Current work: Liedekijn

I'm working on two non-Greener Pastures comics projects right now, one of which is a group gallery exhibition opening soon in Canberra. The interesting thing about the exhibition is that each piece of art involved is a single page in a narrative that makes up a complete story, The Song of Heer Halewijn. 

The show is called Liedekijn and it has been organised by the seemingly indefatigable Emma-Jean Stewart. The story is a medieval Dutch/Flemish fairytale originally written in a poem. The translated poem was split into 23 plot points and those points were handed to the artists to illustrate. Some pages, like mine, are in the traditional comic book format of sequential panels, while others are single illustrations. Each page progresses the tale though, the tale of Machteld and Halewijn, a tale of seduction and murder. 

There's a full colour art book to go along with the exhibition so that the story can be read once the show is over. 

It's a very interesting project to be a part of and I'm really excited to be going to the opening night. Feel free to join us there on Thursday the 28th of March. Many of the artists will be in attendance. Details below. 

By way of cajoling you into either viewing the exhibition or ordering the book, I present the pencils for my page below. My page appears about halfway through the story as Machteld and Halewijn meet for the first time. To see my finished inks, and to find out what happens next, you'll have to get the book. With a pre-order price of only $12 it's a steal!

Here are the details: 
Venue: The Front Gallery. Shop 3, 1 Wattle Place, Lyneham, ACT.
Dates: 26th March - 8th April, 2013. Opening night: 7:30pm, 28th March 2013.

Exhibition website: liedekijn.com

Gallery website: www.frontgallerycafe.com

Opening night Facebook event page: www.facebook.com/events/389157271170276
Order the book: emmajeans.bigcartel.com/product/liedekijn-artbook-preorder

Behind the scenes at Cheez TV

In the latest episode of GPTV I uploaded a video of the first time Michael and I brought Greener Pastures to Channel 10's morning cartoon show Cheez TV. Here's some behind the scenes photos from that fun shoot… 

Michael and Tim getting the star treatment in the make-up chairs. 

"What do you mean my forehead is shiny!" 

Most of the crew in on planning what and how we're going to shoot. As you can tell from the video, the whole thing is pretty much ad libbed. 

"Just draw a damn picture McEwen!"

Here we are getting to know Ryan and Jade while waiting to start taping. A couple of top blokes honestly excited to have us there. 

Setting up the time lapse drawing shot. 

Jade, absolutely enthralled by what Tim has to say. 

"Comics! I draw comics GOOD!" 

Team photo! We had an awesome time that fine day in 1996 shooting Cheez TV, and it shows on all our faces. 

GP TV. Ep04.

Ahhh, the familiar strains of the Cheez TV theme song… for so many of us it's a tune we'll never forget. Here, from way back in 1996, is the first time Michael and I were lucky enough to be guests of the show. It was the beginning of quite a long relationship and many appearances. I really loved working with Cheez TV whenever the opportunity arose and in the following years many did, either implemented by us or the Cheez TV producers. 

With our attendance at Kings Comics' OzCon 5 convention coming up soon we thought we'd see if we could drum up some publicity for ourselves, especially considering Greener Pastures had been nominated for five OzCon Awards that year (Favourite Title, Favourite Character, Favourite Artist, Favourite Writer and Favourite Cover (#4)), and so we contacted Channel 10 and tried our luck. They were keen as!

Look at how young Jade and Ryan were at the time! I think this was during their first 12 months on air. I believe Jade was truly excited to have comic book people in the studio and he was always welcoming and genuinely interested in chatting to Michael and me all the way until 2002 when I was on for the last time. Ryan, here and always, was pretty much joyously off the rails. 

Cartoons shown this particular morning were: Eek! The Cat; The Adventures of T-Rex; and Conan The Adventurer. 

Hosted by Jade Gatt and Ryan Lappin. 
Aired 7:00-8:30am, Wednesday, 21st February, 1996. 
On Channel 10. 

Greener Pastures in New Zealand

I recently uploaded a video clip of Greener Pastures' travels to New Zealand to attend IcoNZ 2 in 1995, and I thought I'd follow up with a few photos from the same trip. 

Those New Zealanders sure know how to make visiting comic creators feel welcome! Thank you kiwi comic making brothers and sisters! 

Here's Michael and I at our table at IcoNZ 2. This is one of the weirdest photos of us I have ever seen (and believe me, in our time we've taken a few weird ones on purpose!). It looks like my trunk has been disconnected from my pelvis and like Mike's legs have been bathed in a shrinking ray! 

Samuel joined us on this trip, and here he is visiting our IcoNZ 2 table. He and I are wearing matching Greener Pastures woollens – a cardigan and a jumper both knitted by my wonderful wife Bongo. He wasn't even one yet and he already looks embarrassed to be seen with me. 

GP TV. Ep03.

And so we come to the first time the Greener Pastures' creators themselves were ever on television. The funny thing is, it wasn't on Australian TV! 

Michael and I thought we'd go to New Zealand, just for the heck of it, to visit their annual comic convention at the time: IcoNZ. It was July 1995 and this was their second of three IcoNZs. We weren't the only Aussies there either, Stuart Hale also made the trip representing Issue One Comics . 

One of my favourite sales techniques when interested punters asked if we were New Zealanders was to say "Yep! We're from the West Island!" which would usually take a moment, and a double-take, for the penny to drop. At one point I looked up to see Neil (Split Enz, Crowded House) Finn browsing through our work. He bought a copy of Greener Pastures and as he walked away I sheepishly said "You can write a song about it if you like…" I don't think he ever did. 

We had a great time and met some lovely people. 

I don't know exactly what television show this report appeared on, I assume it's the news or a magazine style show. Neither do I know exactly what night, but I assume it would be 1st or 2nd of July 1995, as that was the date of IcoNZ 2. After the inane chatter about trading cards, sporting memorabilia, and the fake Baywatch girl, they talk to some local NZ comic creators and Michael and me. 

Cartoonists interviewed: 
Craig Petersen 
Wade Shotter
Cornelius Stone
Tim McEwen
Stuart Hale
Michael Michalandos

Cartoonists work also shown: 
Matt Hatton
Ant Larcombe
Ant Sang
Sam Young
Paul Newell
Jason Paulos
There are also a few incidences where there is work that I'm not able to easily identify. My apologies. I am pretty sure there's a flash of Roger Langridge though.

Aired July 1995. 

ACE in Sydney, opening night

Following on from the post I made recently about ACE: the Australian Comic book Exhibition, (GP TV. Ep02.) which toured the country from 1994 to 1997, I thought I'd share some photos from the opening night of the Sydney leg. The exhibition was hosted by the Westpac Museum at The Rocks (now gone), and the opening the night of 11th July, 1996.

The welcoming panels of ACE as one entered the exhibition. With the help of the Australian Cartoonists' Association (then called the Australian Black & White Artists' Club), as well as many Sydney-based comic creators, this particular leg of the exhibition's tour was greatly enhanced with numerous extra pieces of both reproduced and original artwork, some of which can be seen in the background here. I'm pretty sure that's Arthur Mather's Captain Atom and Stanley Pitt's Silver Starr over on the right.

Part of the additional exhibit items. Work in this cabinet includes Greener Pastures posters and comics, Jason Paulos' Hairbutt the Hippo comics, Issue One's CyberSwine and Zero Assassin comics (with art by Ant Larcombe), some Glenn Ford Phantom art, and other bits and pieces too. The big blank space was actually filled by another large print, like the Greener Pastures one on the left, of Zero Assassin #1, but it had been taken down by the time I got these photos.

An amazing group photo of many most of the cartoonists present on the night. I still feel honoured to have been able to jump into this snap.

1: Reginald Pitt. Co-creator of Yarmak, The Jungle King.

2: Ken Emerson. Cartoonist on The Warrumbunglers.

3: Eric Jolliffe. Cartoonist on Saltbush Bill.

4: Tony Rafty. Creator of Jimmy Rodney of the Secret Service.

5: Stewart McCrae. Cartoonist known as 'Pep'.

6: Stanley Pitt. Creator of Silver Starr.

7: Les Dixon. Cartoonist on Bluey and Curley.

8: Peter Chapman. Creator of The Phantom Ranger.

9: Monty Wedd. Artist/writer, Ned Kelly.

10: Yaroslav Horak. James Bond strip artist.

11: Jim Russell. Cartoonist on The Potts.

12: Norman Hetherington. For all intents and purposes, Mr Squiggle.

13: Lindsay Foyle. Cartoonist and historian.

14: Tim McEwen. Greener Pastures co-creator.

15: Chesty Bond. Australian advertising icon, created by Syd Miller.

16: John Clements. Australian comics enthusiast and historian.

17: Stan Clements. Creator of Tom Dunne, Scientific Detective (no relation to John at #16).

John Clements – Australian comics enthusiastic enthusiast and historian. Les Dixon – cartoonist on Bluey and Curley for nearly 20 years! Eric Jolliffe – cartoonist on Saltbush Bill and so much more. Jim Russell – Cartoonist on The Potts for a world-record-making 62 years! And me, Tim McEwen.

An unknown lady, possibly the daughter of one of the cartoonists in attendance on the night, and Monty Wedd, cartoonist on Ned Kelly, myself and my beautiful wife Bongo.

Les Dixon, standing at the panel that showcased the strip he was most famous for, Bluey and Curley, as well as the cover of Greener Pastures #1 (first printing). This group of panels was titled and themed 'Strictly Australian'.

Me, posing with one of the pages of Greener Pastures original art that toured with the exhibition.

Massive thanks to Steve Panozzo of the ACA for helping me identify all the cartoonists in the photos, and to Matt Emery too. Feel free to let me know of any corrections to any attributions I've made here. I'm not an expert and there's many more knowledgable people on this subject than me on this subject.

GP TV. Ep02.

This is the second in a series of videos that in some way feature Greener Pastures. Broadcast on February 2nd 1995, I think this is the second time Greener Pastures was seen on TV, once again on Bert Newton's Good Morning Australia. Bert must have loved comics at the time!

The wonderful Annette Shiel is interviewed for her role as curator of ACE: the Australian Comic book Exhibition, which toured the country in two mostly identical travelling exhibitions from 1994 to 1997. It was a very good exhibition from an historical point of view and even spawned a book on the subject called Bonzer: Australian comics 1900s-1990s.

Greener Pastures #1 gets a great look-in at the 5 minute 30 second mark, featuring the cover for quite a while and being used as a prop in one of Bert's jokes.

Big apologies for the wavering sound – this has been digitised from a 17 year old VHS tape.

Cartoonists work shown:

Jimmy Banks

Jim Russell

Norm Rice

Eric Jolliffe

Ant Larcombe

Keith Chatto

Sam Young

Will Donald

Tim McEwen

Glenn Lumsden

Cartoonists and/or their work I can't recognise or can't remember also appear. My apologies for any omissions. I'm not an expert on most of the really historical stuff, so off the top of my head I can't name a lot of the creators there.

Hosted by Bert Newton

Aired February 1995

On Channel 10

GP TV. Ep01.

I have a collection of (I think) every time Greener Pastures has ever appeared on TV. The following story from a July 1993 episode of Good Morning Australia is the first time images from Greener Pastures were ever broadcast. They really only flash up for a moment and don't actually appear until about three minutes 21 seconds into the piece, but the whole five and a half minute clip is definitely worth watching from an historical point of view anyway.

The story covers the Unrealism Exhibition which showed in the Sydney suburb of Glebe in early July 1993. It was organised primarily by cartoonist Stuart Hale and another fellow whose name I can't remember (though he does appear briefly at about the 1:15 mark). A couple of pages of Greener Pastures #1 featured in the exhibition before that issue had even been printed.

Unfortunately it looks like some footage is missing from the beginning of the story and a little cut off from the end.

Cartoonists interviewed:

Reg Mombasa

Jason Paulos

Sam Young

Stuart Hale

Cartoonists also filmed:

Paul Rebec

Gerard Ashwood

Cartoonists work also shown:

Jozef Szekeres

Bodine Amerikah

Ant Larcombe

Kelly Baigent

Bill Flowers

Tim McEwen

Brendan Boyd

Glen Lumsden

Mark Sexton

John Petropoulos

Tom Priestly

Cartoonists and/or their work I can't recognise or can't remember also appear. My apologies for any omissions.

Reported by Susie Elelman

Hosted by Bert Newton

Aired July 1993

On Channel 10