Tips from a master of the Ninth Art on how to make the VP best of comic storytelling
Links
Webfinds and useful resources elsewhere on the web
WebFind: Closer Than We Think – a tribute to the visionary artist Arthur Radebaugh
Somehow, the amazing work of Arthur Radebaugh, the visionary artist behind the late 1950s and early 60s US newspaper feature “Closer Than We Think!“, surely deserving of collection, has completely passed me by until last week, when I not only… Read More ›
Spot the TARDIS: Police Boxes recreated in “Ghost Monuments” project
Photographer and Doctor Who fan Paul Dykes has started a new photography project he’s calling “Ghost Monuments” – photo composites using a 3D model of a Gilbert MacKenzie Trench police box, rematerialising them in their former locations across London
Why Frank Bellamy was the perfect artist for “Thunderbirds” in TV21
Fred McNamara argues Frank Bellamy’s depiction of “Thunderbirds” remains TV21’s most memorable strip, and with good reason
WebFind: Alice in Wonderland Playing Cards by Jesus Blasco
British comic fans will be familiar with the name Jesus Blasco, an artist whose distinctive style thrilled many on strips such as “The Steel Claw” for Valiant and 2000AD’s “Bill Savage” – but he was a dab hand at lighter… Read More ›
TV Flashback: The White Horses, Tales from Europe and The Singing Ringing Tree
A discussion about the haunting 1957 East German film The Singing Ringing Tree, first broadcast in the UK in the 1960s by the BBC in a serial format, led me back to the BBC’s Tales from Europe shows of the… Read More ›
WebFind: Cold Type: The Years of Paste-Up Graphics, and the short comics career of Derek Duff
If you’re under a certain age, you’d be forgiven for failing to recognise these tools of the trade many veteran comic creators and comics editors used to create their work. Finding an online edition of the Cold Type: The Years… Read More ›
WebFind: Exploring the Barnes Museum of Cinematography, St Ives, Cornwall in the 1970s
The Barnes Collection is a collection of film apparatus and ephemera relating to pioneering Victorian filmmakers from Brighton and Hove. It was purchased by Hove Museum & Art Gallery in 1997 with money from the Headley Trust and the Friends of Hove Museum. The… Read More ›
WebFind: Chet Phillips’ Postcards from Britain – with added monsters!
American illustrator Chet Phillips is the creator of terrific art projects such as Dr Mew, the Monster Zen book, the Steampunk Monkey Colouring Book and the Steampunk Monkey Cigarette Cards – but here at downthetubes I have to say I… Read More ›
WebFind: “Why Are There No Women Cartoonists?” by Cinders McLeod
Cinders McLeod – writer, satirist, artist, doublebassist and creator of the Moneybunnies series, financial literary for kids – drew a cartoon in 1991 in response to the oft-asked question “why are there no women cartoonists?” 20 year later, in 2011,… Read More ›
WebFind: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, illustrated by Salvador Dali
In 1865, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, an Oxford mathematician and Anglican deacon, published Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a story about a little girl who tumbles down a rabbit hole, first introducing the world to Alice and her pseudonymous creator, Lewis Carroll…. Read More ›
WebFind: Typical Errors in English offers a guide to British Comics
Typical Errors in English is a web site and book, a collection of English language mistakes (usually) made by students studying English as a second language, and even by the occasional native speaker – but author and cartoonist Roger Hartopp,… Read More ›
WebFind: The Legendary Daily Express cartoonist Giles at work – in 1945
British Pathé has posted a short film about Carl Giles, one of Britain’s most-loved newspaper cartoonists, at work in 1945. At this point, Giles was working for Express Newspapers, but some of the very best of the cartoons he produced… Read More ›
WebFind: Rub-Down Transfers Revived!
Anyone of a certain age, who probably grew up in the 1960s and 70s any way, will remember Letraset’s “Action Transfers” (and similar products), offering the opportunity to create your own Doctor Who, Joe 90, Star Wars and Tarzan adventures with “rub-down” figures applied to “blank canvas” backgrounds. But until this morning, I had no idea they were still being made.
WebFind: Look and Learn, Treasure illustrations galore from Holloway Fine Art
Quite by chance, I came across the eBay page Holloway Fine Art, which is offering hundreds of artworks from classic annuals, books magazines such as Look and Learn and Treasure, including 1980s Famous Five illustrations by Leslie Branton. Also on… Read More ›
WebFind: Gene Colan: Visions of a Man Without Fear
If you’re a fan of artist Gene Colan like me, then this 48-page exhibition catalogue on offer from the San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum is a bit of a gem. Gene Colan: Visions of a Man Without Fear features high-quality… Read More ›
WebFind: The Man from Earth (and its sequel)
So on a ramble through Amazon, I came across and watched the restored version of the intriguing 2007 film, The Man from Earth. Simply put, it’s a film that centres on “College professors discussing many topics with a colleague who claims… Read More ›
Eagle in the 1980s: The TV ad!
Cartoonist Lew Stringer has come across this advertisement for the launch of the new Eagle comic in 1980s, making the most of the return of Dan Dare and the title’s ambitious photo stories. The ad features Grange Hill actor Vincent… Read More ›
WebFind: Terry Posters, an incredible Czechoslovakian poster site
A project by Prague-based Kino Svetozor, the Terry Posters collection consists of over 20,000 posters from Czechoslovakia between 1930 and 1989, many offered for sale. There’s amazing art represented here by a huge range of influential talents,, including Karel Vaca,… Read More ›
WebFind: L’Inferno, the first full length Italian film, a horror-filled classic released in 1911
My thanks to comic artist Gary Erskine for highlighting the incredible L’Inferno, the first full-length Italian feature film. Some would say it’s the first horror film, although I doubt its makers saw it as that. Released in 1911, it’s loosely adapted… Read More ›