History Of CartoonBob Studios | CartoonBob Studios

click here to send us an email • Text or Phone (USA EDT): 347-610-2306

THE SHORT, MERCIFUL VERSION OF OUR HISTORY:

We have MANY years of experience. We're damn good at what we do.

Use us. We'll prove it.

We run our business based on the best of:

HONESTY DEPENDABILITY CREATIVITY

ETHICS

CLARITY

In 2016 we were fully moved into our newer, larger HQ near Stroudsburg, PA. We are now officially 'CartoonBob Studios.'

Even though we focus on our world class cartooning skills, we still offer ALL of the services of our former corporation, Millennium Design Group, Inc. of NYC. Have a look at the website that shows all of the services and many samples from Millennium Design.

CartoonBob History: MEDIUM VERSION

Bob D'Amico, has been drawing cartoons as far back as he can remember. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he was raised in the tough Redhook Housing Projects. At 11 he took a mail order correspondence course in cartooning, which helped him to get into the High School of Art and Design, and for four years applied himself dilligently... becoming an honor roll student, and winning the coveted National Comics Award for cartooning upon graduation in 1967. Bob then spent a year working for some top Ad Agencies in New York City.

Bob joined the US Navy in 1968, and spent a year in the submarine service. In July of 1969, during the week man first landed on the moon, Bob's sub, the USS Sea Owl SS405, was in the middle of 16 days of snorkeling in the Mediterranean Sea. It was time to ask for what 'rating' he wanted to test for, and he requested the test for 'illustrator-draftsman', a very rare job to have while in the service... and he 'aced it' (100%). He soon was stationed at 6th Fleet HQ in London, England, where he lived and did artwork for the US Navy for his remaining 3 years of his active duty. (yeah... great duty, eh?)

After leaving the US Navy, he has also lived and did artwork 2 years in Auckland, New Zealand, until returning to his native Brooklyn in the mid 1970's. He spent a few years as art director

for several monthly and quarterly magazines before starting Hollywood Art Service in the early 1980s. That evolved into a few years of D'Amico Advertising Art Studio, and eventually incorporated as Millennium Design Group, Inc.

Throughout all of this time Bob has always included cartoons wherever they appropriately fit into the endless advertising and graphic design projects he did.

Thanks to the INTERNET and worldwide linkages, Bob has been able to break beyond the former geographic limits of clients that had to be seen in person... and that was the opening he needed to then gradually build the cartooning part of his business into an offering he makes to the entire English speaking world.

In the last few years Bob moved his studio from New York City to larger quarters in rural Pennsylvania. Bob personally has hands on every single project that leaves CartoonBob Studios. He has several very talented assistants that he closely directs and taps into for making sure larger projects get done on time and budget.

Bob self published his first book of cartoons: The Dieter's Butt-Kicking Mental Image Notebook, and has his next book will be done any year now.

THE LONG WINDED VERSION:

The 'Bob' of CartoonBob Studios is me... Bob D'Amico.

I'm the guy who in grammar school in Brooklyn, New York, loved it when Mrs. Smithers, our once-a-week art teacher, would visit and guide us through that week's lesson.

At 11... in 1961... I convinced my father to splurge a nominal monthly fee for me to take a correspondence course in cartooning... and I applied myself with fervor. I still have my books and lesson drawings saved as a precious memento.

At 13... the 2 years of mail order correspondence lessons helped me to overcome the competition and get into The High School Of Art & Design (http://www.artanddesignhs.com)for four years. I applied myself and did very well. Senior cartooning class had one coveted award at graduation in 1967, the National Comics Award for cartooning, and I won it over all my fellow students.

At 18... I spent a year working in the advertising art trade in NYC, and loved it.

The war in Viet Nam was calling up kids my age in 1968, and coming from a navy family, I enlisted in the US Navy to avoid being drafted into the army. Of the many ratings available within the navy, I put down illustrator-draftsman as my first of 5 choices. 8 weeks of boot camp led to being selected for my 5th choice... submarine service.

A few weeks of sub school at Groton, CT in late 1968, led to a year aboard the USS Sea Owl, SS405 for the good part of the year 1969. It was a great adventure. We did a Caribbean run, and a Mediterranean cruise. Join the navy... see the world! It's true. I'm glad to still be in touch with numerous shipmates from then.

The navy lets you select the rating you want to apply for... i.e. engineman, torpedoman, electrician, etc... Already being a professional artist with 4 years of schooling and a year working as one in NYC, I resurrected my dream of wanting to be an illustrator-draftsman, and requested that particular test.

I'll never forget that summer of 1969 week in particular. It was the same week that we landed on the moon. My boat (subs aren't referred to as 'ships') had been snorkeling under the Mediterranean Sea for 2 weeks when I took that rating test for illustrator-draftsman. Shortly afterwards, the COB (chief of the boat) came to me and said 'D'Amico... you ACED it!)

A few short months later I was lucky enough to get orders sending me to work for my remaining 3 years to US Navy 6th Fleet HQ in Grosvenor Square, across from the US Embassy in London, England. The 'Navy Building' was the same one used by General Eisenhower during WWII.

There was no base or barracks for sailors there in downtown London, so we were given extra bucks and lived in apartments throughout London. To keep a lower profile, we work suits to work, not our uniforms. I loved it. Great duty, eh?

To make a long story short... after the navy and New Zealand art direction work, I worked in NYC from 1976 to 2011... mostly in the capacity of freelance art and creative director, and also as principal of Millennium Design Group, Inc. from 1990 forward.

I've had great experiences, and prefer looking forward.

Continue? Bla bla bla.... Want more? Really? If you've read this far, and actually want more of my life's story, email me. I'd be happy to tell you more... but c'mon... let's be realistic... eh?

(Above) Bob is the guy

sleeping on the steps.

BOTTOM LINE ABOUT OUR HISTORY... our long years of experience have enabled us to

be able to turn out work such

as the 'OZ' spoof ad on the left,

and the slim Santa art on the

right. Click around and

you'll see dozens of very

dynamic other examples

of our CURRENT

work!

Bob at one of his multiple workstations in hie 'Crow's Nest' upstairs studio in PA.

This 1970 illustration I did as for a greeting card shows the audio-visual part of the 'Presentatons Department' of the US Navy 6th Fleet HQ in London, England. I was stationed there from 1970 thru 1972, and worked as an illustrator. Yes... we were all sailors, but we wore civilian clothes and all lived 'off base' there, as there wasn't a base there!

Below: Early work from Bob's personal archives... 'THE WORLD OF THEM'. Don't worry... most of the work from CartoonBob Studios is much more conventional than this.

Career/Life Level Acknowledgements:

Mom Dad Aunt Ann Mrs. Smithers Cartoonist's Exchange HS Art & Design Lt. Hendrickson Charles Allen Thomas Naegele

Al Capp Jerry Robinson Don Sherwood Al Scaduto Gladys Gazarian Joseph DiGemma Curly Howard