#David ostow

[victusinveritas]

Art by David Ostow

[illustration-alcove]

David Curtis’s illustrated covers for two Riverdale novels.

[imaswellkid]

Cartoon by David Ostow (X)

He made it to The New Yorker cartoons. I’m so damn proud of him 🥹

[pleatedjeans]

40 Hilarious Comics By David Ostow That Roast Society

[firsttarotreader]

https://www.tumblr.com/imaswellkid/768191701535866880/cartoon-by-david-ostow-x-he-made-it-to-the-new?source=share

Pedrito mentioned in a The New Yorker cartoon

Yep, I saw that yesterday. Cute!

[funny-witty-commercials]

https://www.boredpanda.com/humorous-single-panel-comics-david-ostow-part-2/

[acaseforpencils]

David Ostow.

Bio: I'm a cartoonist and stay-at-home dad, not necessarily in that order. I came late to cartooning, because I thought I wanted to be an architect. In grad school, my professors were always hung up on the fact that I was more interested in drawing pretty pictures than in designing interesting spaces. Anyway, they graduated me, and should really answer for the disservice they did to the design industry. 

Find this print here!

I came to cartooning by way of illustrating some books for my sister who's an author. To date, my work has also appeared in and on a combination of print publications and websites, including The New Yorker, Mcsweeney's Internet Tendency, The American Bystander, Buzzfeed, and The Weekly Humorist. My work and I were also featured in a New York Times piece about artists addressing gentrification in their work. I don't know if that counts. Does that count?   

I live in New York City with my son and my wife, whose support is the reason I'm not drawing on grocery bags in my parents' basement, and raking their yard for allowance. 

Tools of choice: Where to begin? I got an iPad Pro earlier this year, and I've been using it pretty exclusively since. But finding and experimenting with tools has been an odyssey unto itself for me, and I'd be remiss not to give a bit of history. 

I started out employing a lot of the tools that I learned about in the architecture world. I went to UVA, and when I was there my sketching professor [fun fact: he was also the mayor!*] encouraged us to draw with Micron pens using a very loose hand. Check out the sketches of Michael Graves, and you'll see what we were emulating. My hand was naturally pretty shaky. Years of drawing have rendered it less so, but at the time, my peers teased me (in good fun) for being a teacher's pet with my wobbly broken lines. That introduction to sketching was definitely formative to the style I would eventually develop for cartooning. Sometimes I find myself trying to force my hand to be as wobbly as it used to be.  

Architecture school was also where I first began using Photoshop as a diagramming tool, and I became more facile with it when I moved into the professional world, where it's a common tool for rendering presentation drawings. Since then, Photoshop has been my go-to for applying washes and colors to my drawings, although now that I have an iPad and I'm experimenting with Procreate, the Photoshop era may be coming to a close. 

After taking a class on comics creation at The New School in Manhattan, I got up the nerve to add some ink and brushes into my toolkit, and while it was an adjustment, it was also fun to have a brand new way of making varied and expressive lines. At the height of my "pre-digital" period, I was using a combination of ink and technical pens. The accompanying photo shows my spread in more detail. All the tools pictured are easy to find, and easy to use, and I recommend them for anyone looking to take a stab at drawing cartoons or comics. 

From there, I waded slowly and awkwardly into the world of digital drawing. I had a hybrid moment when I was roughing my drawings in pencil, scanning them, using a Wacom tablet to ink in a program called Clip Studio, and then adding colors / washes in Photoshop. It was an incredible time suck, but, for what it's worth, the cartoons I produced that way were some of the first I sold to The New Yorker. So there's that.

Since getting my iPad I've been drawing with Procreate, which seems to be the preferred drawing application among my iPad savvy colleagues, and which I enjoy, but I feel like I'm still getting comfortable with it. When it comes to new technology, I have a habit of doing the bare minimum to educate myself, and every time I need clarity on a finer point I'll do a tad more research. It's called the "Dave Ostow Kicking and Screaming Method" and I recommend it to no one. 

Tool I wish I could use better: I've never had any formal fine arts training, so I lack the kind of mastery of many traditional tools that some of my peers have attained as a matter of course. One time I tried to use a dip pen, and was so overwhelmed by how hard it was to draw a single line that I put it in my drawer and just kind of forgot about it. 

I also used to own a set of Koh-i-noor Rapidograph pens, which make amazing lines, but require saintlike patience to maintain. The nibs are super delicate and If you're not careful, they'll break and leak (or — worse — explode) all over your drawing. 

In an ideal world, I would have the patience and time to master some of these more traditional and delicate tools, and I think I'd be a better artist for it. Maybe some day, but right now my schedule doesn't allow for much extracurricular activity.  

Tool I wish existed: Kind of a no-brainer: an iPad / digital tablet that felt almost indistinguishable from real pen and paper. Think the Beyond Meat burger of digital drawing tools. 

The iPad is great, and of course it's wonderful to have digital editing capabilities, but there's simply no hiding the fact that you're drawing on a screen that lacks the kind of tooth you'd get from dragging a pen across paper. Also, when I zoom in to do detail work, I'm always thrown by the pixelation. 

I'm sure the more I use the iPad, the better I'll get at tweaking the settings to my liking. Like I said, when change is involved, I sometimes drag my feet. But that's okay. As a good friend who's also really my therapist said, "Maybe that's just the way you work." 

Tricks: Not a trick so much as a suggestion: If you're drawing on an iPad or some other sort of tablet, get a matte protective cover. It will reduce glare, and soften the feel of the screen against your stylus, so you get an experience more like drawing on paper, albeit only slightly so. 

Misc: Yes, that is a Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar flyer on my bulletin board. I found it on the subway and it just seemed like a fun authentic New York artifact that was calling to be preserved. I look at it every now and again, and find it oddly inspiring. That picture of Dan Smith has been circulating around the city for God knows how many decades. What does Dan Smith look like today and would he still teach me guitar?  

Website, etc.

Website

Instagram

New Yorker Link

Conde Nast Store

*Editor’s note: I went to Charlottesville High School with Mayor Cox’s son! I also went to UVA, though not at the same time as David. Small world!

Also, I happily do this blog for free, though there are a lot of hidden expenses that I take care of myself. If you enjoy this blog, and would like to help defray labor and maintenance costs, there is a Patreon! Or if you’d prefer to buy me a cup of coffee, there is a Ko-Fi account as well (which is essentially a PayPal donation)! Your support means a lot, and I'm grateful to everyone who has donated! 

You can also find more posts about art supplies on Case’s Instagram and Twitter! Thank you!

[crimeculturepodcast]

If you liked watching this, read this (horror/thriller)

The Flight Attendant - Hostage by Clare Mackintosh

Scooby Doo - Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

Silence of the Lambs - None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney

Beetlejuice - Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Get Out - The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

The Blair Witch Project - Our Last Echoes by Kate Alice Marshall

Scream - Harrow Lake by Kate Ellis, My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones, The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky, Final Girls by Riley Sager, The Last Final Girl by Stephen Graham Jones or The Devil and Winnie Flynn by David Ostow

Unfriended - You’re So Dead by Ash Parsons

Shaun of The Dead - Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion, The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead by Max Brooks

Saw - Security by Gina Wohlsdorf

The Conjuring - The Grip of It by Jac Jemc

The Descent - The River at Night by Erica Ferenick, The Ruins by Scott Smith 

  The Craft - Furies by Katie Lowe

(more to come!)

[jewish-people-problems]

Jewish Young Adult Book Recommendations

Based on your suggestions. Feel free to add more on!

More recs

* means it contains LGBT main characters

Contemporary

It's a Whole Spiel: Love, Latkes, and Other Jewish Stories*

Edited by Katherine Locke

Anthology

The Upside of Unrequited

Becky Albertali

Why We Broke Up

Daniel Handler

Drummers of Jericho

Carolyn Meyer

You Asked For Perfect*

Laura Silverman

I am J*

Cris Beam

Little and Lion*

Brandy Cobert

You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone

Rachel Lynn Solomon

Color Me In 

Natasha Diaz

Wide Awake*

David Levithan

Yes No Maybe So

Becky Albertali and Aisha Saeed

Sick Kids in Love

Hannah Moskowitz

What I Like About You

Marisa Kanter

Openly Straight*

Bill Konigsberg

I Hate Everyone But You*

Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin

Sister Mischief*

Laura Goode

The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green

Joshua Braff

So Punk Rock and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother

Micol Ostow

Sci-fi/Fantasy

Starglass

Phoebe North

The Cure

Sonia Levitin

Spinning Silver

Naomi Novik

(this book had the most recommendations) 

The Gilded Wolves (The Gilded Wolves #1)

Roshani Chokshi

The Fever King*

Victoria Lee

A Room Away From the Wolves

Nova Ren Suma

Dreams Come to Life (Bendy and the Ink Machine #1)

Adrienne Kress

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)*

Cassandra Clare

(technically there’s a Jewish side character, but he is one of the best representations of Jews in YA I’ve ever read, especially in the later books, so I’m putting it in here)

The Sisters of the Winter Wood

Rena Rossner

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Ransom Riggs

Historical Fiction

The Romance Reader

Pearl Abraham

In the Neighborhood of True

Susan Carlton

One More River

Lynne Reid Banks

My Name is Asher Lev

Chaim Potok

The Silver Cup

Constance Leeds

Letters from Rifka

Karen Hesse

Incantation

Alice Hoffman

[rabbittstewcomics]

Episode 295

Comic Reviews:

Rorschach 7 by Tom King, Jorge Fornes, Dave Stewart

Batman: The Detective 1 by Tom Taylor, Andy Kubert, Brad Anderson

Infinite Frontier Secret Files 1 by Brandon Thomas, Joshua Williamson, Valentine De Landro

Let Them Live 6 by Elliott Kalan, Mike Norton, Marissa Louise

Darkhawk: Heart of the Hawk by Danny Fingeroth, Mike Manley, Tom DeFalco, Dan Abnett, Kyle Higgins, Andrea Di Vito, Juanan Ramirez, Lebeau Underwood, Chris Sotomayor, Erick Arciniega, Sebastian Cheng

Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow 1 by Chip Zdarsky, Pasqual Ferry, Matt Hollingsworth

Home 1 by Julia Anta, Anna Wieszczyk

Jules Verne's Lighthouse 1 by Brian Haberline, David Hine

Jenny Zero 1 by Dave Dwonch, Magenta King

Canto and the City of Giants 1 by David Booher, Sebastian Piriz

Locke & Key / The Sandman Universe: Hell and Gone 1 by Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez, Jay Fotos

Black Hammer Visions 3 by Chip Zdarsky, Johnnie Christmas, Dave Stewart

Phantom On the Scan 1 by Cullen Bunn, Mark Torres

Unikorn 1 by Don Handfield, Joshua Malkin, Rafael Loureiro

Man-Goat and the Bunny Man 1 by Ralph Tedesco, Joe Brusha, Dave Fanchini, Edgar Salazar

Everything Vol 2 by Christopher Cantwell, INJ Culbard

Riverdale: The Ties That Bind OGN by Micol Ostow, Thomas Pitilli

Peanuts: Scotland Bound Charlie Brown by Charles Schulz

99 Cent

Abducted by Zach Herring, Jay Red, Maja Opacic

The Fools 1 by Gabe Harris

Additional Reviews: Falcon/Winter Soldier, Infinity Train final season, more on Avatar, Arlo the Alligator Boy

News: Skybound X, DC Round Robin 3, Joe Cornish directing Starlight movie, Zdarsky's Justice League gets prestige roll-out, Mike Flanagan's next project, JLQ creative team, new Amazing Fantasy mini by Kaare Andrews, Batman/Catwoman special, World War She-Hulk, Predator legal issues, X-Men creative team, new Avatar mini-series coming this week, Queen Crab gets a tv shows, Alfred Molina confirms MCU Spider role, Heather Antos to IDW

Comics Countdown:

Rorschach 7 by Tom King, Jorge Fornes, Dave Stewart

Spider-Man: The Spider's Shadow 1 by Chip Zdarsky, Pasqual Ferry, Matt Hollingsworth

Locke & Key/Sandman: Hell and Gone 1 by Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez, Jay Fotos

Black Hammer Visions 3 by Chip Zdarsky, Johnnie Christmas, Dave Stewart

Joker 2 by James Tynion IV, Sam Johns, Mirka Andolfo, Guillem March, Arif Prianto, Romulo Fajardo Jr.

Daredevil 29 by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Marcio Menyz

Usagi Yojimbo 18 by Stan Sakai, Hi-Fi

American Vampire 1976 7 by Scott Snyder, Francesco Francavilla, Ricardo Lopez Ortiz, Tula Lotay, Dave McCaig

Sweet Tooth: The Return 6 by Jeff Lemire, Jose Villarrubia

Proctor Valley Road 2 by Alex Child, Grant Morrison, Naomi Franquiz, Tamra Bonvillain

Check out this episode!

[inspirationselfhelp]

David Ostow 

[newyorker]

Today’s daily cartoon by David Ostow. 

[readingrut]

Standalone Fiction Books

Here are some Fiction titles you may want to check out. This list is by no means exhaustive, and is only a glimmer

Want to transport to a time when things aren't really going right? These dystopian books might interest you:

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

The Ones We’re Meant To Find by Joan He

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

For fans of Mythology, check out these books:

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Lore by Alexandra Bracken

Bull by David Elliott

Do you like poetry? These books are written in verse:

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne

500 Words or Less by Juleah del Rosario

The Truth Project by Dante Medema

Fans of horror movies might want to give these books a try:

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

White Smoke by Tiffany D Jackson

Amity by Michol Ostow

[abhayhatia]

“Footprints” Caption Contest Commentary with Lawrence Wood –

“Footprints” Caption Contest Commentary with Lawrence Wood –

This cartoon is signed by both the cartoonist, David Ostow (dko), and his frequent collaborator, Dan Salomon (djs), so I assume it originally had a caption by Mr. Salomon or is based on one of his ideas. It’s set on the beach of a tropical island. Jesus is standing to the right of a young man in contemporary summer clothing and looking at the sand, where there is a set of huge three-toed…

[pleatedjeans]

40 Hilarious Single-Panel Comics From Artist David Ostow