Festival of Cartoon Art
October 26th, 2007 | Travels and Appearances
I flew from Burlington to Columbus, Ohio last evening for the Festival of Cartoon Art at Ohio State University. I glanced out the plane window at sunset, and look! The Finger Lakes! I love how it’s patently obvious that they’re the Finger Lakes, nobody needs to tell you so–a phenomenon which in a way demonstrates the theme of this year’s festival, Visual Storytelling.
The festival is also honoring Milton Caniff, the guy who drew Steve Canyon and Terry and the Pirates. I never really knew his work, but he’s a hugely influential cartoonist and I’m sure I osmosed all sorts of graphic conventions indirectly from him without knowing it.
They have an exhibit up here at OSU of his work–here’s a close-up of a tidy paste-up job.
Here I am with my cartoonist pals Paige Braddock (Jane’s World) and Hilary Price, (Rhymes With Orange)
We went out to dinner and drew this cartoon together. Paige came up with the concept–she’d draw her character Jane in bed, and I’d add one of my characters, then Hilary would add an animal. So here you go.
Then–don’t ask me how–we got on the topic of drawing breasts. Oh, it might have been because of all the giant Milt Caniff breasts in the exhibit, or the fact that there are a lot of old school men cartoonists at this event, including Mort Walker of Miss Buxley fame. I confessed that I’ve sort of been in reaction to that sort of exaggerated representation for my whole career. Paige said that she’s recently been, um, embracing breasts. Hilary reported that an old man once told her her comic strip would be more popular if she made her women characters’ breasts bigger. So we all demonstrated how we draw breasts.
P.S. I’ve been a little crazed lately, and haven’t had time to follow the comments on the blog. I hope everything’s okay.
59 Responses to “Festival of Cartoon Art”
October 26th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
Wow. Am I the first commenter? So much pressure!
Paige is kinda hot, I gotta say (I’ve already e-flirted w/ AB, so I got that base covered). But I like the way that she… um… ‘embraces’ breasts. On the page at least. And I’m even not that into femmes, myself. But it is kinda inspirational.
Yeah.
Mo’s tummy is cute, too. She looks a little shell shocked at being in this breast-diversity demo exercise.
October 26th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
the joint cartoon is *hilarious* by the way.
plane views are always gorgeous in & out of ohio. .
October 26th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
welcome to Columbus!!
Seems that *every* Festival of Cartoon Art is devoted to Milt Caniff’s legacy. maybe because his work is the foundation of OSU’s collection?
hope to see you tomorrow . . .
October 26th, 2007 at 11:19 pm
I love Paige’s coat… & the cartoons
October 26th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
Hmm. I haven’t felt that breasts have been downplayed in DTOWF, but I do feel like they’re contextualized and shown in a variety of shapes and sizes, and that makes me more comfortable. Of course, if AB decided to add more, I certainly wouldn’t complain, but I don’t think there’s a deficiency.
October 26th, 2007 at 11:40 pm
D.F., the phrase “breast-diversity demo exercise” is priceless.
October 27th, 2007 at 1:41 am
i love how mo’s clutching her shirt in the breast demo. she’s such a stressball! (but a stressball with great breasts!)
October 27th, 2007 at 1:51 am
Great group comic. Sydney appears to have aged quite a bit,and she looks like she’s with one of her students. Ah,the plot thickens.
October 27th, 2007 at 2:29 am
I’m slightly drunk right now, so “bed mice!” is something I want to shout over and over again for no reason. Cause… BED MICE!!!
Hilary’s breasts (the drawn ones, not her own of course) remind me of Alison’s first “vestigial-breasted” lesbians she drew… I dig their cartooniness. I think Gary Larson is probably the only male cartoonist who’s default female character prototype ISN’T a Miss Buxley type. I like how even if he draws an “attractive” woman she still looks all goofy and Larson-esque.
Ok, I’ll stop digressing.
October 27th, 2007 at 4:16 am
Of course Paige Braddock would illustrate “breasts” with a drawing of Chelle. And I thank her for it.
(Sorry, folks. Sometimes I’m just a het guy.)
October 27th, 2007 at 4:27 am
Breasts are female, not femme. Last time I checked (yep, there they are.)
October 27th, 2007 at 7:19 am
hoping you weren’t all in the plane together. It would potentially be the comic equivalent of ‘the day the music died’.
October 27th, 2007 at 10:18 am
So who’s looking after Piebald?
October 27th, 2007 at 10:55 am
As of 10/22, my boobages were gone. I’m home now, very sore, quite dopey, being spoiled by my mom. I wish those old guys had an appreciation for what owning boobs can really mean.
P.S. I’m too spacey to read the previous entry right now, but I KNEW another cat would find you soon! I am so glad, Alison.
October 27th, 2007 at 11:24 am
glad someone’s taking care of you, Ginjoint. the soreness wears off (or so I hear).
October 27th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Ginjoint,
Hey Ginjoint,
Glad to hear your voice. I see you still have your Attitude. There’s no surgery for that. Lots of love, Silvio.
October 27th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Agh! The weekend I leave Columbus is the weekend Alison comes to town. Drat. Oh well. I guess I’m another one who doesn’t have tickets for the conference anyway.
Hope you enjoy the conference and the city, Alison. You’re on campus on a gameday Saturday, so watch out for crazed Buckeye football fans! OSU football is a bonafide religion — thank goodness it’s an away game today.
Ginjoint: Good thoughts coming your way. Rest up and heal.
October 27th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
I FOR ONE am glad you said the image
was the fingerlakes
cause I thought it was an abstract image
of rain on the fender of a vehicle!!
Love the cartoons, and your banter…
about breasts.
October 27th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Maggie Jochild were you refering to DF’s comment about breasts & femme? I think she meant that the woman in the pic looked femme not the breasts…
October 27th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
I think she looks like a woman.
October 27th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
I really like Rhymes with Orange, and read it for years (in the Boston Globe) wondering if Hilary Price were a man or a woman. (I’ve known she was a woman now for a while.) My leading evidence for why she might be a man (besides the one-L spelling of Hilary sometimes being male) was that she draws breasts like that–like the teats on a cow’s udder. But maybe her non-realistic breasts signify a no-nonsense refusal to participate in the male-artist comic-strip tradition of the pneumatic 1950s cone-bra boob, since they clearly don’t mean a misunderstanding of breast anatomy.
Whoa, I just realized that’s Sydney’s strap-on, not her foreshortened foot, that the cat is going to pounce in a minute.
October 27th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
Ginjoint, I’m so glad you have your Mom there to take care of you. Moms are always the best nurses, aren’t they? Hope they gave you some primo drugs, and you get everything you need to heal.
Sending much love and good wishes to you!
Shado
October 27th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
SK,I agree with your last paragraph. The old sheet tent. Only I’m familiar with the human,not silicone,kind. **cough**
October 27th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
Sydney’s erection and Hilary’s breast drawings are eerily similar…
Ginjoint, Power to you. Keep us posted.
October 27th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
All best wishes for a speedy recovery Ginjoint.
Here’s a spoof of Brief Encounter with a nice twist at the end to cheer you up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajC4Az4wscc
October 27th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
ginjoint–sending good thoughts your way
i agree those old guys have no idea.
October 27th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
Ho-hum… I wish I could have gone.
The website made it seem like there was limited admission and it was too pricey for a poor recent college grad.
Hope you enjoyed the city. I moved here about 2 months ago and I like it so far. Well, I miss I could have met you and sat in your lecture.
I guess there is always a next time. Enjoy your trip. I’m to go practice my religion of buckeye football…
October 27th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
No, SK, I think you’re wrong. She’s not using a strap-on. Surely part of the joke is that she’s somehow acquired a real penis, probably as a result of the book she’s reading.
By the way, for those who were wondering how my “getting in touch with my Lois side” is going, I’m delighted to report that the leather jacket has got me several interested looks from hot guys. Makes me think that I should adopt it as a permanent item. Also, it’s surprising how much quicker you get served in a bar if you walk in with a “Lois-mindset”. Of course you do get automatically offered a choice of beers, rather than white wine, but it’s worth it.
October 27th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
And Alison, addressing your comment at the end of your post…
Everything is fine. Consensus is, we love your pu…errr, kitty.
October 28th, 2007 at 12:42 am
Ginjoint! Glad your mom’s with you. Sorry about the soreness. I hope the surgery went well and that your recovery proceeds apace. Thanks for letting us know how it’s going.
MLK? Did you come to the festival today? I didn’t see you!
October 28th, 2007 at 2:18 am
SK: ironic that you wondered if Hilary was a man or woman. She wrote the following in her faq: ” . . . it was a defining moment for me when I learned that Boynton’s first name was Sandra. Up to that point I had assumed she was a he. The fact that a “she” was doing funny drawings opened up the possibility that I could, too. I encourage all female artists, young or old, to not hide behind their initials, but to sign their full name on their work.”
Ginjoint: best wishes for good healing sent your way.
October 28th, 2007 at 3:50 am
Ginjoint: Let me add my relief that you’re home and getting spoiled with some good mothering. I’ve been both the spoiled one and the spoiler on the cancer trip, and nothing can match the support of someone who knows you best and still loves you, regardless. The best of luck and good wishes.
October 28th, 2007 at 4:11 am
I’ll send my own good thoughts to you, Ginjoint. I wish you well.
Sidney’s strap-on? Oops, I thought it was a knee…..**kat turns bright pink**
October 28th, 2007 at 5:06 am
Completely off topic and no breasts at all. (BTW, a knee?! Alien anatomy…)
The other day I wrote a review of “Fun Home” in a German internet community. Just in case, somebody is interested:
http://jetzt.sueddeutsche.de/texte/anzeigen/402273
It’s in German, though.
Nele
October 28th, 2007 at 9:05 am
Londonboy,
Your interpretation of the sketch has much merit. I am mortified that it did not occur to me. It must be your inner Lois. (and now, of course, the phrase “bed mice” finally makes sense. Gawwd I’m slow sometimes…)
I am delighted to hear about the effect of the leather jacket. I am sure you were getting those interested looks from the hot guys BTLJ (before the leather jacket), but you were just too introspective then to notice.
October 28th, 2007 at 10:20 am
I just checked my breasts. They look just like my breasts. What a relief.
My bed is sometimes infested with toe monsters, which Lydia defends me from.
October 28th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Nele, if you’re slow and tired, yes, the bump could look vaguely like a bent knee…..
October 28th, 2007 at 11:46 am
Thanks everyone for the good wishes! I have tubes coming out of me that lead to little plastic hand-grenade looking devices that drain. I look like a Borg. Since I can’t shower, I stink like a baby wipe. A tired, sore, baby-wipe stinkin’ Borg.
Regarding “bed mice”…has anyone else ever had a cat leap upon your hand as your hand was moving under the covers while trying to, uh, pleasure yourself? Oh, it’s a mood killer, trust me. Especially because I burst out laughing.
This has exhausted me. Back to bed, sans mice…or do the Borg self-pleasure?
October 28th, 2007 at 11:47 am
And yeah, it did look a bit like a bent knee.
October 28th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Ginjoint - all power to you, your borg bits, and your bed-mouse. Heal well!
October 28th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Ginjoint~I just have to say, “Damn you are funny!”
So wonderful to have your voice here….bed mice and all.
October 28th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
Ginjoint, honey, just remember that in your case “Resistance is Lesbian.”
Thanks so much for telling us how it’s going. Baby-wipe hugs to you.
October 28th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
Ginjoint, glad you are getting good mum-ing, your humour is a balm to us all. I’ve got out the orange candles for you.
I don’t think the borg can technically auto-eroticise, since they have no individualities. Is it a little nerdy of me to then conclude that, since every slightest erotic thought that crosses the mind of one is transmitted through the hive, they must all be in a constant state of trans-species all-frequencies robot lust? Would certainly make for intriguing fanfic…
October 28th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Alison, no I wasn’t there. I posted on the last thread that I’ve been delusional — had the crazed idea that I could just stroll in for your lecture. fortunately, Chris steered me back to reality before I showed up at the door.
hope you enjoyed the Festival and the OSU campus. High Street isn’t what it was, but we’ve still got some lovely trees!
October 28th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
This probably doesn’t belong here, but this is the current discussion and it happened this morning. And there is a small mention of someone’s upper chest, so perhaps it does belong here.
Today’s Sunday edition of _For_Better_or_for_Worse_ has Mike and his wife both planning to cross-dress for a Halloween party. They go shopping at a used clothing store, rather than at a costume shop. One of his choices of dress is not big enough for his (presumably fake) bust. The clerk comments to his wife that she must so understanding and open-minded, be a wonderful wife for a man like him.
And not a photo album or a drooling child anywhere in sight.
October 28th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
Jeffster83, I just now read FBOFW too just before coming to DTWOF (making my regular rounds on the internet), and it made me think of past discussions on this blog. It would be interesting if Lynn Johnston were to follow up.
Ginjoint, best wishes for your recovery–we’re thinkin’ of you.
October 28th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
FBOFW-possible plot follow-up…
Michael gets bashed/menanced on his way home from the party in a case of mistaken identity? But Lawrence and his partner arrive in the nick of time and scare off the would be victimizers. Giving Lynn a bully pulpit for condemning intolerance.
Maybe I’ve been hanging out at Comics Curmudgeon too long.
October 28th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
Dr. Empirical, LOL!
Take it easy, Ginjoint. (Stop trying to make us laugh, dammit, hard work, that is.)
October 28th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
I love getting a behind-the-scenes look at what happens when three cartoonists get together. The one-panel cartoon is wonderful.
It would be intriguing to draw that same panel again but with a different person starting the panel each time with the same required element. So the next time, Hilary would draw her character in bed, Paige would add her character, and you’d draw an animal… and then Alison you start, then Hilary adds a character to bed, then Paige adds an animal.
October 29th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
I am glad that I got to meet you, Alison, and wanted to thank you for the autograph you gave me on Friday. I was the awkward librarian with nutty dreams of getting an advanced degree studying strong women in comics (I hope I didn’t bore you). I was so overwhelmed by meeting so many people who create art that I love to read, that I almost didn’t even ask for the autograph, but I’m glad that I did.
And while a run-in with a professor may have tried to douse my educational desires [She told me to consider being an 'independent scholar' and not do graduate school if I only wanted to maintain my narrow focus...even when I told her that my studious desires were just a starting point], I think I walked away from the conference with a new perspective on the creative process, an understanding of the various controversies/challenges that comic artists face, and I got to meet so many cool people that I was practically dancing around the place in excitement.
I hope you enjoyed Columbus, and I’m just so glad that I got to meet you…but I can’t help shaking the feeling that I came off sounding a little stupid when I met you, so I apologize for being awkward (It’s a strange thing to apologize for, but I’m not sure what else to say; I usually read the posts and some of the comments when I visit this blog and not say anything).
October 29th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Sydney’s strap, er, um, bed mouse, is a brilliant touch, as is the comment by the cat. Looks like you had a lot of fun in CMH.
October 29th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
I always felt awkward drawing breasts. Maybe because as a kid, I was told I shouldn’t? I love Hilary’s understated breasts (on her cartoons). I’m not sure why, but they make me giggle.
October 29th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
Ginjoint,
You’ll start feeling better really soon! In fact you’ll have to remind yourself not to overdo…so, I’m telling you now…don’t overdo! Take it slow and give yourself plenty of time to heal. Sending you hugs.
October 30th, 2007 at 11:18 am
I have the hardest time drawing boobs. Everyone thinks I am always drawing guys. I’m not. Just very flat chested women.
October 31st, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Thank you for the lovely picture of our Finger Lakes!
Actually, just this past week a solo pilot crash-landed a plane into Seneca Lake (600 feet deep!!!) and escaped by boat.
October 31st, 2007 at 4:09 pm
I am so glad you all were there to counter the gigantor breasts of some of the other cartoon artists at the festival. It would be hilarious to see an episode of DTWOF drawn in a more “traditional” comic book way with crazy, impossible poses and ridiculous anatomy and with the characters commenting on it like in some of the “Behind the Scenes” strips of the past. I mean, can you IMAGINE Mo with a Power Girl-esque boob window on her outfit?!
October 31st, 2007 at 8:06 pm
yes, chriso, so long as her outfit is horizontally striped!!
November 1st, 2007 at 12:16 am
I’ve always liked drawing breasts - I used to draw them all over my notes in high school, and then have to quickly change the drawing to be something else. I always knew what the drawings really were, though. Now you know what a perv I was (am).
Christine, maybe you just need to try to put yourself back in high school headspace, if you want to try drawing them.
Ginjoint, I hope you recover quickly. I’ve had surgery on my shoulder - I know it’s nowhere near as extreme, but I also had a lot of stitches and torn muscle. I’ve learned a trick - if you have to cough sitting up, wrap your arms around your lower torso to steady yourself. I don’t know if it’s strictly imaginary, but it seems to help stop the sore muscles from pulling so hard.
And Paige is not only cute, she’s really nice - always a good point. I like her breasts, too - the ones she draws, of course. ;-D
November 1st, 2007 at 10:53 pm
OMG you were in Columbus!!!
I lived in Columbus for 9 years before moving to Houston to be with my girlfriend. I get so homesick for Columbus. It’s very beautiful there this time of year, but the next six months aren’t so hot.
Any chance you’ll be making an appearance in Houston? Ira Glass of This American Life will be January 12, 2008. For a southern town there are some progressive pockets here and there.