Magazine cartoonist Bill Woodman has passed away.
William Frederick (Bill) Woodman
October 30, 1939 – February 12, 2022
Friend and fellow cartoonist Mike Lynch has learned through the family of Bill’s passing:
My friend, the “cartoonist’s cartoonist,” Bill Woodman passed away on Saturday. I received a call from his daughter, Anne, yesterday afternoon. My deep condolences to Bill’s family. It was a shock.
His gag cartoons were in all of the top markets: The New Yorker, Playboy, National Lampoon and many others. Although his style looked breezy and off-the-cuff, he worked at it.
In 1962, he sold his first cartoon to Saturday Review. He worked a variety of day jobs until making his first sale to The New Yorker in 1975 to which he has contributed to this day . In addtion he has appeared in Playboy, National Lampoon, Audobon, The New York Times, Gourmet Magazine, and Barrons to name a few. He has published a collection of his own work: “Fish and Moose News” as well as a children’s books: “Whose Birthday is it Anyway?”
New Yorker cartoonist and cartoon historian Michael Maslin writes:
Sad news has come this way via Mike Lynch that the great cartoonist Bill Woodman passed away on Saturday. Between 1975 and 2003, Mr. Woodman published one hundred and forty-five drawings in The New Yorker. In his retirement years, in Maine, the state where he was born, he spent much of his time painting. His last New Yorker drawing appeared in the issue of January 6, 2003; his first, shown directly below, appeared in the issue of November 10, 1975.
Maslin quotes cartoonist Jack Ziegler on Bill:
Bill Woodman is a great cartoonist and one of the funniest “draw-ers” of all time, right up there with George Booth. Back when we used to hang out together, he allowed me the privilege of looking over any number of the obsessive sketchbooks that were always within his easy reach … Each page was chock full of bits and pieces that were wry, engaging, and all just plain funny to look at. I never had a better time looking at anything in my life.
Animals often found there way into Bill’s drawings, he being a Maine Woodman.
And for National Lampoon Bill drew “The Funniest Cartoon in the World.”
Do yourself a favor and check out the Bill Woodman site,
then Bill’s cartoons collected by Mike Lynch,
the interview with Bill on Michael Maslin’s Ink Spill,
and Bill’s cartoons at the Condé Nast store and at Cartoon Stock.
As Bill’s ex-wife, I mourn his passing. Life with Bill (12 years) was interesting and challenging but never boring. Amazingly talented, I loved his unique sense of humor and his incredible watercolor paintings.
He gave my beautiful daughter, Anne, who gave me my granddaughter, Cecelia. His son, Jowill, is still a part of my life.
I am grateful to Bill. He will always have a piece of my heart.
This disarmingly relaxed style has delivered a lot of laughs for me over the years. Besides feeling sorry he’s gone, the links are tempting. He was quality.