Doug Donates Personalized Copy of Unpublished Sneyd and Original Gag Rough to CAPS Oct. 9 Fundraising Auction

The annual fundraising art auction for CAPS - the Comic Art Professional Society - will be held Thursday, October 9, with Sergio Aragones of MAD Magazine fame serving as the auctioneer.

(check the website for art donations and bidding procedure)

Doug joins artists Drew Struzan, William Stout, Cathy Guisewite, Thomas Yeates, Sergio Aragones and others in donating original art for the CAPS event.

Doug donated a personalized copy of Unpublished Sneyd and the original 8.5" x 11" black and white gag rough from pg. 43 of Unpublished Sneyd. The 52-page book sells for $25.00; black and white original gag roughs are priced at $150.00.

***Photos from Fan Expo Canada begin October 1st!!!***

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

SCOOPS Humor Stays Timely

In 1978, Doug developed a self-syndicated strip titled SCOOPS. It combined the best elements of the editorial cartoon with those of the comic strip and appeared on editorial and op-ed pages throughout Canada and the U.S. for nearly a decade.

Lois Wille, Associate Editor, Chicago Sun-Times, praised SCOOPS for "wonderful gag lines . . . witty and topical . . . really funny! I think these are terrific."

***Photos from Fan Expo Canada Begin October 1st!!!

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Before Coronado Island Boat Cruise, We Visited Bob Hope Memorial in Port of San Diego Park

After exhibiting at Comic-Con '08 for 5 days, it was fun to explore the Port of San Diego waterfront park and pause among the life-size statues waiting for a Bob Hope show to begin. Hope, who died in 2003 at the age of 100, stood proudly at a microphone during a 50-year career of entertaining U.S. military personnel from World War II to the Persian Gulf War.

The $1 million-plus memorial project was funded by the Port, the Bob Hope family, and Taffy Three, a Naval veterans group.

*** Photos from Fan Expo Canada Begin October 1st!!!

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Post-Convention Sightseeing - Visiting Port of San Diego WWII Commemorative Statue

Before heading back to Canada, Doug wanted to visit the USS Midway again. After a delicious seafood lunch, we strolled on the waterfront and couldn't help but notice the 25-foot, 6,000 pound statue by world-renowned artist J. Steward Johnson.

"Unconditional Surrender" commemorated the famous World War II photo taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square, New York City, on August 14, 1945, following the announcement of V-J Day. The statue was previously displayed in New York City in 2005 and Sarasota, Florida in 2006.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Playboy Cartoonists Relax After Comic-Con '08 Closes

(left) Dean Yaegle and his wife Barbara/(right) Doug Sneyd and Heidi Hutson enjoy a quiet post-convention dinner at Soleil in the Marriott San Diego Gaslamp Quarter.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Personalized Unpublished Sneyd Books Made Great Comic-Con '08 Souvenirs

Personalized sketches were a popular souvenir; Doug has had over 400 full-page color cartoons published in Playboy. His first cartoon appeared in the September 1964 issue.

(top to bottom) Leslie from Ft. Worth, Texas; Elizabeth; Jodette from San Diego; and Maria from Phoenix, Arizona.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

One-Stop T-Shirt Shopping

Comic-themed T-Shirts - from floor to ceiling - fans had plenty of selection when searching for a Comic-Con '08 souvenir.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Doug Meets Actresses

Comics, film, TV, gaming, toys and more - much more - could be found at Comic-Con '08, celebrating the Popular Arts.

Doug met actresses - Julia, a fellow Canadian, and Erin, from Louisiana - on the Wednesday, July 23, preview night.

***Photos from Fan Expo Canada will be posted starting Oct. 1.***

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Original Sneyd Artwork Pleases Comic-Con '08 Fans

Fans and artists alike enjoy sharing stories and a laugh at conventions like Comic-Con, the largest comic-cartoon convention in North America.

(top) Dena and Terri and (bottom) Cyndy buy personalized copies of Doug's 52-page book Unpublished Sneyd.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Doug Does Personalized Sketch in Unpublished Sneyd from Wallet Photo

Doug does most of his personalized sketches in Unpublished Sneyd while the fan poses, but on the last day of Comic-Con '08, a man wanted his wife Molly sketched from a wallet-size photo. No problem!

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Doug Meets Award Winning Makeup Artist

1985 Emmy award winning makeup artist, Barry "Bear" Koper of Koper Kreations stopped by Doug's booth on opening night of Comic-Con '08.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Doug Sketches Diana and Sherri in Unpublished Sneyd

Whether in costume or street-dress, Doug enjoyed meeting fans who stopped by his booth for a personalized sketch in Unpublished Sneyd.

(top) Diana, who lived in Louisiana and Texas before moving to Los Angeles, is a model; (bottom) Sherri - dressed as Spanklett the Tease Beast - was born in Tempe, Arizona; she now calls Los Angeles home. She's a belly dance instructor/performer.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Jim Silke Exhibits at Comic-Con '08

Doug and I first met Jim Silke at Super-Con in San Jose, California May '07.

Over the years, Silke has worn many artistic hats - art director, magazine editor and publisher, photographer, screenwriter and teacher. He's produced Bettie Page comic books via Dark Horse Comics and wrote Bettie Page: Queen of Hearts.

***Photos from Fan Expo Canada will be posted starting Oct. 1.***

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Fan Appreciates Doug's Personalized Sketch

George, an elementary teacher from Burbank, California appreciates the personalized sketch of him that Doug did in Unpublished Sneyd.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Fans in Costume Make Conventions Fun

(blog photos by Heidi Hutson)

Fans Get Personalized Sketch With Purchase of Unpublished Sneyd at Comic-Con '08

You can't beat original, one-of-a kind art from Comic-Con '08. Doug was happy to do a personalized profile sketch with purchase of his 52-page book, Unpublished Sneyd.

(top) Kassandra, an art student from Michigan.
(middle) Sierra, who been to Comic-Con twice; her husband Keith, however, has been a Comic-Con regular for the past 21 years.
(bottom) Cassandra had Doug do a sketch of her on the final day of Comic-Con '08.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Canadian Artist David Finch Exhibits at Comic-Con '08

Doug's good friend Todd Freeman from Belmonte, California told us to stop by and say "hello" to fellow Ontario artist David Finch, who was exhibiting in Artists' Alley this year.

Finch's last show for 2008 will be Baltimore, September 27-28, but he is scheduled to participate in Comic-Con '09.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

The Cute Bunny Ears Got Doug a Thank You Kiss!

Jorunn, born in Norway but now living in San Diego with her husband, stopped by Doug's booth with Big Wow Art the last day of Comic-Con '08.

She loved Doug's profile sketch of her in Unpublished Sneyd.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Comic-Con '08 Gets a "10" for Bringing Artists and Fans Together

A special draw for the San Diego Comic-Con is bringing tens of thousands of fans - a 125,000, in fact - together to meet artists one-on-one and have the opportunity to bring a special souvenir back home to show family and friends. Doug sold Unpublished Sneyd with personalized sketches to:

(top) Ami and Bryan, an artist for video games, from Santa Monica, California.
(middle) Ashley, a junior high music teacher, and her husband from Los Angeles, California.
(bottom) Emily and her husband from Los Angeles, California.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Fans in Costumes Make Comic-Con Fun

(blog photos by Heidi Hutson)

Canadian Fan Meets Canadian Artist

Fraser, who lives in Toronto, was surprised to learn that Doug, whose first full-page color Playboy cartoon was published in September 1964, was also a Canadian. His purchase of Doug's 52-page book, Unpublished Sneyd, with a personalized profile sketch of himself was the perfect Comic-Con '08 souvenir.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Doug Sketched Blondes, Brunettes and Redheads in Unpublished Sneyd Books

With the $25.00 purchase of Doug's 52-page book Unpublished Sneyd at Comic-Con '08, the ladies also got an "original" Sneyd sketch of themselves. Blonde: Jo-Anne; Brunette: Chandra; and Redhead: Brandi, a first-time attendee at Comic-Con, North America's largest comic-cartoon convention.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Limited Edition Prints

For Comic-Con '08, Doug created 3 of his "lovely ladies" for limited edition prints - 1 of 25. Each featured his signature Playboy-style.

The blonde in the pink bikini was originally rendered for The Mandy Portrait Gallery, a 48-page book published by Dean Yaegle to debut at Comic-Con '08. Dean asked 29 artist friends for their portrait versions of his Mandy character, who stars in Dean's publications.

Each of the 11" x 17" prints is priced at $50.00 each; email Doug's website for availability of the remaining prints.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Doug's Personalized Books Featured "Girl-Next-Door" Sketches

Doug personalized his 52-page book, Unpublished Sneyd, with a profile sketch of a "Girl-Next-Door" for (top) Bill, an editorial cartoonist from Escondido, California; (middle/far right) Peter, who works in visual effects; and (bottom) Guy, who drove in from Chula Vista, California, to attend Comic-Con '08.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Sneyd Sketches Make These Fans Smile

Doug sketched dozens of likenesses daily during the 5-day San Diego Comic-Con. Jennifer (wearing blue), an art teacher at Cal State University-North Ridge, had her sketch done in Doug's 52-page book, Unpublished Sneyd, while Danielle (wearing black), who drove in from San Jose, California, wanted her sketch done as an illustration suitable for framing.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Stephen Silver's Character Design Talent Draws Fans at Comic-Con '08

Silver got his professional start in 1992 drawing caricatures in amusement parks, and a year later he went on to establish his own illustration business and caricature concession company called Silvertoons, where he worked freelance.

In 1997 he was hired by Warner Bros. Television Animation as a character designer and has been working in the animation industry ever since.

Doug first met Stephen at the New York Comic Con '08.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Comic-Con Welcomes Fans in Costume

Doug's corner booth across from the Sony exhibits gave us the opportunity to see a variety of original costumes - like the one Thomas D. Willeford designed. He traveled from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to attend Comic-Con '08, but he told us that he's been going to conventions for nearly 20 years. This was his second visit to Comic-Con.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)