The Illustrated Bostonians

The personalized ’toon is a sign that you’ve made it in Boston (or that, at the very least, you work for a company with a solid marketing budget). But after being splashed across newspapers and TV, these drawings are often more recognizable than the people they represent—and, well, that might not always be to their benefit.

We ran some examples past local professional illustrator Dale Stephanos and the illustrations’ real-life subjects, and found that sometimes the 2-D version can fall a little flat.

**************(columns for ‘The Cartoon’ & ‘The Real Deal’ not included—go in that order after name)*************************

Yvonne Abraham
Newspaper columnist, in the Boston Globe
Our Expert’s Critique: “I have to say: Yvonne’s kind of hot. And that doesn’t come across in the drawing at all. But I’m sure the Globe wouldn’t want readers to think that its writers are hotties anyway.”
What They Think: Abraham: “I hate it. I look like Princess Fiona—after she married Shrek. I mean, I’m never really pleased with any representation of myself, even photos. That being said, I’d prefer not to look like I’m about to hurl.”

Tom and Ray Magliozzi
Cohosts of NPR’s Car Talk, in a PBS cartoon series beginning next June
Our Expert’s Critique: “This comes close to capturing the likeness of the voices we hear on the radio. It’s loose, lively, colorful, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously, while still being sort of traditional mainstream cartooning.”
What They Think: Ray: “The animation company called me and said, ‘We’re trying to draw your brother, but the animators keep quitting. And these are guys from science fiction shows!’ It’s the first time they’ve dabbed makeup on finished drawings.”