Dean Yeagle. Probably the nicest guy in the business. I consider myself quite lucky to have him as a friend. AND I HATE HIM!!! Let me explain why and maybe you’ll hate him, too. I don’t think that there is an artist alive that knows Yeagle’s work and isn’t insanely jealous of the how good Dean can draw to the point of hating him. I’m just the only guy that is publicly admiting it. Yes, it’s a sad commentary on the human condition, blah, blah, but look at the evidence below and tell me if you, too, aren’t disgusted by the fact that Dean has more talent in his little finger than most artists, certainly myself, have in their whole being!

Below is the cover of his latest “sketchbook”, but Dean ain’t content to merely have sketches that show everybody else up, he has to have the sketches tell endearing, fun little stories, too. What a jerk! The story with the frog and the other one with the dinosaur are especailly hate worthy.

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Below is a piece of unpublished art that Dean gave me for my next my next book, Clean Cartoonists’ Dirty Drawings and a shot of what Dean’s spread in the book is gonna look like. I’m quite afraid that Dean is gonna make the other 68 artists in the book look real bad. And if that wasn’t enough, Dean “kindly” did the cover of the limited edition of Clean Cartoonists’ Dirty Drawings me and the the Last Gasp Publisher is gonna issue. If Dean thinks by giving me all this help on Clean Cartoonists Dirty Drawings and doing the carticatures of Reamer Keller and Kremos for Arf Museum and Arf Forum are gonna change my feelings about him, well, he’s wrong. Geez, I hold him in such contempt. No, really.

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Don’t be a lover, be a Dean hater and if the above art wasn’t enough to make you angry-as-hell-and-not-want-to-take-it-anymore then get in touch with your anger by going to Yeagle’s websites http://gallery.bellefree.com/dabeagle and http://cagedbeagle.com

One of my very fave things about the Comic Con is the sketch books for sale. A lot of people from the animation community self-publish their own sketch books each year and sell them at their own tables or through Bud Plant or Stuart Ng at the con. I wish more comic book, comic strip and alternative cartoonists would do the same. Below’s the best IMHO from the animators at this years show. Tomorrow I’ll highlight Dean Yeagle’s incredible offering which has gone way beyond what a sketchbook is and deserves its own spotlight. But, for now, the top five sketch books and a sample page from each from the comics con…

#5) Robh Ruppel www.broadviewgraphics.com www.broadviewgraphics.blogspot.com

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#4) Seth Reek www.sethreek.com

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#3) Forrest Card www.forrestcard.com forrestcard.blogspot.com

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#2) Chris Sanders www.chrisandersart.com

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And coming in at #1— Alberto Ruiz! www.brandstudio.com processjunkie.blogspot.com

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John Martz is, with his buddies, behind every illustrator and art director’s favorite website, drawn.ca. And that makes John one of the most powerful dudes in the Known Universe. Thankfully he’s a also heck of a nice guy. And-who knew-himself every bit as talented as the artists he daily showcases. Arf interviewed him from his Canadian studio…

1. You highlight so many artists each day on drawn.ca but tell us about yourself including something people would be surprised about.

I think a lot of people would be surprised to know that as the editor of a blog devoted to illustration and cartooning, I’ve only been working full-time as an illustrator for about 7 months. I had been moonlighting for years, with a design and motion graphics day job, but only recently took the plunge into full-time cartooning. Turns out the best thing to come out of the website was my own renewed passion to draw funny pictures for a living. (Some of John’s funny pics illustrate this interview but do yourself a favor and see more here).

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2. What dead artists inspire you and why?

I find dead artists don’t draw as well as they did when they were alive. That being said, a few of my biggest influences that are no longer with us are Charles Schulz, Jim Henson, and Chuck Jones. All three had this uncanny ability to find the perfect balance between extreme silliness and real, honest emotion and warmth. Case studies: a) Schulz: Charlie Brown aside, any Peanuts strip with Rerun. b) Jones: “Feed the Kitty” c) Henson: umm… everything?

3. Oh, boy, I get to name drop. I got to work on projects with Schulz and Jones and worked for Jim Henson. I certainly agree they were geniuses! Favorite Frazetta painting and why?

You know the one with the shirtless warrior standing beside the big-breasted woman and the wild tigers? That one.

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4. Something most people don’t know about me: I modeled for that Frazetta painting! The shirtless warrior that is. John, what should we look for our your new personal illustration site and your blog?

Well, on my illustration site, you’ll find a growing portfolio of my work, and on my personal blog you can find sketches, comics, and other fun things like Cinema Toast, a feature in which I review every movie I watch in rhyming verse. Example:

“V for Vendetta
Coulda been betta”

Genius, I know!

5. Really dig your new comic for the “Syncopated” book about your Grandmother’s life back in 1929. What was the process like and what was it like emotionally to produce that?

I’m glad you like it. I’m currently reworking the script and the format to make it into something longer. All of the content stems from an audio recording of an interview I conducted with her while I was about fifteen. Listening to it, and researching old family photos and newspaper articles has helped me realize what an important role my grandmother played in my life, especially how she fostered creativity and encouraged me to be an artist. There’s also a lot of emotional guilt and pressure involved to not do a half-assed job!

Sounds like a great graphic novel in the making! Good luck with that, John!

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Happy birthday, Matt!

Every arist in the world now has a blog since David Cowles finally came on board. http://cowlesworld.blogspot. David is the amazing caricaturist that you see in Entertainment Weekly and in many other publications—including Arf! David did the much commented on caricature of Jack Kirby for the first Arf volume, Modern Arf and R. F. Outcault for the second Arf volume, Arf Museum. And wait till you see who he did for Arf III, Arf Forum! You’ll never guess! On the first day of blogging David posted this caricature he did of the Office cast. Did you know that Jenna Fischer that plays Pam Beesley, according to the wonderful Mike Lynch on HIS blog, is rumored to be a "closet cartoonist"?

The Office

Jack Kirby

One of the nicest things about working on the Arf books has been the pleasure of working with Eric Reynolds, publicity pimp for Fantagraphics. Eric is one of the nicest guys in comics. I was happy to open American Way last week on my flight back from Jamaica and discover that Eric got some publicity of his own for his cool art he’s selling on Comic Art Collective.

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Today’s sketch week drawings feature Robin Mitchell.

Today’s sketch week drawings feature Bruce Timm.

Todays sketch week drawings feature more of Gary Ham.

Today’s sketch week drawings feature Craig Elliot.