I get asked some questions a lot, so occasionally I will repost a mailbag question from some time ago that is of that nature. Since we spent this weekend in New York City and saw more Times Square caricaturist thievery, this often asked question seemed appropriate:

Q: I recently saw a display for some caricaturists at the Sydney Easter Show that showed the caricature of you done by Mort Drucker. They were using it as a sample of work. I know your work itself is also always being used to promote others (placed on their displays meant to make potential customers think they did it themselves). I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

A: Here’s a picture from the Sydney Easter Show he is referring to:

Photo courtesy of Aussie cartoonist Lee Sheppard

That’s a caricature of me by Mort Drucker on the left.

I also see (from left to right) George W. Bush by Court Jones, Arnold Schwarzenegger by Jason Seiler, Baltimore caricaturist Mike Hasson by Jan Op de Beeck. I do not recognize the artist who did the Al Sharpton on the far right. I’m not sure why the artists in question here would use caricatures of regular shmoes like Mike and myself, no matter how good the caricatures might be, but there you are. My work is not actually plagiarized here, it’s Mort’s version of me, but my work a frequent victim of this sort of dishonesty.

Sadly this is a common practice by many “street” caricaturists. I’ve seen my work and work I recognize plagiarized all over the world:

From Times Square in New York City

More Times Square

Yet more Times Square

This I saw in Place de Tertre, Montmartre in Paris

I’ve seen my work on other people’s displays in Phoenix, San Diego, New Orleans and even right here in Minnesota. I’ve also had reports of my work being used thusly in Rome, Greece and London. I didn’t see anyone plagiarizing me in my trip to London last week, but it was raining a lot and the few street artists I did see (mainly at Leicester Square) seemed to mostly have their own work up. Sometimes they have redrawn it as an “original”, sometimes they have literally printed a grainy copy from the internet images.

Why do these street artist’s do this? If they can draw well enough to do it for money in a place like Times Square, Rome or Paris, why not do their own samples?

I can’t answer that for certain. For some, it’s a matter of simply not being a very good caricaturist. Some of those Times Square artists are awful, and can barely draw at all. They sell their wares the same way the people next to them sell watches that look like Rolexes but stop running within a week. They show one thing (like other people’s samples) and then sell another and rely on tourists getting confused or not wanting to create a scene to get their money. Those people have no choice but to show other people’s work as their display art, as they are incapable of doing their own. They, incidentally, give real caricaturists a bad name.

Others, though, have the art skills to do their own samples. So why the rip-offs? I think it’s just plain laziness. They don’t want to spend the time needed to work up good looking samples… they’d rather steal another artist’s work as opposed to doing it themselves. Maybe it’s because they know they aren’t as good as Sebastian Krüger (who is???) so they show his work or the work of others rather than display their own honest skill.

So what are my thoughts about this? Obviously I don’t like it, don’t condone it and would rather these artists not represent my work or the work of any other artists as their own. Do I run up to an offending street artist and confront them? No, I do not. Legally they are doubtless in the wrong but realistically I have little legal power to do anything about it, nor the desire to fight an unwinnable battle. Confrontation does nothing anyway… most of these people do not care about anything except parting the tourist from his or her money. I have literally seen the same ripped off samples hanging on different artist’s displays within a few feet of each other. The contempt they must have for their potential customers, and for the artists they are plagiarizing, could not be more plain. Why would they care about my remonstrances.

Sadly this is the price you pay for sharing your work on the internet. It’s impossible to stop copyright thieves from taking your work and doing what they will with it. I have seen my art being sold on postage stamp collections from South American and Russian countries, as posters and prints on eBay, on mouse pads and coffee mugs… I even saw a picture of my Jesse Ventura caricature tattooed on some guy’s arm in my local newspaper once. The more commercial thievery I put a stop to if possible, but that is a different animal. On the plus side, I can take a little satisfaction in the fact that the very accessibility of my work on the internet that makes it a target for thievery also males it easy for others to spot the plagiarism. I get many reports from internet acquaintances who tell me they busted an artist using my work somewhere and let them know what they thought of it. At the very least, it might annoy the perpetrator.

While I might shake my head at this practice by unscrupulous street caricaturists, what I most definitely do not think is that I am being flattered by being plagiarized. Some caricaturists I know seem to feel this way if they happen to see their work being used in this manner. They feel their work is being praised by being worthy of copyright infringement. Nothing could be farther from the truth. These artists are showing a complete lack of respect for the work and artists they are ripping off. It is a crime of convenience and laziness, not of admiration. Witness how they are so stupid as to use caricatures of other caricaturists as opposed to celebrities, like these guys in Australia. It’s something to be sickened or saddened by, not appreciated.

I’m a big believer in Karma and the old adage “what goes around, comes around”. Basically I’m saying that doing this does not, in the long run, do anything but harm to these artists. If these folks want to still be doing caricatures on a soggy street corner 20 years from now for a few euros a pop, then they are going about it the right way. Nobody ever achieved anything of lasting worth by practices like these… even the simple effort of drawing one’s own samples and practicing good ethics eventually brings higher rewards that stealing from others will do. It’s very sad, actually. I feel sorry for them… but I still wish they wouldn’t steal my work nor that of my colleagues.

Thanks to Grant Brown for the question. If you have a question you want answered for the mailbag about cartooning, illustration, MAD Magazine, caricature or similar, e-mail me and I’ll try and answer it here!

The Lovely Anna and I are in New York City this weekend to celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary (actually that’s not officially until Wednesday) and to see the Brendt Toast Gang’s art show featuring the work of a long time and very good friend, Ed Steckley.

Ed is a very talented illustrator and cartoonist, as well as being one of the best live caricaturists I have ever seen… and that’s saying something as I have seen some thousands of them. He does a lot of storyboard work for commercials that you have probably seen on TV, as well as publication work including a piece in MAD some years back. For the show he did six beautifully painted watercolors of classic pin up girls but drawn in his distinctive half caricature/half realistic style. Ed was a manager for me for many years in my Six Flags parks in Missouri and in Massachusetts, and started drawing caricatures for me at Valleyfair in 1992… so we go a ways back.

Ed just launched a revamp of his website the other day, which is well worth the visit. It’s got a great, retro garage theme and some fun flash animations (without being flash heavy) and of course is chock full of terrific artwork. He even has a blog now, which I’m looking forward to following to keep uop with his latest antics.. uh… work.

So, go visit Ed’s new website via one of the links above or on my blogroll under “Usual Gang of Idiots”.

In an odd coincidence just hours before I learned of the passing of Ismael Roldan, I was reminded of his being instrumental in making it possible for me to visit Colombia last summer when Colombian television reporter and personality Cristina Valencia emailed me a link to the above video. The video features her story on the 15 Salón Internacional de Historietas y Caricaturas Calicomix 2009 (15th Annual International Exhibition of Cartoons and Caricatures Calicomix 2009) where I was a guest speaker back in June. It’s in spanish of course but my interview section is in English with Spanish subtitles at around minute 4:15. There are also interviews with Mexican cartoonist Arturo Kemchs and Chilean cartoon historian/collector Claudia Contreras.

That was a really fascinating trip. I have been invited to attend a similar conference in Valparaiso, Chile about this time next year as a guest speaker. That gives me 12 months to learn Spanish. Debo aprender más rápidamente!!

Shameless Huckstering Dept.

I sold out of the limited number of copies of “Bo Confidential” I had pretty quickly, with the last few going out just the other day. I didn’t think I’d order any more, but it turns out I am doing book signings in Sioux Falls, SD on October 3rd and in Sydney, Australia when I visit for the Australian Cartoonists Association’s Stanley Awards in November (more on that another day). Therefore I had to order a bunch of them anyway, so I have a few dozen extra again. These are available to order directly from me. Here are the details:

There are now FOUR different options:

• Signed copy of the book (either personalized to you or just signed, your choice)- $9.95 (cover price)
• Signed with a sketch of “Bo”- $19.95
• Signed with a sketch of Alfred E. Neuman- $19.95
• NEW- Signed with a CARICATURE sketch OF YOU- $29.95**

There is $5.00 shipping and handling for anyplace in the United States or Canada. International shipping is extra based on actual cost. If you are an international buyer please e-mail me with your shipping address and I will send you an invoice with the correct the postage amount.

Ordering a copy is easy. Just choose your option in the drop down box and click on the “Buy Now” button to go to the PayPal order page.

Choose your option!

Signed Only $9.95 Signed w/ Bo Sketch $19.95 Signed w/ Alfred Sketch $19.95 Signed w/ Caricature of YOU! $29.95

Personalized? Your Details:

Once there if you want the signature personalized include that info in the “Special Instructions” section. I will sign a copy and/or do the sketch for you and mail it out within 3-5 business days (except for the caricature of you option, please see below)! If you need international shipping e-mail me privately and we’ll figure out the cost.

**CARICATURE sketch of YOU option- If you choose this option I will draw a pencil caricature of you on the inside fly leaf page of the book, signed to you. After paying via PayPal you will need to e-mail me two good photos of you, showing your face clearly. Your caricature will be based on these pictures, and ONLY these pictures. Please don’t write me saying you want the hair changed, glasses removed, warts fixed or to take off 25 pounds. I draw ‘em as I see ‘em. Please allow up to two weeks for these to be delivered.

Mi amigo Luis Edwardo Leon was kind enough to translate both my post about Ismael’s passing and the Exaggerated Features interview with him into Spanish:

He recibido una noticia terrible hoy en día. Al parecer, la caricatura ilustrador Ismael Roldán, falleció hoy a los 45 años en Nueva York, de acuerdo con su amigo y colega caricaturista colombiano Jorge Restrepo. Jorge confirmó la noticia a través de uno de los primos de Ismael que aún viven en Colombia. Ismael nació allí, pero ha vivido en los Estados Unidos por más de 20 años. Sin embargo, no hay más detalles sobre la causa de su muerte.

Además de ser enormemente talentoso, Ismael era un hombre muy generoso, dando de su tiempo y asesoramiento a los aspirantes a artistas. Él fue el invitado especial de honor en la última convención de la Sociedad Internacional de Caricatura Artistas, donde tuve la oportunidad de conocer y pasar un tiempo con él. Hemos tenido algún contacto profesional con anterioridad (se compadeció tanto de un cliente revista Deadbeat ambos habíamos hecho un trabajo y la dificultad para quedar en nuestros pagos) y había mantenido correspondencia durante algunos años, pero esa era la primera vez que tuvo la oportunidad de reunirse con él en persona.

Lamentablemente, también será la última.

Ismael era la persona que me recomendó como orador invitado a la gente en el evento CaliComix en Cali, Colombia, que terminé asistiendo en junio pasado, y fue instrumental en ayudar a conseguir que arreglado. Lo tuve que gracias por eso, y me alegro de que sepa él.

Este es un día triste para los caricaturistas profesionales en todas partes. Mi corazón está con su novia reciente y su familia.

Aquí está una entrevista con Ismael de la cuestión el año pasado el derecho de la ISCA de rasgos exagerados la revista antes de la convención anual en la que él fue el orador invitado, por cortesía de ISCA presidente Robert Bauer:

Cada año, la NCN invita a un ilustrador humorístico prominentes para ser nuestro orador invitado en nuestra convención anual. Es una bonificación al ilustrador que también hace caricaturas como parte de su conjunto de habilidades. Pero cuando tenemos uno de nuestros propios miembros ex alcanzar el nivel que esta persona ha alcanzado, nos sentimos especialmente agradecidos de tenerlo de regreso a nuestro invitado de honor para la convención anual de 2008.

Nacido en 1964, Ismael Roldán ha sido la elaboración caricaturas desde la edad de 12 años. Una gran influencia en el desarrollo de su mano vino con el descubrimiento de David Levine en el 14. De trabajo de Levine enseñó cómo Roldán exagerar si bien mantienen la semejanza de sus súbditos. Más tarde, el equipo de caricaturista francés de Mulatier, Ricord y Morchoisne abrió su mente para el uso del color y el volumen de su trabajo.

Después de recibir su BFA en Ilustración en la Parsons School of Design en Nueva York, su interés se dirigió a la obra y dibujo de Ingres, Leighton, Alma-Tadema, Bouguereau y Daumier.

Roldán cree que los ojos, así como la expresión de la boca, son las dos características más importantes con el fin de capturar una imagen. El resto adornar y complementar lo que ya tiene. Hoy en día todavía está en ello y emocionarse con cada cara nueva que se basa.

Algunas de las publicaciones que ha contribuido a: tiempo, dinero, Sports Illustrated, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The New York Post, Upside, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, BusinessWeek, EE.UU. News and World Report, Business 2.0, Games , The Baltimore Sun, The Philadelphia Inquirer, así como muchas otras publicaciones importantes y clientes corporativos.

EF: Ismael, es un placer tenerlo como nuestro invitado de honor de la convención de este año. Nuestros miembros tienen una gran opportunutiy ver tu trabajo y ver que dibuje toda la semana. Será como estudiar un semestre de clases de arte en una semana para todos nosotros. Hablando de eso, ¿qué era como asistir a la Parsons School of Design en Nueva York?

IR: Gracias, Robert. Como en cualquier escuela, hay buenos profesores y la materia y hay malos profesores y el tema también. Parsons está muy dirigido a la dirección de arte, que en realidad no enseñar las técnicas del arte que es esencial en el ámbito de la Ilustración. Lo bueno de que la escuela es que mientras yo estaba allí Sam Viviano y Philip Burke vino a dar charlas que fue muy refrescante. Tuve algunos compañeros de clase y talento y eso es algo que ayuda mucho. Pero al final tuve que enseñar a mí mismo las técnicas y llegar a mis propias cosas. Autodidacta, a pesar de.

EF: Yo siempre estoy sorprendido de lo común que está con muchos artistas que conozco. Muchos aprender más unos de otros o por su cuenta que lo hacen en clase. Es por eso que nuestro convenio es cada vez más y más popular. Hay mucho que aprender de tantos artistas talentosos cuando se va. ¿Tomaste clases en otros lugares?

IR: Antes de llegar a Parsons hice un año en Altos de Chavon en República Dominicana. Eso me permitió venir a Parsons ya que tienen una asociación. También hice cuatro semestres de Diseño Gráfico de nuevo en Colombia, donde soy originaria de.

EF: Entonces, ¿usted algún trabajo de diseño?

IR: No, yo no hago cualquier trabajo de diseño.

EF: Ya veo. Pero, ¿las clases ayudarle con su ilustrar?

IR: Siempre he creído que los ilustradores que saber un poco de diseño gráfico que nos ayude a entender por qué los directores de arte necesita algunas cosas diseñadas en la ilustración de una manera determinada. Lo que sí ocupa un espacio que está rodeado por tipo y, a veces la forma de un codo que sale podrían perturbar su trabajo. Nosotros, como caricaturistas también debería tener un poco de la psicología y el periodismo en nosotros también, ya que tratamos con seres humanos y muchas veces están en las noticias.

EF: Estos son buenos puntos. Es algo que todo artista comercial deben ser conscientes de que están al principio. Hablando de que empiezan, en la que creciste?

IR: Yo crecí en Bogotá, Colombia. Abandonó el país cuando tenía 22 años.

EF: Wow. ¿Por qué decidió salir de su casa en Colombia?

IR: La falta de oportunidades. A día de hoy, todavía es muy difícil ganarse la vida como caricaturista. Algunos ilustradores son capaces de hacer bien, si trabajan para una editorial y hacer libros para niños. Hice algunas historietas y humor gráfico, y también, pero no hubo puntos de venta para los que tampoco.

EF: ¿Y dónde estás viviendo ahora?

IR: Yo he estado viviendo en Nueva York durante 21 años. Ahora en el norte, fuera de Nueva York, donde viví durante diez años.

EF: Obviamente, Nueva York es el lugar para vivir cuando se trata de la ilustración editorial. Así que muchos ilustradores llamada casa de Nueva York, ya que es donde la mayoría de las publicaciones más prominentes de origen. ¿Quiénes son sus clientes más importantes en estos días?

IR: Mi mayor cliente es el Wall Street Journal.

EF: Sobresaliente. Así que usted también lee el Wall Street Journal?

IR: HAHHAHHAHHAHHAHAAA! No, no, no.

EF: Bueno, tuve que preguntar. ¿Te acuerdas de tu primera gran oportunidad?

IR: Mi primer gran éxito fue con la revista Time. Tenían una sección en la que utilizaron los ilustradores cada semana. Se me cayó de mi libro como solía hacer, y el director de arte de esa sección en particular mantuvo algunas muestras y me dio una llamada de dos días después.

EF: Dos días más tarde? Eso suena inusualmente rápido para un ilustrador por primera vez. ¿Le dijo lo que le hizo buscarle?

IR: Esta sección utiliza la caricatura. Le gustaba el estilo y el hecho de que me semejanzas. Él utilizó caricatura de vez en cuando, pero estaba dando el trabajo a los ilustradores en general (ya sabes, el tipo de situación de los empleos que los antecedentes necesarios y esas cosas).

EF: Entiendo, ilustradores general frente a la caricatura artistas. Así se puede explicar su procedimiento de trabajo típico?

RE: Por lo general me dan una personalidad para obtener una imagen de. A veces, un concepto es necesario que, de vez en cuando, me permite proponer, muchas veces los editores saben exactamente lo que desea y enviar el concepto en la delantera. Otras veces, mi idea inicial es “ajustado” por el director de arte o el editor. Puedo desarrollar un esquema que es bastante ajustado para que sepan lo que la final se verá así.

EF: ¿Cómo desarrollar inicialmente la mordaza, o una historia, en un ejemplo, cuando un director de arte no le da muchas instrucciones?

RE: He leído la primera historia y la idea principal. Entonces, busco fotos de la personalidad o el carácter implicados que muestran más o menos la emoción necesaria. Hago un boceto apretado de la cara y luego proceder a trabajar en el cuerpo y agregar los elementos que creo que completa la idea. Por lo general desarrollar la idea en mi mente antes de poner el lápiz sobre el papel.

EF: ¿Hace un montón de dibujos en primer lugar?

IR: Yo solía hacer varios bocetos, pero encontró que los editores acabaron enviando de vuelta a la primera que hice ( “No queremos ofender”). Así que hoy hago un primer boceto con una ligera exageración y que eso es todo.

EF: ¿Así que puedo considerar que se trabaja con bastante rapidez.

IR: Yo diría que sí. Siempre depende de la cara de la persona. Pero por lo general obtener la imagen de inmediato a menos que sea un no-demasiado-buena imagen.

EF: Yo puedo tener de referencia se refieren a los pobres. Se puede hacer una Asignación difícil casi imposible. ¿Puede recordar un ejemplo que era muy difícil obtener una imagen? ¿Quién es difícil para usted a la caricatura?

RE: Bill Gates. El hombre parece un objetivo fácil, pero tiene algo tan suave y sencilla, casi sin carácter en sus rasgos que lo hacen difícil.

EF: LOL. Usted tiene un punto. Quitarle su fortuna y tiene una persona bastante aburrido que trabajar. Incluso con el dinero, parece que no tienen características fuertes phycical. Así que dime, ¿cuál es su medio de elección?

IR: Yo he estado usando acrílicos a bordo de la ilustración desde hace algún tiempo por mi trabajo en color y grafito sobre papel liso para blanco y negro.

EF: ¿De qué tamaño son tus obras caricatura realizada por las revistas?

IR: Yo trabajo en función de cómo es grande o pequeño-el trabajo se imprimirá. Para los puntos no trabajo más de 8 × 10. Para cubre Tiendo a trabajar en 15 × 20.

EF: Ha jugado todo en el equipo en todos? ¿Te gusta el trabajo digital?

IR: No, realmente he jugado con él. Muy reticentes. Me gusta sentir los materiales en la mano y transmitir esa sensibilidad única en el papel / cartón ilustración. Aprecio el trabajo digital cuando se hace de una manera honesta. Sé que la gente que utiliza la fotografía y Zapping, supongo que esos son los trucos del oficio, pero …. Deja una impureza determinados y el gusto amargo visualmente hablando.

EF: Entiendo. El equipo tiene muy borrosa la línea entre el arte original, la fotografía y la manipulación de imágenes. Cada uno puede tener su lugar, pero nada parece más puro que el tradicional lápiz y la pintura. ¿Cuáles son sus principales preocupaciones cuando se hace una caricatura de la ilustración?

IR: Mi principal preocupación es dejar que el cliente satisfecho con un buen producto.

EF: Habla usted como un artista comercial verdadero. Mantenga a su cliente satisfecho. Lo digo como un cumplido. ¿Tiene usted una filosofía acerca de su trabajo, o una influencia de conducción que intenta trabajar en pro?

IR: Mi objetivo y el reto cada vez que es conseguir que la imagen de la persona involucrada. Es muy satisfactorio para empezar a ver aparecer a alguien en frente de mis ojos con las líneas que rítmicamente la danza y hacer que esa persona única. Dejo para el final de los ojos la mayoría del tiempo, son el signo de exclamación!

EF: He leído que te sientes los ojos y la expresión de la boca, hacer o deshacer la imagen. Estoy de acuerdo. Incluso en las caricaturas al por menor o en eventos en vivo, no puede tener el mejor elaborado características, pero si la captura de los ojos de la persona y la boca, que generalmente tienen éxito en la captura de su semejanza.

RE: Dicen que los ojos son el reflejo del alma. Creo que se aplica a lo que hacemos. Algunos CEO de una empresa en la que señaló hace años para una revista de informática me llamó para comprar la pieza original y me dijo: “Su dibujo se parece más a mí que yo mismo”. ¿Qué tal eso?

EF: Sí, he oído que la línea utilizada antes en la realidad. En uno de nuestros seminarios, donde un presentador dijo que usted está haciendo su trabajo correctamente si su caricatura se parece más a la persona que la persona. Es una idea interesante. ¿Quiénes fueron los caricaturistas primera vez que admiraba, cuando se notó por primera vez la caricatura (en principio como un niño)?

IR: Mi primer caricaturista, como tal, que llegué a admirar fue David Levine. Tenía 14 años cuando llegué a uno de sus libros. En ese momento yo ya estaba trabajando en una técnica de rayado cruzado con un RAPIDOGRAPH muy fina y ver el trabajo de Levine, simplemente me dejaron alucinado!

EF: ¿Quiénes son tus principales influencias en la caricatura ahora?

IR: dejé de ser influido por el trabajo de los caricaturistas “hace mucho tiempo. Después de Sebastian Krüger apareció en la escena, Caricatura fue elevado a otro nivel, que es cuando volví mi atención a la labor de Ingres, Bouguerau, Jacques Louis David, Caravaggio, Velázquez …. Y yo he estado buscando en la mayoría de los retratistas contemporáneos cuyo trabajo es simplemente increíble (Nelson Shanks, Daniel Graves, Robert Liberace por nombrar algunos).

EF: ¿Cuáles considera que cuando se hace una caricatura-do sus prioridades se encuentran en la exageración, la pintura, imagen o partes iguales?

IR: Tiene que haber un equilibrio de todos ellos. Al hacer el trabajo comercial, los clientes tienden a tener miedo de la exageración, porque no quiero ofender. Es comprensible, porque lo que hago es figurativa. El concepto de ver una semejanza que lleva una puntiagudos o nariz grande, orejas grandes editores de discos … loco!!

EF: Hablando de editores, tomaría una misión editorial cuando usted personalmente no está de acuerdo con el producto o el punto de vista que se encargó? ¿Ha rechazado las asignaciones a lo largo de estas líneas?

IR: A menos que sea algo verdaderamente repugnante, sin gusto y que raya en lo puramente ofensivo no lo haré. He hecho trabajos para publicaciones que atacar tanto a los partidos políticos, por ejemplo, creo que los caricaturistas son periodistas de alguna manera y debe mantener la objetividad en primer lugar.

EF: Eso es un punto de vista interesante. Sobre todo cuando se deja de considerar que los caricaturistas y muchos creen que lo que hacen es totalmente basado en ser subjetiva y no objetiva. Están expresando su opinión en su arte.

IR: Mi opinión personal es mío a menos que sea presentado por ante el público. Yo no tengo que mezclarlo con una misión. Nosotros, como los ilustradores están haciendo las imágenes que van junto a un artículo específico, no hay escapatoria! Tuve un compañero de clase de nuevo en la Parsons que era homosexual y que siempre se incluye su preferencia sexual en cada asignación. ¿Realmente necesitamos saber sobre él? Políticamente hablando, yo soy muy objetivo, porque los que gobiernan pertenecen a una raza diferente de seres humanos y debe estar mentalmente desnudo, ya sea por sus exageradas expresiones faciales o de la actividad ponemos pulg

EF: Veo tu punto. Es la diferencia entre el arte contra el arte comercial. Uno de ellos es una manera de expresarse, mientras que el otro se utiliza para comunicar a las masas. Bellas artes es atemporal. Siempre será de interés para alguien, pero ¿qué pasa con la ilustración? Es una forma de morir ilustración, con la disminución de la impresión, o te vea la ilustración basada en web de llegar al límite?

IR: Ilustración siempre será necesario, pero somos responsables de ofrecer y producir obras que se pueden utilizar sin importar dónde.

EF: Te oigo. Incluso exagerada características está disponible en nuestro foro en línea como un archivo PDF, además de la edición impresa. Es algo que no estaba presente cuando se utiliza para parte de la NCN. Ser un miembro ex-NCN, ¿tiene alguna historia para compartir cuando usted era un miembro?

IR: Fue looong hace y yo solíamos estar enfadado por el hecho de que las cosas se mantuvieron más o menos dentro de “Live caricatura”, me siento muy feliz de ver que las cosas han cambiado mucho.

EF: Sí, la NCN ha evolucionado bastante en los últimos 10 años. Y seguirá evolucionando. Me gusta el hecho de que seguimos creciendo en calidad y tamaño. Cada año, ganando la Nosey de Oro en la convención anual se convierte en más difícil. Y eso es una buena cosa.

IR: Tal vez la aparición de Krüger y Op de Beeck, en particular, ayudó con la revolución. Luego se agrega a la ecuación de los más jóvenes con mucho talento como Jason Seiler y Joe Bluhm, no es de extrañar el nivel de calidad sigue recibiendo elevados!!

EF: Hasta cierto. Y ambos tienen seminarios de este año en la convención también. Hay muchos artistas talentosos que surgen nuevos cada año en la convención. Es muy inspirador ver a crecer y tener la antorcha pasó a ellos de edad avanzada, artistas consagrados de los últimos años. Hablando de los años pasados, si pudiera volver a conocer a un artista que ya no está con nosotros, ¿quién te gustaría cumplir?

IR: Honoré Daumier. El caricaturista primera verdadera y comentarista político.

EF: Ok. No estaba familiarizado con su trabajo, así que lo miró de arriba en el Internet. Ya veo por qué le gustaría reunirse con él. Su estilo fue muy por delante de su tiempo.

IR: Sí, lo fue! Sus caricaturas ambas emitidas y en la forma de la escultura eran simplemente increíble y sus caricaturas eran también muy frescos en el uso de líneas y formas, además de ser muy agudo e ingenioso. No era tan buen pintor, sin embargo.

EF: Ni yo tampoco, así que pueden relacionarse. Así que puede usted decir a nuestros miembros un poco sobre qué esperar de usted para la convención? ¿Qué va a mostrar y discutir para su presentación de Keynote? ¿Tiene planes para colgar alrededor y dibujar tan bien?

IR: Ustedes pueden esperar un libro abierto de mí. Estaré mostrando mi inicios de modo que usted puede viajar a través de los diferentes estilos y
técnicas que tengo que hacer para llegar a donde estoy ahora. Espero que
alentar a los que están empezando. También estoy pensando en colgar alrededor, dibujar y participar en las diferentes actividades siempre que sea posible. Voy a traer papel y lápiz para seguro!

EF: Fantástico. Estoy seguro de que nuestros miembros les encantará contar con usted en torno a toda la semana en la convención. Tengo muchas ganas de conocerle en persona, Ismael. Asegúrese de enviar su boleta electoral por correo antes de salir de la convención ya que la convención se inicia la semana del día de las elecciones!

IR: Yo también estoy deseando conocerte en persona y todos los demás!
Me aseguraré de voto antes de irme!

I often get requests from readers to post rougher sketches and doodles on the blog as opposed to more meticulously drawn out pieces. Those ridiculously rendered and worked up “sketches” you see on many an art blog aren’t really sketches or studies anyway… they are more like illustrations with all the thinking and exploring worked out of them. I’m guilty of that myself, and I can see the value of seeing something a lot looser with the thought process more evident.

So, with that in mind here are a few rough studies I did for a job I am working on that includes a head shot caricature of all 435 members of the 11th U.S. Congress. These are literally 3-5 minute sketches.

I believe these four are congressional representatives from Illinois (top two) and Louisiana (bottom two). Once this job is done and the “product” is released I just may have a blog post here with a whole lot of political caricatures.

Self Caricature by Ismael Roldan

I recieved some terrible news today. Apparently caricature illustrator Ismael Roldan died today at age 45 in New York, according to his friend and fellow Colombian caricaturist Jorge Restrepo. Jorge confirmed the news through one of Ismael’s cousins still living in Colombia. Ismael was born there but has lived in the United States for over 20 years. No further details yet on his cause of death.

Besides being enormously talented, Ismael was a very generous man, giving of his time and advice to aspiring artists. He was the special guest of honor at the last convention of the International Society of Caricature Artists, where I had a chance to meet and spend some time with him. We had some professional contact previously (we both commiserated about a deadbeat magazine client we had both done work for and had trouble getting our payments from) and had corresponded for some years, but that was the first time I got a chance to meet him in person.

Sadly it will also be the last.

Ismael was the person who recommended me as a guest speaker to the folks at the CaliComix event in Cali, Colombia that I ended up attending last June, and he was instrumental in helping me get that arranged. I had him to thanks for that, and I am glad I let him know it.

This is a sad day for professional caricaturists everywhere. My heart goes out to his recent bride and his family.

Me by Ismael Roldan

Here is an interview with Ismael from last year’s issue of the ISCA’s Exaggerated Features Magazine right before the annual convention at which he was the guest speaker, courtesy of ISCA president Robert Bauer:

Every year, the NCN invites a prominent humorous illustrator to be our guest speaker at our annual convention. It’s such a bonus when that illustrator also does caricatures as part of their skillset. But when we have one of our own former members reach the level that this person has reached, we feel especially greatful to have him back to be our Guest of Honor for the 2008 annual convention.

Born in 1964, Ismael Roldan has been drawing caricatures since the age of 12. A big influence in the development of his hand came with the discovery of David Levine at 14. Levine’s work taught Roldan how to exagerate while still keeping the likeness of his subjects. Later on, the french caricaturist team of Mulatier, Ricord and Morchoisne opened up his mind to using color and volume in his work.

After receiving his BFA in Illustration from Parsons School of Design in New York, his interest turned to the work and draughtsmanship of Ingres, Leighton, Alma-Tadema, Bouguereau and Daumier.

Roldan believes that the eyes as well as the expression of the mouth, are the two most important features in order to capture a likeness. The rest adorn and complement what you already have. Today he is still at it and getting excited with each new face he draws.

Some of the publications he has contributed to: Time, Money, Sports Illustrated, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The New York Post, Upside,The Washington Post, The Washington Times, BusinessWeek, US News and World Report, Business 2.0, Games, The Baltimore Sun, The Philadelphia Inquirer as well as many other significant publications and corporate clients.

EF: Ismael, it’s such a pleasure to have you as our guest of honor for this year’s convention. Our members will have a great opportunutiy to see your work and watch you draw all week long. It will be like cramming an entire semester of art classes into one week for all of us. Speaking of which, what was it like attending Parsons School of Design in New York?

IR: Thank you, Robert. As with any school, there are good teachers and subject matter and there are bad teachers and subject matter as well. Parsons is VERY much directed towards art directing; they don’t really teach art techniques which is essential in the field of Illustration. The good thing about that school is that while I was there Sam Viviano and Philip Burke came by to give talks which was very refreshing. I had some talented classmates as well and that’s something that helps a lot. But in the end I had to teach myself techniques and come up with my own stuff. Self taught in spite of.

EF: I am always amazed at how common that is with many artists I meet. Many learn more from each other or on their own than they do in class. It’s why our convention is becoming more & more popular. There is so much to learn from so many gifted artists when you go. Did you take classes elsewhere as well?

IR: Before coming to Parsons I did a year at Altos de Chavon in Dominican Republic. That allowed me to come to Parsons since they have an association. I also did four semesters of Graphic Design back in Colombia where I am originally from.

EF: So do you do any design work?

IR: No, I don’t do any design work.

EF: I see. But did those classes help you out with your illustrating?

IR: I’ve always believed that we illustrators must know a bit of graphic design to help us understand why art directors need some things designed in the illustration in a certain way. What we do occupies a space that is surrounded by type and sometimes the way an elbow comes out might perturb their work. We as caricaturists should also have a bit of psychology and journalism in us too since we deal with human beings and many times they are in the news.

EF: Those are good points. It’s something that every comercial artist should be aware of as they start out. Speaking of starting out, where did you grow up?

IR: I grew up in Bogota, Colombia. Left the country when I was 22.

EF: Wow. What made you decide to leave your home in Colombia?

IR: The lack of opportunities. To this day, it is still very difficult to make a living as a caricaturist. Some illustrators are able to do okay if they work for a publishing house and do children’s books. I did do some comic strips and graphic humor as well but there were no outlets for those either.

EF: So where are you living now?

IR: I’ve been living in New York for 21 years now. Right now up north outside NYC where I lived for ten years.

EF: Obviously, New York is the place to live when it comes to editorial illustration. So many illustrators call New York home since that is where most of the more prominent publications come from. Who are your biggest clients these days?

IR: My biggest client is The Wall Street Journal.

EF: Outstanding. So do you also read the WSJ?

IR: HAHHAHHAHHAHHAHAAA! No, I don’t.

EF: Well, I had to ask. Can you remember your first big break?

IR: My first big break was with Time Magazine. They had a section where they used illustrators every week. I dropped off my book as it used to be done and the art director for that particular section kept some samples and gave me a call two days later.

EF: Two days later? That sounds unusually fast for a first-time illustrator. Did he say what made him pick you?

IR: That section used caricature. He liked the style and the fact that I got likenesses. He used caricature from time to time but was giving the work to general illustrators (you know, situational kind of jobs that required backgrounds and stuff).

EF: I understand; general illustrators vs. caricature artists. So can you explain your typical working procedure?

IR: Typically I’m given a personality to get a likeness of. Sometimes a whole concept is required which, from time to time, I’m allowed to propose; many times the editors know exactly what they want and send the concept up front. Other times my initial idea is “adjusted” by the art director or the editor. I develop a sketch which is pretty tight so that they know what the final will look like.

EF: How do you initially develop your gag, or story, in an illustration when an art director doesn’t give you much instruction?

IR: I read the story first and get the main idea. Then, I look for pictures of the personality or character involved that show more or less the emotion required. I do a tight sketch of the face and then proceed to work on the body and add the elements that I believe complete the whole idea. I usually develop the idea in my mind before I put the pencil on paper.

EF: Do you do lots of sketches first?

IR: I used to do several sketches but found that editors ended up sending me back to the very first one I did (“We don’t want to offend”). So nowadays I do a first sketch with a slight exaggeration and that’s pretty much it.

EF: So I take it that you work pretty quickly.

IR: I would say, yes. It always depends on the person’s face. But I usually get the likeness right away unless it’s a not-too-good picture.

EF: I can relate to having poor reference. It can make a difficult assigment next to impossible. Can you recall an illustration that was very hard to get a likeness? Who is tough for you to caricature?

IR: Bill Gates. The man looks like an easy target but has something SO bland and plain almost without character on his features that make him tough.

EF: LOL. You have a point. Take away his fortune and you have a pretty boring person to work with. Even with the money, he does seem to lack any strong phycical characteristics. So tell me, what is your medium of choice?

IR: I’ve been using acrylics on illustration board for quite some time for my work in color and graphite on smooth paper for black and white.

EF: How large are your caricature pieces done for magazines?

IR: I work depending on how large –or small- the work will be printed. For spots I don’t work larger than 8×10. For covers I tend to work on 15×20.

EF: Have you played around on the computer at all? Do you like digital work?

IR: No, I haven’t really played with it. Very reluctant. I like to feel the materials in my hand and transmit that unique sensibility onto the paper/illustration board. I do appreciate digital work when it’s done in an honest manner. I know people who use photography and mix it up; I guess those are tricks of the trade but…. leave a certain impurity and sour taste visually speaking.

EF: I understand. The computer has really blurred the line between original art, photography and image manipulation. Each can have its place but nothing seems more pure than traditional pencil and paint. What are your main concerns when doing a caricature illustration?

IR: My main concern is to leave the client satisfied with a good product.

EF: Spoken like a true commercial artist. Keep your client satisfied. I say that as a compliment. Do you have a philosophy about your work, or a driving influence that you try to work towards?

IR: My goal and challenge every single time is to get the likeness of the person involved. It is so fulfilling to start seeing someone appear in front of my eyes with lines that rhythmically dance and make that person unique. I leave the eyes for last most of the time; they are the exclamation point!

EF: I read that you feel the eyes and the expression of the mouth make or break the likeness. I tend to agree. Even in retail caricatures or at live events, you may not have the best drawn features but if you capture the person’s eyes and mouth, you usually succeed in capturing their likeness.

IR: They say the eyes are the reflection of the soul. I think it applies to what we do. Some CEO of a company I drew years ago for a computer magazine called me up to buy the original piece and he said to me: “ Your drawing looks more like me than myself”. How about that one?

EF: Yes, I have heard that line used before in fact. In one of our seminars where a presenter mentioned that you are doing your job right if your caricature looks more like the person than the person. It’s an interesting thought. Who were the first caricaturists you admired, when you first noticed caricature (presumably as a kid)?

IR: My very first caricaturist as such that I got to admire was David Levine. I was 14 when I got one of his books. At the time I was already working on a crosshatching technique with a very fine rapidograph and seeing Levine’s work simply blew me away!

EF: So who are your main influences in caricature now?

IR: I stopped being influenced by caricaturists’ work long ago. After Sebastian Krüger showed up in the scene, Caricature was elevated to another level; that’s when I turned my attention to the work of Ingres, Bouguerau, Jacques Louis David, Caravaggio, Velazquez…. And I’ve been looking at most contemporary portrait artists whose work is simply amazing (Nelson Shanks, Daniel Graves, Robert Liberace to name a few).

EF: What do you consider when doing a caricature- do your priorities lie in exaggeration, painting, likeness or equal parts?

IR: There has to be a balance of them all. When doing commercial work, clients tend to be afraid of exaggeration because they don’t want to offend. It is understandable because what I do is figurative. The concept of seeing a resemblance that carries a pointy or big nose, large ears… drives editors crazy!!

EF: Speaking of editors, would you take an editorial assignment when you personally disagreed with the product or point of view being commissioned? Have you turned down assignments along these lines?

IR: Unless it is something truly disgusting, without taste and that borders on the purely offensive I won’t do. I’ve done work for publications that attack both political parties for instance; I believe that we caricaturists are journalists somehow and should keep objectivity first.

EF: That is an interesting viewpoint. Especially when you stop and consider that many caricaturists believe what they do is totally based on being subjective rather than objective. They are expressing their opinion in their art.

IR: My personal opinion is mine unless it’s presented by itself to the public. I don’t have to mix it up with an assignment. We as illustrators are doing images that go next to a specific article; there’s no escape! I had a classmate back at Parsons who was gay and he ALWAYS included his sexual preference in every assignment. Do we really need to know about it? Politically speaking, I am very objective because those who rule belong to a different breed of human beings and must be mentally undressed; Either by their exaggerated facial expressions or the activity we put them in.

EF: I see your point. It’s the difference between fine art vs. commercial art. One is a way of expressing yourself while the other is used to communicate to the masses. Fine art is timeless. It will always be relevent to someone, but what about illustration? Is illustration a dying art form with the decline of print, or do you see web based illustration taking up the slack?

IR: Illustration will always be needed BUT we are responsible for delivering and producing work that can be used no matter where.

EF: I hear you. Even Exaggerated Features is available in our online forum as a PDF file in addition to the printed edition. It’s something that wasn’t around when you used to part of the NCN. Being a former NCN member, do you have any stories to share when you were a member?

IR: It was looong ago and I used to get upset at the fact that things were kept pretty much inside “Live Caricature”; I’m very happy to see that things have changed A LOT.

EF: Yes, the NCN has evolved quite a bit over the past 10 years. And it will continue evolving. I like the fact that we continue to grow in quality as well as size. Each year, winning the Golden Nosey at the annual convention becomes tougher and tougher. And that is a good thing.

IR: Perhaps the appearance of Krüger and Op de Beeck in particular, helped with the revolution. Then you add to the equation the very talented younger ones like Jason Seiler and Joe Bluhm; no wonder the quality level keeps getting elevated!!

EF: So true. And both of them have seminars this year at the convention as well. There are many talented new artists that emerge each year at the convention. It’s very inspiring to see them grow and have the torch passed on to them by older, established artists from years past. Speaking of years gone by, if you could go back to meet an artist who is no longer with us, who would you like to meet?

IR: Honore Daumier. The first true caricaturist and political commentator.

EF: Ok. I was unfamiliar with his work so I looked him up on the internet. I see why you’d like to meet him. His style was way ahead of its time.

IR: Oh yes, it was! His caricatures both drawn and in the form of sculpture were simply terrific and his cartoons were also very fresh in the use of lines and shapes as well as being quite sharp and witty. He wasn’t as good a painter though.

EF: Neither am I, so I can relate. So can you tell our members a little about what to expect from you for the convention? What do you plan to show and discuss for your keynote presentation? Do you plan to hang around and draw as well?

IR: You guys can expect an open book from me. I will be showing my early beginnings so that you can travel through the different styles and
techniques I got to do in order to get where I am now. I hope it will
encourage those that are starting out. I also plan to hang around, draw and participate in the different activities whenever possible. I’ll bring along pencil and paper for sure!

EF: Fantastic. I’m sure our members will love having you around all week at the convention. I am looking forward to meeting you in person, Ismael. Make sure to send in your absentee election ballot before you leave for the convention since the convention starts the week of Election Day!

IR: I’m also looking forward to meeting you and everyone else!
I’ll make sure to vote before I leave!

Mort Drucker- Photo by Ruby Washington for the New York Times

The Lovely Anna and I are headed to New York City on Thursday in part to attend the opening of the Long Island chapter (otherwise known as the Berndt Toast Gang) of the National Cartoonists Society‘s art show “Laugh Lines” at the Art-trium Gallery on Melville Park Road in Melville. The show is going to feature original art by the members of the Long Islad chapter including Mort Drucker, Ray Alma, John Reiner, Adrian Sinnott and my good buddy Ed Steckley. There are lots of other artists but those are the ones I am sure will be included, so my apologies to those left out of my limited list.

Here’s a New York Times article about the show, and a blog post by cartoonist Mike Lynch on the exhibit.

Should be a great show. Ed is a talented illustrator who well deserves this honor. Congrats Ed and all the artists who’s work is hanging in the exhibit.

You have to love all the shows of original cartoon work going on around the country right now. Sergio and I both have shows going, there is the one in Aitkin I was just at last week. The Cartoon Art Museum in San Fransisco and the Museum of Cartoon Art in New York have constant exhibits, and of course the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa is permanent celebration of the incomparable Peanuts. The Ohio State Cartoon Library and Museum will be moving into a new facility with space for a lot more exhibits as well. No doubt there are many I don’t know about going on or planned right now.

It just goes to show that cartooning is well accepted by the general public as a well respected art form, and one people are interested in seeing in galleries.

I had several friends e-mail me to say that my illustrations of Brett Farve from the Star Tribune were featured on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown” show with Chris Berman yesterday. I didn’t see it, and cannot find any reference to it on their website.

Oh well, guess I missed it. Still that’s pretty cool.

The morning after my little talk in Aitkin, MN I was able to visit the exhibit “What’s So Funny? A Celebration of Cartooning!” in the nearby Jaques Art Center. Located in a renovated Carnegie Library, the Jaques (pronounced “Jay-Kweez”) Art Center is a marvelous little museum featuring a permanent collection of work from well known local wildlife artist Francis Lee Jaques, rotating exhibits and regular educational classes and workshops.

A more accurate title for the show might be “What’s So Funny? A Celebration of MINNESOTA Cartoonists!” because that’s really the focus of the exhibit. Curator (and Minnesota cartoonist) Duane Barnhart did a lot of telephone, email and leg work to gather up cartooning samples from some of the many varied talents in the state and put together a really fantastic exhibit of original work on display in the charming town of Aitkin through October 3rd. There are some classic gems from past Minnesota native giants like Wally Wood and Charles Schulz as well as working stiffs from today.

Here are some pictures from the show:

Part of the main gallery

This TV prop was designed and built by local animator Joel Seibol

Comic Art by Dan Jurgens

An Original Sunday Peanuts!!

Some of my artwork

An original Wally Wood!

A bit more of the Gallery…

Some great work by Duane and others…

Work by an old friend of mine, Scott Rolfs

More terrific work…

Original Jerry Van Amerongen art showing his process

More Jerry…

Exhibit curator Duane Barnhart, me and the Center’s Executive Director Karen Raisanen

Great show. Congrats and thanks to Duane, Karen and the rest of the folks at the Jaques for their hospitality and hard work on the exhibit. What a great thing for the area.