Denis Kitchen's Chipboard Sketchbook - Hardcover

Denis Kitchen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0978885112 ISBN 13: 9780978885113

Publisher: Boom! Studios, 2011

Synopsis

Following on the heels of THE ODDLY COMPELLING ART OF DENIS KITCHEN, an overview of the pioneering underground cartoonist (Dark Horse Books, 2010), DENIS KITCHEN S CHIPBOARD SKETCHBOOK is comprised of the peculiar drawings on chipboard that Kitchen has done below the radar for many years. Chipboard is the heavy, grainy card stock at the base of writing tablets. The artist started the habit of drawing on this unlikely substance during long, often boring production meetings at Kitchen Sink Press, his former publishing company, when he would flip his notes tablet over and doodle with a combination of the only tools at hand: a Sharpie pen and fine-point uni-ball pen. With subject matter often extremely bizarre, or, in his own words, even demented, Kitchen filed these away for many years. They were seen only his close friends and colleagues until this collection. Measuring 6 1/4 x 8 3/4 inches, the book features an extra thick 3 mm cover stock (chipboard, of course) with a de-bossed cover image and horizontal belly band. The full-color 128-page hardcover was edited and designed by Greg Sadowski and art directed by John Lind. The same pair won an American Graphic Design Award for their work on Underground Classics (by Kitchen & James Danky, Abrams, 2009). Back cover text: Underground cartoonist and longtime publisher Denis Kitchen began drawing on the chipboard back of writing tablets during long, often boring meetings at Kitchen Sink Press, starting in the late 80s. These spontaneous drawings, done primarily with Sharpie markers and uni-ball pens, are distinctly surreal. The peculiar textured surfaces, unusual drawing tools, and possibly peeks into the artist s id contribute equally to the unique look. After accumulating nearly a quarter century of these private drawings in drawers, Kitchen was persuaded by associates to publish the roughly 150 examples showcased within this book, presented with an introduction by the artist. Readers interested in seeing his better known art or learning about his diverse counterculture career should look at The Oddly Compelling Art of Denis Kitchen (Dark Horse, 2010). Note: contains some images not suitable for minors.

About this title

About the Author:

Denis Kitchen s career began in 1968 as a self-published underground cartoonist (Mom's Homemade Comics). This led to the formation of his pioneer publishing company, Kitchen Sink Press. For thirty years he published classic and underground artists alike, including R. Crumb, Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Milton Caniff, Al Capp, Scott McCloud, Dave McKean, Mark Schultz, Howard Cruse, Justin Green, Alan Moore, Art Spiegelman and Charles Burns. During these years Kitchen Sink won industry awards far disproportionate to its market share, sometimes more than any other publisher. In 1986 he founded and for its first eighteen years served as President of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to defending the industry's First Amendment rights. After the demise of Kitchen Sink Press in 1999, his diversified activities include being a literary and art agent for a number of prominent clients and estates. Wearing a writer s hat, he co-authored two books in 2009 for Abrams: Underground Classics and The Art of Harvey Kurtzman. Both received award nominations and the latter won both an Eisner Award and Harvey Award in 2010. He is currently working on a biography of Al Capp. Dark Horse Books published The Oddly Compelling Art of Denis Kitchen in 2010 and, in conjunction, a retrospective of his work was exhibited at New York City s Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) in 2010-11.

Review:

The aesthetics of a piece of artwork are informed by the medium it's created with. The same drawing can take on different qualities on two different stocks of paper, or with two different grades of graphite. It's the tactile aspect of art that doesn't seem to get talked about much outside of art school. Fortunately, it's front and center in DENIS KITCHEN'S CHIPBOARD SKETCHBOARD... The line work is remarkably effortless and whimsical and the drawings on the whole are hysterical; all the rubbery anatomy, devilish grins, and disturbing little beasties that are attendant when perusing a book of Kitchen artwork are on full display here... It's really amazing to consider that all of these suitably bizarre pieces are drawn on the spot....The shading, the proportion, and the pure comic bombast collected are an absolute pleasure to look at, and everything here provides further proof that Kitchen is a master cartoonist. ---The Outhouse --The Outhouse

About this edition

• Publisher: Boom! Studios
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0978885112
• ISBN 13: 9780978885113
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128
• Editor: John Lind
• Illustrator: Denis Kitchen