Jason Chatfield on seeing Richard Thompson originals

from his Dispatches from NancyFest 2024 on Substack, and reprinted with his permission. Subscribe here - https://www.newyorkcartoons.com/

When I was here 6 months ago for Cartoon Crossroads Columbus —my first as a guest presenter— I got to see an extra special selection of art by my favourite cartoonist, Richard Thompson. Jenny had pulled them out, especially for me ahead of time.

Seeing Original Richard Thompson art up close is a pretty special experience. Five Stars. Highly recommend.

When I eyeballed Richard's original art for the first time I thought I was having heart palpitations. I pored over the Cul De Sac strips with a magnifying glass, forensically studying his line like Sherlock Holmes trying to solve A Scandal in Bohemia. I can't quite describe how important it is for artists (especially younger artists) to see original art, up close: white-outs, pencil marks and all. I never attended art school, but I've learned more from mushing my eyeball against great art than from any drawing class I've ever tried.

New Team Cul de Sac site launches

Team Cul de Sac

Cartooning Against Parkinson's Disease

https://teamculdesac.com/

Richard Thompson drew About Schmidt

Courtesy of his friend Joe Sutliffe, here is a drawing that Richard did for an article on the movie About Schmidt and actuaries in films for Contingencies Magazine July/August 2003, p. 33.

The article is "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi" by Joseph C. Higgins, p. 32-34.

Team CDS drawings by Jon Esparza for this year's auction

 Jon's always been great about donating artwork for the annual auction at HeroesCon. Here's 2 pieces he did this year. The Mr. Danders balloon was photographed when Chris unwrapped the art and unfortunately has a reflection of packing material as a result. I bought the Alice and put it on the scanner when it arrived from Chris this week (we operate on Thompsonish time scales).

And a real quick page addenda for your existing book:

New book from Richard's friends Watterson and Kascht

They met as we were all working on The Art of Richard Thompson.  At some point during that, they decided to work together. Their new book is The Mysteries.

You can hear them talking on this new video, which is about the process of making the book, and fascinating:

Collaborating on The Mysteries - Bill Watterson and John Kascht

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=HHND7L1wUl0

CdS daily page sells at auction

Last night a Little Neuro strip sold for a piece that would have shocked Richard, but made him proud.

Bonotom Studio design samples book

Richard's freelancer employer Bono Mitchell hired him frequently for magazine illustrations for her Bonotom Studio, which she ran with Tom Specht. I scanned a booklet of their work today, although there's nothing by Richard in it. There is a Guy Billout illustration for Contingencies magazine.

Richard lifting his mother's Suitcases (updated)

One of Richard's earliest jobs, done in a style he never returned to, was illustrating his mother's autobiography, The Suitcases. His mother, Anne Hall Whitt, spent some time in an orphanage in Charlotte, NC. The book is touching and worth reading. 

 The first time we went to HeroesCon, Richard and I visited the site (pictures now included below), and he was very moved by it. Here's some images from Bono's copy of the book, along with some material from Mrs. Whitt-Thompson's funeral that was laid in.

 

 

 

Richard at the orphanage site, June 6, 2010 (updated3/10/23):

 

 

 

The following letter and photo layout are from Richard's father -

 

Richard Thompson, Chameleon

  

Richard wasn't really a chameleon - he was pretty much a WYSIWYG, except for a couple of minor things.

If he said, "Bless your heart," as a true Southerner's son, he may have either meant it, or "Damn you to Hell."

He was modest, but also he knew his value. He knew he was good, but didn't crow about it.

He also liked orange food, which may or may not be an attribute of chameleons.

Anyway, this is a project that he was part of in 1999. Can you tell what section he did?

He was the face. The other creators were Jeanne Turner, Annie Lunsford, Richard Steadham, Bono Mitchell, Dana Verkouteren, Ken Krafchek, and Patricia Cullen-Clark.

I know some of the group - Krafcheck teaches art at MICA, Verkouteren is a courtroom artist and caricaturist, and Mitchell and Lunsford have passed away. 

Here's Diane Rickenbaugh for HOW Nov/Dec 1999 on the project:

I'll put a pdf of the article and larger versions of the poster on the Internet Archive later tonight.

This year's Team Cul de Sac donation link

 https://give.michaeljfox.org/team/474477

Chatfield on Thompson by way of Searle

Artist Spotlight: Ronald Searle

Jason Chatfield

March 3, 2023

https://www.jasonchatfield.com/blog/artist-spotlight-ronald-searle

How to strengthen your real estate market illustration, and a TCDS piece

 I'm not sure what Richard did this illo for, but I bought the original from Bono Mitchell's estate -

 

 and this drawing by Chris Schweitzer was for the Team Cul de Sac book and fundraising auction -

Billions of billions of drawings - Richard draws Carl Sagan

Richard did hundreds, if not thousands, of caricatures throughout his career. Here's one of astronomer Carl Sagan (the Neil deGrasse Tyson of his day) from a Washington Post Magazine  April 23 2006 article by Joel Achenbach. Thanks to Anita Finklestein for keeping this and passing it along,

 

 

Illustration work for Electrical Contractor and Contingencies

 As any regular reader of this blog knows, Richard did a lot of work for Bono Mitchell, an art director at BonoTom Studios. Recently I got a few magazines from her estate featuring Richard's work. Of this, most of it shouldn't be familiar - I think only the little girl at the blackboard appeared in The Art of Richard Thompson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tom Richmond also did some work for the studio, and gave his permission to repost one here, while saying about Bono, "I did several jobs with her as AD and she was a delight to work with. Funny, smart, and she knew her stuff. "

RT's Christmas party invitations

Received today from Richard's old friend Brian Nicklas -

"I found another pair of Richard's well-illustrated maps to parties."

"I love the way he drew Santa.  And his description of "Bethesda"."

Another dedicace for Cul de Sac

 Material keeps trickling in, now that we've finished the book. Here's a drawing I got from a friend over the weekend.

And the new page you can print to add it to your book.

Thompson's first paying work: A menu from the Celebrity Delly

 Here's some better pictures and information on this, from Brian Nicklas.

"While cleaning up and moving things around, I found this Celebrity Delly Menu that Richard did. I think Richard told me it was his first actual cash payment for art. (I paid him a pack of Twinkies and a Coke for an Atilla the Hun's Birthday Party announcement.- And I keep looking for that - it was a great looking Attila wearing a cone party hat and using a party blower.) 

This is pretty much a year out of high school I think. The original menu is on blue paper - it doesn't reproduce well. BUT LOOK AT THOSE FACES.  What a talent. (Signature below Woody Allen) 

 The Delly in Rockville moved, and moved yet again, and then was gone. But the best was when Richard and a few other friends came to visit me when I was at Uni in Florida.  We went to Disney World (of course) and stopped for lunch/brunch on the way.  At the exit in the North Orlando area, we saw a shopping center and pulled in. There was a sign for "Celebrity Delly"  so we thought "what a hoot - let's go."  Inside, down the wall, was the mural Richard had painted at the Rockville location. Except copied. And copied BADLY.  We were laughing so much we could hardly eat. I think we found out the one in Orlando was run by a cousin of the owner in Rockville. 

 That was the trip where Richard couldn't contain himself at Disney.  At one point, he pointed at the mouse head cast into the sewer lid and shouted: "A cartoonist did all this!  ALL THIS!  The POWER!!!"

My goodness I miss that man."