Category Archives: Illustration

November 10, 2025 · 2:30 pm

Dalton Webb (1972-2025) cartoonist and illustrator

Dalton Webb

It’s the hardest obit to ever write, that of someone you’ve known for more years than you care to count, a beloved kindred spirit, my friend in life and forever, Dalton Webb. There’s a whole other world out there beyond social media and the internet that we touch, feel and experience. Not so long ago, we used to be in that world so much more than we seem to be now. Go further back, and the world becomes more and more real. In our youth, or relative youth, Dalton and I navigated a more real world. Yeah, I think it’s safe to say that. I was the older guy, by a decade or so, but, whatever. Our paths crossed, and once they did, we became fast friends. Dalton, being younger, perhaps was more prone to want to be a part of whatever the next big thing was at the time. I guess that was mastering that new up-and-coming Adobe graphic design software. We met as students of an illustration class. This, of course, back then, was in-person. There wasn’t any other option back at the start of the 21st century. We were both coming from different backgrounds and circumstances but, at that time, we were both living life by the seat of our pants, hanging on by our fingernails, on budgets so tight it could make your head spin. We got to talking and then more talking. It turned out that we had a lot in common, like an interest in the metaphysical and supernatural. And we were both Texas boys who decided to seek our fame and fortune in what was still then the wild and untamed hipster universe of Seattle, circa 2000, still trembling over what grunge had wrought. I’d originally moved to Seattle back in 1993. Kurt Cobain was still among us. In those years, I’d already lived a lot of life, even leaving Seattle for Spokane for a while. Anyway, we got to chatting and discovered we both were grappling, in very different yet very similar ways, with finding success as artists, or, at the very least, making our lives more artful! We both loved art in all its many forms and we had a keen interest in the comics art form. Lucky for us, Seattle was, and still is, a hotbed of activity for all kinds of creative people: musicians and writers; painters and photographers; and, most definitely, cartoonists.

Wally Mammoth, written by Corey R. Tabor and illustrated by Dalton Webb

The history of comics in Seattle is a whole thing all to itself and I can tell you that Dalton and I found our way into the very thick of it all. We stood our ground, we were part of it all and we evolved. We both created zines, comics, illustrations and did our fair share of networking. Fast forward a couple of decades and we matured as serious contenders. More recently, in more receptive times for both of us, we each got picked up by publishers. Very different books and set of circumstances but we could both say that we’d arrived. I have had a very busy year and I think that partly explains why I’d been so out of the loop with Dalton lately. I am thrilled about the new book (written by Corey. R. Tabor, illustrated by Dalton Webb) that just came out, Wally Mammoth: The Sled Race, published by HarperCollins, and I will provide a full review soon. I knew Dalton for so many years that, when he grew his hair long again, it wasn’t a surprise to me, as it was to newer friends. I’d known him back when it would have been a surprise to suddenly see him with short hair. I knew all sorts of things about him, and he knew all sorts of things about me. The point is that we knew each other well beyond the surface level. Heck, we were roommates for a time. We witnessed countless triumphs and failures between the two of us. So, when I moved away from Seattle a few years ago, it was hard to say goodbye and face the inevitable drifting apart. When I got a phone call from a family friend letting me know that Dalton had passed away, it hit me like a mack truck. What?! Where was this coming from? The last I’d heard about Dalton was from an Instagram post announcing the Wally Mammoth book, part of a new series. I just assumed this was the beginning of some well-earned career milestones. If I kept up with Facebook, which I do not, I would have learned that Dalton had been facing health issues. Sadly, we live in a world where it is assumed that everyone is connected to Facebook. It has been baked-in and there’s no going back, unless we really want to. Well, like a number of people, I don’t subscribe to the Facebook hive mindset and so I guess I miss a few things, but I never imagined Dalton was in such a bad situation. I’m thinking this wasn’t news that he would have readily shared with anyone. But I can only speculate about this most recent period. And it hurts that I somehow fell out of the loop.

illustration by Dalton Webb

Dalton was no hack artist, and neither am I! That distinction goes to the heart of our bond. He truly loved the whole art of problem-solving, the entire process. Yes, amen to that. We were a few years apart in age but essentially coming at things from a Gen X ethos: keep it authentic and don’t take any guff from anyone. Now, Dalton had the gift of gab and he could shop talk with any and all industry folk. I can too but I really do best with intimate and real conversation. And I know Dalton preferred that too, that’s why we got along so well together. Dalton, at the end of the day, genuinely enjoyed talking and sharing. He adored vintage illustration techniques and would pore over a book about a legendary illustrator for hours and then, all inspired, proceed to draw for hours. He loved such illustrator-artists as Walt Kelly, Eric Carle, Carl Barks and Maurice Sendak. Dalton just needed some more time. He was well on his way.

Dalton at an art show we organized.

Dalton was a lot of things: down-to-earth, stubborn, competitive, whimsical, kind, gentle, mysterious, and, did I mention stubborn? Well, let’s see, here’s a story. We, now and then, would do a road trip out to take part in a comics festival with our latest works. There was the time we drove from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C. to take part in an indie comics gathering. We stayed for the after-show dinner with various cartoonists. It was getting late, and it would have been so easy to just stay the night at a hotel, but Dalton was determined to drive back the three hours to Seattle. Against my better judgement, I agreed and hopped into the driver’s seat of my car. We were making steady progress on I-5 when Dalton insisted he wanted to give me a break, let me sleep, as he drove the rest of the way. I didn’t feel especially drowsy but I relented. Once I was riding shotgun, I let myself relax and doze off. No sooner was I in a deep sleep than I was awoken by a police siren and flashing lights. It turned out that Dalton had gotten drowsy and was weaving along as he was driving. By some miracle, the police officer let us go with just a warning! Even when he wasn’t trying, Dalton seemed to always charm his way out of things. I know he’s laughing at this.

Grasshopper by Dalton Webb

Well, as I was saying earlier, Dalton, the younger one of us, was a bit more eager to keep up with the latest trends. I did what suited me but was content to, more or less, miss the boat on some things, like Facebook, which, I love to point out, was originally intended as a way for fraternities to organize keggers. It wasn’t meant to be taken seriously as part of someone’s day-to-day activity but that is what it has become because we just don’t live as much of our lives in the real world as we once did. Anyway, when I got that phone call from a family friend letting me know that Dalton had died, I wasn’t struck with a need to post about it anywhere, let alone Facebook. You know why? Well, I just got a special phone call intended for certain people, right? In the real world, you readily appreciate the chaos and pain in a time of grief. What you do is let family lead the way and just wait. But, once news got out about Dalton’s death, it managed to make its way into the Facebook ecosystem. And, you know, worst things have happened. Dalton loved Facebook and, I imagine, he probably could get a chuckle out of the buzz of activity about him. But, he’s on a higher plane of existence now. And he most likely would get a chuckle over how utterly irrelevant so many things really are. Facebook is what it is. Maybe I’m supposed to embrace it more in the future–or maybe not. Dalton, I’m sure, is laughing his ass off that I’m freaking out over Facebook in the first place and he’d be right. He was, and remains, right about so many things.

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Tagged as comics, Dalton Webb, Entertainment, Illustration, Media, Obituaries, Pop Culture, Publishing

May 21, 2024 · 7:41 am

Mark Twain’s War Prayer, Illustrated by Seymour Chwast book review

Mark Twain’s War Prayer, Illustrated by Seymour Chwast. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books, 2024. 96pp, $22.99.

Guest review by Paul Buhle

The literary-political Establishment fairly well managed, for three or four generations, to hide or to minimize Mark Twain’s later-life antiwar devotions. The beloved writer, considered by readers and critics alike as the creator of the singular US classic, Huckleberry Finn, devoted much of his prose energy in later years to denouncing wars in general and the vastly murderous American assault on the Philippines in particular.

It was no doubt the Vietnam War, with the vast military assault and chemical warfare sidebars against large parts of Southeast Asia, that brought to light Twain’s writings previously considered marginal, old age ramblings. Twain knew what he was writing about, and he knew how to say it in painfully funny ways.

“The War Prayer,” actually written in 1905 but unpublished, remained in family archives after his death in 1910 as dangerous for his literary reputation. It reached readers rather obscurely in 1916, tacked onto another Twain essay, and took on a new relevance when narrated for PBS viewers in 1981. It has emerged repeatedly in short films since then, but most notably as an animated short in 2007, narrated by actor-activist Peter Coyote and starring no one less than the Beat poet and bohemian antiwar champion Lawrence Ferlinghetti, as the war-mongering parson.

Chwast is a fascinating and formidable artist to take on the task of illustration, in what must be regarded as an act of devotion to Twain. A mainstream illustrator publishing in the “slicks” while still in his teens, Chwast did work for the New York Times and Esquire among other places, also creating a plethora of commercial designs from packaging to magazine covers to Broadway show posters. He and a sometime workmate at Esquire, Edward Sorel (himself later a Nation magazine regular) started their own operation, Push Pin Studios, in 1957 along with rising stars Milton Glaser and Robert Ruffins. It would be too much to say that Push Pin transformed exhibit advertising, but not too much to say that together with other artists, this team moved commercial art into new zones, more playful, more interesting than before.

Ever on the progressive side, Chwast took on the present task without adding a single comment of his own. All Twain Text and not so much of that. After an excerpt from the famous caustic essay “The Lowest Animal” (a date of the essay might have been helpful but might artistically intrusive, and anyway remains uncertain even to scholars), we have a hundred pages of quotes running from a few words to a short paragraph.

Chwast has evidently thrown himself into the work with abandon. Early pages look like circus posters, announcing wars proudly like the American war posters of old, with wordless, cartoony facing pages. Later, he passes heavily into pastels, the voice of the prophet (seen bearded) in suggesting what the “voice of the prophet” means for those who pray for military victory.

What follows, for almost the rest of the book, is Chwast’s drawings of war and destruction, predominantly in stark blacks and whites. Then more color pages of war’s victims looking to the heavens, “imploring thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it—for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord. Blast their hopes, blight their lives…” (pp.72-77) and so onward.

This is Twain’s explanation or exploration of religion as basically a cheat, especially Judeo-Christian religion for the reason that he knew it best. A cheat in many things, but above all in the praises of war, the warriors, humanity in war, and so on. We could add, into the endlessly terrifying night of our present world, as a particular kind of Jewish artist might see the misuses of religion now.

This is something new for Twain-illustrated books, despite the many earlier illustrations of his works. We see again, in Twain’s spare prose that no better American writer has ever emerged. A novelist who still makes vaunted modernists like Saul Bellow read like amateurs, and whose caustic attack on falsities finds an equal only in the best moments of Kurt Vonnegut.

Chwast has a past dossier of recaptured and reworked images from a thousand sources that have crossed his eyes. Never has his political energy been on display so clearly and with so much concentrated energy. Mark Twain’s War Prayer is a book horribly relevant, horribly significant in its art and for today’s world.

Paul Buhle

Raheem Nelson interview – iPad Paintings Colleciton

It’s a long way through from The Elm to The Big Apple, and it’s not only the title to a collection of artwork by Raheem Nelson but a landmark in an exciting art career. As a kid, Nelson took a long commute from his home in New Haven, Connecticut, nicknamed, “The Elm City,” to the School of Visual Arts in New York City. In order to save money on the expensive room & board on campus, Nelson had to take a long and arduous commute, leaving him with little room for sleep. But grit and determination have a way of paying off if you’re persistent. Raheem Nelson is such a person. Take a look at his art and you see what he sees: a urban landscape that can, despite the odds and the rough times, sustain a sense of wonder. Yes, wonder. And, I have news for you, style too! You gotta have plenty of style. I don’t care if it involves basic stick figures. If it lacks a sense of purpose, then why bother, right? Nelson has stuck it through and has excelled in carving out a niche for himself as an artist with a specialty for paintings rendered on the iPad. And his work, by the way, definitely has style.

Raheem Nelson is a hard-working artist. He teaches high school, elementary and middle school students, as well as conducts adult workshops. I was introduced to his inspiring iPad Painting workshop through the online courses offered by Arts Alliance of Stratford. Nelson has proven to be a favorite son of the community not only for his teaching but for his vibrant artwork that has lifted up locals. Recently, some of his portraits were turned into a mural to honor the Arts For Labor program for the International Festival of Arts and Ideas.

So, I invite you to check out the video interview. For those who have read this far, let me encourage you now to stick around for a special art demonstration. Nelson provides a wonderful sample here of the insights he has to share from his experience with not only the iPad but also from his background in traditional painting.

Ah, but there’s more. For loyal and curious readers, you have just unlocked one more door to art goodness. Check out Nelson’s website and you’ll find a treasure trove of art print options along with NFT art too. In this interview, Nelson provides in-depth profiles on some of his most popular works being sold as NFTs.

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Filed under Art, Illustration, Interviews, New York City

Tagged as Art, Art Instruction, Connecticut, Entertainment, Interview, iPad, iPad Pro, Media, New York, New York City, NFT, NYC, Painting, Pop Culture, Procreate

April 15, 2022 · 12:08 am

Sarah Firth interview – Eventually Everything Connects

EVENTUALLY EVERYTHING CONNECTS by Sarah Firth

Sarah Firth is one of my favorite creatives. She is a Melbourne based artist who studied visual arts at the Australian National University. In the last decade or so she has earned numerous awards, commissions, residencies and a fellowship. Firth is a creative entrepreneur running a creative services and consultation business offering graphic recording, illustration, animation, film and creative workshops. Her first graphic novel, Eventually Everything Connects, has a publisher, JOAN (Nakkiah Lui with Allen & Unwin), and will launch within a year. More details on that as we get closer to that date. In her new book, Firth explores, as she states, “personal narratives woven together with philosophy, psychology, theory, and criticism. It’s a humorous and idiosyncratic exploration of multiplicity, fragmentation and intertextual play that fits into the autotheory genre.” In this interview, Firth shares a little bit about that upcoming book, the world of graphic recording, and thoughts on the whole creative process, particularly the creation of comics. For one thing, we discuss the amazing Comic Art Workshop residency program. We also discuss the awesome Graphic Storytellers at Work research project. Firth says, “It’s really worth downloading and reading their report. If you want a printed poster contact Gabriel Clarke.”

Sarah Firth, the artist, the person.

So, now I’ve set up for you a little bit about who Sarah Firth is but let me go further in sharing with you about this remarkable talent. I find Firth to be a vibrant artist, unafraid to be silly and to experiment with various media. She mentions in our interview that she began as a sculptor and I’m not surprised. If you take a look at her videos, you get a strong tactile vibe. Firth uses her hands a lot: to mold shapes, to present, to sew, to draw, to perform. And I’m not surprised that such a lively and curious artist gravitated to graphic recording. That is a special discipline that, on the face of it, is essentially documenting some meeting, whether a conference or a workshop, and distilling the essentials from it in concise words and picture. Of course, it’s more than that–as if that wasn’t enough!

Graphic recording can be a vehicle for deep exploration. You can’t just be an artist to do it professionally. And you really can’t just be a writer either. You need both skill sets along with a strong analytical mind, and even sheer guts, to do this at an exceptional level! That said, anyone can do some form of sketchnoting and Firth offers up a free mini-course to help you discover the world of graphic recording.

Graphic recording is just like any other skill, you can do it at your own pace to meet your own needs. You’ll discover that, if you can take notes of any kind and even if you think you can’t, sketchnoting is useful at work and to help you problem-solve just about anything.

Sarah Firth books.

You get good at graphic recording over time as you develop your own style, your own way of problem-solving. I’ve reached a certain level with my own graphic recording and I know I’ll keep getting better at it. Everyone keeps getting better as long as they’re curious.

THINK ON THE PAGE by Sarah Firth

Finally, I’m not surprised that, after years of doing graphic recording, of getting down into the weeds of processing raw information, that Firth has found her way to creating a graphic novel, one that, in a sense, attempts to make sense of it all. Autotheory, as I understand, is using the self in order to understand the world. That’s a lot of what graphic novels are about and I know Sarah Firth is a natural at synthesizing data and explaining the world around her in whatever medium she chooses to use.

I hope you enjoy this video podcast. And, if you get chance, I’d really appreciate a like and even a comment on my YouTube channel. It’s totally free and it helps to keep this whole enterprise moving along. I will continue to provide more of this kind of content, as I juggle various other projects and assignments in the background. I reached a point some time ago where I can only post the content that engages me the most. As always, your support means a lot and is actually part of this whole process, whether you know it or not. It’s so true. Eventually, everything connects!

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Filed under Comics, Graphic Recording, Illustration, Interviews

Tagged as Art, Books, comics, Entertainment, graphic novels, Graphic Recording, Humor, Illustration, Interviews, Media, Pop Culture, Publishing, Sketchnotes

July 18, 2021 · 6:35 pm

Review: ‘Summer Movies: 30 Sun-Drenched Classics’

Summer movies!

There are times when an illustration is most apt. Summer Movies: 30 Sun-Drenched Classics, by John Malahy and Turner Classic Movies, published by Running Press, inspired me to highlight some of my own favorites from this fun and informative book! Among a number of factoid-filled books, this one really stands out for some very specific reasons. This is not just a listing of popular titles. You will actually learn a lot here–about fan favorites and less familiar classics. I’m very impressed with the genuine attention to detail as the author invites the reader to try out some lost gems, like 1928’s Lonesome about a couple of star-crossed lovers who have a dream date at Coney Island and then, by the hard luck of fate, get lost from each and frantically try to reconnect.

Continue reading →

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Tagged as Books, Entertainment, Illustration, Media, Movies, Pop Culture, Publishing, TCM, Turner Classic Movies

June 30, 2021 · 8:40 pm

Interview with Illustrator and Cartoonist John Cei Douglas

Self-portrait of John Cei Douglas

John Cei Douglas is a freelance illustrator based in London who got on my radar with his new book, All the Places in Between, which I recently reviewed. We exchanged some email and arranged to do a conversation. To prepare for it, I read a good bit of the comics that Douglas has done since completing his MA in Illustration from Camberwell College of Arts in 2013–including his Masters thesis, Show Me the Map to Your Heart.

All the Places in Between

One striking thing about the comics and illustration of John Cei Douglas is how fluid and effortless he makes it all look. There’s a certain calm and thoughtful quality to his work that is very appealing. There’s also plenty of action and frenetic energy to be found. It’s all part of a distinctive quirky universe.

The distinctive and quirky universe of John Cei Douglas

Another striking fact to keep in mind is that, even once you reach a point of success in a career in illustration, you can never take anything for granted. That is a point that Douglas can’t stress enough. He is in it for the long term and, from what I see, he’s found a niche from where he can continue to grow and prosper.

English Summer. illustration by John Cei Douglas.

I hope you enjoy this conversation where Douglas provides insights into his creative process. For the creation of his new book, All the Places in Between, Douglas relished in giving himself space to explore where the story was going. There was no set blueprint he was working from and I think readers will appreciate those unexpected twists and turns. As I stated in my review, this is a story as much about evoking a certain feeling as it is anything else–definitely a journey worth taking.

Visit John Cei Douglas at his site here. All the Places in Between is published by Liminal 11.

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Tagged as Art, Books, comics, Entertainment, graphic novels, Humor, Illustration, Illustrators, London, Media, Mini-comics, Pop Culture

January 16, 2021 · 3:50 pm

Drawing: Character Design for Annie

Character design for Annie.

I just thought I’d share a bit on the process of making comics and illustrations, or just art in general. Right now, what’s important is establishing a certain vibe. Annie is the studios and adventurous type. She will greet someone with a question, trying to quickly gauge a person’s goals and motivations.

Interview: Julia Wald and the Art of the Interview

The Suspension of Disbelief by Julia Wald

I ask that you keep going on this journey with me. I have been carving this niche for years and I feel like I’ve got it at quite a cozy level with just the right content and pacing. That said, it’s time for another thoughtful interview. For my video interviews, I add here a few notes and observations. Traditional journalism, like hard news reportage, will take an interview and create a concise summation. Some magazines are known for their long sprawling interviews where everything is transcribed. Of course, we also have a long tradition of various talk show formats, some thoughtful and some that are so casual as to blur right in with a dance segment on Tik Tok. Hey, I have nothing against fun and entertainment and I’ll engage in that when it makes sense. But, for interviews, I take them seriously, prepare for them, take off my Joe Cool hat and don’t engage in any dancing. Although, in a metaphorical sense, a good interview is sort of like a dance. The person conducting the interview leads while the person who is the subject of the interview goes about picking up one cue after another and making something out of it.

A bus driver finds solace through the suspension of disbelief.

Anyway, I say all this because it’s particularly relevant to this interview. Essentially, this is an interview about interviews: how to conduct one, what it means, what you attempt to get out of it. I interviewed Julia Wald about her new book, The Suspension of Disbelief (review), an illustrated collection of interviews she conducted about life and work during Covid-19. In the course of the interview, we ended up talking about what it means when you’re working at a restaurant during a world-wide pandemic and suddenly it’s like all the lights are out and then, just as suddenly, you are out of a job, your source of income. We discuss who might have stepped in to help and who didn’t.

A disadvantaged man finds hope through knowledge.

And, finally, once an artistic and talented person is inspired to create a book about Covid-19, what responsibility, if any, does she have to the vulnerable people she has interviewed? Well, part of the answer goes back to the dance. If the dance partners have established a sense of trust, then there’s a very good chance that something worthwhile will result that everyone can be proud of. We focus in a bit on American journalist Studs Terkel (1912-2008), the icon of what came to be known as “literary journalism.” Terkel was most active from the 1950s to 1990s, creating his seminal collection of interviews, Working, in 1974. He was part of that old-fashioned gumshoe journalist/creative tradition: loyal to his readers and listeners, to his Chicago, and to the art and craft of journalism. Julia says that Terkel inspired her on her Covid-19 project and it shows and, ultimately, it demonstrates that she did right by all who she interviewed. Julia did it the right way, the old-fashioned way that involves hard work and integrity. It’s the best way. And it’s what inspires me to keep going on this journey.

Visit Julia Wald right here.

The Suspension of Disbelief is available at Push/Pull.

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Filed under Comics, COVID-19, Illustration, Interviews

Tagged as Art, Artists, Books, Cartoonists, comics, Comics Journalism, Comix, COVID-19, Entertainment, graphic novels, Illustration, Illustrators, Journalism, Media, Mini-comics, Pop Culture, Publishing, Seattle, Studs Terkel, Writers, Writing

November 11, 2020 · 10:00 pm

Comics Portrait: President-elect Joe Biden by Nick Thorkelson

President-elect Joe Biden

We are entering a new era, even if a certain someone is in denial. Here is a comics portrait by Nick Thorkelson, who is one of the most astute of cartoonists!

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Filed under Comics, Illustration, Joe Biden, Nick Thorkelson, Portraits

Tagged as Art, Artists, Caricature, Cartoonists, Drawing, Election 2020, Entertainment, Humor, Illustration, Illustrators, Joe Biden, Media, Politcs, Political Cartoons, Pop Culture, Portraits, Publishing, Sketch, US Presidents

September 19, 2020 · 1:15 pm

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020)

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

May Ruth Bader Ginsburg continue to guide us through these dark times. Here is an illustration I just did to honor RBG and what she stands for. Yes, this is real. Let’s all get political. Contact your US senator. Vote for Joe Biden and Democrats to the US Senate.

“My Most Fervent Wish Is That I Will Not Be Replaced Until a New President Is Installed.”

–Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Let us do whatever we can to honor her wish.

From The Nation magazine:

“That was not her wish alone. Tens of millions shared it. Now, however, the dread prospect is upon us. If Joe Biden is elected president, and if Democrats take control of the Senate, Trump and McConnell will be delegitimized. And it might just be possible to convince a few Republicans to respect Justice Ginsburg’s fervent wish.”