I was looking through my book case today for my copy of Jerry Beck's '50 Greatest Cartoons' for some reference material on an article I'm writing and came across one of Chuck's sketch books from 1960.
The handwriting on the cover is from my grandmother, Dorothy, which reads: "You really have caught the spirit - I salute you - Sir - Love D. 6-9-60 Berlin"
As an aside, it had a note stuck on it, probably from the late 90s because of the 'Friends' reference, that was about Jenniefer Aniston and what films she might be in. I don't see any connection between the sketch book and the note, but things got piled together over the years and I thought it interesting... I don't recall pursuing the request. It's actually amazing what we find in certain books at times...
Anyway,I thought it was fascinating to see what he drew in this book and how wonderful his thought process was in capturing the expressions of people, their postures, and their character in such a brief moment in time.
These are literally the first five pages of this sketch book.
The book measures 9.5 x 7 inches.
I hope you enjoy...
Craig
I would love to hear your thoughts on these treasures...
They are fabulous! I so admire people who can draw period, let alone draw so well just as practice. I bought a random sketch a few years ago - a rough drawing of 13 1930s school girls all in a row. Who knows why the artist, Barbara Remington, decided to draw them, but I COULD NOT leave them at the store. They would have haunted me forever. Now they hang in my hallway and I love them. I'm new to your Twitter and blog and can't wait to get caught up!
Posted by: Amanda | March 06, 2009 at 05:31 PM
Craig, These treasures are awesome. The fifth image especially showcases Chuck's mastery in fine art, his use of color & texture was incredible. Looking forward to the next set of pages!!!
Posted by: Larry Levine | March 07, 2009 at 01:41 AM
Oh, these are wonderful! He was definitely a master of capturing personality and attitude with a few well-placed lines.
That second-from-last page -- the woman in profile -- I seem to remember seeing something like that once before but in a more finished form. I can't remember where I saw it, though.
Posted by: JoshM | March 07, 2009 at 05:15 AM
can anyone tell me some famous chuck jones refrences or quotes? I really > really need it! because I have projects for almost all of my school subjects and for art I needed to pick a famous artist to talk about, and have some famous quotes,
Please and Thank you
Tyler from Canada
Posted by: tyler | March 24, 2009 at 07:33 PM
Tyler, I cannot find a contact for you, so I will answer your question here. There are many quotes by Chuck listed on the website http://chuckjones.com/quotations.php ... I hope that you find this again.
Craig
Posted by: Craig Kausen | March 24, 2009 at 08:40 PM
Wow Craig... I am so glad that our paths crossed on Twitter and I now know of this website. I am not an artist, but I am a sentimental appreciator. Thanks so much for sharing these sketches. Were they supposed to bring a tear to my eye? :)
I especially love the image of the older couple...
Tracy ( @HappinessInside )
Posted by: Tracy | September 18, 2009 at 06:30 PM