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It occurred to me the other day that I nearly always use a line in my illustrations, regardless of the medium I'm working in.
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Painters, for example, typically don't use linework of any type, preferring instead to define and differentiate planes and surfaces with contrast of value and hue.
Artist Paul Klee once famously said…
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"A drawing is simply a line going for a walk."
–Paul Klee
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So—with apologies to Monty Python funnyman John Cleese—let's take a stroll, shall we!
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Lines, like walks, can be quite silly. <--You should watch this!
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And you never know which direction they might take you.
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Righto! Okay, then — we've had quite enough of this nonsense! Where were we? Oh, yes…
My reliance on line, I think, makes me, well… what I've always considered myself to be…
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…a cartoonist at heart.
When I think of the great masters of simple linework, cartoonists like Jules Feiffer, James Thurber, and Shel Silverstein immediately come to mind. All of them have inspired me over the years, especially Shel Silverstein and his minimalist line drawings for Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, and Falling Up.
Of course, the list of talented cartoonists is endless.
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By the way, did you know Shel Silverstein wrote one of Johnny Cash's biggest musical hits? Here's the surprising story behind Johnny Cash’s ‘A Boy Named Sue’.
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"I keep a close watch on this heart of mine,
I keep my eyes wide open all the time,
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds,
Because you're mine, I walk the line."
–Johnny Cash, I Walk the Line
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Remember: Daylight Savings Time (in the U.S.) ends this Sunday!
(It ended in the U.K. last weekend.)
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5. There is a REAL sword in a stone, and nobody knows how it got there. Here's the story and another interesting link.
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There is a voice inside of you
That whispers all day long,
"I feel this is right for me,
I know that this is wrong."
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
Or wise man can decide
What's right for you—just listen to
The voice that speaks inside.”
―Shel Silverstein
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Welcome new subscribers to The Happiness of Art! Click here or on the image below to see past issues.
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If you enjoy The Happiness of Art, please share it with friends. It's easy: just click one of the buttons below. Thanks!
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“The best listeners listen between the lines.”
― Nina Malkin
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"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."
–Leonardo da Vinci
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Each month I give away one hand-signed, limited edition Giclée fine art print to a lucky newsletter subscriber. These small 'heart' prints are both matted and framed. Winners are notified via email at the beginning of each month.
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“I will not play at tug o' war.
I'd rather play at hug o' war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.”
―Shel Silverstein, Where the Sidewalk Ends
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Interesting: A few days after I had finished the drawings for this issue, I went back to take another look at the works of Paul Klee, and found this. Also… Ronald Searle is one of my absolute favorite cartoonists of all time, but I didn't include his name because I consider his style to be more elaborate than those mentioned. But check out this Ronald Searle self portrait I discovered—once again—AFTER I had finished writing this week's issue and drawn this:
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Previous Newsletter Issues
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Are you unable to see the images in this email?
I'm more of an illustrator than I am a writer, so if your email client blocks the images in The Happiness of Art—you're missing out. This quick tutorial tells you how to enable images in most of the popular email clients, including AOL, Yahoo and Gmail. |
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About Me
Hi. I’m D.E.Uhlig. I’m an artist, author, husband and father.
For as long as I can remember, I have loved to draw. Years ago I gave my wife a hand-drawn card for our anniversary, and she loved it so much she made me promise to ALWAYS hand-draw her cards. Then our three kids made me promise to do the same with their birthday cards. And when I posted some of my drawings online, people began asking how they could purchase my work—so I created this newsletter. I believe in something I like to call “The Happiness of Art” and I hope it makes you smile.
Official Bio
D.E.Uhlig is an award-winning illustrator whose work has appeared in numerous publications including the Kansas City Star, Christian Science Monitor, University Daily Kansan, Editorial Humor Magazine, and World Policy Journal. Commercial illustration and design clients over the years have included Samsung, Sprint, and the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, among others—and his Starbucks RedCup illustrations have been featured on the company's Pinterest and Facebook pages. In 1989, Mr. Uhlig co-founded Uhlig LLC, a leading provider of cross-media publishing and communication services in industries ranging from residential housing to book publishing to cancer care. Mr. Uhlig is married with three children and resides in Kansas City. He is currently working on children’s books, ebooks and apps.
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