Nick Magazine Blog

People are emitting much DeStefano love lately. It's weird. They should just cut it out.
Still, if you can't get enough me, go over to Nick Magazine's Blog, where editors Chris Duffy and Dave Roman share, in a kid friendly manner, their process for putting the comics section together, as well as upcoming art.
You can catch a preview of my latest SpongeBob story there. Also, Chris and Dave reveal the exact number of times I've drawn Jimmy Neutron running down a flight of stairs!
The address is: http://nickmag-comics.livejournal.com/
For those of you who're curious about how I landed a plum job like drawing Jimmy Neutron (Guiseppe Castellano, I know you're out there!), check out those sample pieces above!

Aww, YEAH! Tha's right...work it girl!

We did nothing but have fun on Katbot.
Whatever happened to that show?
I forget, but here's a photo of show Production Manager B J Kearney rocking out.
I'm behind her, marveling at her rockingoutedness.
Behind me?
The mysterious Jackson Publick (creator of the Venture Brothers) not rocking out.
YET!

Read my interview. Soon to be a major motion picture.

http://newtoons.frederator.com/post/3496
Thanks to Jeaux Janovsky.

Jesus is just alright with me. I prefer Captain Marvel.

I was just fooling around, sketching.
It seems to me more and more lately that the best comics artist of the "Golden Age" had to have been C. C. Beck. Yes, Cole drew loopier, Eisner more cinematically, Raboy more heroically and Lou Fine feathered everything. But for sheer, direct storytelling and staging, clarity and fun, Beck is my choice. His Cap always seems to be in the exact right place for tension and drama, and Beck knew how to draw him simply and beautifully. Looking at his work, I sense that he knew anatomy and perspective as well as anyone, say Mac Raboy, but knew how to abstract and short hand it like no one else before or since.
Also, as I said somewhere else on this blog, I like Mar-Vell a lot too. K-TAAANGG!!

And yet MORE Popeye art...

Sorry, folks, my stash of Popeye art is inexhaustible.
Still, these are two of my favorite sketches for King Features Licensing, done a few years ago for a line of bendys that were produced. The final toys were quite well done, I thought, looking remarkably like my drawings. Come to think of it, I'm not sure they ever did produce the Jeep figure.

Fish Playing Poker

Because you know they do, underneath the sea, and all.

This is me

Self portrait.
Of myself.

Have a good one, now!

Jerry Lewis says: WATCH OUT FOR FALLING SPUTNIKS!

Isn't this a killer magazine cover?
I'm not a huge fan of Kurtzman's post EC, non-comic book work, (ANNIE FANNY's okay, I guess) but some of the covers for HELP were prettty awesome.

Popeye-bot...Kat.

This morning I received this charming drawing from my former Katbot co-conspiritor, Dave Redl. Dave is (New York animation and web design studio) Funny Garbage's Iron Man, but I've known Dave since he was a wee Redl, when he was a staff artist in King Features' licensing department. He was the first guy I ever knew to use Flash, animating a bit of Popeye art I'd drawn for King's website (is that still online anywhere, Dave?). Dave is also the creator of his own cartoon concept, FAMILY PANTS. He's set up a blog for Family Pants, and you can check it out here:
http://www.familypants.wordpress.com
Thanks for the drawing, Dave!

Oh wait a minute. That's right. I've got a blog. Duh...

Friends,
My apologies, long time no post!
Essentially I've been recovering from finishing my final board on FUTURAMA for the good folks at Rough Draft, saving and gearing up my energy for my coming gig on---wait for it---the VENTURE BROTHERS, Season 3! I'm very much looking forward to working on the VB's again, it should be a blast. Jackson Publick's one of the finest talents in the industry, as well as being just plain pretty to look at.
What've all you guys been up to?
How's tricks.
I'm posting a crazy little drawing of Popeye. He's little in the drawing.

The other day, I taped an interview to be included on the forthcoming (and long awaited) POPEYE DVD boxed set. I talk about my process in drawing the character. How he's changed over the years. My theories on why he's so enduring, and the influence of Segar on the cartooning community as a whole.
I come off as a real cluck, I know. I sound stupid in interviews.

What else?
I've become obsessive about buying DC Archive Editions (they're expensive).
I did my taxes.
I'm working on a SpongeBob story. I'm late on it.
I'm reading V FOR VENDETTA. Which is alright.

Look at this picture of Popeye. Kinda cute, isn't it?

Tease

Little something I'm working on right now.
These're just pencils.
I'm super busy at the moment, but many thanks for everyone that's asked about spotting blacks.
I will try and get back to that topic before the end of the month.
best,
Sde

Chad Grothkopf

Two charming sketches, pasted back to back, by one of the true masters of funny animal cartooning.
Anyone interested in learning to draw "cute"---and I mean that in a good way--search down Chad's work in golden-age comics like FUNNY ANIMALS, and HOPPY THE MARVEL BUNNY (which blew Chris George's mind when I first showed it to him!)

Character sketches

Some sketches I'd done a few weeks back for an unproduced pilot.
Kind of cool drawings, I think.

Toth Tuesday

For sheer drawing ability, no one was ever better than Alex Toth, in my opinion.
Still, I gotta wonder what the H&B animators thought of these incredibly complex character layouts Alex had come up with.
Did he really expect them to animate all this motion?
......
Come to think of it, I've never seen this cartoon, and maybe they did animate all this parry and thrusting.
In any event, it makes for a gorgeous layout.

2006, acknowlegements and appreciation

What a terrific year 2006 was.
What a blessing it was to have worked with such cartoon luminaries as Peter Avonzino, Tom Conner, Chris Duffy, Claudia Katz, Joan Hilty, Jeff Hong, Mike Carlo, Heather Kenyon, Dave Roman, AL PARDO, Chris Reccardi, Manny Galan, Rachel Gluckstern, Bobbie Paige, Dwayne C. Hill, Lynne Naylor, Dan Yaccarino, Andy Suriano, Stephen (he spells his name correctly) Sandoval, Clarke Sager, Jackson Publick, Jared Deal and Lynne Naylor. And my dear old King Features compatriot, Frank Caruso. Special thanks and a tip of the inkwell cap to my boys, Pete Browngardt and Phil Rynda, and my girl, Melissa Johnson.
I thank you all.
What a lucky slob I am.
(Even luckier if I managed to spell everyone's name right.)
As good as this year was for me, professionally, it's gonna get better in 2007.
This I know.

Fellow Bloggites, please return early this week.
I'm gonna start off '07 right.
With scans of Toth originals.
So y'better come back.
best,
Sde

HAPPY NEW YEAR

...though please note, the new year is 2007, not 1950.
My very best wishes,
Sde

The packages!
The wrapping!
The caroling!
The wassailing!

All this Christmas, and hubbub--
I'm too tired to post this week.
But check out this Holiday art!

Happy Holidays to all,
Peace to all,
Stephen

Weekly Shank.

"Norto"!

Freaking hilarious. For some reason, this stuff kills me!

Hellboy Jr. character sketches

These're for Keenan, who requested I post some Hellboy Junior stuff.
Like I said, I don't have much that hasn't already seen print. But I found these on the back of a page of unused (and not very interesting) inks.
I'll say this-- I sometimes get recognition for doing the Harvey style well, and I generally poo-poo the idea. But that Wendy's pretty frickin' sharp, I don't mind sayin'....