Rubber Buddies

There are some characters that have such an inherent iconic quality that regardless of whether their cartoons are hilarious or not, they just look good in rubber.
Doesn't this Peabody toy make you imagine it must be from a fantastic cartoon?
This Tom looks good too, but is not quite so distinct or iconic as the Jay Ward characters - even though the cartoons he's in are much more animated.
Some fans wonder why I make so many posts about toys and partly it's because I don't always have time to do anything elaborate so I just put up the stuff Mike Fontanelli sends me in his immature glee. But there is kind of a serious point in them: One of the most important qualities in a cartoon character is its inherent iconic appeal. Ionic characters make good toys. It's a quality that is completely non-existent today. Cartoonists used to aim for designs and personalities that had an instant appeal. Rather than this:
Somehow, about 40 years ago cartoon aims turned upside down and now characters seem to be designed to instantly depress you. Big time Hollywood producers think that if they make the audience puke, we will be curious enough to want to watch the cartoon to that makes our stomachs churn so.
Like I said, iconic quality is separate from whether the cartoon is fully animated or even funny. It's just a spark that some cartoon designers and creators had and others strove for but never achieved.
Here's the character who made for some of the best toys ever and the more off model and confused they were, the better.


I bet girls love Fred's iconic veiny club.

More Milt Stein

Cartoons and dinosaurs: 2 eternally cool things.
Here's some more amazing Milt Stein cartoon art.
He's obviously an animator but also influenced by the graphic looks of such comic strip artists as Herriman and Sterret.

So cute and so stylish at the same time. A rare combination.
And great backgrounds too!




Milt understood the graphic power of stars.
Not only did he draw nice star shapes (not easy to do!) but he always composed them into interesting patterns that framed the action.








Such a killer command of graphic hierarchy...




This cover is by someone else. I like how it looks like a completely different character.

Masterly comic graphic sense.

http://pappysgoldenage.blogspot.com/search/label/Milton%20Stein

Milt Stein - a perfect funny animal man

Here's a cartoonist I like a lot. He's a drawing textbook for all the cartoon skills and techniques I promote.
His basic style is generic 40s animation funny animal. He has all the principles that add up to that look almost perfectly. On top of that he has his own unique stylistic finish.
His most amazing skill is his ability to organize all the principles and design elements with a scene and balance them into a perfect organic and appealing design.
When you have this much hierarchy and visual coordination, you don't need to hide behind a bunch of cluttered details.

USING THE POSES AS PART OF THE COMPOSITION

I love the way he draws hands. They look like they are right out of the Preston Blair book, only drawn with more verve and contrast and design.
Hierarchy: The few details he uses always form around the larger object they help describe. Like the stripes on the cat wrapping around the position of his body, or the little dirt clumps that help describe the larger mound.

SECRETS OF HOW HIERARCHY WORKS

He draws really elegant simple compositions. I wish I had a bg artist who could do this!! Aargh!


Look at these beautiful dynamic action poses.

I love this cat. His stripes are so organic and gritty. Pure comic inking. I wish you could get that in animation drawings.


Such luscious inking!

Organic compositions: His backgrounds are made up of sub-elements that point in seemingly chaotic angles, yet they are all balanced against each other. They don't look wonky.

SECRETS OF COMPOSITION REVEALED

Everything he does has inherent form and a visual plan. I think the plan in his compositions is the most fun part of his art.

Hierarchy of thick and thin lines: The lines of the overall silhouettes are thicker than the details inside the forms. These bold lines help hold the characters together.




I like that rabbit's nipple ears.
Enjoy superb rare comics at Mykal's great blog!

MILT STEIN SUPERMOUSE COMICS