More art for SICK

Here is a story I did on odd musical groups. Actually the names are not that far off from reality, in fact, some band names are much weirder than what I have come up with.





This art was drawn on a special surface, Craftint Duotone illustration board, which enabled me to create two different gray tones by washing a special fluid over certain areas. I'm not sure if this illustration board is still available today but it was used by many artists in the 1950's and 60's. I remember Will Elder and Wally Wood of Mad fame using this special surface frequently.

Cartoons for SICK Magazine

I was working at Al Hutt Studios in the late 1960's and also was taking a printmaking course at my former art school, the Society of Arts and Crafts. Sarkis Sarkisian, my painting instructor was now head of the school and asked if I'd be willing to teach and be the head of the Advertising Department. The idea intrigued me and I accepted his offer. I taught full time and the schedule only conflicted once in four years with my ad work. Most of the advertising assignments came in late in the day.
One of my students was the very talented cartoonist Bob Taylor. You'll remember Bob as B. K. Taylor, creator of The Appletons and Timberland Tales from National Lampoon magazine. Well, one day Bob came in to class and told me that he had submitted a cover to Sick magazine and they bought it. Joe Simon, who with Jack Kirby had created Captain America, was the editor of Sick. When I was a kid an artist friend of mine, Herb Schiebold and I went to New York and visited Simon and Kirby, they were our heros. Herb and I always wanted to become comic book artists.
Below is one of Bob's Sick covers, it's the March 1967 issue.


I decided to submit some ideas to Sick and we both began doing a lot of art for the magazine. I worked under the name " The Professor". During this period I also sold a few ideas, not art, to Mad magazine.








It was a fun period in my career as I finally realized my dream of becoming a comic book artist. Above is President Lyndon Johnson. This was in the middle of the Vietnam war.


More Sick art on the next post.

Working at other art studios in Detroit

After I left Allied Artists in 1951 I started working at Grey Garfield Lange, an older established Detroit art studio. It was formerly Grey Garfield LaDriere. I used to go through their old files when I wasn't busy and I found work that John Gannam, Austin Briggs and Jon Witcomb had done while working there in the 1930s. Many illustrators had come through Detroit before ending up in New York City. Detroit was a gigantic market for artists for many years because of the automotive industry. During my stay in Detroit Bernie Fuchs, Robert Heindel, Mark English, Dick Palulian, and Don Silverstein all worked there before moving to the Big Apple.


Here are the artists and salesmen that I worked with at Gray, Garfield & Lange. I'm in the upper left hand corner standing next to my first wife Marilyn. I can't remember the next gentleman, I recall that he was a salesman. The fourth fellow is Al Phelps, he was a lettering man and later became an art director at McManus, John and Adams working on the Pontiac account I believe. The fifth fellow was Hugh Monahan, a keyliner. I don't remember who the sixth one is. In the lower group is Don DeLaura, studio manager, Max Kanous, photo retoucher and Morey Stafford, cartoonist and illustrator.
One of the major jobs that I did while working there was the 1952 Annual Report cover for General Motors, unfortunately I don't have a copy of that to post. My stay at GGL was pretty interesting and I did a lot of work, but decided to leave and work with my old buddy Cliff Roberts at Jose Cavillo Studios. That only lasted a few months and I decided to work for McNamara Bothers which was becoming one of Detroit's major commercial art studios.. I was hired as a head graphic designer and would also be doing illustrations as well.


Here I am at my drawing board at McNamara's doing some comp renderings for automotive catalog presentations. McNamara Studios was a very busy place, I remember one weekend I designed five automotive catalogs, not much sleep in those days ! As well as design work I did quite a bit of automotive art and and also painted backgrounds. Dave Lindsay was their top automotive artist and we worked as a team on many projects.





I did a series of ads for Kelsey Hayes, I think the art director was Curley Campbell.



This is a Dodge Christmas card that I did in 1953.


A announcement mailing about Dave and I joining MDM Studios in 1955

In 1955 Dave and I were approached by MDM Studios and were offered partnerships. We decided to leave McNamara's and joined MDM. We were extremely busy there and after a year of working day and night at the drawing board I was totally burned out and decided to leave the art studio business forever. That's when I approached Jim Hastings at Campbell Ewald about a job as art director. Jim knew of my automotive related experience as a catalog designer and illustrator. Through a lucky fluke I was hired as the head art director on Chevrolet sales promotion. The former Art director had done something which got him fired and I happened to be there at the right place at the right time. I have been very fortunate to have had many lucky breaks in this business.

Painting for Ford Times was great exposure

Through the paintings done for Ford Times I was getting a tremendous amount of exposure which resulted in quite a few advertising assignments. Below is the last cover that I painted for the magazine as well as some of my first advertising illustrations.
This experience taught me how important exposure is.


I believe that this is the last painting that I did for Ford Times. It depicts the elephant erosions in the Windows section of Arches National Monument in eastern Utah, a spectacular place to visit.

The ads below were some of the advertising work that was generated through my exposure in Ford Times Magazine. These ads were from McManus, John and Adams and ran in the April and May 1949 issues of Fortune Magazine. If I remember correctly, the art director was Jean Bice.




These were the first national ads that I did, they helped launch my illustration career and led to many other interesting assignments.

Florida was fun

Lots of great looking Corvairs were to be seen. I also met a writer that I worked with at Campbell Ewald, Fenton Ludke. Fenton and I worked as a special team called PLUS ONE. We came up with new ideas for Chevrolet ad campaigns and were in direct competition with the regular Chevrolet group. I worked with Fenton for about a year before I left the agency to start my freelance career. Campbell Ewald immediately rehired me to work on a very secret project, the announcement ads for the Corvair.






A military vehicle that I think had a Corvair engine.


Treaty Oak in Jessie Ball DuPont Park in Jacksonville and is estimated to be 250 years old.


Gloria and I took a trip to St. Augustine, a very interesting place.


Lots of old buildings and shops to browse in. It was quite hot and we were worn out in a short time, it's best to tackle this in the winter. That's Gloria walking by a very old school building.

Back Home !

Gloria and I attended the 50th anniversary Corvair convention in Jacksonville , Florida. I was invited because I did the original 1959 announcement ads as well as designed a medallion commemorating the event. These ads not only announced the Corvair but also launched my career as a freelance artist. That was 50 years ago !!!
The above photo was taken when we took a dinner river cruise, we are just approaching downtown Jacksonville at nightfall.


Here's Chevrolet Historian Dave Newell holding the box and certificate for the commemorative Corvair coin.


There were many Corvairs at the convention, it was great to see them. The design really holds up well.




The owners have kept the cars in excellent shape, most look brand new.




Here are a couple of the announcement teaser ads that I designed and did the artwork for. The assignment was a great way for me to begin my new career.

Laura

The cat world is part of my world

Gloria and I are at the Corvair convention in Jacksonville, Florida.


Here's a photo of Tiff relaxing.


Laura, my oldest cat friend.


Jpeg, a very funny member of the family.


Jpeg as art critic.


Laura knocked out by one of my paintings.

50th Anniversary of the Corvair !

I worked at Campbell Ewald in Detroit on the Chevrolet account for a few years starting in 1956, first as head art director on Chevrolet sales promotion, then on the national magazine ads. After that I was working with Fenton Ludtke in a special group called PLUS ONE. We were in direct competition with the regular Chevrolet group and were encouraged to come up with wild ideas.That lasted about a year for me. Jim Hastings was moving up and offered me his job as creative director. I decided against it as I wanted to pursue an illustration career and I quit the agency. I was also weary of agency politics. Upon quiting, I was immediately rehired to work on a very secret project, the Corvair announcement ads. Hastings set me up in an office in the GM Building near Campbell Ewald, my first job as a freelancer. Because of my involvement with these Corvair announcement ads I was invited to come down to Jacksonville, Florida for the CORSA's 50th anniversary bash. I'll be meeting my old friend Fenton Ludtke as he was also invited. Should be fun.



Dave Newell, Chevrolet historian, asked me if I would design an anniversary medallion, which is shown above.



These are the announcement ads that I designed for the Corvair. I decided to use a strong decorative cartoon approach which Chevrolet approved.

More of my work for Ford Times

The Garden of the Gods in Colorado.


A more graphic approach was used in this rendition of the Kentucky Dam.


Another stylistic interpretation of Kentucky Lake.


This double spread painting was done for Ford Truck Times. I did work for Lincoln Mercury Times as well. These paintings were all done between advertising assignments.


A painting of a rodeo in Carson City, Nevada.



This is a photograph that I took from a lookout tower in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. The art director of Ford Times, Arthur Lougee, wanted me to do a painting using the photo as a guide. I tried and tried, but just couldn't make it work, so he decided to use the photo for the cover.


A cover painting for Ford Times, it's a view of Jackson, Wyoming.