A native Californian, Dedini sold his first cartoon to Esquire when he was 17. After two years of study at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, he left school in 1944 to work in the story department of Walt Disney. From 1946-1950, Esquire had him under exclusive contract and he not only wrote and drew his own cartoons but also supplied gags for fellow Esquire cartoonists such as Barbara Shermund and E. Simms Campbell. Since 1950, Dedini has had a first look contract with The New Yorker and in 1960 he garnered the same arrangement with Playboy. Eldon Dedini died January 12, 2006.
The Eldon Dedini Collection is an exceptionally comprehensive collection of the papers of one of the twentieth century's leading magazine cartoonists, said Lucy Shelton Caswell, professor and curator of The Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library. Because he kept meticulous records and had such a long and successful career, the Dedini Collection will be a wonderful resource for researchers interested in magazine cartoons during the last half of the twentieth century. An exhibition featuring highlights of the collection is planned as soon as the materials are processed.
There are few who can tell a story like Eldon Dedini. And at 84 years old, heH’s got a lot of them to tell. His wit shines in his eyes. One look into them and his age becomes an afterthought. Eldon/’s smile defines him. Itp’s a cross between a smirk and a chuckle m– kind of like a guy who really wants to laugh at his own jokes but has to consciously restrain his face.
Dedini prides himself in the accuracy of his drawings. a“If youu’re drawing a giraffe, be sure youh’ve got the horns and ears right. If it has to do with fashion or clothing, the people have to be cartooned, but correct. ” Eldon has a natural curiosity and has borrowed tricks from the masters. He loves the museums, churches and religious art of the Italian Renaissance. “I like the color combos used by greats like Titian, Giorgione, and Bellini. Theyv’ve influenced my work. Of course, you cano’t translate directly because It’m not doing the Sistine Chapel, Is’m doing a cartoon.n” Dedini is also fond of French Impressionists like Matisse, Monet and Picasso. w“Their work is like a dictionary. If Iu’ve got this color and am wondering what goes with it, I just check out the masters for inspiration.d”
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