Visit Doug's Booth at the Emerald City Comicon April 4-5 in Seattle

Doug is a first-time guest at this year's annual Seattle comic-cartoon convention so stop by Booth 207 to say "hello." In addition to Doug's 52-page book Unpublished Sneyd and limited edition prints (*), he will have a number of original Playboy cartoons for sale.

* Monsters & Dames, a full-color, 48-page hardcover artbook featuring original illustrations by artists attending the convention this year, is limited to 850 individually numbered copies. Copies are priced at $25.00 each, with part of the proceeds going to the Seattle Children's Hospital; Doug drew one of his young, lovely blondes for the book. The original will be one of the featured Sunday afternoon charity art auction items - proceeds benefit the Seattle Children's Hospital.

*** Candid photos from the Saturday and Sunday, April 4-5, Emerald City Comicon in Seattle will be posted starting Wednesday, April 22, as Doug and I have planned to visit Victoria and Vancouver after the convention. ***

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Editors call SCOOPS "Unique, Fresh"

Long before SCOOPS first appeared on editorial pages throughout Canada and the U.S., Doug's artwork was recognized for its humor and his "luscious ladies" parading, month by month, in glossy color on the pages of Playboy.

For SCOOPS, Doug's own humor was supplemented by the work of some of the best gag writers in the business - people who regularly contributed to Bob Hope, Punch, Playboy and the New Yorker.

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

Donna Logan, Assistant Managing Editor, Montreal STAR, commented, "Love the format, love the style."

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Artwork Enhances Children's Poetry Book

Simon & Pierre, publisher of the 1987 Lola Sneyd book of poetry titled Nature's Big Top, on the back cover, praised Doug's artwork:

"Doug Sneyd's delightful illustrations for Nature's Big Top enhance Lola Sneyd's poems. The rich details in the landscape drawings provide a lyrical accompaniment to the poetry; the sketches of children are funny and appealing. Children are intrigued by them."

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Public Service Project on Nuclear Energy Published Doug Sneyd Cartoon

In 1979 the non-profit educational organization, Committee for Nuclear Responsibility, published An Irreverent Illustrated View of Nuclear Power. The collection of articles and cartoons, compiled by John W. Gofman (Professor Emeritus of Medical Physics at the University of California, Berkeley), was published as a public service.

The 248-page book was "dedicated to the cartoonists, whose insights contribute so enormously, so delightfully, to public education and human decency."

Doug's single -panel cartoon appeared on pg. 184; John Gofman personalized Doug's book, writing, "My great admiration for your elegant work. And my deep thanks to your help in making this public interest project possible."

The Committee for Nuclear Responsibility was based in San Francisco, California.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Watch, Listen & Read

Despite beautiful weather and numerous activities here on the Alabama Gulf Coast and in Pensacola, Florida, Doug and I enjoy quiet time -

watching a good movie through Netflix.

Our last two DVDs were very enjoyable. The 2005 British comedy, Kinky Boots, was about a family-owned shoe factory reinventing itself in a very competitive marketplace. Producing quality men's business shoes could no longer sustain the company so the new president, the only son of the recently deceased father, had to search out a new demographic - it was great fun watching Kinky Boots! Released in 2006, I Served the King of England was set in pre-World War II in Czechoslovakia. English subtitles didn't distract us at all in watching this insightful, poignant and frequently comedic 2-hour movie.

listening to a good audiobook.

The Orange Beach Public Library is great so when staff suggested Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth, Doug checked it out. And even though it's in two parts, 16 discs each, he's finding it quite enjoyable and informative to listen to while working on deadlines. He just finished two finishes for Playboy and is now focusing on commissioned work for a CD cover for the Sad Salamanders, a California-based jazz group.

reading a good book.

Doug is nearly finished with the 240-page The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant. It's the story about one man, a British Columbia timber scout named Grant Hadwin, and one tree, a 300-year-old Sitka spruce nearly 50 meters tall; the book has been praised for making people change their views about nature. And because Doug's listening to Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth he thought it would be interesting to read Pillars of the Almighty, featuring photographs by f-stop Fitzgerald of "soaring arches and haunting sculptures" of world-famous cathedrals.


(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Dophin Cruise and Lunch at Flippers "Spectacular"

The Dolphin Cruise and Lunch at Flippers, $20.00 per adult, at Bear Point Marina in Orange Beach, Alabama is a great way to entertain visitors - Doug's older brother Ralph and his lady, Mary Jane from The Villages in Florida, had a great afternoon.

Each of the Cold Mil Fleet boats carries about 50 people and seeing dolphins surf and jump is "guaranteed." It's a real value; Doug and I recommend it to anyone visiting the Alabama Gulf Coast.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Jim & John Entertain

Our favorite Gulf Coast entertainers, (left) Jim and (right) John, entertain at Doc's Seafood in Gulf Shores, Alabama on Tuesday nights.

Doug's older brother Ralph and his lady Mary Jane visited Doug and me in Orange Beach recently. Naturally we took them dancing at Doc's to hear Jim & John. (from left) Mary Jane from The Villages, Florida; John; Ralph from Vineland, Ontario; Jim and Heidi

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Dinner With Friends After Attending RadioLive Performances in Pensacola

WUWF Public Media, 88.1 FM, hosts RadioLive the first Thursday of every month, and Doug and I enjoy having friends join us in attending the musical live-audience broadcasts, held in the Museum of Commerce in the Historic Pensacola Village. After the 90-minute broadcasts, we have dinner in Pensacola. After the RadioLive performance March 5th, twelve of us went to dinner at The Crab Trap, a popular seafood & oyster bar on Pensacola Beach.

(from left) Art, Jackie and Heidi

(from left) Kay, Virginia, Larry, Mickey, Bob and George

(from left) Carla, Jim, Bonnie and George

After the February 5th RadioLive performance (from left) Bonnie, George, Carla, Jim, Heidi and Doug had dinner at Dharma Blue, overlooking Seville Square in downtown Pensacola.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Spending Some Time in Pensacola, Florida

There's always something interesting happening in Pensacola, Florida - which is about 45 minutes from my condo in Orange Beach, Alabama.

Doug and I thoroughly enjoy attending monthly RadioLive performances, hosted by WUWF Public Media, 88.1 FM; after the March 5th RadioLive show, we had dinner at the Crab Trap, a popular seafood & oyster bar on Pensacola Beach. Doug had the opportunity to meet (from left) Jessica, Andrea and Leah.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Doug Illustrates 1963 Hockey Novel by Scott Young

Doug illustrated the 256-page novel by Scott Young (1918-2005), father of singer-songwriter Neil Young and a daily columnist for the Toronto Globe & Mail. Young was also the author of short stories that appeared for many years in leading Canadian and American magazines. His other hockey novels are Scrubs on Skates and Boy on Defense.



(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Concerts in Fairhope, Alabama

ETA3 - (from left) Tomoko Nakayama/piano, Emily Thomas/flute and Alexey Gorokholinsky/clarinet - was featured at the February Fairhope Concerts' program, made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment of the Arts. Doug and I find the classical concerts most enjoyable; guitarist Peter Fletcher is performing in March.




After dinner at Tamara in Fairhope, Doug and I (left) and friends Cecile and Peter (right) from London, Ontario attended the ETA3 concert in the Whiting Gallery at the Eastern Shore Art Center.

The Eastern Shore Art Center has five exhibit galleries of local and regional art and promotes the arts and Fairhope with a monthly First Friday Artwalk, featuring exhibit openings, guest artists and live entertainment throughout the beautiful city on Mobile Bay.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

WeeWhimsy Originals Sent to Parents

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

WeeWhimsey Feature Begins in 1971

Doug debuted WeeWhimsey in 1971; children's sayings were illustrated by small Peanuts-like cartoon children. Parents sent in the sayings and those selected for the feature were given the original Sneyd artwork after publication.
(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Mardi Gras on the Gulf Coast

New Orleans isn't the only city along the Gulf Coast to host Mardi Gras parades. Beautiful Fairhope, Alabama, located on Mobile Bay, hosts several during the Mardi Gras season. Doug (in front of the blonde in the pink jacket) and I (lower right) joined up with friends last year for the Knights of Ecor Rouge parade - the picture appeared on the front page of the Fairhope Courier last year; this year we attended the Order of Mystic Magnolias parade.



It's a Fat Tuesday tradition in Orange Beach for Doug and I to meet friends for lunch at Live Bait and then watch the Mardi Gras floats travel along Perdido Beach Blvd. It's a family event lasting about 90 minutes. I'm hoping to catch some beads, which I take back to the Orillia YMCA for kids' summer craft classes.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Lovely, Stylish Ladies Are A Sneyd Hallmark

Female figures in Doug Sneyd and SCOOPS were frequently lovely and stylish - no doubt a carry-over from his attention to detail in drawing his lovely "girl-next-door" figures for Playboy. His first Playboy cartoon appeared in the September 1964 issue.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)