This post profiles recent experiments in my creation and design of art postcards whilst working in my studio and employing drawing, painting and printmaking techniques with uncertain outcomes. I love working in the studio and particularly in the post card production process, especially as it involves printmaking. I do small runs of prints, usually less than 50, although each card may go through the run multiple times depending on the number of layers, as indicated in the photos below.
A rough sketch idea for the design of a postcard. This one remains at that stage.Type overlay for postcard that has already received base layer(s). This one will be the top layer.Two different designs with the one on the left having received its base layer whilst the one on the right has had two printed layers: base plus overcoat.Sumi ink dish being used as a paint pot with Hake brush.The black postcards have had two print layers whilst the three cards above them have had three and the stack of post cards at the top left, having dried, have had four.The pumpkin was visiting the studio around Halloween time.A selection of different postcards most of which have had two runs through the print ing process. Note also the addition of my artist stamp, at top left or bottom right, on some of the cards.
As I have stated, making art postcards is one of my favourite artistic activities and I have been doing it for more than a decade. I plan to do more posts on this topic.
(Further additions and editing to this post anticipated).
Above: cover shot of an impressive new volume COMICS 1964-2024…on comics art and comics history…cover illustration Starwatcher, 1986, by Moebius(1938-2012)…book published by Centre Pompidou and Thames & Hudson…Edited by Thierry Groensteen, Lucas Hureau, Anne Lemonnier and Emmanuele Payen…the volume is based on the exhibition held in Paris: Bande designee, 1964-2024 at the Centre Pompidou in 2024.
The recent comics art exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris…BANDE DESIGNEE1964-2024…included works from comics magazines Arcade, BigAss Comics, Bijou Funnies, Garo,Motor City Comics, Yellow Dog, Zap Comix…and from creators including Shinichi Abe, Neal Adams, Fujio Akatsuka, David B., Edmond Baudoin, Alison Bechdel, Enki Bilal, Blutch, Alberto Breccia, Claire Bretecher, Charles Burns, John Buscema,…Daniel Clowes, Gene Colan, Guido Crepax, Robert Crumb, Julie Doucet,…Will Eisner, Emil Ferris, Andre Franquin, Fred, Herge, Hideshi Hino, Gil Kane, Killoffer, Jack Kirby, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Harvey Kurtzman,…Ulli Lust, Jay Lynch, Lorenzo Mattotti, Frank Miller, Shigeru Mizuki, Moebius,…Gary Panter, Hugo Pratt, Joe Sacco, Marjane Satrapi, Charles M. Schulz, Seth, Marie Severin, Gilbert Shelton, Posy Simmonds, Art Spiegelman,…Jiro Taniguchi, Jacques Tardi, Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Osamu Tezuka, Lewis Trondheim, Yoshiharu Tsuge, Albert Uderzo, Chris Ware, Bill Watterson and S. Clay Wilson…a most impressive lineup!
The book based on the exhibition, COMICS 1964-2024…(pictured at the top of this post),…was published by Centre Pompidou and Thames & Hudson. Edited by Thierry Groensteen, Lucas Hureau, Anne Lemonnier and Emmanuele Payen. Chapters include An Evolving Artform by Benoit Peeters…The Decade That Reinvented Comics; Counterculture; and Humour; all three by Thierry Groensteen…Fear; and Science Fiction; both by Lucas Hureau…Dreams: At The Edge Of Reality by Johanna Schipper…Colour And Black And White by Anne Lemonnier…History And Memory by Joe Sacco with Paul Gravett…Personal Stories: Autobiographical Comics, their forms and themes by Laurent Gerbier…Everyday Life; and Cities by Emmanuele Payen…Literature-Literature and comics: sister arts by Tristan Garcia…and Geometry: Bringing infinity within reach by Marguerite Demoete. It begins with the Foreword: A New “Golden Age” Realized by Paul Gravett.
Above, cover shot of an earlier book on comics art…CO-MIX: A Retrospective Of Comics, Graphics, And Scraps by Art Spiegelman, published by Drawn & Quarterly, 2013, New York…the cover image by Art Spiegelman is titled Comics as a Medium for Self-Expression…Spiegelman’s work is cited in COMICS 1964-2024.
In his Foreword Gravett refers to several key figures and developments that led to the acceptance of comics, its creators and their works as an art form. He notes that it was in 1964 that the term graphic novel was first used in English. Hokusai is cited as a developmental reference for his 19th Century pre-manga sketchbooks. Gravett acknowledges that France was…“the first and to date the only country in the world to decide that…comics, in the singular, is also an art.” The French film critic Claude Beylie followed this up with the suggestion that comics be named the “9th Art”. Other notable events Gravett cites include…the Museum of Modern Art’s exhibition of Art Spiegelman’s artwork for his graphic novel Maus…staged in New York in 1990-91, titled High and Low. Prior to this he lists what he terms a “landmark” exhibition…titled Bande dessinee et figuration narrative at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris…which opened on 7th April 1967…and to quote Gravett “…marked the first time any major art museum had presented comics.”
The graphically lively Japanese manga magazine GARO…with cover art by Terry Johnson, described on the cover as “Gorgeous Art”.
The BANDE DESIGNEE,1964-2024 comics art exhibition in Paris included a Japanese manga element…so I wanted to include some related content in this post. The Japanese magazine GARO (see cover image above), a manga collection, can be described in graphic terms as highly creative! Basically a bi-monthly magazine about manga…that is affectionately, if cheekily, labelled “King Of Comics!”…it features, to quote the magazine, “gorgeous art by Terry Johnson for Flamingo Studio Inc.” plus “popular design by Mr. Stereo and Mr. Monoral for the Stereo Studio Inc.” There is also a French element in this exhibition a.k.a. BANDE DESIGNEE,1964-2024 apart from the hosting and staging of the event. In fact, it appears to be promoted as a combined, three-way nation effort…involving France, Japan and the USA. To that effect in this post, following the cover image of the Japanese magazine GARO (above)…I have one of the French comics journal lapin produced by L-Association (below)…followed by two books of comics with covers by the American cartoonist Robert Crumb (below). There are comics and creators from other countries also involved but those three nations would appear to be dominant.
Cover of an edition of the French comics journal lapin: bandes dessinees pour la jeunesse…produced by La Association.The journal has been opened and pressed, open side down, flat on the desktop, for the photograph…due to the difficulty I had getting it to lay flat for the photo.
In the opening chapter of COMICS 1964-2024, titled An Evolving Artform…Benoit Peeters describes the trend in comics which occurred in the 1980s that led to the development of graphic novels…citing notable examples such as: MAUS by Art Spiegelman (see Spiegelman book CO-MIX above)…Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons…Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo…Blankets by Craig Thompson…Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi…and The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. Reference is also made to established and ongoing series such as Asterix and Obelix, Tintin, and Lucky Luke. Also referred to in COMICS 1964-2024 is the Robert Crumb series: The Complete Crumb Comics (cover image below). I have also added a photo (below) of Mark James Estren’s A History of Underground Comics…that has Crumb’s art on the cover.
Above, cover shot of The Complete Crumb Comics Volume 5…Edited by Gary Groth with Robert Fiore and Robert Boyd…published by Fantagraphics Books, 1990, Seattle.
A useful tome from which to study the Underground comics movement…usually spelt ‘comix’…is this book by Mark James Estren, A History of Underground Comics, 1993(Third Edition)..(above, with Crumb cartoon on the cover), Ronin Publishing, Berkeley, California…(originally published in 1974).Crumb’s work is heavily featured in this book. Others mentioned include Mike Barrier, Joel Beck, Vaughn Bode, Paul Buhle,… Kim Deitch, Will Eisner, Clay Geerdes, Justin Green, Rick Griffin, Bill Griffith, George Herriman, Rand Holmes,…Jaxon, Jay Kinney, Denis Kitchen, Aline Kominsky, Harvey Kurtzman, Jay Lynch, Lee Marrs, Victor Moscoso,…Pete Poplaski, Gilbert Shelton, Art Spiegelman, Foolbert Sturgeon, John Thompson,…Trina Robbins, Spain Rodriguez, Larry Welz, Robert Williams, Skip Williamson, S. Clay Wilson, Basil Wolverton and Wally Wood.
Another artist referred to in COMICS 1964-2024 is David B…(cover shot, above, of his book)…the Armed Garden and other stories…published by Fantagraphics Books, 2011, Seattle. Pierre-François “David” Beauchard also known by the pen name David B., is a French comic book artist and writer, and one of the founders of L’Association. Another of his books…Epileptic…is referred to in COMICS 1964-2024 in the chapter DREAMS: At The Edge Of Reality by Johanna Schipper.
Above, cover shot of…KRAZY KAT: The Comic Art Of George Herriman, by Patrick McDonnell, Karen O”Connell and Georgia Riley de Havenon…published by Harry N. Abrams, New York.
George Herriman, creator of Krazy Kat (see image above)…is another legendary American comics creator referred to in this book…in the chapter Geometry: Bringing infinity within reach by Marguerite Demoete. My visual reference is to the front cover of the book The Comic Art Of George Herriman above…with Krazy strumming a banjo and getting a little help from Ignatz Mouse…whilst Officer Pup sits alongside them in a state of mesmerised attention. The expression in the eyes of all three characters is telling, I think.
In summary, COMICS 1964-2024 is an impressive book about various aspects of comics art. As a physical entity it comes in the large format…approximately 24 x 31 cm. in size and near 300 pages in length…it is both heavy to hold…and a little awkward to handle with its weight and soft cover…heavily illustrated in both colour and black and white with only 20% of the pages without illustrations…and priced accordingly. It contains 14 informative articles on comics art (see chapter titles and authors above). I regret having missed visiting the exhibition in Paris…but at least I have this book! If you have read it, and would like to comment, please consider adding your response here! M
(Original text-c.2025 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics).
Although not initially included in my published posts I wish to add further details of my background story…how I arrived at my present moment celebrating and researching comics art…acquiring my DOCTOR COMICS moniker…detailing aspects of my teaching, research and passage from technical work into academia…and subsequent research, publishing and the writing and presenting of conference papers based on that research…as well as a series of supplementary creative projects.
Doctor Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics (Photo by Alison Van Hees).
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
PROFILE: Subsequent to my artistic work in theatre and film, I have nearly 30 years tertiary experience in academia. This involved teaching, research, publication, course design, management and direction…plus consultation, working within the art and design and humanities disciplines…at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and on both a local and international basis.
My Ph.D by virtue of the thesis:…A Study Of Contemporary Australian Alternative Comics 1992-2000 With Particular Reference To The Work Of Naylor, Smith, Danko And Ord…Division Of Society, Culture, Media And Philosophy, Macquarie University, 2003.
On completion of my Ph.D. at Macquarie University in Sydney I donated my collection of comics art research materials…including my collection of more than 500 comics…to the National Library of Australia, as the Michael Hill Collection of Australian Comics.
Master of Arts by virtue of the thesis…Slave To The Rhythm: Animation At The Service Of The Popular Music Industry…Faculty of Humanities And Social Sciences, University Of Technology, Sydney, 1995. Graduate Diploma in Media, Australian Film and Television School, 1986.
Certificate in Group Work, South Australian Institute of Technology.
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building: University of Technology, Sydney…as Lecturer in Film and Video, Visual Communication Department, Faculty of Design
UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY
Course Design and Management
Co-creator and first Director of the Master of Animation Course, spread across three Faculties of the university.
Director of Postgraduate Design
Director of Visual Communication Design Department
SYDNEY COLLEGE OF THE ARTS
Lecturer in Film and Video
Technical Officer in Art and Design
RESEARCH
In the comics art area and previously in the fields of film, video and theatre. Australian representative on the International Editorial Board of the International Journal Of Comic Art, 2000 to present, 2025.
An issue of the International Journal Of Comic Art…I always carry the current issue in my brief case.
PUBLICATIONS
List of published articles on comics art. (NOTE: Work in progress: details to be added.)
PRESENTATIONS
Lectures, Tutorials and Panel Participation-multiple, local and international. (NOTE: Work in progress: details to be added.)
EXHIBITIONS
Participating in Group show on comics theme at KNOT GALLERY, Sydney.
(NOTE: Work in progress: details to be added.)
AWARDS
(NOTE: Work in progress: details to be added.)
CREATIVE WORKS
My design work, an animation storyboard, was selected for and exhibited at the International Design Exhibition in Osaka ’87.Professional involvement in Fashion Industry in the role of fashion video director…this was one of many I made for the fashion designer Katie Pye and others.A conceptual illustration of mine for the academic design journal FORM/WORK.
(NOTE: Work in progress: further details may be added.)
My cover illustration on design theory for an issue of the academic journal FORM/WORK.Poster for launch of first issue of my comic BLOTTING PAPER: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics… and exhibition of creative prints at Hondarake Bookshop in Sydney.My exhibition was launched by Gene Kannenberg, Jr. on a live cross from New York.
(NOTE: Work in progress: further details may be added.)
The bookshop launch took place under a canopy of torn wood-block prints…that I had made for my experimental animation Toxic Fish that was screened at the Art Gallery of NSW.
(NOTE: Work in progress: further details may be added.)
My calligraphic brush painting portrait of Professor Stephen Lee for the cover of his biography.My illustration on the cover of the book.
(NOTE: Work in progress: further details may be added.)
FILM
I have made a few independent art films…this is one of them, BLACKING OUT A BLONDE…screened at the Sydney Film Festival and the 1980 Australian Film Awards…that’s Jane Campion playing one of the many blondes in my film. She’s not too happy about the guy trying to kiss her on the knee…so she is going to whack him on the head with her bag!My film BLACKING OUT A BLONDE was screened at the Sydney Opera House..in competition for the 1980 Australian Film Awards!
(NOTE: Work in progress: further details may be added.)
IN THE STUDIO
A postcard printmaking session in the small studio…
(NOTE: This is a work in progress: further images and details to be added.)
THEATRE
That’s me front and centre, kneeling and bowing to Romulus in a Sheridan Theatre production directed by Colin Ballantyne.
Initially, back in the day, I thought I was headed for a career in theatre. I enrolled in some drama classes in Adelaide at the Sheridan Theatre…but quickly realised that I would rather work in production than in acting and performance. Anyway those acting classes led to a walk-on part in the play ROMULUS THE GREAT…by Swiss playwright Friedrich Durrenmatt…(that is me down on my knee in the photo above…there is an umlaut in his name but I can’t quite work out how to insert it)…that was staged as part of the 1968? Adelaide Festival of Arts. After that I concentrated on writing and direction…directing and co-writing the play ENTH with Des Rutherford and subsequently both writing and directing the play BECOMING. These two productions received good reviews…that got me into NIDA, the National Institute of Dramatic Art, in the Production Course in Sydney. This led to jobs in professional theatre in Sydney. Then I headed off to London, as you do, thinking I would work in theatre in London…but at the time of my arrival there were around 12,000 stage workers unemployed…so I ended up seeking temporary work through a an employment agency…and ended up on an assembly line at the GEC factory in Wembley. This helped me pay my rent…anyway by the end of the week I was promoted to the head of the row…noting and filling in gaps in the assembly caused by lax workers…who were slow to respond to the passing unit on the conveyor belt or who has simply fallen asleep. Talking about sleep I had set my alarm for 4.30 a.m. to get from South Kensington to Wembley for the 6.00 a.m. start. Little did I know that within a month I would be working at Harrods selling refrigerators…and the walk from my home base in South Kensington to Harrods only took around 20 minutes! And I met a few famous actors who wanted to buy a fridge. Then I was transferred to the Toy Department for the busy Summer Sales season where I was much happier. And I met a few more famous actors who wanted to buy toys for boys and girls. But I didn’t stay there long. I had registered with an employment agency for temporary work. First stop was a betting shop where I was board boy…writing up the names of the horses for each race…and then the results and winning dividends. I was up and down all afternoon taking advantage of the white board with my felt tipped pen…doing the odd little doodle and drawing of cartoon horses with whipping jockeys. It was fun…but didn’t pay so well…not nearly as much as what settlers got…the ones who worked out payments for winning bets…this was way before computers. It turned out…that as I had the mathematical skills…I was able to change my job in the betting shop to that of a settler. Better pay! Hooray!
(NOTE: Work in progress: further details to be added.)
(APOLOGIES: The addition of further details to this and some other of my posts is on my TO DO list. I am slowly making progress with this and I thank you for your patience! Michael)
I am beginning to feel that I am nearing the final post documenting the production of my graphic novel/artist book/comic…Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics…as I tie the ends of the storyline together and head towards the conclusion. Initially I thought that this would be a sequel with a different title…but after having second thoughts I decided to make it the final chapter of the graphic novel…with the same title…Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics. Owing to the absence of the Doctor Comics character in this new chapter, it contains less of his anecdotes…and fewer human characters as it drifts more in the direction of the funny animal comics genre. This seems to be a good move.
The chapter begins in Berlin…where Cohl, having heard no word from his friend Busch for almost two years…decides to follow him to Tokyo and try to find him. Cohl has been very comfortable in the German city…and somewhat reluctant to leave but his curiosity and friendship ultimately awakened him from his cultural slumber.
In addition to the restaurant supplies district some scenes take place in Kanda, the bookshop area of Tokyo. Cohl initially explores the manga shops…then extends his search to sources of traditional woodblock printed books as well as books about yokai spirits.
Near the end of the Blotting Paper graphic novel (page 286 above and page 287 below of 300 pages), Cohl is ultimately content to remain in Berlin despite his attempts to find his friend Busch who had left Germany for Japan with his new friend Barks.
Owing to the absence of the Doctor Comics character in this new chapter…it contains hardly any of his anecdotes…and even fewer human characters as it drifts more in the direction of the funny animal comics genre. The principal character, Cohl the cat from the Blotting Paper graphic novel,…has some adventures in the Asakusa area of Tokyo…to which he has travelled in search of his missing friend and flatmate, the other cat and feline friend, Busch.
Doctor Comics researching the bookshop area of Tokyo during an earlier visit. (Photo by Louise Graber.)
In addition to the restaurant supplies district some scenes take place in Kanda, the bookshop area of Tokyo. Cohl initially explored the manga shops…then extended his search to sources of traditional woodblock printing books…as well as books about yokai and the spirit world…as Doctor Comics had done. All good! I shall now start heading toward the conclusion of my graphic novel.
This post concludes the collection of cartoons I contributed to U: magazine…during my tenure as a member of the academic staff of the Design Faculty of the University of Technology, Sydney. This, plus my three previous cartoon posts, forms part of an online gallery of my single panel satirical work.
As always, my thanks for the excellent advice, artistic assistance and cartooning expertise from the wonderful Countdown artist Louise Graber. Other posts of my cartoon based material include:
Continuing the profiling of my art postcards…here are some recent examples of on various themes. These cards are hand-printed, created from a combination of drawing and printmaking in low print run editions. Once I finished a session it meant the end of that particular batch. I would not repeat the design or reprint it. Cards in an edition are all original prints…similar in design but classified as mono prints as there are no exact duplicates. They fall within the standard postcard size dimensions of 10cm x 15cm or a near approximate. More information about this project can be found on the four previous POSTCARD posts…see the links below at the bottom of this post.
This is the third post based on the fish prints I made using woodblock printmaking techniques…for the experimental animated film Toxic Fish. The fish in this sequence is the Kohada or Gizzard Shad. Its static shape on the woodblock contrasts with the flooding of coloured toxins around it.
Making overlay textural effect inking of a sequence of prints on the floor of the studio…for inclusion as frames in the animation. (Photo by Louise Graber).
Continuing the profiling of my art postcards here are some early ones from the years 2007-2009 on the theme of The Seasons. These cards were hand-printed, created from a combination of drawing and printmaking in low print run editions. Once I finished a session it was the end of that particular batch and I would discontinue using the design. Cards in an edition are all original prints, named monoprints, i.e. the cards look similar in design and together form a series with no exact duplicates, but variations…thus the label of monoprints. The cards fall within the standard postcard size dimensions of 10cm x 15cm. The horizontal band of vertical orange print marks visible on some cards come courtesy of Australia Post…my cards were stamped on the surface with a code as part of the postal process. Consequently I began to post my cards in an envelope. More information about this project is contained on the three previous POSTCARD posts (see the links below).
This is the second post in my series of fish prints created using the woodblock printmaking method…for my experimental animated film titled Toxic Fish. Dramatically, after ocean fish are poisoned their bodies swell up, die and disintegrate. The static shape of the fish from the woodblock design starts firm before being flooded by toxins. It then falls apart to illustrate this. The method I employed was to gradually over-ink the block. This resulted in details being dampened into puddles…definition and sharpness were blurred and reduced into a dramatic sequence of atrophy.
Below is a photo of me carving one of the blocks using a Japanese chisel. I must add that this is not the recommended way to of doing it! It has been posed for a photograph and shows a compromised pose of the process for promotional purposes. The woodblock carving process is done on a fixed bench with one carving away from, not towards, one’s body.
This post continues the profiling of the collection of my cartoons published in U: magazine, or related magazines, during my tenure at the University of Technology, Sydney. These cartoon posts will contribute to the formation of an online gallery of my single panel satirical work.
As always, my thanks for the excellent advice, assistance and cartooning expertise from the wonderful COUNTDOWNMagazine cartoonist Louise Graber. Other posts of my cartoon based material include:
Doctor Comics 