A timeless gag cartoon about politicians that I used on the the back cover of my ‘Twink and Ink‘ collection of cartoons in 2001.
Cartoon: Talented!
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Author Archives: Mark Winter / Chicane
Drawing: Sir Peter Jackson
I drew this sketch of Peter Jackson to illustrate my feature article on the chances of the first instalment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy – The Fellowship of the Ring – at the 2002 Academy Awards.
A friend of mine was a production assistant at WingNut films. I sent the sketch to her and she got Sir Peter to sign it for me.
Drawing: Woody Allen and Vilmos Zsigmond
Allan Stewart Konigsberg is the infamous jazz clarinetist playing small venues in Manhattan, in particular a regular Monday night slot at the Caryle Hotel. He is also known as Woody Allen, often cited as one of cinema’s ‘treasures’. He describes himself as a “militant Freudian atheist” after 37 years of psychoanalysis. In August 2009, Woody was shooting his fourth London based film.
At that stage untitled, but released in 2010 as You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger at the Cannes Film festival. Even though is his a serial Oscar nominee (23 nominations and 4 wins) he has constantly refused to attend the ceremonies or acknowledge his Academy success. His one and only appearance was unannounced, when in 2002 he turned up and made a plea to producers to continue to make their films in New York after the 9-11 attacks. It was followed by a short montage of New York clips and a standing ovation.
One of my favourite DPs of all time is Vilmos Zsigmond – the Hungarian-American cinematographer.
The International Cinematographer’s Guild placed him as one of the ten most influential cinematographers in history. An exponent of the technique of ‘flashing’ or ‘pre-fogging’ which exposes the negative using small amounts of controlled light to create a muted colour palette. Nominated on four occasions, he won the Academy Award in 1977 for Steven Spielberg‘s Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
I found out that they were using a number of exterior locations around the Paddington area. On the fourth of August, 2009 I followed a Panovision truck heading into a quiet residential area called Cumberland Square. Bingo.
I did a very quick sketch of Woody and Vilmos and spoke to one of the techs about the Panovision Panaflex Millennium XC cameras with the primo lenses (not that I have an obsession)…
Oh yes, and would it be possible to meet Vilmos? He said he would see what he could do. A break for lunch and a lucky break for me. I got to meet one of my idols, he signed my sketch and I asked him if he could get Woody to do the same. I left it with him, and about an hour later a production assistant brought it back, signed.
Drawing: Mel C
Melanie Chisholm, or Sporty Spice to some, took on the prized role of Mrs Johnstone in the musical Blood Brothers at London’s Phoenix Theatre in 2009.
She was nominated for both an Evening Standard Theatre Award and an Olivier and is currently playing Mary Magdalene in the UK Arena Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar. She signed my sketch at the stage door in 2009. She was very friendly and stayed to chat with the gathered crowd, posing for photos and signing and seemed in no rush to leave.
Drawing: Elliot Cowan, Rachel Weisz and Ruth Wilson in A Streetcar Named Desire
Tennessee Williams 1947 Pulitzer Prize winning play A Streetcar Named Desire had a hugely acclaimed revival at London’s Donmar Warehouse from July to October in 2009.
It featured Oscar winner Rachel Weisz as the drunken, pretentious Southern belle, Blanche DuBois; Ruth Wilson as her self-effacing sister, Stella Kowalski and Elliot Cowan as Stanley Kowalski, the primal, brutish husband. All three signed for me in September 2009.
The first West End staging starred Vivien Leigh and was directed by her husband Laurence Olivier in 1949.
Both Rachel (Best Actress) and Ruth (Best Supporting Actress) won Olivier awards for their performances.
Drawing: Emma Stone
The Amazing Spider-Man is the fourth instalment in Marvel Comics Spider-Man film series.
Emma Stone plays Gwen Stacy, love interest (both on and off screen) to Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man.
Emma gladly signed my sketch at the Premiere in Leicester Square (at the Odeon) in June 2012. She is set to reprise her role in the sequel.
Her real name is actually ‘Emily’, which her friends and family still call her. She chose the name ‘Emma’ when she registered for the Screen Actors Guild as there was already a listing for a ‘Emily Stone’.
Drawing: Rod Laver, The Rocket
Considered by many as possibly the greatest player of all time, Rod “Rocket” Laver is the only tennis player to win two Grand Slams (1962 and 1969). He signed my caricature at his residence in California in June 1994.
Drawing: Richard Wilson in Twelfth Night
Richard Wilson played Malvolio in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Twelfth Night in 2010, a role which dragged him some way out of the shadow of the nation’s favourite misanthrope Victor Meldrew in the hugely successful sitcom One Foot in the Grave. Virgin territory, playing his first Shakespearean part and donning the yellow stockings to play the puritan steward duped into erotic humiliation.
It transferred to the Duke of York’s Theatre in London’s West End and Richard signed for me in January 2010 at the stage door, well, more the public pathway on St Martin’s Lane since the stage door is inaccessible.
Drawing: Robert Redford
For the past two years, Hollywood legend Robert Redford has brought his Sundance Film and Music Festival to the O2 in Greenwich, London. On both occasions, the Sundance Kid himself has attended. I was fortunate enough to get a ticket to his Q&A last year and this year he introduced the History of the Eagles doco and the band members themselves. I have not seen or heard that he signs for anyone at the Festival. He politely slipped past us after the Q&A to his waiting limo and this year I didn’t even attempt to ask.
Instead, I did a quick sketch of him and mailed it to his office at the Sundance Resort in Utah. I was told by a seasoned collector the he is a very good signer ‘when round the office’ and that proved to be the case.
See my earlier Redford drawing here.
Drawing: Imogen Davies and Rufus
‘Hawking’ has been used at the All England Club since 1999 as an ideal environmentally-friendly method of pest control. They use a company called Avian Environmental Consultants, strangely enough. For years, pigeons fluttered onto Wimbledon’s prestige courts, distracting the players and distrupting the world’s premier tennis tournament. Unimpressed by officials flapping their arms around at them, a hawk has been used to scare the pigeons each morning before spectators arrive for the days play. It doesn’t kill the pigeons, but his presence is enough to frighten them away. The Davis family operate the company – not just during the fortnight of the tournament, but they visit every week of the year as pigeons do not register the hawk’s presence in their memories for very long and need regular sightings to keep them roosting at SW19.
There are many businesses that thrive during The Championships, especially in the catering and hospitality areas, but few are prepared to work for scraps and dead mice and quail. Enter Rufus – an American Harrier Hawk and his handler, Imogen Davis. At the 2012 Championships they became somewhat of celebrities when the media highlighted their work and even more so when Rufus was stolen from a car during the first week of the tournament. Pigeons all over London rejoiced, but it was shorlived. After 3 days, he was found and Hawk eye was restored – game,set and match! I drew a quick sketch and sent it to Imogen for signing.
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