Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates, san diego comic con | Tagged: animation, art, Chuck Jones Gallery, Comics, entertainment, Mike Dicken, San Diego Comic Con 2014

The Events of San Diego's Chuck Jones Gallery – Including A Night With Hanna Barbara Icon Bob Singer

Published Thu, 24 Jul 2014 15:00:00 -0500

by Hannah Means Shannon

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By Nikolai Fomich

[The Gallery]

San Diego's Chuck Jones Gallery, home to hundreds of classic art pieces by Jones and other animation legends, will be holding several events throughout Comic Con. On display at the Gallery are Jones originals many fans will recognize – including original Jones art based upon Roadrunner and Coyote cartoons, classic Looney Tunes shorts like What's Opera, Doc?, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Other artists – like Charles Shultz, Bill Melendez, Dr. Seuss, Bob Kurtz, Alex Ross, and John Alvin – are also showcased throughout the Gallery, creating a collection of wonders not to be missed.

[Daffy and Marvin the Martian]

Yesterday the Gallery hosted the animators of Dreamworks' How to Train Your Dragon 2, for an evening of fun and revelry, and tonight the Smithsonian exhibit "What's Up Doc? The Animation Art of Chuck Jones" (currently on display in New York) will be previewed. The event will be hosted by Jones' grandson, Craig Kausen, and guests will include members from Girls Drawin' Girls, a group of fantastic female artists and animators dedicated to pin-up art. The preview night will feature both original production artwork and limited edition artwork by Chuck Jones. On Friday the Gallery will host Mike Kungl, known for his paintings of iconic characters from Disney, Star Wars, and other franchises, and on Saturday painter Fabio Napoleoni will "be on hand to perform an artist demo and exhibit his popular works."

[Kungl's Kong]

But what has me most excited is Sunday's event – a special exhibition featuring Hanna Barbara's Bob Singer. An in-betweener for Chuck Jones in his early career, Bob became a layout artist for classics like The Flinstones, The Jetsons, Scooby Doo, Superfriends, and Johnny Quest. Mike Dicken, the National Sales Director of the Gallery, told me that "many people grew up watching these artists' cartoons, not knowing who the artist was. Coming to events [like these] is a great way to put a face to the art. It's about the experience of getting to meet these people who created something from your childhood. It's not a stuffy gallery – it's a place for fun."