Funny what you find when digging through your flat files. I had no idea I still had this. It is the pencil rough for the first piece I ever had printed in MAD, done almost exactly 16 years ago. “Gadgets to Really Make Home Theater Like Going to the Movies!” was written by Dick DeBartolo and appeared in MAD #399, Oct 2000. Here’s what the final looked like in the magazine: READ MORE
Looks like it’s that time again… no questions to answer in the mailbag. I actually only have to post this maybe once or twice a year, and only because many of the questions I get are repeats of ones I have answered more than once in the past (I’ve had this feature running for ten years, and this is the 484th “mailbag” post) or of the “please show me how to crosshatch” variety that are impossible to answer in a few paragraphs. Several regular readers have accounted for a great many of the questions answered here, and for that I thank them. It’s entirely possible… READ MORE
I know a lot of artists who make a great living doing storyboards, which for those who do not know is a kind of comic-book style way of visually mapping out a live action or animated sequence. Movies, TV shows, animation, commercials… anything that ends up on a screen usually uses storyboards as the visual translation of the script. Storyboards can range from very rough drawings to what looks like finished comicbook art, color and all. I haven’t done a lot of storyboard work. I did a few storyboard jobs for commercials for a local Twin Cities studio many years ago, and for a couple… READ MORE
Here’s what’s piled up on the drawing board right now: Just finished the cover of HITS Magazine Three page gag article for MAD “Z People” Comic Product Illustration job for Jeff Dunham Assorted personal projects Marlin poster Illustration Speaking of that last, above is the final art for the illustration that is in print this month for Marlin. Sketch below. READ MORE
After his passing I had to do a sketch of Gene Wilder this week. Thanks for the many hours of movie magic, Mr. Wilder! READ MORE
I was sad to hear of the passing of Gene Wilder yesterday. He has always been a favorite of the Richmond family. The kids loved “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” when they were little, and then graduated to some of his great collaborations with Mel Brooks in “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein”. I remember when he was a big star in the late 70’s and early 80’s in movies like “Stir Crazy”, “Silver Streak”, “The Frisco Kid”, “The World’s Greatest Lover”, and “Haunted Honeymoon”. I haven’t seen any of those movies in 30+ years, but I remember them fondly. He was an understated but… READ MORE
In the latest issue of MAD I did the art for a parody of the HGTV show “Fixer Upper”, and rather than draw two generic people as the couple whose house is being renovated I drew in my two good friends Ed and Heather Steckley… sometimes I do things just to amuse myself. This was not unprecedented. Way back in 2003 I did the art on a Dick DeBartolo written spoof of the show “Trading Spaces”, which featured two couples as the “contestants” (for lack of a better term). That time I drew in two of our neighborhood couples, The McNeils (in the red shirts)… READ MORE
Q: While drawing live caricatures each spectator is a potential next customer. But what are you doing at the beginning? Are there some methods or tricks to get the first customer? A: I assume by “live caricatures” you are referring to live RETAIL caricatures, meaning a stand at a theme park, fair or some other event where those getting drawn pay for the caricature as opposed to at a gig or event where the client pays and the subjects get the drawings free. There are a lot of answers to this question. Everyone has their own philosophy regarding the “sales” aspect of live caricature. I’ve… READ MORE
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