As we stated in the first installment of this occasional series (back in June of 2023!), Friend of LOAC Bill Chadbourne once sent an e-mail our way that said, “I have been wondering for a few years about what to do with my stuff … [and] it became clear that you could actually use some of these books in your business. So, I’m getting a box ready this next week.”
Actually, two boxes arrived, with occasional supplements following as the calendar pages flipped forward. Now — more than two years after we started sharing Chad’s treasure trove of items with you – we’re going back to his very first box of goodies to dip into the nearly two dozen issues of Cartoonist PROfiles that he provided.
This was the “unique quarterly magazine for the professional, the cartoon buff, the student, and all who enjoy cartoons” that ran for one hundred forty-six issues from 1969 to 2005. And the range of topics, articles, and artwork that ran in its pages over the years is truly impressive.
As proof, we offer this sampling of six pages from PROfiles issues # 3, 5, and 6. Each of these issues featured selections from a scrapbook assembled by Roy Crane, titled “How to Draw Buz Sawyer.” Sawyer, of course, was Crane’s long-running King Features comic strip, running from 1943 until 1989 (though Crane himself passed away in 1977). Crane built this collection as a “bible” for Hank Schlensker, who came on board to assist on Sawyer’s art duties, but it remains an excellent look at Crane’s preferences, and his approach to comic strip storytelling. Count those of us here at LOAC-central as fans and admirers of Crane’s superb draftsmanship, and it’s a treat to see samples from Buz used to emphasize specific aspects of technique, with Crane’s own words included in the captions to expound on the points he wished to emphasize about his intentions in preparing each image. (Click each thumbnail for an isolated view.)
Watch this space in coming weeks for more examples of what Cartoonist PROfiles offered its readers during the 1970s and ‘80s. Meanwhile, previous installments of The Chadbourne Dossier (and the neat stuff they contain!) can be found here: # 1, # 2, # 3, # 4, # 5, # 6, # 7, # 8, # 9, # 10, # 11, and # 12.
