Interview with: Jack Foster

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artist as brand, artwork, cartoon, cartoons, digital painting, drawing, illustration, illustrator, illustrators journal, innovation, Levinland studio, painting, pen and ink

Interview with Jack Foster

When did you first think about art as something you wanted to do? Were you encouraged or discouraged by family, friends, teachers, mentors?

When I was in first grade, the teacher, Sister Rose, asked the class to draw a self-portrait. I drew myself walking home from school. At a parent teacher conference, Sr. Rose showed the picture to my mom and told her that she thought I had artistic talent because in the picture, I was leaning forward as I walked against the wind and my tie (yes, we wore ties to school back then), was blowing over my shoulder. Sr. Rose told my mom that knowing how to draw was just a small part of art. Perception was the rest. So my mom hung my self-portrait on the fridge and told me what Sr. Rose said. I knew that I liked to draw, but the encouragement I received from my mom and Sr. Rose ignited a passion in me that has never died down. My dad on the other hand was a hard working sheet metal worker and tried to discourage my art and pushed me to focus on a trade where I could make money.

To this day, I’m not sure if the motivation to succeed as an artist came from trying to prove my mom right, or trying to prove my dad wrong.

What kind of kid were you? Where did you grow up? What were your influences?

I was a very quiet kid, the eldest of seven. We were raised just northwest of Chicago. I loved baseball. Every day during the summer, we would walk around the neighborhood with our bats, balls and mitts, gathering the “regulars” together for a game. In grammar school, I was a bit above average, but excelled in art and would volunteer to do posters for library events. In the evenings, my family would gather around the TV. I would take the Sunday paper comics, which I guard- ed with my life all week, lay them out across the kitchen table and trace them or draw them freehand. Drawing a daily comic strip for the newspapers was my dream. So naturally

some comic strip artists became a big influence in my art, which is still obvious in my work. Mort Walker was my biggest influence in my early days. He drew a strip called Beetle Bailey and another called Hi and Lois in which he teamed up with Dik Browne. The strip is still going today being produced by his sons Brian and Greg along with Browne’s son, Chance.Of course Walt Disney was a huge influence. I read his biography at a young age and wasfascinated by him. And the fact that he grew up in Chicago was even more of a “draw”. When I was about 13 years old, the Muppets came on the scene. I loved how Jim Henson could get his puppets to show facial expressions with just eyebrows and a mouth. Jim Henson has really influenced the large eyes, bright colors and char- acter design in my work. 

Your style is very unique. Did you work on developing a style or is that what naturally came out of you?

Throughout the years of submitting  to the newspaper syndicates, my  style changed drastically. I would  send outpacket of 30 strips every other week, and when they would be rejected and returned, I would redo the strips, altering my style a bit. Some rejection letters would be the standard “No, thanks. Good luck.”  But once in a while an art director would give me some advice. One director pointed out that my characters were “too cute” for the   comics. So of course, I tried to ugly them up a bit, but they kept coming out cute and kept getting rejected. I submitted for 25 years, so you could imagine the metamorphosis my style went through. Ultimately I landed on my own style which was the most comfortable for me to draw, made the most sense to me and was easily recognizable.

There isn’t any of your political artwork on your site. Why is that? What inspired the change in the direction of your work?

Yes, you are right. In my pursuit to be a comic strip artist, I took a job as a political cartoonist. It didn’t pay much, but I thought it was a foot in the door. I did it for a few years, how- ever, even though I have a good sense of humor, satire didn’t really suit me. I have filed away all my political cartoons. Maybe one day I will revisit them. Even though my politi- cal cartooning stint didn’t open any comic strip doors for me, working for/with an editor did give me valuable experience in the publishing world, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything

For more of this interview

Happy Holidays

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artist as brand, artwork, cartoon, cartoonist, childrens books, Christmas artwork, innovation, Kwansa, New Year's artwork, Saint Nick, Santa Claus

A Word To The Wise

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artist as brand, cartoon, illustration, innovation, lon levin

What does this mean?
Ok, so if you are trying to market or sell yourself one way and it hasn’t worked, then doing more of the same won’t help. As artists it’s incumbent on all of us to move on, try something else, explore. The ideal would be to create something that is perfectly in line with who you are, something that springs out of you easily. Don’t sit and admire your work wondering why no one appreciates it as much as you do. It’s a process once you’ve achieved a certain level, congratulate yourself and strive to be better.

Icons Have Lives Too

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cartoon, cartoonist, cartoons, childrens books, graphics, icons, innovation, lon levin, technology

I’m not talking about celebrities or sports stars I’m talking graphics. Here they are “The Icons”

The Path to the Top of the Mountain

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artist as brand, artwork, cartoon, cartoonist, cartoons, innovation, inspiration, levinland, lon levin, Mark Susnow, technology

I just got this pearl of wisdom from Mark Susnow www.inspirepossibility.com and it ties into a cartoon I wrote the other day so I’m posting these thoughts for you the reader. I live by these words and have found them to be true. We can do more than we think, we have to trust ourselves and others and move ahead despite your doubts.

For the last seven or eight years I have enjoyed a recreational activity that gives me exercise and satisfies my longing to be in nature. When I ride my bike on the mountain I feel exhilarated, refreshed and proud of myself. Putting on my biking clothes, oiling my bike and riding down the street are the beginning of a ritual that has evolved over time. Within 10 minutes, as I climb the trails of Mt Tam, I feel transported to a different world, one in which I leave behind all of my worldly concerns. In this world I feast on the beauty and tranquility of nature with its wildlife, majestic redwoods, flowing streams and the smell of fresh air. As part of my ritual I end my ride at the health food store and enjoy a healthy drink. It was there that I ran into my young friend Bobby who is an avid rider. He rides his bike daily to the college but isn’t that familiar with some of the trails on the mountain. I offered to show him some of my favorites. Soon after we set a date for our ride, I started thinking about what trails I could show him that would be challenging for him but not too challenging for me. A few days later we started on our ride. For the first part of the ride, we began climbing a trail which was part of my usual loop. And then I knew it was time for me to stretch and ride higher. As I looked up from the place on the trail where I usually stopped I wondered if I could climb higher. In my mind I surveyed the incline to be 25-30 degrees at its steepest point, which was much steeper than what I was used to. It’s amazing how changing our thinking changes our experience of almost anything. I knew that the steepest part of the climb was the beginning. If I could climb beyond that phase then there was no reason I couldn’t climb all the way to the top of the ridge. As I started climbing my focus shifted from the top of the ridge and how difficult the climb might be, to what was immediately in front of me. In the 2 or 3 yards directly in front of me I did not notice any slope at all even though I knew there had to be one. As I continued the climb in this manner, instead of feeling tired I was able to maintain my energy and when I looked ahead I was almost at the top of the ridge. Because I was able to climb higher than before I was able to see things for the first time. When I reached the pinnacle I was able to see for miles in every direction. The view had always been there but I had never put myself in a position to notice it. For the first time, I felt the interconnectedness of my surroundings; an interconnectedness that was always present even if I wasn’t able to see it.

Were it not for my change in thinking and sense of adventure I would have stopped miles ago. And that’s what so many of us do-we stop when it begins to feel uncomfortable instead of continuing to explore the unknown. In my work with many of my coaching clients, I ask them what their biggest regret is. The most common response is that they didn’t risk enough. Certainly that has been true for me at various times in my life. As you successfully take risks, you become more confident in what is possible and what you can accomplish. You’re more willing to get out of your comfort zone and explore new horizons. This expanded sense of exploration, extends to all aspects of your life including opening your heart and risking feeling more. That’s when you feel most alive and fulfilled. Often its subtle shifts in thinking that make it possible to reach and experience higher levels. That was certainly true for me. My shift from thinking about the difficult trail ahead to what was immediately in front of me, enabled me to reach the pinnacle. I know that you have your own mountain to climb. Sometimes when you think of the big picture the task ahead seems daunting and you don’t know where to begin. You might feel that whatever you do will just be a drop in the bucket. Here’s a suggestion that has worked for me and many others that I work with. Start with just one little thing and then continue to make little changes consistently. Over time you will see a dramatic difference in the quality of your life. Do something new or different everyday for at least ten days. You could make it into a game. It could be as simple as taking a different route to work or getting up earlier and meditating. It could be listening to some new music. Or something as basic as brushing your teeth with your other hand. It definitely gets you thinking about other things you do routinely and don’t pay attention to. As you begin to make these changes on a regular basis you will notice that you become more comfortable with the concept of change. As this occurs, you wonder what else you can change. And that’s when you will be willing to risk exploring the unknown.

Nora’s Big Play

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cartoon, cartoons, Cri Cri, Elsaian Park, Jiminy Cricket, levinland, lon levin, Pinnochio, sketching, spanish speaking, suicide Girl, technology, Walt Disney

Last weekend I had the immense pleasure of watching Nora in her play about Mexico’s cartoon icon Cri Cri.  It was delightful as you can see in these pictures.

 

This is part of stop and smell the roses for me. Delightful time with Ahavia, Alisa, Nora and Buddy

Where’s Noah?

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cartoon, cartoonist, cartoons, George Bush, illustrator, illustrators journal, innovation, Iraq, lon levin, Obama, Saddam Hussein, United States

Here’s a nice metaphor for life…. you set sail on a journey and you are missing your leader. This of course can apply to all walks of life. It also can apply to yourself. Off you go on a journey to accomplish something and you haven’t got a plan or a goal other than to survive. Once you’re out there on the seas of life you realize what the hell am I doing? (This makes me think of the United States under the George Bush regime. Remember Iraq, Saddam Hussein, weapons of mass destruction??) We all need to be a better captains of our own ships. We’ve all been there. The take away is think before you act, choose wisely. Are you listening Mr. Obama?

Poor Moses

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businessman, cartoon, cartoonist, God, illustrators journal, innovation, Jesus, lon levin, Moses, red sea

I saw this art and it said add your caption. Maybe I’m a little cynical but when I see a suit dealing with my man Moses this is what comes to mind.
Sometimes creative people who have work of biblical proportions behind them get treated as if they’re babbling old fools or Einstein sticking his tongue out at a camera. It’s about time to reconsider how we feel about the older people in the workforce. Sometimes their knowledge and wisdom can be a welcomed relief from the Justin Beiber, Katy Perry set or maybe I’m skewing too young here. The Maroon 5, Christina Aquilera, Rihanna, Usher crowd is more like it.

Babble babble I’m just a baby boomer ranting about getting older even though my spirit is still a teenager

“Hello, this is God speaking…”

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artist as brand, Barbara Stanwyck, cartoon, cartoonist, cartoons, digital media, digital painting, Frank Capra, Gary Cooper, illustration, illustrators journal, innovation, John Doe, lon levin

“The healots are coming! The healots are coming!” So said Walter Brennan in Frank Capra’s wonderful movie John Doe with Gary Cooper and my very favorite actress Barbara Stanwyck. In it Cooper plays a ballplayer-turned-hobo , who’ll do anything for three squares and a place to sleep. When newspaper publisher D.B. Norton (Edward Arnold), a fascistic type with presidential aspirations, decides to use Doe (Cooper) as his ticket to the White House, he puts Doe on the radio to deliver inspirational speeches to the masses — ghost-written by Mitchell (Stanwyck), who, it is implied, has become the publisher’s mistress. So when Brennan, who is Cooper’s hobo traveling partner talks about healots he’s talking about Norton and their followers, warning Cooper that he is now part of the corruption.

Ok so what has that got to do with those who would rail against technology taking over our lives, corrupting our souls and burning our brain cells up at a rapid rate? Here’s the take away. If you truly are against progress especially regarding electronic devices then throw away your cell phone and your computer and move out into the woods. Going backwards is not going to make our quality of life better, it’s more about monitoring your usage of abuses of technology. Every now and then step away from the devices and take a walk. gain some balance.

But what about the children?…they will never know what it’s like to hike and fish and smell the wafting smell of azaleas. Horse pucky as one of my teachers used to say. Our kids are smarter, better educated and move at faster rates then we do so they can do more than we ever did. That means they do both and are adept at each. They time manage better than we did because they have to. It’s progress baby! So you can rail against technology and look like the character in the cartoon above or you can pick up the cell phone and see who’s on the line!

The World’s Best Caricature Artist

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artist as brand, caricature, cartoon, cartoonist, funny art, illustrators journal, innovation, levinland, Levinland studio, lon levin, opdebeek

This gallery contains 9 photos.