete Guide To Cartooning with the section on the fundamental skill that at is the root of all pictorial art... sketching. Amazing drawings by William Von Riegen, Heinrich Kley and Gordon Grant History: The Building Of The Disney Studio  Among the collection of Clair Weeks was a publication from 1939 dealing with the construction of Disney's studio in Burbank. It's a fascinating look at the way the Disney operation was structured at the peak of its success. The end of the article is taken up with a detailed description of the production process at Disney. Theory: Originality vs. Ripoff- Chaplin's Shadow  Recently, controversy has erupted in the blogosphere over artists who directly copy other artists' work. The issue of exactly where the dividing line lies between "homage" and "ripoff" is open for debate among fans, but today I want to speak to the artists out there... and in particular, aspiring animators. For you, this subject is more than just idle chatter. I'm going to tell you about two performers who were popular nearly a century ago. One of them you know. The other you don't. The reason for that is in the decisions those two artists made. Pinups: Early Interlandi Playboy Cartoons  The internet never ceases to amaze me... I was working on this post, featuring early examples of Playboy cartoons by Phil Interlandi, when I took a break to check my email... A message had just come in from Interlandi's daughter Carla, filled with great info for our Cartoon Hall of Fame entry. I'm going to let her tell you about her father... Illustration: 1930s Colliers Illustrations  You might remember a post we had here a couple of weeks back on mid-1940s illustrations from Colliers Magazine. Well, here for comparison are some examples from the pages of mid-30s issues. Colliers was the "Rolls Royce" of weekly magazines, with a tremendous circulation. The artists who illustrated the articles and advertisements were highly respected and very highly paid. They were worth every penny- check out those masterful ink wash duotones! Comics: People On Paper (MGM/1945)  This is a 1945 MGM short subject that profiles the leading figures in the funny papers at the time. You get to see great artists like Hal Foster, Al Capp, Chic Young and Milton Caniff at work in their homes on their strips! Byrnes' Complete Guide To Cartooning Pt 4: Political Cartoons & Comic Books  We continue with the section on editorial cartoons and comic books from Gene Byrnes' Complete Guide To Cartooning. This installment features a gallery of Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoons, features on C. D. Batchelor and Bill Crawford, and a cursory look at how comic books were edited. Comics: Cliff Sterrett's Polly And Her Pals Part Three  Cliff Sterrett is one of the most underrated newspaper cartoonists of all time. His strip, Polly & her Pals combined the surrealism of Herriman's Krazy Kat and the domestic comedy of George McManus' Bringing Up Father. Check out these great examples from the mid-1930s. Newsletter Archive 04.17.07 04.01.07 03.15.07 03.01.07 02.16.07 The ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Stephen Worth, Director 2114 W Burbank Bl Burbank CA 91506 818.842.4691 www.animationarchive.org sworth@animationarchive.org © Copyright The International Animated Film Society: ASIFA-Hollywood. This material is protected by copyright. It is not to be copied or distributed without the prior written authorization of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood. |