Heinrich Kley: Cartoon Master

Today I'm getting a little fancier and a bit more , dare I say, sophisticated. Today we're looking at the work of Heinrich Kley, German cartoonist extraordinaire.

Heinrich Kley was born in Karlsruhe, Germany on April 15, 1863. He studied in both Karlsruhe and Munich and by the 1880s was known for his paintings. In 1908, he settled in Munich, where he began submitting cartoons to Jugend and Simplicissimus. These two magazines were satirical publications, in the same vein as Britain's Punch.

Kley was one of the most popular contributors to these magazines. His work was very influential, particularly on the Disney studios surprisingly. His satirical renderings of animals such as elephants were very influential in the designs of the characters in The Dance of the Hours from FANTASIA, as well as the elephants of DUMBO. John Canemaker makes a point of this in his commentary on the DUMBO DVD.

He died in Munich on February 8, 1945.

I will be translating from the original German.

From God's Marionette Theater

"All right, you can pack away the king, too, for the time being. At the moment, he isn't bringing in any customers."

Tourist Season

Tango

Turn in Your Gold to the National Bank

Secondhand Shop

At the Border

The Dance Floor

I hope you enjoyed this. There will be more German cartoon treats.

Auf Wiedersehen!

More MAD Treasures

As I promised kiddies, more goodies from the original MADmen.

It is obvious that the MAD employees thought very highly of their boss. Bill Gaines had to have been one of the greatest editors to ever have graced any field of publication. As far back as the late forties and early fifties, the heyday of EC Comics, Bill Gaines let his artists be creative. He never tried to censor them or make them conform to a house style. He let them do their job, the way they wanted it done. That alone earns him my respect.

Okay, the big speech is over. I'll let you guys enjoy the funny pictures. Have fun kids.

I love Jack Davis' use of color here. You can feel the heat of the Moroccan sun. Brilliant.

More MAD goodness to come!!!

Treasures of MAD Trips Long Past

Today kiddies, I bring you treats from "the Usual Gang of Idiots". About a year ago, I picked up the biography of William M. Gaines, the publisher of MAD Magazine. Inside were 16 color illustrations, inspired by the famous trips Bill Gaines would take his employees on. I'm showing you the first 8. The rest will come later.

Have fun.










Until Next Time
Happy Trails

More Frazetta For Your Blog!!

Hello folks. Sorry I haven't updated for awhile. I've been trying to write something inspiring, but it's not coming to me. So here are more luscious works of art for you to salivate over, straight from the Lord himself. Enjoy.

Until Next Time

Sleepwalking Ducks: Society's Greatest Threat

Today we dive back into the world of Disney, particularly into the life of the perennially unlucky superstar, Donald Duck. This time he's sleepwalking, all the while his nephews have to deal with the aftermath.

The artist this time is Riley Thompson (10/5/1912 - 01/26/1960). Born in Alhambra, California, he started as an animator at the Leon Schlesinger studio, working on Porky Pig and Merrie Melodies shorts. In 1936, he went to the Walt Disney Studios to work as an animator on various shorts and on Fantasia.

In 1940, he was promoted to director and for the next 10 years, he directed various Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy cartoons. His filmography includes one of my favorite Mickey cartoons, Symphony Hour.

During the fifties, he did a lot of comic book work, mostly for Disney and Walter Lantz titles. For a short time, he was an animator for the Walter Lantz studio. That was his final job for animation, as he died in 1960 for reasons that I don't know.

Thompson has a very interesting drawing style. It's much cartoonier than his colleagues, and more or reflects the squash and stretch effect of animation. I will have more of his work up soon. Enjoy.

From WDC&S Issue No. 123

Writing: Unknown /Art: Riley Thompson

Until Next Time
Happy Trails

T.S. Sullivant: Granddaddy of Cartoonists

Today kiddies, I bring to you the work of a master cartoonist. It's T.S. Sullivant. There's not much I can say about him that has already been said. He was a highly popular and influential cartoonist in the early years of the 20th century. His influence can be felt in many cartoons, particularly those of the Disney studio.

Here are some samples of his work, done for Judge in the early 1920s. I got these from a book called Cartoons of the Roaring Twenties by R.C. Harvey.

Enjoy.











Until Next Time
Happy Trails

Louis Marak and Great American Wit

Here today, I bring to you the artwork of a unknown cartoonist. His name is Louis Marak.

I tried looking up who he was. The closest I got was a ceramics professor at Humboldt University. If anybody has any information on this guy, please let me know.

I love his artwork. He seems to draw in a Paul Coker-like style. That seemed to have been pretty popular style in the 1960s and 70s.

*Update: I have just received word that the artist in question is Louis B. Marak, a successful Hallmarks and studio artist. He is a cousin of the ceramics professor, who is named Louis B. Marak. Please thank Barton, Marak's stepson, for sharing this information. He also says that Mr. Marak is alive and still creating art. Tell him thanks from us.

Enjoy.

This is my favorite. This is a good way to design more realistic human characters. I would see an animated if the characters were this appealing.

Until Next Time

Happy Trails