Illustration Blues

It's been a sad few weeks in the illustration world.  I lost a couple of personal heroes, and also learned about a veteran illustrator whose work I absolutely adore, who also just passed away.  So, in chronological order, here's who went back to the big drawing board in the sky:

 

Carlos Nine, an Argentinian cartoonist and illustrator, died July 18th. I learned about his work from another artist I admire, Tomer Hanuka, and the tactile sensation of his pieces is something I haven't seen anywhere else.  If I had heard about him sooner, I probably wouldn't be able to shut up about him.

Jack Davis, one of the founding artists of Mad magazine, died July 27.  He was one of the best caricaturists of the whole shebang, and I'm quite happy that his heyday was a few decades ahead of my time, because it meant his art could appear in movie posters, ads, and magazines and comics of all sorts, for me to enjoy later on.

 Finally, Richard Thompson, a Washington-based illustrator and cartoonist I greatly admire, also passed on July 27th, from complications from Parkinson's which effectively ended his career far too early.  He's the only person I know of who has been able to bring Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson out of hiding twice.  I got to meet him once at the Small Press Expo, when I bought a book from him and was two dollars short on cash.  He scribbled on the title page, "What a bargain!" Some day I shall have to sneak over to his grave in the dead of night and leave him two dollars and a bottle of iron gall ink.