Art Donation to "The Sakai Project"

Doug is among the artists celebrating 30 years of Stan Sakai's samurai rabbit saga, Usagi Yojimbo; the oversized hardcover benefit book - The Sakai Project - will be released on July 23rd and available for the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con.

 

The Sakai Project, published by Dark Horse Books, is produced in association with the Comic Art Professional Society (CAPS); Dark Horse is donating all proceeds from the book to Stan and his wife Sharon.

 

Doug is also donating the watercolor original of a classic winking bunny with a tattoo of Stan's samurai rabbit to the benefit art auction organized by CAPS.

 

A partial list of contributing artists to The Sakai Project includes:  Sergio Aragones, Bill Morrison, Matt Groening, Howard Chaykin, Mike Mignola, Michael Golden, Adam Hughes, Allison Sohn, Tim Sale, Frank Cho, Neal Adams, Jack Davis, Dan Brereton, Stephen Silver, Dean Yeagle, Paulo Rivera, Bill Sienkiewicz, Dave Gibbons and more.

 

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

New Artwork Collection: Bunnies

Doug's new collection of watercolor originals, including Bunnies, will be available February 21-23 at Pensacon, where he's a Featured Guest. 

 

The 10 x 14 artwork - on Arches of France cold press watercolor paper using aniline dyes - is loose and colorful yet features classic gorgeous Sneyd ladies and vibrant background watercolor washes.

 

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Unpublished Sneyd: 100 Favorite Playboy Gag Rough Rejects

In addition to original art, limited edition prints and sketchbooks at comics-cartoon conventions, attendees can also buy personalized copies of Unpublished Sneyd, which features 100 of Doug's favorite Playboy gag rough rejects. 

 

Since his first cartoon was published in Playboy - September 1964, he's submitted thousands of cartoon gag roughs.  Of course, not all can be selected for final art and publication in the magazine.

 

Doug liked the gag rough reject on pg. 20 so much that he had the original framed for his personal collection.

Playboy gag rough rejects from Unpublished Sneyd will be available at Pensacon Friday through Sunday, February 21-23.  Stop by Doug's table in Artist Alley and check out the best of the undiscovered Sneyds.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Charity Donation: Pensacon Limited Edition Print - Blond in Green Bikini

Proceeds from the sale of Doug's Blond in Green Bikini 11 x 17 limited edition print at Pensacon will be donated to the Manna Food Bank, which operates six pantries in Escambia and Santa Rosa (Florida) counties.

 

Check out the website and/or program for the February 21-23 convention at the Pensacola Bay Center for information on purchasing the 11 x 17 limited edition print.

 

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Playboy Gag Rough Reject

Since Doug's first full-page color cartoon was published in Playboy - September 1964, he's submitted thousands of cartoon gag roughs to the magazine.  Of course, not all can be selected for final art and ultimate publication.

 

Occasionally, I go through these gag rough rejects;  I thought the humor in this gag was timely given the brutal winter weather experienced throughout much of the country the past month.

 

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

The Art of Doug Sneyd Available at Pensacon Feb. 21-23

Copies of The Art of Doug Sneyd will be available at Pensacon February 21-23; please check the program for Doug's location in Artist Alley.

 

The 248-page hardcover book, published by Dark Horse Books and a 2012 Eisner Award nominee in the Best Humor Publication category, features 270 of Doug's 450+ Playboy cartoons.

 

2014 marks the 50th anniversary for Doug's lovely ladies appearing on the pages of Playboy; his first full-page color cartoon was published in the September 1964 issue.

 

 

Doug will sign copies of The Art of Doug Sneyd for free - whether the book is purchased during the 3-day convention or if attendees bring in a copy; there will, however, be a charge for personalized pencil sketches.

Sketchbooks Available at Pensacon

In addition to selling original artwork (9 x 12, 10 x 14 and 11 x 17), Playboy preliminary pencil and color roughs and limited edition prints (11 x 17), Doug will have a number of sketchbooks available at Pensacon Feb. 21-23. 

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Playboy Cover: February 1968

Doug celebrates his 50th anniversary with Playboy this year, having rendered 450+ full-page color cartoons, so you can imagine how much shelving it takes for copies of the magazine. 

 

I came across a copy of the February 1968 issue recently; yes, the bunny logo was on the cover then as now but the magazine was priced at 75 cents.  Articles included:  An Interview with Jim Brown, Detroit's Sporty & Special Cars and U.S. Senator Jacob Javits on Lowering the Voting Age.

 

Doug's first cartoon - in the September 1964 issue - featured a brothel, set in the age-old stereotype:  a well-appointed Victorian mansion where a bevy of lovely, scantily clad young things were managed by a stout, buxom older woman, in a simple black dress and a strand of pearls.  Occasionally, Doug also added a purring white cat beside the madam.

 

His cartoon in the February 1968 issue was also classic "hooker" humor.

 

 

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Moulin Rouge-Inspired Watercolor Original

After returning to Canada from our 2-week trip to Paris, it wasn't a surprise when Doug decided to do a Moulin Rouge-inspired watercolor; the 11 x17 artwork, on Arches of France cold press art board using aniline dyes,  is loose and colorful yet features a classic gorgeous Sneyd blond.

 

A new collection of watercolor originals will be available at Doug's first 2014 comics-cartoon convention - Pensacon February 21-23, check Upcoming Events for additional info and 2014 dates.

 

 

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Moulin Rouge: Doug's Birthday Gift

I thought dinner and a glittering Las-Vegas style review at the historic Moulin Rouge would be a perfect birthday gift for Doug while we were in Paris Nov. 14-28.  He agreed and we had a very entertaining evening, featuring feathers, rhinestones and sequins on 60 gorgeous Doriss Girls. 

 

The famous silhouette of "the Most Famous Cabaret in the World since 1889" was a short walk from our apartment in Montmartre.

Even the sidewalk marks the location of the Moulin Rouge, once the haunt of Toulouse-Lautrec.

Photos weren't permitted during the dinner and review so I took pictures of Doug with posters and displays in the lobby.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Last Day of Sightseeing in Montmartre

The weather was quite lovely to explore Montmartre before Doug and I returned to Toronto Nov. 28th.  Pigalle, as well as Abbesses, is one of the few original Art Deco metro stations remaining in the city.

 

The picturesque district's cobblestone streets and charming restaurants help preserve the atmosphere of prewar Paris.

The Musee de Montmartre is located in a townhouse that once provided living quarters and studios for many artists, including Utrillo and Renoir.

The reproduction sign of a rabbit escaping from a cooking pot hangs in the reconstruction of the Café de l'Abreuvoir at the Musee de Montmartre.  Au Lapin (rabbit) Agile, a popular restaurant and cabaret in Montmartre, took its name from the humorous painting by Andre Gill.

Utrillo enjoyed many evenings at Café de l'Abreuvoir - I enjoyed a brief afternoon visit!

The museum has a great deal of memorabilia related to The Chat Noir, a mythical French nightclub/lively dance hall hidden in the backstreets of Paris's bohemian quarter.

Two lovely Alfredo Mueller lithographs on display at the Musee de Montmartre.

At the back of the Musee de Montmartre, visitors can see the popular Au Lapin Agile (pink building) and the adjacent Montmartre vineyards, where about 1,000 bottles of wine are made annually from the remaining 2,000 vines.  The wine is sold for charity.

Another view of the Montmartre vineyards.

La Maison Rose, called the "quintessential" Montmartre bistro, also serves delicious hot chocolate.  It's a few minutes north of the Place du Tertre.

Another view of the Montmartre vineyards; the Musee de Montmartre is the white building/upper left.

Doug and I had planned to have lunch at the Au Lapin Agile, but it's only open from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Montmartre once had more than 30 windmills, used for pressing grapes and grinding wheat; this is one of only two still standing.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)