First Snowfall at Doug's Home/Studio

I thought I'd share photos after the first snowfall at Doug's home/studio in Orillia, which is 80 miles north of Toronto.  The 4" accumulation - Sunday morning, November 22 - was beautiful, but it made driving around the city a challenge for those without snow tires or 4-wheel drive.  

Local resorts like Horseshoe Valley - with 29 runs and over 45km of groomed cross country ski trails - now had a good base to "make" snow and open the slopes for skiing and snowboarding.

Main entrance (on left)/third floor is Doug's studio.

Photo was taken from Doug's back yard looking out over Lake Couchiching.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

New Loose-Style 10 x 14 Original

In addition to using Dr. Ph. Martin's aniline dyes, on Arches of France cold press watercolor paper, Doug used india ink when rendering this newest 10 x 14 original.

To see more of Doug's originals, visit the Doug Sneyd Premium Gallery at:

www.comicartfans.com

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

How Doug Tests Aniline Dyes

Doug's worked in oils, pastels, watercolor, etc. over the years, but all of his full-page color Playboy cartoons - since the September 1964 issue - have been rendered using Dr. Ph. Martin's aniline dyes.  They give depth and translucency to his work but, as he cautions, they're "unforgiving" so he constantly tests his color combinations before going to final art.  

Initially, he mixes a few drops, from bottles of dyes, in divided fondue or deviled egg plates, adding a few drops of water to the dyes to adjust the intensity.  Then he tests colors on remnants of Arches of France cold press art board, naturally allowing time for the colors to dry.  From there, he can judge how he wants to proceed with the final art.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Eltham Palace and Gardens

Several people suggested taking the train from London to visit Eltham Palace and Gardens, a unique property featuring both Tudor history and 1930s Hollywood glamor and Art Deco design. 

Once a medieval royal palace and a base for deer hunting by the Tudors, millionaire textile tycoon Stephen Courtauld and his wife Virginia bought the property in the early 1930s - restoring the Great Hall, building a luxurious Art Deco-inspired mansion and beautifying nearly 19 acres of grounds.

Doug at the bridge over the moat.

North Court and entrance to the Courtauld mansion (on the left), which is managed by the English Heritage - the custodian of over 400 historic monuments, buildings and sites.

(close-up of the exterior ornate door, seen in the above photo on the far right, to the Great Hall)

(restored Great Hall, built for Edward IV nearly 500 years ago)

(sunken Rose Garden)

(South Lawn)

(the Rock Garden with pools and cascades running down to the moat)

Doug and I had lunch at the cafe/tea room at the visitor centre.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

November 2001 Playboy Cartoon: Approved Gag Rough and Preliminary Roughs

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Doug's November 2001, p. 81 Playboy cartoon was also reproduced in The Art of Doug Sneyd, p. 209; the 248-page hardcover book was published by Dark Horse Books in 2011 and nominated in 2012 for an Eisner Award in the the Best Humor Publication category.

Over the years since his first cartoon (September 1964, p. 205) was published in Playboy, Doug has submitted thousands of cartoon roughs.

The following is the cartoon rough submitted and approved by Hugh Hefner.  Note: change in the caption (in blue) and request to have the finish submitted "right away" (in red).

Preliminary pencil rough (size:  7 1/2" x 9 1/4") - this is not the final pencil rough as Doug has not drawn the ship in the upper right corner.

Color rough (size:  8" x 9 3/4") -  notice Doug decided to omit the tree in the original and change the dress and hair for the 3 Pilgrims.

To see more of Doug's Playboy cartoons and preliminary roughs, visit the Doug Sneyd Premium Gallery at:

www.comicartfans.com

Visit to Orbital Comics: Leicester Square/London

While in London for 2 weeks in November 2012, Doug conducted a Life Drawing Masterclass with popular U.K. model Manko at Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street; we stopped by again on this recent trip to visit with Chris Thompson, the Events Manager at the popular comic shop and gallery in Leicester Square.

Doug and London-based artist Jason Atomic were also featured "In Conversation" during our 2012 trip to London.   (Doug's classic pink winking bunny was used to promote the evening - see top center framed poster.)

Doug and Chris at the gallery.

The evening we stopped by Orbital Comics, we also met Mark Buckingham, who's worked in comics nearly 30 years.  Since 2002, he's been the regular artist on FABLES for Vertigo/DC Comics.

Earlier in the evening, Mark was signing copies of Fairest.

Later, he lead a Director's Commentary.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

November 1986 Playboy Cartoon

Doug's cartoon was published in the November 1986 (p. 123) issue; it was also reproduced on p. 59 in The Art of Doug Sneyd, published by Dark Horse Books in 2011 and nominated for a 2012 Eisner Award in the Best Humor Publication category.

To see more of Doug's Playboy originals, visit the Doug Sneyd Premium Gallery at:

www.comicartfans.com

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Doug Works With Author on You: The Road Warrior

In addition to doing illustrations for every major textbook publisher in Canada, Doug also collaborated with a number of authors, including Dan Hales.  

The 124-page book, You:  The Road Warrior, was published by Challex Books (Los Angles, CA) in 1990 and featured Doug's color illustrations and loose-style B&W cartoons.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

First Days in London, Visit With Craig

Each fall Doug and I leave Canada for a 2-3 week vacation; this year we returned to London for 2 weeks of visiting galleries, palaces, castles and museums. 

After checking into our hotel in Kensington, we visited the home and studio, near Holland Park, of the Victorian painter Lord Frederic Leighton.  We then had lunch at the Victoria and Albert Museum and saw the special fashion exhibition Shoes: Pleasure and Pain.

The next day we planned a morning visit to the City of Westminster/Houses of Parliament.

The weather was lovely so we then had lunch on the patio at the Courtauld Gallery cafe before touring the Courtauld collection, located at the Strand entrance of Somerset House.  Its focus is Impressionism; our favorites were:  Two Dancers on the Stage by Degas, A Bar at the Folies-Bergere by Manet and Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear by Van Gogh.

Since it was close by, we also went to Sir John Soane's house and museum; Soane was one of England's greatest architects and an avid collect of artwork, statuary, Gothic casts and the exotic - a sarcophagus (1300 BC), discovered in the Valley of the Kings, is on display in the basement Crypt.

Royal Albert Hall, opened by Queen Victoria in 1871, hosts nearly 400 shows annually, including classical concerts, rock and pop, ballet, opera and film screenings - the World Premiere of 007 Spectre was held at Royal Albert Hall Monday, October 26th and then released in the U.S. on Friday, November 6th.

Around the corner from Royal Albert Hall, we saw the house used in filming Mr. Selfridge, starring Jeremy Piven.  He also plays Ari Gold in the popular comedy series Entourage.

Kensington Palace has been home to royalty for over 300 years.  We toured restored rooms used by George II and Queen Caroline as well as the state apartments of Mary II and William III and then Queen Victoria.  Dresses from the wardrobes of HM the Queen, Princess Margaret and Diana, Princess of Wales were an especially interesting exhibit during our tour.

We then enjoyed an elaborate afternoon tea in The Orangery dining room.

Before our noon tour of Buckingham Palace the next day, we got a glimpse of the Royal Guards perform The Changing of the Guard.

It's always great to have a break from tour schedules; we enjoyed a stop at the 58-acre St. James Park, the oldest of London's 8 Royal Parks.

The next day we crossed the Thames, for a visit to the redeveloped South Bank entertainment and commercial district.

From the South Bank, you get a fantastic view of the London skyline - with 30 St Mary Axe, better known by its nickname Gherkin, the catalyst for the growing cluster of high rises in London's historic district.  The 41-story skyscraper was built in 2004.  (It's slightly right of center in my photo.)

Whenever Doug and I are in London, we enjoy visiting with Craig, who we've met several times at the San Diego Comic-Con.

Before going to dinner at Quo Vadis, a popular pre-theatre restaurant in the heart of Soho, Craig wanted us to have a drink at the Star & Garter, a traditional neighborhood English pub.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)