Masterful Jack of One Trade

Last month, I was delighted to showcase work done by my favorite caricaturist, Mort Drucker.

This month, I thought I'd elevate my second favorite caricaturist to showcase status, as well.

That would be Jack Davis, whose work -- also featured prominently throughout the years in Mad Magazine, like Drucker's --  has probably been more ubiquitous than the latter. That's because there's a good chance you've seen Davis's creations on magazine covers such as Time, and for movie posters.

 

 

Welcome to the July issue of Not Your Usual Caricature Artist from Caricatures by Joel.

Jack Davis harkens back to Mad's nascent years in the 1950's and to comic books of that era -- all those Tales from the Crypt-type mags that your parents probably weren't allowed to read by their parents.

 

From the Jack Davis Foundation website (the Foundation was established to facilitate the study and appreciation of Jack Davis’s contribution to 20th-century art through development of databases, archives, education and exhibitions) comes this intro:

Over the past half century Jack has established himself as one of the most prominent illustrators in our culture. Beginning with his masterful pen and ink work for various comic and horror publications, Jack Davis made a mark as a master of caricature, composition and crowd scenes. No artist has had more success packing more people in less space than Jack Davis.

 

Jack Davis is perhaps best known for his early work with EC Comics and MAD magazine; a stepping off point for an illustration career that included most notably TIME, Newsweek, TV Guide, Playboy and Esquire magazines, hundreds of album covers, dozens of movie posters as well as groundbreaking work for the advertising field.

 



 

 

Jack Davis is 90 and lives in St. Simons, Ga., God bless him.

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The closest I can presume to coming anywhere near Jack Davis is via my name which would have been Jack -- according to an agreement my Dad made with his sister, my aunt -- had I been born before my male cousin. Alas, he came first...got "Jack"...and I got "Joel."

You get a few of my drawings.

Let's keep it on the subject of TIME magazine, with a few ersatz covers I created for clients. This first one, of actor/comedian Kevin Pollock, was sent to his then-wife (an old friend) to give to him as a birthday gift.

 This next batch were all done for local Charlotte clients, also as gifts for the "subjects."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See you the first Tuesday of next month for another artful look at Not Your Usual Caricature Artist.

 

I'd Druther be Drucker

In a 1985 Tonight Show appearance, when Johnny Carson asked Michael J. Fox, "When did you really know you'd made it in show business?", Fox replied, "When Mort Drucker drew my head."

I have been a fan of  the caricaturists at Mad Magazine for almost as long as I've been able to read. But first, and foremost, among my favorite artists there is Mort Drucker.

Welcome to the June issue of Not Your Usual Caricature Artist from Caricatures by Joel.

To me, this octogenarian still has it all -- a core understanding of human (and, occasionally, animal) anatomy, economy of line when rendering his technique and, of course, an almost other-worldly ability to capture likenesses. 

From Wikipedia:

"In the fall of 1956, shortly after the departure of Mad's founding editor Harvey Kurtzman, Drucker found his way to Mad. His first visit to the magazine's offices coincided with a World Series broadcast, and publisher Bill Gaines told Drucker that if the Brooklyn Dodgers won the game, he would be hired. The Dodgers did win. Capricious though Drucker's alleged audition process may have been, it made for a good anecdote. Years later, Gaines unsurprisingly confessed, 'We would have hired him anyway.' More than a half century later, Drucker held the longest uninterrupted tenure of any Mad artist.

 

 

 

"At the time of Drucker's arrival, Mad did not regularly feature TV and movie satires; editor Al Feldstein credited Drucker's style and ability for the decision to start featuring them in every issue.

Charles Schulz once wrote, 'Frankly, I don't know how he does it, and I stand in a long list of admirers... I think he draws everything the way we would all like to draw.' In 2012, referring to Drucker's splash page for Mad's parody of The Godfather, the Comics Reporter's Tom Spurgeonwrote, 'The way he draws James Caan's eyebrow is worth some folks' entire careers.'"

 

 "Mort Drucker's Time covers are in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery. He was recognized for his work with the National Cartoonists Society Special Features Award (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988) and its Reuben Award(1987). 

Drucker was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the Art Institute of Boston."

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As for yours truly, I can only aspire to be influenced by Mort Drucker, who has raised the bar starting somewhere at Mount Olympus...

 

Nevertheless, I humbly submit some of my own recent work:

 

 

"Selfie" done for article In B2B Tribe Magazine

 

Commissioned birthday gift art for Harold Rousso, Brownlee Jewelry

 

 

Commissioned birthday gift art for client's daughter

 

 

 Commissioned Sign-In Board for client bride

 

 

See you again the first Tuesday of next month for another mad-dening dose of Not Your Usual Caricature Artist from Caricatures by Joel.

 

Anatomy of a Caricature Assignment #2

Last year, I did an exercise here where I described an assignment I was given to draw a young betrothed couple for use as both their Save-the-Date and Sign-in-Board. I showed the rough sketch, followed by another (approved) sketch...and then the final art.

Thought I'd do another one this time.

Welcome to the May edition of Not Your Usual Caricature Artist.

Similar to the previous assignment, a Mom found me online and commissioned me to do caricatures to celebrate her son's upcoming marriage.

We discussed the elements to go into the drawing -- her son's graduation from the Charlotte Fire Department Academy, her incipient daughter-in-law's certification as a counselor, and their arrival in the Tar Heel State to set down roots and begin their new life together.

Jay and Deonna.

The first idea I had was to show Jay climbing a ladder, "fireman-style" in his uniform and Deonna, on the next rung below, proudly holding her certificate.

The Mom wanted something less "high concept" and more simply a montage including significant signage. So I came up with this approach, adding an engagement ring and wedding cake as further props to signify the event.

The approach was approved, along with my decision to add "depth" and "pop" by inserting photo copies of the real signage. Then I further added a couple of hearts and a couple of (intertwined) wedding bands.

Voila!

Whether you're planning a wedding...or a birthday party, corporate event, retail opening, retirement, marketing campaign, whatever...let me know if I can add a little artistry to the proceedings.

See you again the first Tuesday of next month for another colorful swash of Not Your Usual Caricature Artist.

Diamonds are forever

"Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn Baseball," Jacques Barzun, French-born American historian and philosopher famously observed.

Writers throughout our country's history have written about The National Pastime -- Ring Lardner, Ernest Hemingway, Damon Runyan, Philip Roth to name a few. 

But some pretty notable names with a paint brush have been just as lyrical about the game as those giants of letters.

 

Welcome to the April (opening of Baseball season) edition of Not Your Usual Caricature Artist, from Caricatures by Joel.

While these days Football has clearly eclipsed Baseball in the collective conscience of our country as the sport that best represents our times and sensibilities, Baseball is still a game that evokes nostalgia and a familiarity for many of us whose first treasured possessions as children were a bat, glove and a ball. And "catches" with our Dads.

Baseball -- with its bursts of power, speed and balletic grace -- has provided inspirational images for many artists to capture on canvas. Baseball art exhibits have even been staged at world-class museums throughout the country.

Here are some samples of what I'm talking about, including the painting above by contemporary African-American artist Kadir Nelson:

This study by Thomas Eakins, iconic Philadelphia-based realist, was rendered in 1875. (Baseball is popularly said to have been invented by Civil War Union General Abner Doubleday thirty-six years before.)

 

LeRoy Neiman, more famously known for his brilliantly splashy sports illustrations for Playboy magazine, did this study of activity around the batting cage, likely in the 1960's.

Norman Rockwell's cover for Saturday Evening Post ran in this 1939 issue; "America's Artist" illustrated a multitude of Baseball themes throughout his long and storied career.

Then there's this recent silliness from caricaturist Tom Richmond, acclaimed contributor to Mad Magazine and a myriad of publications and commercial sites.



















And since caricatures are why we're here, here are a few pieces by yours truly, touching on Baseball in some form or another:

Pete Rose, right, appearing at a Charlotte business networking gathering alongside his host.

Jordan Danks, formerly with the Charlotte Knights, a commissioned piece the Knights had me create honoring the team's all-time hits leader, with his wife and baby son.

One of the games leaders for the Powerade State Games of North Carolina, played in 2014 at venues throughout the Charlotte region.

And finally, "Matthew," Bar Mitzvah boy and lover of 
all sports.

See you the first Tuesday of next month -- the year's fifth inning -- as we take a few more swings with Not Your Usual Caricature Artist.

High Society

Did you know there is an International Society of Caricature Artists?

Click here: Caricature Artists | ISCA - International Society of Caricature Artists

According to the Introduction on their web site:

The International Society of Caricaturist Artists is an international non-profit trade association. Its purpose is to promote the art of caricature, educate the public and the media about the art of caricature and to provide its members with helpful information about caricature as an as art form as well as a profession. 

ISCA currently has over 650 members from around the world, and is growing every month. Members receive our quarterly magazine, Exaggerated Features, which has articles about caricaturing, featured artists tips and stories as well as other useful information about caricature illustration. ISCA annual convention is held each year in a different location. The convention features a guest speaker, lectures, seminars, competitions, awards and the camaraderie of your peers in the art of caricature drawing.

Welcome to the March edition of Not Your Usual Caricature Artist.

Sounds pretty cool and that's why I've applied for membership.

Fine artists -- amateur and otherwise -- are often inspired when they visit an art museum or gallery, to rush back to their studio and either pull out a new canvas or return to an already-started one. 

I'm amazed by the works of the Masters, too. But my inspiration comes every time I see a reference to Mad Magazine's own gallery of contemporary luminaries...or similar work occasionally found accompanying a magazine article or gracing a book cover by one of the current greats in this often under-appreciated corner of the art world.

In the meantime, here's some representative stuff of mine I hope is deemed worthy of membership in the ISCA.

 Pete Rose (right)

 

 

Hope you'll associate with me again the first Tuesday of next month for more musings from Not Your Usual Caricature Artist.