Cartoon Sports Mayhem

One of my many and numerous idols in the world of art and illustration is the brilliant Jack Davis. His work on Mad magazine and EC comics and pretty much every other major magazine in the world that has used his work on a cover is recognized as nothing short of amazing. For me though, his best work came in the mail every game day Saturday in the fall in the form of his Harry Dawg cartoons in the Athens paper.

Mr. Davis was a UGA graduate and still to this day supports his alma mater with drawings of his beloved Bulldogs. I love Mr. Davis's work so much that as a teenager when I first became conscious of having to apply a signature to my work, there was only one man whose signature I wanted to steal...Jack Davis.

Which brings me to today's installment. I love doing these types of drawings. I mostly love them for college sports. Professional sports don't inspire the same passion in me as college athletics do. But here are a few examples...

This first one I did DURING last week's ill-fated meeting with the South Carolina Gamecocks...unfortunately it didn't make sense to post it afterwards. So here it is for the first time.



A little rough but it was done sitting on the couch, in a sketchbook. Next I did one for the Falcons. Again, I don't care for professional sports as much, but I still enjoyed the process.



So then I did the one for UGA's game THIS week. As I had never heard of the team they were facing I had to run to the old internet for some info. The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. Don't know if I have ever heard of a university using a Canterbury Tales reference as a mascot before but, hey...whatever works for ya.



Still not where I would like to be coloring-wise but I am getting there. (And posting it on facebook with some very helpful friends and family re-posting it may have gotten me a freelance gig. So...bonus!)

And finally in keeping with my sports theme, I went with an old friend and his son to see an amateur boxing tournament in Doraville yesterday. Here are the first sketches with very likely some paintings or illustrations of some sort to follow. Enjoy!