RVANews

Drawing RVA, one cartoon at a time

Nathan Cushing — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:12:23 +0000

When Douglas Orleski moved to Richmond this past summer he began doing something that’s drawn a local following. He began drawing cartoons.

These aren't just any cartoons, but those that represent distinct locales across RVA. From businesses, events, to monuments, Orleski's illustrations are succinct representations of what he has come to love about his new city.

"Most of my ideas started on my walk to work," said Orleski, 29, a Public Relations and Marketing Specialist for Theater VCU. While longtime Richmonders are very familiar with the Jefferson Davis monument, the Sauer's Vanilla sign, or even the rack of used CDs at Plan 9, these sights were new experiences for him. The cartoons, which he posts on his Tumblr, RVA Coffee Stain, helped him appreciate his new city.

Orleski has never taken an art class, but he said "I've always doodled as a kid." At 23, he began to cartoon regularly. While attending college at Christopher Newport, Orleski contributed a weekly cartoon to the school's newspaper, The Captain's Log, over a three-year period.

While living in Hampton Roads, he regularly contributed to a community blog. "That's where I started to pick up steam" with cartooning, he said. His contributions were "a little more alienating...and political," distinct from what he typically draws now.¹ "I never connected with the Hampton Roads audience," as a result. His Richmond audience, however, has proved much more receptive.

He said the reactions to his unique representations of RVA have been completely positive. "The way they uplift artistic people in this town" is something he admires. Perhaps that encouragement is one reason why there's rarely a day in which Orleski doesn't cartoon.

In the past, he drew on paper. But between drawing an image, scanning it, and then uploading it to the web, "a cartoon would take so much time." To streamline the process, he now uses an iPad, a Griffin stylus pen, and the Sketchbook Pro app. He publishes his cartoons on RVA Coffee Stain, a name which he said "comes from when I use to draw cartoons late at night on computer paper while drinking coffee. I would always accidentally put the cartoon over that little coffee rim that forms on the bottom of the mug."

Depending on the complexity of a particular illustration, Orleski completes most of cartoons in a few hours after returning home from his full-time job. Some of his most impressive drawings, however, have taken days.

A recent World of Mirth cartoon required two days for completion and, while not RVA-related, his illustration of the Philadelphia Phillies' Citizens Bank Park took him nearly a full week (his overlook of RVA and an alley trash nook are other complex drawings he's done).

While he worries that one day "people will get bored of my cartoons," that hasn’t been the case so far.

Owners of Dixie Donuts appreciated Orleski's depiction of [their business's exterior][ex] so much, they purchased a print of it. Ipanema and Tumblr have also purchased his prints. However, businesses seeking a cartoony endorsement from Orleski may be disappointed.

"I won't do a business I haven't been to" or a restaurant at which he has yet to eat, he said. Even if he has given the business his patronage, it's no guarantee it will be the subject of a cartoon--he saves those for the places he likes. However, places that he hopes to cartoon in the near future include Hardywood, The Roosevelt, and a Segway tour of Richmond.

An early cartoon

In addition to local businesses, individuals have also paid him for prints. "I never sold a print before this year," he said. "I joke that I eclipsed last year's sales record of $0." He said most of his requests come through his blog. Not only does Orleski happily sell prints, but he's used an unusual way to give them away.

Using a concept known as art abandonment, Orleski will occasionally hide prints in public for Richmonders to find. He recently placed one near VCU's campus, and has also done the same in Carytown during this year's Watermelon Festival. "I'd like to do more with things like that," he said.

He will soon begin work illustrating a poem written by VCU student Rob Gibson to be published in VCU's undergraduate literary journal, Poictesme (pronounced: pwah-tem). He has also designed T-shirts for the website, Voyemonte, where the illustrations "play off of the translations of proverbs from different countries."

Still committed to cartooning RVA, Orleski is also open to drawing in other capacities. "I would love to eventually become a full-time artist," he said. "As I cartoon and opportunities [arise], I'm up to try new things."

Orleski will sell 11” x 14” prints ($35 each) on Sunday, December 16th at the Carytown Farmers Market.

— ∮∮∮ —

Footnotes

However, the recent Gen. Petraeus sex scandal was something he couldn't resist. ↩

Ho there, reader of RSS feeds! Do you ever want to support RVANews in a real and tangible way? Or at least pay a small penance for reading ad-free content? If so, support us on Patreon for a couple bucks a month!

Richmond Monuments: The South Rises Again #2

Bizhan Khodabandeh — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 10:00:44 +0000

Editor's note: The South Rises Again is a continuous story arc, get caught up here.

— ∮∮∮ —

Buy a physical copy »

Connecticut Kong

Bizhan Khodabandeh — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:00:20 +0000

Buy a physical copy »

Lee’s new friends

Bizhan Khodabandeh — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:17:39 +0000

Buy a physical copy »

The Connecticut Move

Bizhan Khodabandeh — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:00:50 +0000

Buy a physical copy »

Inside the box, part two

Bizhan Khodabandeh — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 10:00:28 +0000

Purchase a physical copy

— ∮∮∮ —

Inside the box, part one

Inside the box, part one

Bizhan Khodabandeh — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:18:52 +0000

Purchase a physical copy

Maury drops the ball

Bizhan Khodabandeh — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:00:03 +0000

Purchase a physical copy

A Thin Blue Line

Bizhan Khodabandeh — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:00:24 +0000

Purchase a physical copy

The Coliseum takes flight

Bizhan Khodabandeh — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:00:55 +0000

Lincoln vs. Lincoln

Bizhan Khodabandeh — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:15:38 +0000

Purchase a physical copy

Richmond Monuments: Contest

Bizhan Khodabandeh — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 11:00:33 +0000

Purchase a physical copy

Poe’s introspective moment

Bizhan Khodabandeh — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:00:42 +0000

Purchase a physical copy

Christopher Columbus and His Fountain

Bizhan Khodabandeh — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:00:21 +0000

Purchase a physical copy

The golden hare that laid…

Bizhan Khodabandeh — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:00:27 +0000

Purchase a physical copy

Richmond Monuments: 4 Weeks Later

Bizhan Khodabandeh — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 11:57:46 +0000

Purchase a physical copy

Welcome to Richmond

Chris OBrion — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:04:51 +0000

The rail of two cities

Chris OBrion — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:39:39 +0000

What you do during a power outage

Chris OBrion — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:17:59 +0000

Multiple choice

Chris OBrion — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:00:04 +0000

Downsized

Chris OBrion — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:00:04 +0000

Times-Dispatch Cuts 20 Jobs, Style Weekly

No, no, no, NO, NO, NO!

Chris OBrion — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:30:53 +0000

Such a TOLL order

Chris OBrion — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:00:59 +0000

Mayor Successfully Negotiates $60.3 Million Repayment to City

There goes the neighborhood…again

Chris OBrion — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 10:00:59 +0000

VCU builds to make room for 32,000, Richmond Times Dispatch

Richmond’s never-ending pastime

Chris OBrion — Fri, 27 May 2011 10:00:08 +0000

Parker Field complex key to new baseball stadium plans, Richmond Times Dispatch

Richmond: get on your bikes and ride!

Chris OBrion — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:00:55 +0000

Make sure you read this piece we ran about some bike-focused efforts to improve our transportation situation. If you want to get involved, the next meeting is May 17th, 5pm, at the Carillon.

Corrections

Originally the comic referenced the 2011 UCI Road World Championships. In December Richmond announced that it would be putting in a bid for the 2015 Championships.

Richmond finally looks in the mirror

Chris OBrion — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 04:46:42 +0000

The longterm impact of the Final Four

Chris OBrion — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 10:34:50 +0000

Hey. Soooo, this is awkward.

Chris OBrion — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:00:24 +0000

MonWOE!

Chris OBrion — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:00:16 +0000

RVANews

Drawing RVA, one cartoon at a time

Footnotes

Richmond Monuments: The South Rises Again #2

Connecticut Kong

Lee’s new friends

The Connecticut Move

Inside the box, part two

Related

Inside the box, part one

Maury drops the ball

A Thin Blue Line

The Coliseum takes flight

Lincoln vs. Lincoln

Richmond Monuments: Contest

Poe’s introspective moment

Christopher Columbus and His Fountain

The golden hare that laid…

Richmond Monuments: 4 Weeks Later

Welcome to Richmond

Related

The rail of two cities

Related

What you *do* during a power outage

Multiple choice

Downsized

Related

No, no, no, NO, NO, NO!

Such a TOLL order

Related

There goes the neighborhood…again

Related

Richmond’s never-ending pastime

Related

Richmond: get on your bikes and ride!

Corrections

Richmond finally looks in the mirror

The longterm impact of the Final Four

Hey. Soooo, this is awkward.

MonWOE!

What you do during a power outage