Salty 'Ham Slam 3 - On Reflection

Our third get-together was a great time! We had several new and highly talented attendees. I brought a camera, but forgot to take any pictures. Darn it.

Let's see, there was James Hislope, Frank Cummings, Garth Potts, Tim Rocks, and myself, Chris Garrison. And guests Tim Spinosi and Paul Godbey. And later, there was -- Well, it's a funny story:

It came up in conversation that Nolen Otts (great local artist whom I've been courting for SHC this whole time) had died! I was shocked and dismayed; Nolen's a great guy, and I'd been worried about him . . . and now this. Ugh.

But as we continued to talk, it became clear that the reports of his passing were greatly exaggerated. The story was two years old, and I'd been in touch with him in the last month, so . . . Was this some awful rumor, or what?

Then, at about 4:30, the meeting broke up, and most of the guys left. As I was walking out, straggling behind as Tim Rocks helped me schlep the leftover snacks, Nolen showed up! He had returned triumphantly from the grave, newly engaged and looking in great shape. Unfortunately, he'd missed the festivities. But he vowed to make a better go of it for our next meeting.

From 2:00 to 3:00, we put some art out on the table that we could all look at, and just talked about stuff in general. At about 3:00, I talked about the issues facing the group, and everybody gave good input. I'll fill you in on this in an upcoming newsletter email.

I asked everybody to draw in my sketchbook. Frank Cummings created this smarmy fellow with our favorite brush pen:


James Hi-slope did this (autobiographical?) doodle:


Actually, I guess it's the guy from Blackout Drunk, but it sorta favors James, too.

Tim Spinosi drew this frazzled little man:


I gotta get that guy to send me some jpegs, so I can finally add a page on the SHC site for him.

And we passed around this goofy little comic jam:


Panel 1 by Chris Garrison; panel 2 by Tim Spinosi; panel 3 by James Hislope; panel 4 by Frank Cummings, who thought he'd completely derailed the storyline with his bizarre goo-goo man. But then we have panel 5 by Tim Rocks; and panel 6 by me, Chris Garrison. We rescued the plot, and now it makes perfect sense! . . . but not really.

People ate cookies and candy, and fun was had. So join us, won't you, for the NEXT Salty 'Ham Slam! (as yet unscheduled)

You can look back at previous slams, here: Slam 1, Slam 2

Stephen Smith at Artwalk

Our fellow SHC Stephen Smith will be at Birmingham Artwalk tonight and tomorrow, at

Brantley Visioneering
2401 2nd Ave N


Check out this painting from Stephen!:

Green Lantern Oil on Canvas 16" x 20"

Plus One

Yet another new cartooneesta! The multi-talented Jonathan Hooks:

Salty 'Ham Slam - Reminder

GET IN ON THIS!!!

Hey, everybody, don't forget -- Our 3rd Salty 'Ham Slam is scheduled for this Sunday afternoon, from 2 - 5, at the J! Click HERE for more details.

We've got a few new members who I'm hoping will make it, and a few old ones who I know want to come for the first time. And a few regulars I expect we can count on. So it should be a good turnout. But only if YOU arrive with bells on.

Read about the fun we had at SLAM 1 and SLAM 2, then imagine that only better! There will be handshaking, camaraderie, serious discussion, fun doodling, bowls of hot fudge*, rabid armadillos**, and naked Brazilians***! So,

GET IN ON THIS!!!

* not guaranteed
** at participating Salty 'Ham Slams only
*** chance of 1 in 427,962,803

Long Time Cummings

Finally! I've been meaning to nab Frank Cummings since I started Salty 'Ham Cartooneestas. I knew he had had something to do with JAB Magazine back in the day . . . and he had done some beautiful maps like this for University Graphics / Creative Concepts in the days before I started, and was very highly spoken of . . . and that he was now working on Blondie. But I didn't have a contact for him. I planned to hunt him down, but just couldn't get around to it, what with all the other cartooneestas I was turning up. But then I stumbled over Frank on facebook. So, without further introduction: Frank Cummings!

Near Miss

A few weeks back, I finally got in touch with Scott Stantis, editorial cartoonist for the Birmingham News and creator of Prickly City. He said he'd be happy to join SHC, so I was happy to be signing such an esteemed new recruit.

But then, after working here for nearly 13 years, he got a job at the Chicago Tribune! So he let me know, since he's moving away, that he wouldn't be signing on as a Salty 'Ham after all. I said he could become an Honorary Ex-Pat, like Mark Martin and Howard Cruse, but I haven't heard back. I can understand, because he wasn't from here originally. So it's sort of like he was just passing through.

So, goodbye, Scott! It was nice almost knowing you! And of course you'll always be welcome to join Salty 'Ham Cartooneestas.

Here's Scott Stantis' blog at al.com. And here's a nice collection of some of his best editorial cartoons throughout his stay. And don't forget to visit Prickly City.



Now who's going to fill the void? I've heard the paper will be looking for someone new, so . . . are there any applicants among you?

Here's Two More!

Talent just keeps bubbling up from between these Appalachian foothills, like black gold. Texas tea. Except in Alabama. And not tea, but talent.

Check out these 2 new cartooneestas --

Lorenzo Kirkpatrick:

and Richard Haigler:

Animation at Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival

Not exactly Cartooneesta-related, but....
Come and see the world premiere our short film SUNDAY playing at the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival! It is an experimental hybrid of live action and stop motion animation, and will be screened alongside other local shorts.

Saturday • Sept. 26 • 9pm • Alabama Power Theatre

Buy tickets at the Alabama Theater and then walk directly over to the Alabama Power Theatre [600 18th Street North]. Seating will be limited so please arrive a little early. Hope to see you there!

http://www.sidewalkfest.com/pages/schedule-grid.php

SUNDAY Trailer from ratigan on Vimeo.

Shameless self-promotion, I know, but these things can make you smarter.

World-Wide Attention for Tim Hollis' Museum

Remember how Fox 6 recently ran that story about the museum in back of the house of our fellow SHC Tim Hollis? (blog post HERE) Well, it got picked up by my favorite source for animation news and cartoon rarities: Cartoon Brew! See their blog post HERE.

People are now watching Tim talk about a Yogi Bear combination shampoo bottle and bank, from every corner of the planet earth.

possible cartoon map work?

Hey, all. I heard from our fellow SHC Joe Attaway yesterday that there may be a good deal of cartoon map work available. This is not through the group that I was doing so many maps for (see my map blog), but through somebody else.

I told Joe about a couple of cartooneestas who I thought might be interested, and I guess he'll contact them. But in case they're not available, perhaps you'd like to throw your hat into the ring. If so, contact Joe through his email address at the bottom of THIS PAGE!

To see a huge map Joe drew, which I then did the coloring and signs on, click HERE.

Tim Hollis on TV

As you may know, our fellow SHC Tim Hollis has a museum of vintage cartoon memorabilia attached to his house.

Last night, there was a story about it on WBRC, as part of Janet Hall's Every Now and Then series. For those of us who haven't visited yet, it seems to paint a good portrait of Tim and all his stuff. Watch the story HERE, (after a 15-second commercial).

More forgeries

This time I mined the rich field of chipiana.

favorite old comics moments

Ah, those were the days! Here's one of my favorite moments from the old Batman comic. There was just something about the "golden age" that we moderns lack. Well, what can you do. Anyway, I thought I'd share this since many people skip ahead directly to the Frank Miller/Jim Lee version, and forget all the history that came before...

productive week being non-productive

every week on brian bendis' jinxworld forums, there is a weekly art challenge. usually it's something like draw batman from the neck up or something simple...

this week: create a criterion collection dvd cover for a non-criterion movie. i have had an absolute blast making these things.

click for larger size:

SHC Newsletter 002 / ballot

I just emailed all SHC members with a newsletter / voting ballot. You vote by emailing back yeas or nays on 8 questions in that email. If anybody didn't receive the email, check your spam filter. If need be, email me, and I'll resend. cgarrison[at]bham.rr.com

New Don Stewart web site

A bit of news from our fellow SHC Don Stewart:

I wanted to let you know about my new & improved web site, still www.DSArt.com. It comes complete with a new Blog,
http://newdsart.blogspot.com.

Check frequently for fast-breaking news and human interest stories (hey, they interest me, and I’m often in a human mood) - not the least of which will be an announcement of my 50th birthday party near the end of the month. (Cheap cake, flat soda, and great deals on art.)

Salty 'Ham Slam 3 - planning stage

Hey all. I've booked the J for the next slam, on Sunday, September 13th, 2009, from 2 - 5. So mark your calendars now! More info HERE.

drawings added

I just went back and added some of the artwork that was created during the 2nd Salty 'Ham Slam to the post-slam post. So scroll down 2 posts and look at it!

Nincy

Salty 'Ham Slam 2 - On Reflection

Our second meeting had a lower turnout, perhaps because of scattered showers (?). Several people who I hoped to see did not show; hopefully they'll come to future meetings.

We had a great time, though. Present were Chris Fason, Garth Potts, Kirk Creel, Tim Rocks, Chris Rosko, Sam McDavid, and myself. (And guest Paul Godbey.)

The meeting benefitted, in my opinion, from some purposefully imposed structure. From 2:00 to 3:00, we put some art out on the table that we could all look at, and just talked about stuff in general.

At 3:00, I talked about issues facing the group, and everybody gave good input. We're going to let all members vote on what directions SHC will take, so watch for upcoming emails about that.

Next, we started drawing. (Here's what Brian Ratigan drew in my sketchbook, when I ran into him a few days before the slam -- )



I asked everybody to draw in my sketchbook. We'd been talking about Free Comic Book Day, so I guess that's what inspired the following sketch by Tim Rocks. Tim, does this refer to the free comics of our youth, like the ones that advertised Captain D's, or Radio Shack's Tandy TRS-80 computer?



Chris Fason drew this very Fasonesque bear in briefs:



Kirk Creel doodled this dog with delightfully human feet. This poor animal is definitely no longer enthused about life:



Chris Rosko drew this roller-skating alien (or is he a Lovecraftian ancient god? Could be Cthulhu's cousin Kevin.) I subsequently colored him in PhotoShop:



Here's an exquisite corpse we did. 4 artists each drew one quadrant, without the benefit of being able to see the other quadrants. All you have to go on is the ends of the lines sticking into your part of the page, so that the stuff will connect.


Chris Garrison (that's me) drew the snake section; Sam McDavid drew the tongue portion; Chris Rosko created the quarter with the Gnuh!; and Chris Fason did the bubble-blowing mice.


Here's an odd collaborative effort:


Errant head by Fason; dog by me; creature by Rosko; Twinkies by Rocks; pterodactyl (?) by McDavid, maybe?


Here's a wacky comic jam:


Panel one by Chris Garrison; panel 2 was drawn by Chris Fason, but he didn't have a caption, so Sam McDavid wrote one for him; Tim Rocks drew the shocking panel three, which we all had to admit, after panel 2, made perfect sense; Chris Rosko drew panel 4; Kirk Creel did panel 5; and I returned to finish the jam with the 6th panel.


And here's another delightful comic jam:

Chris Garrison started this one with panel 1; Kirk Creel drew out the suspense with panel 2; and Sam McDavid drew the hilarious third panel. The jam was then passed to Chris Rosko, who said that panel three should be the ending. Everyone agreed, so Rosko wrote "The End" on there.

People ate cookies and candy, and fun was had. I think Salty 'Ham Cartooneestas has transitioned from what I've been calling "an online list of / gallery for cartoonists" into "a cartoonists' club with a web site." That might sound like a subtle distinction, but I think it's a big deal.

color sketch

A few weeks back, I attended a concert benefiting musician Russ Rosser, in downtown B'ham. He's a brilliant talent, and he's suffered a terrible injury to his hand. If you have anything to give, please visit the link above.

The show started early, and the sun was just beginning to set. Behind the stage, I could see through a black-barred window to where glowing, peach clouds lit up the hazy gray sky. In the foreground, a lavender curtain and honey-colored wall were illuminated by spotlights. The combination of colors struck me as remarkable, so I made this quick note of it in PhotoShop after I got home.

Salty 'Ham Slam Reminder

Hey, everybody! Don't forget about this Sunday's highly anticipated get-together of the Salty 'Ham Cartooneestas! It's on August 2nd, at the J again, from 2 - 5. Expect to see a few new faces, a few old faces, and a few weird faces. For details (and more of my thoughts on the event), check the Slam section of the SHC page, HERE.


I hope to see you all there!

tidbits

A couple of things came in, that I've been lax in passing on. So here they finally are . . .

Don Stewart let me know about this weird job notice on the Federal Business Opportunities web site:

The purpose of this announcement is to seek qualified contractors with the capability to provide presentations for The Department of Treasury, Bureau of the Public Debt (BPD), Management Meeting with experience in meeting the objectives as described herein.

The Contractor shall conduct two, 3-hour, Humor in the Workplace programs that will discuss the power of humor in the workplace, the close relationship between humor and stress, and why humor is one of the most important ways that we communicate in business and office life. Participants shall experience demonstrations of cartoons being created on the spot. The contractor shall have the ability to create cartoons on the spot about BPD jobs. The presenter shall refrain from using any foul language during the presentation. This is a business environment and we need the presenter to address a business audience.

Sounds to me like they're in danger of turning up a lot of real live Michael Scott's! Whoever gets it will have to make their presentations in Washington, D.C., and in West Virginia. Here's the entire job offer.

==

Kirk Creel let me know that the Shelby County Arts Council announced its 1st Annual Juried Art Exhibition, which will start on September 3rd. If you want to submit, you have to get your painting, 2D mixed media work, or photography to them between August 10th and 13th. There's a $35 entry fee, which gives you membership and eligibility to put work up in their online gallery, which is coming soon. And you might win cash prizes or other stuff.

Here's the application, in pdf form. For more info, email susan[at]shelbycountyartscouncil.com, with subject: CALL FOR ART. Or call (205) 669-0044.

Ptooey and Loogie - The Mommy of All Hiccups

As I told y'all before, my college chum Cheese Hasselberger publishes House of Twelve comics. He said I could contribute something to their upcoming kids' anthology, so I started work on a 4-page Ptooey and Loogie story. And now I'm finally done!





I said before that I might change the gags in the first half of page 2, and now you can see that I did (just compare this to the rough pencil version).

So, what do y'all think? Constructive criticism is welcome.

I just did it again...

I thought I was posting to my blog jabberous...

Oh well, I'll leave them here. Chris, delete them if they are "hogging the blog"!