RIP Stan Lee (1922 – 2018)

In my eyes there have been three figures whom I have long admired that during the past 100 years (I believe) transformed a creative industry, raised a standard and cultivated talent that have produced iconic figures that will forever remain in popular culture and the public’s conscious, those names are Walt Disney, Jim Henson and Stan (the man) Lee. Sadly we lost Stan Lee yesterday and although it was inevitable, it’s still a sad fact that from this moment on, we now live in a time in which Stan Lee is referred to in the past tense.  

Yes, opinions differ as to his actual claim of ownership for many of the characters (please don’t bother; I know all the stories) that never really entered into it for me, I didn’t just hold him as just the ‘creator of’, that was Bob Kane’s “shtick” Stan Lee was more than that, Stan lee WAS Marvel comics. He was the kid with ambitions of someday becoming a writer that started out as an assistant at Timely Comics in 1939, whose main duty was making sure the artist’s inkwells were filled but by 1941 was the interim editor (aged only 19) where he continued to climb the ranks as not only a writer but the comic-book division's editor-in-chief, art director and eventually its publisher in 1972. By then he had molded the company into the Marvel Comics we know and love today, establishing a distinctive writing style, for many the very definition of what a comic book is. Even during the later years when he was no longer involved with the comics themselves he was still the figurehead and public face for Marvel be it through numerous comic convention appearances and colleges lectures before moving to California in 1981 to develop Marvel's TV and movie properties assuring continued success for the Marvel heroes for many years to come and it was here that Smiling Stan managed something that no other comic book contributor had; he was no longer just known to comic readers he had made himself a household name, because even if you hadn’t read a Marvel comic in your life you would have seen his name on the credits of something, heard his voice on Spiderman & His Amazing Friends or even (if you were extra geeky) spotted him on the jury in, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk! (But this of course was long before his cameos were a staple of a Marvel movie). The simple fact is, Stan was always there- he was a salesman and loved the attention and so he had a knack of getting his face into everything and this ultimately led to the ill feeling between him and his fellow-creators. A great shame. 

I on the other hand I relished all he did, by the early 90’s I had an after school/summer job at a vintage comic warehouse and so if I wasn’t reading the comics themselves or his Soapbox columns I was reading Wizard Magazine, Comics International, Previews or Duncan McAlpine’s Comic Book PriceGuide for Great Britain so it seemed that not a week would go by without Stan’s name cropping up in something, I even had the pages of How to Draw Comics the "Marvel" Way and Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics practically committed to memory! Then in (I think) around 1995 Stan appeared on Children’s BBC of all places promoting the Spider-man series, as he delivered all the classic lines it struck me, “I want to meet Stan Lee” I, at that point still had a notion that I would be working in comics and it would only be a matter of time before our paths would cross, however the years rolled by and my life took a different route, and it seemed the only opportunity to see him presented to me was in the background of Marvel movies but I was still determined to meet him, more so when a seemingly reputable convention dashed my hopes in 2012 but the ambition was finally realised in 2014 at the London Film& Comic Con in what had been billed as his last ever-European signing appearance. OK, it was a massive event, thousands of people in attendance and so it was a limited ‘meet and greet’ I didn’t get to spend an hour with him, discuss his work and natter about comic book movies, show off my portfolio but I did get to thank him for all that he had done, for always being there, and I got to see that familiar smile and twinkle in the eye in return, in person, an important moment to me.

So long Stan, thanks for everything. Excelsior!

   

© Arfon Jones 2018. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Artistic Influences: Sarah Bailey- Caricaturist

The second edition in a series that explores and acknowledges my artistic influences over the years highlighting those that have played a part in my career, today’s edition Sarah Bailey- caricaturist. I first met Sarah back in 1994 when I was 14 at the Royal Welsh Show (once an annual family trip for us) I saw a large crowd of people, curious as to what was going on I went over to look and there was a woman sitting in a chair drawing caricatures. I was fascinated to see someone drawing people in seconds and being paid for it! This was Sarah, I was enthralled by the speed she worked at and how great the likenesses were. I hung around for a while, trying to pluck up the courage to introduce myself (contrary to popular belief I’m rather shy) and tell her how I too was an inspiring cartoonist. I soon ‘latched on’ to  her and spent the week  standing in the wings and watching her work not only studying how she captured facial details, the materials she used but also her wit and her rapport with the public. She was very patient with this 14 year old lad that loomed over her, asking questions – and when the show was over we kept in touch. After returning home I worked on likenesses and when I went back to school I used my teachers as test subjects (a great tip for any budding cartoonist because teachers think you’re taking notes!) and this is an important point in my career as people’s likenesses continues to be a major factor in my work.  As I left school and enrolled in art college I continued to write to Sarah who in turn continued to guide me, also teaching me of the importance of self promotion. During my college years I worked as a quick fire cartoonist at events and parks and without a doubt it was Sarah’s practices that I errr... ‘Borrowed’.  I’m happy to say that we are still in contact and she’s still creating quality caricatures in her studio but who is she? What’s her story?

Sarah Bailey- Caricaturist, 1994.

As previously stated Sarah is a caricaturist that hails from Coventry who proudly boasts, "Twenty years of caricature and never been sued!" who has long been into drawing in fact she told me that she wasn’t, “long out of diapers” when she started and that it was more of a, “compulsion to draw rather than a simple hobby”.  Her drawing surfaces included standard paper, pavements, walls... anything that happened to be near her crayon! She became particularly interested in faces and all the different expressions, angles, beards, glasses + varying permutations and  would spend many a happy hours doodling people, without them realising in restaurants, shopping precincts,  classrooms (in turn improving  the speed of her drawings, something that would prove to be vital in her profession) and apparently she would get  into trouble when teachers discovered that she had in fact been doodling them instead of writing notes on the Battle of Hastings! She attended a girls school, which was horrible by all accounts as during her final years the art teacher  who had taken a dislike to  her did everything she could to undermine her confidence instead nurturing her talents. Yet despite this she attended Art College in Nuneaton which proved to be great experience for her because they had encouraging lecturers there she told me, “ I didn't shine particularly but I did enjoy learning new skills and trying new mediums  including sculpture, photography, pottery, fashion etc” and once she had acquired a diploma in art she decided to “lay down my drawing tools to expand the mind a little!” and went on to higher education, achieving degrees in English ,drama, psychology and media studies. However the drawing tools didn't lie idle for too long, she  found herself doodling her fellow students and lecturers ( she found it easier to concentrate on a lecture while drawing) “It was like a nervous tic that I couldn't control, Luckily,  my disorder was appreciated by the people around me”.  She did a bit of busking during the holidays, drawing caricatures in Torquay and Stratford then temped for a few months to pay off her college debts before setting herself up as a full time caricaturist in 1990, travelling the country attending the craft fair/agricultural show circuit, drawing quick caricatures from life and offering coloured caricatures through the post from photos before hiring herself out as party entertainment at weddings, barmitzvahs, private parties and corporate events and she’s never looked back.   entertaining guests and providing them with a unique memento of that occasion.

Sarah Bailey- Caricaturist & Arfon Jones- Protégé, 1994.

As mediums changed she has embraced social media and now uses a tablet for creating portraits touring the nation on what she calls, “a one-woman crusade to make people see themselves in a whole new light”

When asked about what she remembered about the time we met back in 1994 she answered, “While I was at a welsh agricultural show I met a cute young kid named Arfon who stood glued  to my side for 4 days chatting and observing me at work. He was bright and entertaining + useful -translating the Welsh heckles into English! I saw in him the same seeds of art enthusiasm that I had had as a youngster- but he had far more talent!” (Her words not mine!) Either way I thank her, for the kind words and inspiration, wisdom and guidance over the years. Be sure to check out her site and see her work for yourself, you can also find her on Facebook and YouTube or better yet hire her for your event! Tell her Arfon sent you!

Sarah's portraits of me over the years. 

© Arfon Jones 2018. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Artistic Influences: Happy Birthday, Garfield

Introduction: Adjusting and rewriting the past

Acknowledging artistic influences is a nice touch to someone’s ‘about’ page however back in 2014 I found myself having to edit mine somewhat when an enduring television personality named on my bio as a creative influence was convicted and imprisoned for sexual offences. As he was led away to begin sentence, his various honors and achievements stripped from him, people started to distance themselves from him and  history was effectively, rewritten.  It was a surreal time for me, because for many years I had regarded this man to be an integral part of my career, he had inspired and steered my life in this direction but now I wasn’t able to look back because most of the past had been wiped away. From now on I was no longer able to give his name when asked, “what made you want to become an artist?” and I was no longer able to recount how important his TV shows and books had been for me, no longer able to say that meeting him had been one of the highlights of my life, his photo was removed from my wall of fame and the paragraph referring to his influence was deleted from my online bio. But he wasn’t the only influence I had, far from it and so I have decided to go back and highlight others that influenced me just as much and played as much a part in my career path.

"Happy 40^th Birthday Garfield!"  I was staggered that on the 19^th of June Garfield celebrated his 40^th Birthday as it seems like only yesterday we celebrated his 10^th! Back then I was a massive Garfield nut and collected all things Garfield related and to this very day I have a lifelong love of Lasagna (a result of trying it after reading about it so often!) But this occasion also marks the 30^th anniversary of one of my Artistic Influences entitled, Happy Birthday, Garfield an hour-long television special devoted to Garfield’s tenth anniversary in 1988 hosted by creator Jim Davis. It was released on VHS in the UK and I received the tape on my ninth Birthday (as seen in the bellow photograph taken of me on my 9th Birthday). The program certainly played a part in my career path as it not only provided an insight into the creation of the character but also took us behind the scenes to meet the people responsible for both the Garfield strips and animated specials. 

This VHS opened my eyes to the world of comic strips and animation, a profession I aspired to be a part of when I grew up. I was fascinated because it gave a voice to the man whose name I had seen in the corner of each strip and piece of merchandise, allowed me to see him draw his creations and talk us through the process of creating a newspaper strip. It convinced me that the life of a cartoonist in America was the life for me! Attending cartoonist events, Hollywood parties dedicated to your creations, flying in a balloons bearing the likeness of a character you had created and hanging out and chatting with fellow cartoonists by a pool was the way to go.  I watched it over, and over again and as my VHS collection has whittled down to single numbers over the years- Happy Birthday, Garfield remained on my shelf alongside all the books that I have devoted to animation/ cartooning history.

I have uploaded the VHS to my YouTube Channel for your viewing pleasure! 

© Arfon Jones 2018. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

International Women’s Day: Milicent Patrick “The Beauty Who Created the Beast”

Today is International Women’s Day and we celebrate women that have inspired us, so I thought I would celebrate one of my favourite female artist Milicent Patrick. Regrettably not many of us recognise the name but we certainly know her work and that's it really, very little information about her and her life exists! We think her real name was Mildred Elizabeth Fulvia di Rossi and that she was the daughter of Italian baroness Baronesa di Polombara and architect Camille Charles Rossi and that she worked both in front and behind the camera but received very little onscreen credit for her work and that's about it, nobody really knows what became of her after the 1980s and even the Screen Actors Guild simply lists her as ‘missing’. But if we accept what we (sort of) know it makes her an amazing woman worthy of celebration as she would have not only been the first female animator hired by Disney but also the designer of the Xenomorph in It Came from Outer Space and the Metaluna mutant from This Island Earth. We know she worked as a mask maker on Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Mole People and we know that she created one the most famous, iconic creature designs for Universal, the Gill Man from The Creature from the Black Lagoon because during Universal’s marketing campaign for Creature from the Black Lagoon they billed her, “The Beauty Who Created the Beast” along with photos of her sketching the Gill Man and posing with the mask. Unfortunately this was to be her undoing however when make-up artist Bud Westmore took umbrage with her not crediting the entire team involved in its creation (she had in fact credited the staff on numerous occasions ironically a trait Westmore himself did not share) and he vowed never to never hire her as an artist again thus killing off a promising artistic career. This sad factor aside she was clearly a tremendously accomplished artist and responsible for one of the most iconic screen monsters ever created and I salute you Milicent Patrick, wherever you are!

© Arfon Jones 2018. All images are copyrighted throughout the world. I do not own nor do I claim ownership of the photographs featured in this article.