Tom's Mad Blog
June 2nd, 2019 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I love your signature… it’s perfect for a cartoonist. Is it just your natural signature or did you engineer it? A: Thanks! No cartoonist I know did not design their signature in some way. It’s an extension of their art, really. I can’t remember exactly when I ‘engineered’ my signature, but it was very early on in my career. Certainly before I started doing professional illustration work, when I was signing about 3,000 live caricatures every summer at the theme parks. It’s evolved a little bit over the years, but the elements I intentionally incorporated into it remain: The big swooping “R” and the… READ MORE
June 1st, 2019 | Posted in News
My workshop in Austin in October is now sold out, meaning all workshops for the rest of 2019 are booked solid. That, however, does not mean you have no chance of getting in. Right now I have no one on the waitlist in Austin or Denver, so if one of those locations interests you, being first or in the top few of the waitlist gives you a good chance of getting a spot if someone backs out. Drop me a line and mention the workshop location you are interested in, and I’ll put you on the waitlist. I other workshop news, we have planned a… READ MORE
May 31st, 2019 | Posted in MAD Magazine
The official sneak peeks at what’s coming up in MAD #8 have started, beginning with TV Insider’s look at Game of Thrones Spin-offs!, featuring PhotoShop art magic by former MAD art director Ryan Flanders, and written by Brian Firenzi! One of the many spin-offs pictured above. They also released a look at the cover, art by Jason Seiler: Ecccch. The entire nauseating issue hits the stands on June 11th! READ MORE
May 30th, 2019 | Posted in Illustration Throwback Thursday
Back in early 2000 I started doing work for MAD Magazine clone Cracked. That all started when I showed the new editor of Cracked a parody of “Godzilla” I had written and drawn to show then newly minted MAD Art Director Sam Viviano in an effort to get in at MAD. Sam expressed polite interest and encouragement to keep working at my art, but no job offers. Cracked, which had just been bought by American Media and was looking for new contributors willing to work for a truly insulting page rate, bought that “Godzilla” parody (a three year old film at the time) and asked… READ MORE
May 29th, 2019 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
A little late today, but here’s a sketch of Keanu Reeves as “John Wick” from the movie series of the same name. Original available in the Studio Store as usual. READ MORE
May 28th, 2019 | Posted in News
I’ve had a cancellation in my workshop in Denver (which has been sold out for months) and all the people on my waitlist have chickened out! So, I now have a spot up for grabs! This one a a couple spots in Austin are all I have still available for all of 2019. Don’t miss out, Coloradans! READ MORE
May 28th, 2019 | Posted in Freelancing
This is a little spot illustration I did earlier this year for Scholastic. The article is a feature they do where two kids debate a topic, and this one asked the question “Is playing video games a sport?”. Below are the initial roughs (the text is from an earlier similar article, and for position only to show me the area the illustration needed to fill) and final pencils: READ MORE
May 27th, 2019 | Posted in Monday MADness
The folks at MAD have started the sneak peeks of the upcoming issue #8, and they posted this close crop from one of the panels in the parody I did the art for in that issue. What could it be? You’ll have to wait until June 11th to buy a copy and find out! READ MORE
