July 22nd, 2006 | Posted in News
As long as we’re on the subject of cartoonist events…. Last year in September I was one of several guest speakers at a festival in a little, sleepy town in Missouri named Marceline. The event was called “Toonfest” and it’s presence in Marceline was because Walt Disney had called this charming little town his home for about 5 years, from age 4-9. Other guest speakers that year included Gary and Glenn McCoy, Jim Borgman (Zits), Tom Wilson Jr. (Ziggy), Charles Solomon (animation and cartoon critic) and Tony Bancroft (Disney VP of Imagineering). The people of Marceline welcomed us with open arms and the festival was… READ MORE
July 21st, 2006 | Posted in News
I mentioned before that I am a member of the National Cartoonists Society, a 60 year old organization of professional cartoonists. The NCS also has local chapters throughout the country, and I belong to the North Central Chapter. Since the mid-west is apparently no man’s land for cartoonists, our chapter easily covers the largest geographical area: Minnesota, Iowa, the Dakotas, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado. While most chapters are only one state (and in some cases one area like Long Island’s “Berndt Toast Gang”) and get togther monthly for a meal and some fun, it’s difficult to get us all together in the North Central.… READ MORE
July 12th, 2006 | Posted in News
The 2006 legislative session will have a bill before called the “Orphan Works Act” , specifically H.R. 5439, that should (and is) creating uproar in the world of illustration, art, photography, and other intellectual and creative property field. Internet giants like Google are lobbying hard for the act to be passed, because it represents a huge sum of money in savings to publishers and media who use copyrighted materials for their businesses, especially on the Internet. To sum up the Orphan Works Act, it would provide anyone the legal right to use an image, artwork or certain??ᬨ‚Ćother intellectual properties simply because they could not find… READ MORE
