Sunday, February 4, 2018

Playboy Cartoon with Preliminaries: February 1999

Doug's full-page color cartoon was published in the February 1999, p. 92, issue of Playboy and later reproduce on p. 34 in The Art of Doug Sneyd - released in July 2011 by Dark Horse Books.  The 248-page hardcover book, now also available in a softcover edition, features 270 of Doug's Playboy originals.

caption:  "I realize that money can't buy love.  I was hoping to lease with an option to buy."


Approved loose-style gag rough - "OK color H" in red pencil.


Typically Doug's early hand-drawn pencil preliminaries (for this cartoon original, pencil prelims were approximately 7 x 9 on heavy tracing vellum) followed the approved loose-style gag rough's  blocking out of characters and setting the scene.


Throughout the preliminary process, Doug makes changes:  for example, notice the man's facial expression and gestures, holding a glass, smoking a cigar as well as adding people in the background, a jewelry gift box on the table, etc.


The final pencil prelim, notice the addition of the Sneyd signature.


For a color rough, Doug typically xeroxes (on 8 1/2 x 11 standard paper) the final pencil rough and then applies aniline dyes.  In this instance, however, he did a second color rough to consider changing the girl's red dress and shoes, no doubt done to celebrate Valentine's Day, to a sophisticated *LBD.

*The Little Black Dress goes back to the 1920s designs of Coco Chanel and Jean Patou; however, it became a true classic when Audrey Hepburn wore a LBD by Givenchy in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961).



Doug's first full-page color cartoon appeared in the September 1964 issue, p. 205; over the years he's had nearly 500 published.  All have been rendered using *Arches of France cold press art board and Dr. Ph. Martin's aniline dyes.

board size is 14 5/8 x 19 3/8 - artwork size is approximately 13 1/2 x 17 1/4

*Arches has been granted "Enterprise du Patrimoine Vivant (Living Heritage Company) status by the French government in recognition of high quality paper making since 1492 in the Vosges region of France.  Famous French names such as Hermes, Cristalleries Saint-Louis, Baccarat, Chanel, De Buyer and Garner Thiebaut have also earned LHC status.


After publication, the Cartoon Dept. sent this memo to Doug.


Cover of the February 1999 issue.


To see more available Playboy cartoon originals, Hef's approved loose-style gag roughs and preliminary pencil and color roughs, visit the Doug Sneyd Premium Gallery at:


(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

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