Mad About Cartoons

Bill Wray is trying to make the transition fine art but is known as a cartoonist, a background painter/ Art director and sometimes animation director. This will be the place he post his ocasional animation and cartooning work and also be a place to bitch or wax sentimentally about cartoons in general. It’s been a love and hate relationship for many years and the long journey may not be quite over.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

More Hellboy Jr.





Here are variations on the Trade cover the editor a flipped when he saw Hitler on the cover saluting. He was mad that I even thought that he would waste his time showing it to him. I was as stunned that he was about someone being offended and he was stunned I didn't get it. Guess he never watched the Hitler (history) channel? Anyone who might be for a moment be offended would instantly see it's deprecating humor. Nobody would have batted an eye, but him, yet he was so sure I was off my rocker for daring to do it. Good taste = fear. Tossed in the layout for another cover painting as well, enjoy.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Hellboy Jr












As per popular demand here is some Hellboy Jr. sketches... some pencils for the trade, an unused page when The next HBJR book was killed, including the first sketchs of him. The inked page was a gift to Mike. This was a match made in heaven for me, The clout of Mike Mignola and the craziness of me. To bad the editor at Dark Horse and I just couldn't get along. He just so offended by my sense of humor, (he wanted to do G rated stuff,) so he poisoned the well. I'd love to do more the book. It sold well and the trade did really well. In this day and age of Dark Horse desperately needing money, you think they would sober up and stop being so mamby pamby, but no dice.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Men Sketches








Some for fun, some for Mad ,one for a comission.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Dexter










The Dexter's lab cover gig was one of my favorite things I did in comics. Here are a bunch of various sketches I did for them. I've also included a pencil spread for a completely penciled out Little Golden Book that was about finding Gerbils of all things. It never saw the light of day, do to golden books being sold or some Damn thing. I was kind of relieved do to the nature of the detail, painting them would have killed me.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Mad Sketches











Here are some rough sketches to figure out caricatures for Mad magazine from back in the day. I wanted to work toward Drucker's spot, but never got a movie, usually TV and Games shows. When I was in favor there I would have Monroe and a TV parody in the same issue. When Tom Richmond came along they cut me back to Monroe for the most part. These were done for "Survivor" and a made up story "Want if they unfroze Disney" the story I was born to do as I had the same idea for years. It's like a universal cartoon urban legend. I never liked Michel Eisner so that was a joy too. I miss doing these , but what is done is done. I thought about "cherry Picking the best ones so I'd look like in knew what I was doing , but I think artist get more out of the warts and all approach, It's ok to founder around until you find what your going for.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Elvis Impersonator unfinished





Here is me taking a wack at wacky cartoon style oil painting. This is only a small part of a bigger painting based on an A Greek Elvis impersonator playing at a local park in Sierra Madre. It's funny how if I work in brown tones my stuff ends up looking a little like Glenn Barr. That’s one of the reasons I don't do the Juxpose thing. I feel like I was one of the granddaddies of it, yet no gallery knows it and I don't want to start at the bottom and put in years into selling to get to where Glen is. The subjects I would have love to have done: Mary Blair meets the Flintstones , crossed with Big Daddy Roth, Frenching Robert Mc Ginnis have been done well by others. I'd be coming into a world I helped get started with Ren and Stimpy and seem like a was copping everyone else. That's why I decided to do the modern landscape thing. I wanted to try something new and also work hard at it and learn and explore a different see of my brain.