art

Getting readers is a tricky business

I’m not getting the readership I want. I want millions of followers and readers. To be fair, some of my cartoons do get millions of eyes on them. Most of course, don’t.

I read one time when the comics were revered, I guess in the 1940s and 1950s, Al Capp would get 80 million readers a day for Li’l Abner. If he got that size readership, I’m sure most of the big name strips at the time, did, also – Blondie, Moon Mullins, Dick Tracy, Little Orphan Annie, etc.

While many cartoonists get many views, many don’t. If you look at sites like GoComics.com, those big cartoonists who you would think have a lot of followers, don’t.

I am resigned to the fact that I have fans that get me. I like to think my cartoons are more cerebral. Not on purpose, it’s just how I think. I’ve noticed when I have a silly cartoon, something that plays to the lowest common denominator, well, that’s when I get all these eyes on my work.

A lot of my cartoons are “stolen.” What I mean is that they are picked up and used in anthologies without permission. These jerks at one publication one time picked up 60 cartoons and published them without permission, then other sites similar to their site (clickbait sites) picked up the cartoons and published them and so on and so on.

When I complained about the 60 cartoons being picked up and rerun, they reduced it down to 30. Guess they don’t know the word plagiarism.

Recently, a friend sent me a site where one of my cartoons was published, it was there along with some others which were illegally picked up and reused. My name and copyright were removed from the cartoon, but I was impressed that my friend recognized my work. He knew my style.

When I complained to the site editor, they said, “We did link back to you!” I had to tell them that they linked back to another site that illegally swiped my cartoon. I guess this is journalism today – anyone can publish anything without anyone editing or checking them. Sort of like I do here on my blog.

But it’s nice to know people think the work is worthy of stealing, or maybe it’s just that they need clickbait and anything will do.

I like to create my cartoons thinking of cartoonist Jason Chatfield’s quote: “Don’t curate your art to what gets likes. Curate it to what you like.” So I’ll keep on doing it that way.

By the way, if you are not subscribing, you can subscribe free via email to my cartoons here – five (that week’s worth) will arrive each Friday plus two short blog posts are published during the week.

Till next time . . .

The fall art walk in our village

Over the weekend we had an Art Walk in the village. Some years back, the first Saturday night of every month there was an Art Walk, where there was music and art all throughout the village. This weekend it was just a random art walk but there was a lot of nice art.

My friend Peter Studl creates these very large abstract pieces you see here and in the gallery above.

I knew a lot of the artists and many friends were there. The weather was perfect. Above are a couple of friends showing and selling their art – at left is Eileen Seitz and at right is Theresa Callouri, walking behind her fruit art, both excellent artists.

I wore one of my “Tomversation” tee shirts to advertise this blog and my comics, I got a lot of comments and questions about it. I was so busy kibitzing, I forgot to get a photo of myself wearing the shirt.

The season for art festivals in Miami usually starts at the end of the years with Art Basel in December, then many local festivals in January through the Spring. These are great places to see art, but even better to meet up with friends.

Till next time . . .

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How do I start cartoon tutoring?

I’ve had the idea of tutoring or teaching kids lately. What would I teach? The art of cartoons or comic drawing of course. I can barely add two and two, so math would be out and I am good at English, but I guess cartooning is the way.

I have a neighbor who is a retired teacher and she makes more money tutoring kids than she ever did teaching. I think she teaches Spanish and was a Spanish teacher in her teaching career.

She mostly tutors here at the condo, at her condo unit. There are kids in and out all day, I don’t see how she does it, it’s a lot of work, but she is raking in the money.

I’m wondering if this type of tutoring is the way to go. How do I start?

Things are done digitally now. I draw my cartoons digitally using a Surface Pro and a program called Clip Studio Paint.

I’ve used other programs like Procreate and an ipad and a Wacom Tablet, but I like the Surface Pro because it’s also a computer with a keyboard and it’s easy to work on when I need to do actual work. I’m used to Clip Studio Paint, so I use that. But anything will do, I suppose. But therein lies the rub.

How do I teach? Do I teach using digital tools or do I use pen and paper? Does the student need their own hardware (computer) and software (program)? I’ll of course need to know how to use all the tools if I am setting them up to draw, which I suppose would be the same using all platforms.

How do I get clients? Is it ok to have kids here at my condo or is that weird since I’ve never been a teacher and I’m a strange man having students in and out? I guess it’s like giving piano lessons or tutoring Spanish or math.

Lots to think about, but I like the idea of being a sort of art teacher, which was always my favorite “subject” when I was in school.

Maybe I could do the whole thing digitally, you know, online I could possibly do lessons through zoom. Do people still zoom? Or maybe I can tutor on YouTube or something; give drawing or cartooning lessons on YouTube. Then I can reach a lot of students at once and not have to interact one-on-one in person.

if I teach through zoom or YouTube, then adults can be tutored, too.

Guess I should think this all over for a while before I make any decisions, or god forbid, get any paying students and then not know what to do with them.

Till next time . . .

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It’s fall and Halloween week!

All cartoons via TomFalco.com

Subscribe to this Tomversation blog by clicking here – it’s free! Receive my five cartoons each Friday and 2 blog posts during the week!

Alex Katz’s ‘Painting Energy’

Artist Alex Katz has been painting for over 75 years. He turned 98 this past July. This is a short piece I saw on CBS Sunday Morning this past weekend, so enjoyable to see and hear Alex speak about his life and work.

A collection of over 100 pieces from the Alex Katz Foundation Collection are on display at the Portland Museum of Art in Maine. I only just found out about it, unfortunately, it’s been there since May. It ends in just a few weeks – on September 14. I know I have a lot of New England readers, so this is your chance!

Alex Katz, 2004. Photograph by Vivien Bittencourt.

The exhibit is called, “Painting Energy.” These are pieces of art that Alex owns, pieces he purchased because he loved them and wanted to support other established and emerging artists purchasing their art. He’s paying it forward.

Alex is one of those people who you just like to listen to when they speak. The Guggenheim Museum had an exhibit of his work in 2022, which I regret missing.

The paintings he chose for the Maine exhibit have to have a “pow” as he calls it. It’s sort of like an elevator pitch or shorter. He says it’s like an elevator door opening, seeing the painting, having the elevator door closing and “getting it,” from that one short moment.

“Alex Katz is a leader in contemporary art, but in the state of Maine, he’s king, and we all look up to him,” said fellow artist Katherine Bradford, whose work is part of the “Painting Energy” show.

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Exploring Madame X: John Singer Sargent’s iconic portrait

My cousin Michael took me to the John Singer Sargent exhibit at the MET museum last week. I had never seen so much of his work in one place before. Of course the center piece were all of the drawings and paintings of the famous Madame X, dead center was his most famous painting of all.

Madame Pierre Gautreau known as Madame X in John Singer Sargent’s painting from 1884 was born in Louisiana as Virginie Amelie Avegno. She moved to Paris and was part of society there.

John Singer Sargent in his studio with the famous painting.

Sargent wanted to do something to enhance his name and he asked the celebrity at the time to sit for him, it was unpaid and not a commission.

The original painting had Madame X with one of the dress straps falling off, which caused a lot of ridicule in Paris at the time. Sargent painted the strap on but still, it was the talk of the town. It became his most famous piece of work and he painted and drew Madame X many times over the years.

Originally controversial due to its provocative pose and the fallen strap (later repainted), Madame X marked a turning point in Sargent’s career, showcasing his masterful technique and flair for drama. Virginie herself was a trendsetter in Parisian society.

Emile Hervet, wrote in La Patrie newspaper in 1884, “We regret to say that Mr. Sargent has produced the worst, most ridiculous, and most insulting portrait of the year.”

Sargent eventually sold the painting to the MET himself and it’s had a home there ever since.

If you watch the HBO series, “The Guilded Age,” you would have seen John Singer Sargent in the final scene of one episode. He painted Gladys Russell, who is supposed to be Consuelo Vanderbilt.

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Striking a pose at MOMA

Taking pictures in front of Starry Night.

I’ve been in NYC awhile now, but I haven’t done my usual museum visits because the weather has been nice. It’s been brutally hot, but it hasn’t rained, and I’ve been saving museum visits for rainy days.

The news keeps saying there will be rain daily, but so far, so good. Nothing.

The New York City news shows the weather report what seems like every five minutes. Seriously. Every news report – early morning, mid-day, 6 pm and 11 pm. It’s all about the weather. Which is always wrong.

I did finally manage to stop by MOMA to visit my old friend, Starry Night. I noticed that people take a lot of photos in front of works of art, you know, with the person in the photo. They pose in front of the paintings; not usually sculptures, but in front of famous paintings.

I did notice a blind couple touching the sculptures, which I guess was allowed, but I found it strange that they were in most of the painted art galleries. Not sure how that worked.

I often find myself looking out the windows at the highrises, I don’t know why, but I do it. I did a cartoon about this a few years back, you can see it here.

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Snagged my NYCC tix

I got my tickets for New York Comic Con (NYCC) yesterday.

It’s a whole process. I no longer get press passes after 15 years of that, so I have to purchase the tickets now and wait in line, online, like everyone else.

You have to be fan verified, and get a time and date to get on and buy the tickets. Mine was 10 am Sunday morning, the first thing, the first group, but of course if you get online at that very moment, there is a long wait to get your access to the tickets. My wait was 20 minutes, not that bad.

Who are these people that are always there, first in line? In person, you see them in tents, camping outside venues for a week to buy something like an Nintendo Switch or concert tickets.

By the way, NYCC is Oct. 9-12, and the tickets sell out fast.

For so many years, I wrote for the Huffington Post and other publications and I received press passes, which made me feel important, but best of all, I didn’t have to wait in any lines and I had access to everything for all four days.

To be honest, I think I outgrew the whole thing, but since I’m a cartoonist, I feel it’s my duty to go, but it seems that Comic Cons have gone from being comic oriented, to movies, games and tv, which make up the bulk of it all.

One of my cousins works for a company that sells original cartoon art. His company has a booth at the cons and last year when I finally found his booth, he was telling me how the actual comics are all confined to a small area now, almost being forced out of their namesake event. I can’t even find the cartoon syndicates now. I’m not sure they show up anymore.

The best part of course is the cosplay, you know, people dressed up as their favorite tv and movie characters. But I do like to mix and mingle with other cartoonists and organizations. I could have sat and worked the National Cartoonists Society booth, but I declined. I’m not sure why, that way I would have free access and get to meet many of my peers. Maybe next year.

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Abstract recipes

I don’t know why, but today’s Tomversation cartoon makes me laugh out loud. I mean I usually laugh at my cartoons, otherwise I wouldn’t create them, but for some reason, every time I look at this, I crack up.

I guess I am picturing a calm lady explaining to her friend that she goes mad when her recipes don’t turn our right and she throws them across the room onto the wall.

At first, it was going to say something like, “Oh, that – Frank doesn’t like some of my recipes.” But I didn’t want to bring violence into it, so I made her mocking her own creations.

It sort of looks like modern art that she is creating.

I have a friend, who needed to start making money, so he started creating modern art; you know, abstract stuff and he it sells for thousands of dollars now. He never did this before, he just used his imagination and came up with incredble stuff.

They are huge canvasas, I’m not even sure how he transports them to houses and condos where his work is sold and hung, but he does work sort of like Jackson Pollock, that sort of abstract stuff. It’s awesome.

The huge canvasas go perfectly in very large spaces in condos and houses. They really complete the decor.

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Another arts festival weekend

Spent the weekend at the 61st annual Coconut Grove Arts Festival. Went with friends on Saturday and another group on Sunday.

Ran into so many people I hadn’t seen for awhile. Was really a great time.

For the locals, it’s more about the comradery than the art, although we all love seeing and buying art. But it sort of reminds me of NYC, where the locals spot and see each other in the crowds of tourists and the tourists sort of blur into the background and the locals have the city for themselves.

The fun part is that we know some of the artists exhibiting and we visit with them as we all mix and mingle around the festival. We eat, drink (love the old fashioned English tea cafe where I had scones and tea, as I do every year) and enjoy the art. We always end up at the cafe and sit around and talk and laugh for an hour or so, in the midst of the show.

Since I had not seen some people for some time, I may have talked some ears off. I was talking to one guy who works for the festival, he was in a golf cart. He was attempting to drive away as I was talking. I said to him, “Did you hear what I said?” He said, “Yes.” I responded, “I don’t think you did, because you almost ran over my foot.”

Good times.

Today is the final day. I may or may not attend, I’m sort of worn out from non-stop action on Saturday and Sunday.

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