Michael Sporn Animation – Splog

- James Stevenson‘s book, The Sea View Hotel, is a beauty. The illustrations are all B&W washed pen and ink, yet it feels like it was done in color. I thank Bill Peckmann for sending it to me, and here’s the second half of it. Go here to see the first half.

Cover

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- Before we get into today’s posts, I have to remind you again
that we’re in the last days of our
Kickstarter Campaign.

Thanks for your support.

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- It’s turning back to a more naturally cold March in New York. This after a glorious week of refreshingly beautiful weather.

I’m sure the weather inspired Bill Peckmann to send the delightful, German book, Sommerfest im Märchenwald by the great illustrator, Fritz Baumgarten. The book’s a gem, and I hope you enjoy it.

The cover

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- Given the current release of the Jolly Frolics DVD that has just been released via TCM, and given the release of the new book by UPA book When Magoo Flew, by Adam Abraham, I thought this a good time to repost this brochure which seems to tie into the exhibit at the MoMA.

- Bill Peckmann sent me this brochure back in 2011. I’d not seen it before he’d sent it, so became a bit of a treasure to me, a big fan of UPA.

Here’s Bill’s note:

This is a studio brochure/mailer* reprinted from American Artist Magazine Nov. 1955. I remember reading the article in high school, it had a huge impact. I remembered it for many years after because of the scarcity of animation articles at that time. And, because it appeared in an “art” magazine, it seemed to make “cartooning” legit.
Did Disney art ever appear in an “art” magazine around this time?

*This brochure was given to me by Ruth Mane (UPA Alumni) many, years ago.

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(Click any image to enlarge.)

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There’s no doubt this article followed up on the Museum of Modern Art‘s 1955 show of UPA art. Amid Amidi posted an extraordinary piece about this show on his Cartoon Modern site. By the way, this is an exquisite site. It’s just a shame that Amid let it lay after his promotion for his book Cartoon Modern. Take some time and browse around that site when you have some time.

A snap of one of the walls at the 1955 MoMA UPA Exhibit.
(from Amid Amidi’s site, Cartoon Modern.)

Given the new book coming onto the market, Rowland B. Wilson’s Trade Secrets: Notes for Cartooning and Animation, I thought it appropriate to take a fresh look at some of his brilliant art for the animated film.

Last week I showcased some material previously posted, which had been done as preproduction art for Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame. Today, we look back to some of the work for Disney’s Hercules. It’s all pretty stunning material. Unquestionably the work of a master.

This is a book that was put together by Suzanne Lemieux Wilson, and it looks to be as much about animation as about cartooning. I’m not sure exactly what’s in the book, but I’m certainly eager to find out, and will give you a report as soon as I see it.

- Here’s Hercules.
This entry includes character sketches for characters that developed into something completely different, or didn’t end up in the film at all.

Once again, I must express my debt of gratitude to the generosity of Bill Peckmann for lending me the art to post here. And to Suzanne Lemieux Wilson for some additional sketches. Thank you, both.

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Megara

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Hades – version 1

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Hades – version 2

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Hades – version 3

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Death

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Pegasus

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Centaus 1 drawing

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Centaurs 1 color

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Centaurs 2

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Bakeus – drawing

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Titans 1 – Bakeus – color

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Shakeus – drawing

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Titans 2 – Shakeus – color

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Titans 3

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Titans 4

These watercolors are less character designs than they are inspirational pieces. They are inspirational. How stunning this art. I would have loved seeing something like this on the screen rather than Gerald Scarfe‘s. But that’s just me.

As with some of the last posts, I’m showing the larger piece (and they are large) and then going in for some tighter blowups.

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(Click any image to enlarge.)

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Typed beneath this image:
HERC AND PHIL ADDRESS ZEUS ON MT. OLYMPUS
The realm of the gods is in the sky. The landscape is made of sky imagery –
the classic buildings, the trees, the hills are the colors of rainbows, thunderheads,
lightning, rain, hail and stars. Trees have tops made of clouds and trunks of rain
or lightning. Buildings evolve out of mist as do the gods themselves.
The gods can be large or human scale as needed.

In mythology, Zeus changed himself into a swan, a bull, a cloud,
and even a shower of gold.

Everything is as changeable and colorful as a sunset.

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Hercules and the Hydra.

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Typed below this image:

THE HOME OF THE GODS.

A skyscape. Trees, mountains and waterfalls appear and dissolve away.
We can see shapes in the clouds – temples and statues.
Lightning flashes and stars gleam in unexpected places.
The whole skyscape is slowly drifting.

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This ain’t heaven.

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This one looks almost as though it were painted
on black velvet – appropriately enough.

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Suzanne Wilson also sent these very rough cartoons RBW did:
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I have been a fan of James Stevenson‘s work forever.
He’s an intelligent, imaginative, brilliant draftsman and writer. Two of my all time favorite books are a collection of drawn editorials he did for various publications. Something Marvelous Is About To Happen and Uptown Local, Downtown Express.
(In the past, I’ve featured a couple of articles from these books, and will do again in the future, no doubt.)

I’ve been a big fan of his many children’s books and have purchased the rights to two of them and made animated shorts of them, Monty and What’s Under My Bed?

It was a pleasure to see the art sent by Bill Peckmann.
Stevenson’s wonderful book, The Sea View Hotel. Here are the scans sent to me by Bill:

The Sea View Hotel – book cover

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Yes, there’s more to come.

- Back in 1976, we were full of spunk and excitement. I attended the first Ottawa Animation Festival, that Summer, and watched Caroline Leaf become a superstar with her two brilliant films, The Street and How The Owl That Married the Goose.

At the time, I had fallen into the position of supervisor of Assistant Animators and Inbetweeners on the newly begun, Richard Williams feature, Raggedy Ann and Andy. While up in Ottawa, I never forgot that we needed help in NY.

Drawings from an animated piece by Sheldon Cohen that impressed me.

It so happens that I found two great artists at that Festival, offered them work and made two new friends, John Gaug (who was very commercially trained in an Ottawa studio) and Sheldon Cohen (a new artist working at NFB who had a lot of talent and “Art” to offer.)

After Raggedy Ann, John went his commercial way, and Sheldon went back to work at the Film Board, and immediately created a brilliant short film called, The Sweater. In subsequent festivals, I got to see The Sweater about a dozen times, and always enjoyed the experience. It was a rich film about the cultural hero’s effect on the young fan; it was about a society at large. It had an innocence and a hidden and charming sophistication of its own. The film was clearly a success.

Roch Carrier’s story creates a delightful short that
crosses all cultural boundaries for Canadians.

Of course, from the regions of the US, it’s hard to quantify how popular a film about Hockey would be in Canada. Believe me this film was much larger than I could ever realize. In short, it seems to have been almost a national treasure. (I’m not even sure the same story about a football or baseball star would do in the US.)

Sheldon had hit his high water mark, and the crosses all aligned. He had made a beautiful and artful film, and it had touched a nerve of the Canadian populace. This film had crossed over to the big side.

This Sweater Is For You! is a beautiful memoir of a book with the film, The Sweater, at the heart of the book, followed by other wonderful pieces about follow-up films, the illustration of the book, The Hockey Sweater, and Sheldon’s art in general. It’s

This memoir contains many personable and great stories. There’s a delightful recounting of Sheldon’s direction of Maureen Stapleton for the voice track of his film, Snow Cat. The star who doesn’t act like a star performs at the top of her game for Sheldon’s film. Having worked with Ms. Stapleton on Voyage to Next with the Hubleys, I understood everything that Sheldon had written. And then I met her over a dozen times on a cross-town bus, she with her shopping bags, me with my awe.

This book is a delightful and eccentric piece, and you’d be well advised to keep it close to hand on your animation book shelf. Wonderful to see such material in print.

You can see a number of Sheldon’s films on the NFB site. I’ve linked to some of those films below.

The Sweater is an adaptation of a Roch Carrier story of childhood remembrance.

I Want a Dog is based on the book by Dayal Kaur Khalsa.

Snow Cat starts out with the feel of the book Goodnight Moon
but soon turns to a very graphic and textured look.
It’s a 23 minute film with wonderful narration by Maureen Stapleton.

Pies, a film about blind prejudice, is based
on a short story by Canadian author Wilma Riley.

- Bill lPeckmann has sent a stash of beautiful cartoons by Rowland B. Wilson from the pages of Playboy Magazine.

Before getting into this artwork, let me point to a brand new book on the market. Rowland B. Wilson’s Trade Secrets: Notes for Cartooning and Animation. This is a book that was put together by Suzanne Lemieux Wilson, and it looks to be as much about animation as about cartooning.

The book is available for pre-order from Amazon, and you should line up for a copy. You’ll remember that I posted lot of Mr. Wilson’s Disney and Bluth art for the animation art direction he did. I expect to repost a lot of that material again soon, perhaps when this book gets closer to hitting the market for real.

But, now we’re talking about Playboy. They did well by their artists and cartoonists; the printing was always first class and the amount of exposure was high. Rowland’s cartoons always jumped out at me as among the more sophisticated ideas, and the artwork was always top notch. I think you’ll enjoy these, and thank Bill for sharing his collection, yet again.

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You might check out some of these spot cartoons posted by Leif Peng.

- Fritz Baumgarten was a brilliant illustrator who drew many fantasy worlds in books populated with forest animals, elves, fairies, and birds. His style reminds me a bit of an illustrated version of early MGM Harman-Ising cartoons. There’s a charming innocence in his approach, and I have to say I love all of the books of his I’ve seen. It’s fortunate for me, because Bill Peckmann has a collection of them and delights me by sending scans.

Here is Hoppel und Poppel from Baumgarten, which unfortunately is not translated. But we’re here to look at the Baumgarten pictures, not read the Lena Hahn verse. So, I hope you enjoy.

The book’s cover

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Today and tomorrow we’ll focus on some of the early and brilliant art of Walt Kelly.

- Bill Peckmann has forwarded some of the covers from Walt Kelly‘s Dell comic books, the “Our Gang” series, dated 1946 & 1947. Also included in this stash are a couple of the interior stories.

Bill writes:

I certainly wish I had more than these 7 issues of Walt Kelly’s “Our Gang” comic books published by Dell, but looking at these covers, they will give you a sense of what Kelly was up to.

Each issue contained a 14 to 16 page “Our Gang” story done by Kelly, a “Tom and Jerry” story, a “Flip and Dip”, a Carl Barks “Barney Bear and Benny Burro” piece and ended with an appearance by “Wuff the Prairie Dog”.

I’ll include one “Our Gang” story and one “Barney Bear” to round out the post and save the “Pogo” comics for a post by themselves.

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August 1946

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September 1946

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December 1946

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January 1947

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February 1947

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June 1947

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back cover
All the back covers have basically the same subscription ad,
but I thought I’d send one along for the “currency” shock of it.

What happens when you pour deceptively simple and totally charming into a bottle and shake ‘em up? Why out pours Walt Kelly’s “Our Gang” comics of course! What a touch he had for combining “cartoony” and “straight” in those stories, not an easy thing to pull off, he and Roy Crane were masters of it! Norman Maurer of “Boy” and “Daredevil” comics also had that wonderful ability.

This story is from the September 1946 issue.

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Here are two Walt Kelly single page gags from the same issue.

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- W. Harrison Cady was a well-known illustrator for over 70 years. He illustrated for The Saturday Evening Post, Ladie’s Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, St. Nicholas Magazine and the Herald Tribune Syndicate. Cady was born in Gardner, Massachusetts and best known for his works in Bedtime Stories, a daily-newspaper created by book and magazine writer Thornton W. Burgess. Burgess conceived the character of Peter Rabbit (not to be confused with Beatrix Potters creation of the same name), and each of these Bedtime Stories was illustrated with a drawing by Cady, who had illustrated some of Burgess magazine stories as early as 1911.

Bill Peckmann has generously sent me an article on Cady and the illustrations from one of his books,

When I first came across Fritz Baumgarten, years ago, the first thing I thought was, that I was looking at the German Harrison Cady. Unfortunately, I only have this one book of Cady’s, it’s a reprint, but I also have a Cady article that appeared in Nemo magazine, together they’ll make a neat post.

Here are Harrison Cady’s illustrations from “Mother West Wind’s Neighbor’s”. There are eight color plates and the equal number of black and whites.

The book’s cover.

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What follows is an eight page Cady article by Richard Marshall;
it’s from Richard’s magazine, Nemo, No. 4, Dec. 1983.

A blow-up of one corner of the illustration to show the detailing.

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Finally, here is a CARTOONIST PROfiles article about Cady.

Cover

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