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

The Illustrators Journal/Spring Edition 2014 is out!

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artist as brand, cartoonist, cartoons, childrens books, digital media, digital painting, drawing, illustration, illustrators journal, innovation, xanate media

Xanatemedia is proud to bring you the spring issue (volume 6) of the “illustrators Journal”. It’s gotten a whole new look and design as well as all new articles and interviews! We sit down with children’s illustrator, Bob McMahon, take a look at legendary gaming creator/writer Christy Marx and talk with master of lighting art Bruce Munro. In addition, LPIK, our photography magazine debuts with three new interviews; James Vaughan, Justin Rosenberg and Tony Donaldson. Please let us know what you think and offer any suggestions you like to enhance our upcoming issues. We are always on the look out as to how we can make a better read!   Editor

The Illustrators Journal

Facebook Gaming: Are You Ready?

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candy crush, cartoons, digital painting, Facebook gaming, farm heroes, illustration, levinland, lon levin, twitter

“Should You Integrate Your Game With Facebook?”

by Mary Longshore/Illustrators Journal correspondent

Social games are bringing great success for game developers. According to Newzoo.com, the global mobile market grew 35% in 2013 to reach $12.3 billion. Successful developers often integrate their game with Facebook’s Canvas Page. Facebook reports there are over 200 games on Facebook that support over 1 million active players each month. That is a huge audience!

 According to AppData, King.com makes three of the top five Facebook games including: Candy Crush Saga, Farm Heroes Saga, and Pet Rescue Saga. King reports over 30 billion games played per month. The option to play games cross platform is a part of their success. A Facebook case study of Candy Crush Saga reported,  “Users who play Candy Crush Saga on mobile and desktop are almost twice as engaged as single platform users…” It certainly seems to be working for King, although business is not completely predictable. “We knew it would be big on Facebook but I think the mobile success is what really took us by surprise,” King’s Chief Creative Officer Sebastian Knutsson said in an interview with BusinessInsider.

Read Mary’s entire article in the Spring Edition of The Illustrators Journal magazine coming out in March.

TOMORROW’S YOUR FUTURE YESTERDAY

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agency Access, artist as brand, cartoons, digital media, illustrators journal, lon levin, mail chimp, marketing sales, this week in digital media on blogtalk radio


I love that line. It’s the words from Craig Ferguson’s Late Night TV Show theme song. I find it intriguing and it gets me thinking about how far technology has advanced in the last twenty-five years.

To illustrate this point, I had a “wow” moment one day in 1989, when I walked into Graham Nash’s home studio(Crosby Stills and Nash) and saw him working on a MAC Classic with a color monitor. I felt like a caveman who just witnessed fire for the first time. I immediately put a second mortgage on my home in order to buy a fully outfitted 80 MB Mac Classic with a 20MB syquest drive, an Electrahome monitor (which weighed a ton), a black and white laser printer and an $8000 Howtek scanner. I recently saw some of those items in the Smithsonian Museum. Within a year or so that equipment was outdated and another year or two made it worthless. But I was ahead of the curve and I was hooked for life. My next buy was much cheaper and far more effective and powerful. Now the same power can be found in a cheap phone and the screen resolution is far better. The prices have dropped to levels that anyone can afford.Today I am as comfortable using new media and the power of the internet as I am breathing. My life has been enriched beyond what I could’ve ever imagined. Anyone who hasn’t kept up with the amazing advances in technology is really missing something that’s exciting. Being a “Techie” so to speak is probably the best way to keep yourself relevant and informed. And you just might have a ball doing it.

So how does that relate to being an artist or getting work as an illustrator? Branding, social media marketing baby! You are your own marketing and advertising firm. Write the copy, create the visual, do the PR, shoot the video, and post it all to a list you acquired from Agency Access.  Well does that work? Will  get a job if I do that? The answer is who knows, but it won’t hurt. You can save a lot of money by learning these easy methods of promoting yourself and you can monitor it and analyze the data.

It is easier today to contact people who make decisions than it ever has been and with a little calling around to people who have opened your Mailchimp promo you will start to penetrate the market and find out if you have the juice you need to get jobs or if you need to hone your skills a little more. Don’t stay put and don’t stay in the dark, Your greatest chance to be a success is to become a Techie. Learn all you can about the apps and programs design to help you, then start peppering the Gatekeepers with your work. Jack down some coffee then start calling them one by one  and you may get lucky!

Calm Down

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addiction, cartoonist, cartoons, digital media, iphone, ipod, lon levin, students

Are you feeling me? I cannot leave my house without my iPhone. I find it unnerving if my phone is not charged and safely in my front pocket. In fact I’m more concerned about that than brushing my teeth or putting on the right jeans. Some of us have grown dependent on these handheld devices—perhaps even addicted. We’re not be alone: a Stanford University survey administered to 200 college students claims just that.
On a scale of one to five, where five is full blown addiction and one is not addicted at all, 10 percent of the respondents ranked themselves as a five, 34 percent a four, and only 6 percent were a one. That’s okay, but 32 percent of the people who said they weren’t completely addicted said that they worry they may someday walk among the iPhone addicted. Join us.
Among those surveyed, I can sympathize with the 85 percent who use the phone as their watch, and even the 89 percent who use it as an alarm clock. Those jungle chimes, that happy guitar riff? Much more peaceful than the BRRT BRRT BRRT of any alarm clock I’ve owned. As for the 75 percent who fell asleep with the phone and the 69 percent who were more likely to leave their wallet behind? I’ve done both, just the other day. And the 15 percent who claimed the iPhone was turning them into media addicts? Well, it’s easier than ever to play music, games and movies, so why not?
But then you get to the part where students talk about how the iPhone is like an extension of their bodies, and it starts getting a little looney. A startling 41 percent said that losing their mass-produced iPhone would be tragic, while 30 percent hailed the device as a “doorway into the world.” And 25 percent thought the phone was “dangerously alluring,” which is perhaps why 7 percent had a roommate or a partner that felt abandoned by the device’s constant use.
Then you get to the affection that a curious minority feels for their iPhones: 9 percent have patted the iPhone; 3 percent claim that they don’t let anybody touch their iPhone; 3 percent have named their iPhone; 8 percent even thought their iPod was jealous of their iPhone. Truly, the pet rock has some real competition these days.
Professor Tanya Luhrmann doesn’t think that it’s an unhealthy addiction; the article points out that it’s still left to question whether or not addiction to personal electronics even qualifies as a mental disorder. Rather, it’s just that these students really like their iPhones. With 70 percent claiming that the iPhone has made them more organized, 54 percent claiming that it made them more productive, and 74 percent claiming that it made them feel cool, it seems as though it might be a net positive effect.
Look, who am I to pass judgement? I use my iPhone for so many things and I do think it makes life easier and more efficient, however I have received two traffic tickets for iPhone use and that’s not a good thing, so I guess I’ll have to walk around with a blue tooth clipped to my ear and join those people who look ridiculous talking with no device or person around to justify their lips moving.

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?

If Dogs Can Do It…

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cartoonist, cartoons, digital painting, drawing, innovation, levinland, lon levin

I have heard so many people including my ex-wife say “I cannot use a computer it’s too difficult.”” They say this like it’s a badge of honor. Like clinging to the past is an appropriate way to honor their generation. This is akin to the car enthusiast who buys a car which he drove as a teenager, spends his weekends fixing it up so that it looks just like the one he drove on saturday night oh those many years ago. maybe once or twice a month he’ll take this relic on the road and spit toxic fumes into the grills of cars that trail after him. Well, this is not the norm.

Although the stereotype persists that older adults are ‘stuck in their ways,’ close-minded and uninterested in learning, the evidence is quite to the contrary. For decades the prevailing thinking in neuroscience was that the adult human brain was essentially immutable, hardwired, fixed in form and function, so that by adulthood we were pretty much stuck with what we had. But with new research has come the realization that the adult brain retains impressive powers of ‘neuroplasticity’ – the ability to change structure and function in response to experience. This, coupled with Boomers thirst for new knowledge and skills, has created a growing popularity for lifelong learning. In fact, the number of college students ages 40 to 64 has jumped by almost 20% to nearly 2 million in the past decade. And those numbers are expected to keep growing as more and more mid-life adults return to school to reinvent themselves, once again.

In an AARP study published in July 2000, 9 out of 10 adults ages 50 and over said they wanted to actively seek out learning opportunities to keep current, grow personally and enjoy the simple pleasure of mastering something new. Research also continues to highlight the importance of lifelong learning as a prescription for a longer, healthier life — keeping minds active and people socially connected and engaged. And while the old-fashioned ways of learning something new — reading a book or taking a class at a local college — are still popular, many mid-life adults are also embracing online education and other new technologies. Today, mid-life adults who graduated from college 30+ years ago are returning to take classes in everything from Italian to modern film, from mastering investing to creating a Web page, to traveling the world. As mid-life adults return to their studies, learning institutions are accommodating them with flexible schedules, satellite campuses, online courses and the like. Mid-life adults are teaching the world that you CAN teach “an old dog new tricks!”

As stewards of lifelong learning, libraries are well positioned to become cornerstone institutions for mid-life adults, productive aging, and the life of the mind IF they can also appeal to them with new, intriguing and flexible approaches to learning.

So put that old mustang back in the garage and plug into the future.

Parts of this article are referenced from Transforming Life After Fifty