Riposte Card No. 12: Manual musings!

Or, Saul Steinberg by Isaac King

Whenever I commission a Riposte Card — and it’s been a full year now! — I try to offer my illustrators a quip relevant to their interests. Happily, animator Isaac King took me up on the offer with this line:

“The doodle is the brooding of the hand”
— Saul Steinberg

King looped in some of Steinberg’s trademarks — the toothy gator, for one — as well as a smattering of his own broodables, including climate change, tech addiction, diminishing resources, and playground equipment.

But who is Isaac King? What makes him tick? How many of his family members are paying subscribers of this newsletter? To get to the bottom of questions adjacent to these, I sent Mr. King the following questionnaire:

What’s your go-to item in a well-stocked stationery store?
I’m a brush-pen guy, so I like to try a few out. Also spiral-bound sketchbooks.

Where do you go for inspiration and/or information?
I feel inspired when I'm exploring urban nature along the lakeshore or up the Humber River. Also at libraries, art galleries, and animation film festivals.

Is there one joke, witticism, or aphorism you live by?
Everything in moderation, including moderation.

What's the best thing to put on toast?
Peanut Butter, with banana or Gochujang.

What work are you most proud of, and how can people support it?
My ecological animated films (watch them at isaacking.net), and my work with the Toronto Animated Image Society, an artist-run charity that supports independent animation (donation welcome at tais.ca)!