Robert Crumb's SKETCHBOOK - Better than his COMICS? 

I vote more Crumb sketchbooks! Incredibly inspiring...

The passing of Kim Jung Gi had me reflecting on how much I love the sketchbook as a medium, because it gives such insight into an artist’s process and personality. Even though Gi and Crumb have different approaches, they both have the most unfiltered and technically impressive sketchbooks I’ve seen. All six of Crumb’s have a coveted place on my bookshelf.

We are lucky to have lived in the same time as this guy, and we're lucky he was able to pretty much just draw full-time for most of his life.

Ahh this is a wonderful watch & I'm not even all the way through it yet because I keep replaying parts & just staring into his drawings. But my favorite part about all of this is how "bothered" Jim is by Crumb's level of output 😂😂😂 because I totally get it at the same time but hearing him say it in so many different ways is cracking me up. "It's upsetting"

His lettering is amazing too. He could have defined a slew of entirely new font sets.

Not illegal. When I was in high school 69 to 73, we used to buy Zap and his other comics a head shops.

Love the way you've presented this, perfect. Thank you

What an insane sketchbook!! 👀 can't wait for the next volume

I have all of these except Volume 4, which seems rarer than hens’ teeth

Thanks Dr Karl. Excellent advice in regards to slow controlled movements. This means that a lighter resistance is used and thereby is safer for all ages. Heavier loads tend to contribute to joint and ligament issues due to mostly being done quickly with less than perfect form. Connective tissue takes more wear and tear.

Robert Crumb was instrumental in turning me on to old acoustic Delta Blues a virtual ilfelong love of mine - thanks Robert.

I must admit Crumb’s art is not my cup of tea. That being said the level of mastery is unbelievable and I’d consider buying these for all of the skill and craft on display. I know just looking through the books I could learn so much. Another great episode gents!

I’ve never commented on a RU-vid video but you guys did such a great presentation on this I had to let you know! I picked up a lot of these comics on the streets of Cleveland to the streets of SF in the 70s-90s. And I’ve been drawing since the sixties heavily influenced by Crumb. Thanks for this.

I've been into Robert Crumb since 1971, when I discovered him in Oz Magazine - a genius.

Fantastic book. I'm remembering Rick Geary, who most likely was influenced by Crumb, with the line art

so much fun watching this. thank you. i love seeing people's sketchbooks

Thank you guys for showing us this treasure, I’ve watched it 10x

Would love to see a video on volume 2 (and ongoing). I never got around to buying his sketchbooks, and now I regret not doing so.

i had a keep on truckin' tee shirt about 50 years ago. i used it for a lead-in on my 8mm home movies.

Never realized the full spectrum of his genius, yes savant and much more.

Thanks for this great piece! Been diggin Crumb since 1968, he's def my kinda crazy!

I'd say the earlier *Keep on Truckin'* appearance was the one-pager strip at 13:59. I was surprised when you flipped past it.

Absolutely great drawing in that book!

I wish they would of published this with thicker pages, Crumb’s drawings deserve it.

Was streaming some TV when I came across this video. I am a former art student (who ended up dong something else for a living) who grew up in the R. Crumb era. I'm a big fan of Crumb's work and I used to provide some illustration and poster art in college that was heavily Crumb-influenced. Your observations shed some light on his stuff (things I hadn't considered) and I found it fascinating. I loved Zap Comix in general - some of my favorite artists were Rick Griffin, Robert Williams and of course, Victor Moscoso. If you haven't already, I hope you consider doing the same kind of review of these artists' work. Since I see you have other cartoon subject matter on your channel I will subscribe...

Thanks, that was a very nice review, despite having seen at least some R. Crumb sketchbook in the past, many of those sketches being familiar. Looked for other sketchbook review, but only one of the controversial stuff was found (will watch that soon), but looking forward to see the rest of this series.10:10 Multi level driving infrastructure was already a thing in 1930's car centric futurism, so that's already quite retro by the 1960's. Though some of the elements were probably still in plans by some futuristic designers, multi level urban highways were already in practice superseded by bulldozing large portions of cities, especially poorer neighborhoods, to make space for the on-ground highways and their huge intersections. Crumb has also always stated that he doesn't like 'the new' or 'modern' so much, be it music, car designs, you name it, all in all he appears to be quite a retro spirited, even nostalgic guy. Also look at his cartooning style, it had a good deal of influences from cartoons of the preceding decades, like Krazy Kat comes to mind and Harvey Kurtzman, mentioned in the video.

Waiting for the Crumb Shoot Interview to drop in 2023.⏳

INCREDIBLE!!! What an incredible talent!!!

Thank you for this! Amazing!

I'm not an artist but what impresses me is the amount of detail in so many of Crumb's drawings, which would seem to take an awfully long time to complete, like weeks or months on each drawing, and the fact that he was prolific. The total number of drawings is staggering.

Another video that I could just have on playing on repeat!

Robert Crumb's sketchbooks are treasure. Thank u for this lovely review.

Crumb reminds me of one of my other heroes, Frank Zappa, in that they were both committed to their respective crafts to the point of obsession & very prolific in their output. They were both eccentric & outcasts of 1950's expectations of social behavior for the youth & young adults of the time although I get the feeling that Crumb was more negatively affected by it, but their experiences & observations were expressed through their art & they were both astute in their observational skills & sharing them through their particular forms of saying what they had to say. I would venture to guess they had respect for one another in so far as freedom of speech & expression go as well as their talents although I suppose Robert probably didn't care for some of Frank's music. When it came to the dynamics of relationship between the sexes I identified more readily with Crumb because I too felt inept & socially awkward around the opposite sex. I miss Frank & will miss Robert one day too unless I go first.

Loved this. Thanks guys.

That box on page 80, has Norwegian text and is a cereal of refined oats. I was born in 1965 and don't remember this. Big fan of R.Crumb since I first was aware of him in the early eighties.

23:23 hurts my feelings too. Lol

I'm seeing areas of Crumb's early sketchbook work that reminds me of Heinrich Kley.

Robert Crumb is a great artist. I've never seen any artist as great as Robert Crumb since the 90s.

Off side comment- Rapidiograph Pens: Easy enough after 40 years of use: Use m, put them in a plastic case, and when they clog, take them apart and put them in a small bottle containing Windex. Its a great tool, and hard to duplicate on paper, harder to duplicate on Clayboard or "scratchboard". I loved R.C., and he was a major influence in getting the pens in the early 1970s. A true master of the craft.

He held a mirror up to the cesspool.

I couldn't afford them but I couldn't afford not to get them. I ordered the full set of these with volumes 1-6 and 7-12 and am in awe of everything contained within. Not to mention the custom boxes they came in with Crumb's drawings on each side of the boxes. Can't get enough Crumb!

Fantastic video.. love the images..

I am so grateful for you both showing off this art. Do you guys own any Pettibone zines or comics? I would love to see some of that. Keep up the good work.

Well worth to have those Crumb’s six books. Keeping my fingers crossed for a seventh!

He is a genius at using perspective in most of what he draws. Keep on Truckin' was a super popular image back then. I was in junior high school. I remember seeing somebody's high school annual with the guy traced and printed on the last page. There was a song, "Keep on Truckin'" sung by Eddie Kindricks, but I don't remember which came first - the cartoon or the song.

I got a German sketchbook that Where the Wild Things author was inspired by. It's amazing, it does smell from mildew so I have to keep it sealed and the page layout is super annoying with a lot of blanks and weird folding pages but the artistry is quite compelling for it's time.

Did Crumb illustrate for “Street Rodder Mag”?

Would enjoy more R. Crumb. Thanks.

Amazing X what an artist !

Do I see a series of images very close to Gahan Wilson's work? Who influenced who, or is it mutual? Underground comix were very influential for those of us who were teenagers in the 1960s and 1970s.

More please🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉!!! ❤❤❤

13:20 the origin of his Truckin image from Zap

As a kid his work on Oz was incredible.

Angelfood McSpade was always my favorite.

A genius can do something almost impossible without effort….

Great stuff. Been hauling my Janis Joplin album for 5 or 6 moves, most other vinyl long since sold.

The book is out of print!

This book is hot❤❤❤❤

Incredible stuff

yea crazy, very inspiring indeed

Incredible talent. It leads me to believe that he had a deep curiosity about people and the world, but saw it as being raw and ugly.

Tis a man he need.

Think if he'd drew for Mad Magazine.

Is that Sandra Bullock at 10:39? Lol

Highly enjoyed

His illustrated Book of Genesis is sheer genius - and I’m an atheist 😂

Y'all just missing what Bob's seeing. Fail the man said! We are idiocracy, long ago.

Please do volume 2

6:25. CS Lewis, it’s all in the seeing.

Genius Crumb.

This is cool😊

Do they teach MK Ultra at school in the US?

Just ONE of those drawings would take me a day! Amazing amount of work and each so beautiful! How could he produce so much?? Did he pencil it out first or just use the pen straight off?

This level of talent seems unattainable, even when the lines are sloppy the drawing is still a masterpiece no matter the style, it literally makes no sense

Just ignoring the Citoen deux-cheveux🐴🐴

I have the German, Fantagraphics and Taschen sketchbooks. Gawrsh!

The "Lif" pack at around 7.30 has nothing to do with Bulgaria. The text is in Norwegian, and says "Refined oatmeal from OTA". "Økonomisk familiepakke" means economic family pack. I guess those were smaller in the 60s.

Impossible to find these books anywhere. All sold out

🔥🔥🔥🔥

Thanks for this. Not sure why with such talent his images of black people and especially black women are so F'd up. There are ugly, moderate and very pretty people in throughout his drawings but he puts a great deal of effort into an image of barely human black people. Surely, he knew how to draw all kinds of humans in cartoon form. Does he explain this in any of his interviews of books?

I'm so sorry you have to go to Jax, but that town will be better for it lol

Crumb is a savant

Guess ill buy the book so i don't have to endure all the analysis bullshit

WAY too much babble- more art please.

Lmao. "Teenorama" "Er do you think thats from a real magazine?..." "Let's hope it's fake, man"