Animated Molesworth update!

 

More on adapting Searle's style into animation: London-based animation director and fellow Searle fanatic, Uli Meyer, has news on his 'Molesworth' feature - read it here. 

Uli did the illustrations for the new 'Molesworth' book (above) proving if anyone can match Searle's style he can! (from Korero Press and now available in the US).

Check out Uli's proof-of-concept animated piece below. 

MOLESWORTH_TEASER_TRAILER from Uli Meyer on Vimeo.

The Oldie

The August edition of British magazine The Oldie has a cover feature on Molesworth creators Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle.

2018 Auctions

 Sold at Bonhams NYC, 5th December

'A series of three original watercolors, "Commercial Christmas," "Office Parties," and "Giftmanship," unused illustrations for the article "Christmas Lifemanship," Holiday Magazine, c.1960, watercolor, India ink and pencil, 253 x 365 mm, each numbered ("1"-"3") and titled by the artist in ink at bottom, some soiling, discolored along edges.

A trio of humorous sketches lampooning holiday etiquette: a secretary presents a toy Santa Claus to her boss in "Commercial Christmas"; a sexy young woman with a much older man "showing that you are in the secret confidence of the managing director"; and another beauty in evening gown pushing her Christmas present for her husband—a gift-wrapped wheelchair—in "Giftmanship. 'Slightly unflattering.'" During his early career, Mr. Knight was enthralled with the Punch cartoons of Searle, particularly the Belle's of St. Trinian's series. "He did these dreadful, vicious little schoolgirls terrifying their teachers," Mr. Knight told The Easthampton Star. "I loved the wicked style, and in the early '50s began doing contemporary drawings along those lines." Eloise in her little uniform owes much to the Englishman's pint-sized anarchists.'

-Bonhams (original page here)

Ronald Searle 1920-2011: 'Oil Leak',

signed, cartoon in pen and ink on board, with dedication "David, Don't look at this with a professional eye! This is just a souvenir of the Monte Carlo jaunt - with best wishes from Ronald 1968', 36 x 47cm, in card mounted display with copies of Searle's artwork designs for the titles of 'Those Daring Young Men in the Jaunty Jalopies' (working title) and scanned images of David Watson clowning with Dudley Moore and some of the film crew.  

FOOTNOTES

• From the collection of the late David John Peter Watson, equity card carrying professional driver. Watson acted as technical adviser and performed some of the driving stunts on the film, doubling for the likes of Tony Curtis, Terry Thomas and even Mireille Darc. The film was released as Monte-Carlo or Bust! in the UK in 1969 and as Those Daring Young Men in the Jaunty Jalopies in the USA.

Sold at Sotheby's July 10th 2018

 Sold June 28th, UK

Sold June 2, NY

Sold March 6th, UK

A magazine cover design for the winter number of ‘Town & Country’ in 1948 by Ronald Searle

Whizz for Atomms

Molesworth on the radio, chiz, chiz!

I'm informed that there will be a programme on BBC Radio 4 about Molesworth on 28th March.
The programme is called 'Down With Skool: The Art of Molesworth . . . Philip Hensher explores the art of Molesworth with contributions from Mike Leigh, Gerald Scarfe, Wendy Cope and Posy Simmonds'.

A programme broadcast in 2004 had the following synopsis:

'Nigel Molesworth, the blackly comic anti-hero who influenced a generation with his anarchic take on life, featuring contributions from some of his fondest fans. “I couldn’t live with someone who didn’t enjoy the Molesworth books,” says poet Wendy Cope, whose strong loyalty is shared by fans such as John Walsh, Sir Tim Rice and Russell Davies. “Molesworth had a fantastic influence on me,” says Walsh. “He’s more than a comic character, he’s a classic post-war meritocrat and a wonderful role model.” 

The world first met the surly, ink-splattered schoolboy – created by writer Geoffrey Willans and illustrator Ronald Searle – 50 years ago. Down With Skool, published in 1953, is a wonderful parody of the ghastliness of public school life.The following year, How To Be Topp continued Nigel Molesworth’s fantastically misspelled and world-weary account of life at St Custard’s. His mangling of the English and Latin languages, and his detestation of swots and those who are good at games, gave the world a cache of unforgettable images and catchphrases. 

But there’s more to Molesworth than brilliant comic observation; his jaded view, argues Sir Tim Rice, also offer valuable lessons for life as well as laughter. As the St Custard’s soccer team lose game after game to Porridge Court, Molesworth offers these pearls of wisdom: “It is a funy thing tho, your side always gets beaten whichever skool you are at. That is like life i suppose.” 

There are also insights into the black humour of the books from Searle’s biographer Russell Davies, and tantalising glimpses into Willans’s early life. Listeners also learn that Searle created his grim scenes of school life less than 10 years after returning from a period of slave labour as a Japanese prisoner of war on the Burma-Siam railway, while Willans survived war service on the Atlantic convoys, only to die young before the last of the Molesworth books hit the presses.'

Speaking of Molesworth here's an homage from 2005 . . . 

 London based animator Uli Meyer is hard at work on a proof of concept test for his animated Molesworth film. Uli has scrutinized the Searle line and relates the benefit of his study:


"In order to create the backgrounds for Molesworth I have been studying Ronald Searle's drawings up close. The first image you can see here is a close up detail of an engine block (full image in the second picture). Ronald Searle drew many of his illustrations with a fountain pen and when you look at the originals up close, you will find that he did very little underdrawing. He used a pencil only sometimes, to very lightly block in a composition and then literally 'wrote' down the drawing as he saw it in his mind's eye. This must have happened very quickly. Many of the lines are not opaque because the ink flow of his pen wouldn't catch up with the speed he was throwing down the lines. He would then scribble over some of the lines again and again to darken them. Some people have described Ronald's drawing style as nervous and hesitant but it is quite the opposite. His drawings are so assured and confident, there is no sign of struggle or doubt. He had an incredible memory of what things looked like and rarely used any reference. His output was so prolific, he would create several illustrations of this kind every day. Ronald was left-handed and was lucky that he wasn't forced to write with his right hand when he was a child. When you learn to write you practise precision by crafting the alphabet with your pen and that precision is apparent in Ronald's every drawing. He drew like others would write letters, directly from his mind down to his hand and onto the paper. Marvellous!"

 

Animation

London based animator Uli Meyer has been looking to animate a Searle project for several years now.  He completed an impressive test based on the St Trinians girls a couple of years ago, which Searle himself loved when we presented it to him.



 He pitched a potential Searle-esque opening for the Simpsons TV show-it's creator, Matt Groening, is a huge Searle fan.

 

And now Uli has announced his latest animated project in the Searle style- an adaptation of Searle and Geoffrey Willans' 'Molesworth'.  Please check out the Facebook page and support the project by liking it or suggesting it to friends.

If anyone can draw like Ronald Searle Uli can.  Help make it happen!