Tom's Mad Blog
May 29th, 2020 | Posted in Freelancing
The newest issue of Viz (a UK humor publication) has a couple of pieces I did the art for. The one above is a take-off on an old (and apperently beloved by Brits of a certain age) British sitcom called “Steptoe and Son”, which was adapted here in the U.S. as “Sanford and Son”. Same premise, it’s an older father and son running a junk shop/collector business. I watched multiple episodes to get the feel of the show and the characters… it was damn funny, but pretty dated as you can imagine. The show ran from ’62-’65 and had a revival in the 70’s. The… READ MORE
May 29th, 2020 | Posted in Daily Coronacature
Here’s my sketch of Bette Davis. This is another subject I did a “workshop warmup” of some time ago in one of my classes. This new drawing is based on that quick sketch. Bette isn’t just about the eyes. She has highly arched eyebrows and a “downturned” smile that gives her a kind of mischievous look. READ MORE
May 28th, 2020 | Posted in Daily Coronacature
Here’s my take on Jackie Chan. I did a “workshop warm up” of him a year or so ago, and this one is from the same reference but revisited and redrawn. Jackie’s got a fun head shape. Very wide but with more mass above his eyes in the top of his head. He has a hugely wide nose, although it could be argued it’s also pretty long. If you want to really exaggerate the width, it’s more effective to squash the bottom o the face than to try and also make it long. He also has tiny eyes and a wide, crooked chin. His cheeks… READ MORE
May 27th, 2020 | Posted in General
It seems like every time I post one of these “Daily Coronacature” sketches SOMEONE asks me if it’s digital and/or what app I use. I do a lot of digital art but these daily sketches are all done using something called a “pencil” on something called “paper”… no power required unless you include the lamp overhead. Specifically the pencils in the pics (a Staedler Norica HB 2 and a .7 mm Mechanical pencil with an HB lead) and a kneadable eraser. I use the wood pencil for all the major lines, and the mechanical one for the initial “workign it out” sketch and then the… READ MORE
May 27th, 2020 | Posted in Daily Coronacature
I had to get my sketch of our Daily Coronature subject out early today… lots to do in the studio. Here’s my take on Adam Driver. Adam actually has a kind of tough face to caricature. I think it’s because at first glance he seems to have so much to exaggerate… a very long nose, a strong brow, big lips, sharp, angular eyes, a small chin… it’s hard to decide what’s most important. As my friend the brilliant caricaturist/painter Tom Fluharty says “if you exaggerate everything, you exaggerate nothing”. You can’t exaggerate it all. You need to decide what’s most important and emphasize those elements.… READ MORE
May 26th, 2020 | Posted in Daily Coronacature
Here’s my take on today’s subject, the multi-talented Jodie Foster! Jodie has a wider face, widest at the cheekbones. This older Jodie has a crooked, kind of wry half-grin that especially puckers on her right side, where the mouth turns down. I find that downward turn and the resulting twists around the mouth’s corner are important to getting her expression. She has almost no upper eyelids. Overall she has a very angular face, with a lot of sharp corners. Finally her nose is very sharp, and it extends into her forehead past the brow. READ MORE
May 25th, 2020 | Posted in Daily Coronacature
Here’s my take on today’s subject, Daisy Ridley! I find her hard to capture because when trying to push the exaggeration of one relationship it causes some others to be compromised. For example, she has a petite, pointed nose, but she also has a very small chin and very little space between her mouth and nose. If you exaggerate the short space between the nose and chin, her nose almost has to be longer or everything below the eyes is exaggerated small, and that washes it all out. The only way to pull it off is to give her bigger eyes, a wider face especially… READ MORE
May 25th, 2020 | Posted in News
Well, I’m not sure it’s quite a “milestone”, but my book The Mad Art of Caricature! recently hit 400 ratings on Amazon. 86% are 5 star, and 95% are 4 stars or greater! That’s a nice thing to happen just as I am arranging the 11th printing. That’s right… ELEVEN. I am continually amazed at the staying power of this book. BTW, this new printing will feature one new element… a second forward by the great Al Jaffee!! As for version 2.0, I’m afraid that is on hold, probably for a very long time. I’ve got too many other long term projects in the pipeline… READ MORE
