Tom's Mad Blog
May 27th, 2024 | Posted in General
While many Americans spend their Memorial Day grilling burgers and brats in the backyard, or floating around on a lake or river enjoying beers and the unofficial start of summer, it’s important to remember the reason for the day off. That reason is to honor the members of the United States Armed Forces who lost their lives in the service of our country. Their sacrifice, and the sacrifices of all our military service members, is the reason we are free to grill those brats and raise those beers. Thank you. READ MORE
May 22nd, 2024 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
It’s another “Famous Movie Moment” sketch, this week featuring Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard”. This is of course from the famous final scene, where the deranged Norma believes she’s making a new picture rather than being arrested for murder. She over-dramatically descends the grand staircase in her mansion mugging for the camera. Some call it a “black comedy”, but I think it’s more of a satire on Hollywood and obsession with fame. READ MORE
May 21st, 2024 | Posted in General
I had a blast drawing with this terrific group earlier this month in Austin Texas! This is the class poster I do for every workshop group. Atlanta, Boston and Chicago are sold out, and I only have about 16 spots available between my Phoenix and Minnesota workshops left… so if you want to be in one of the classes don’t wait around! Click here for the details. READ MORE
May 20th, 2024 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Ah… Monday. The start of a new week, with all the hopes and possibilities it represents! Sorry to bring it all crashing down in a cascade of idiocy, but it’s once again time for another step along the path of our look back at my work for MAD Magazine. This week features not one but two politically themed pieces, both with uncredited writers meaning they were written by the MAD staff, which appeared in MAD #547, Oct 2017. The first in this issue was a quick single panel that was part of “The Trumpalini Pages”, a recent offshoot of the by then fairly long running… READ MORE
May 16th, 2024 | Posted in General
I had to cancel my September Seattle workshop, but I have replaced it with one here in Minnesota! The workshops I do here take place only about 2 miles from the studio, and are unique in one way… they include an evening in my home and studio for the entire class! That’s right! The Lovely Anna and I host the class on the Friday night prior to the start of the workshop at our place. We’ll have a backyard cookout, adult beverages, Anna’s famous chocolate chip cookies and a tour of my studio looking at original art and other cool stuff, plus a look at… READ MORE
May 15th, 2024 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
Here’s another of those famous moments in movie history that needs no preface, explanation, or context… it’s completely encapsulated in a single expression. The moment when Roy Scheider‘s “Chief Brody” first sees the shark in “Jaws” is part of movie history. In a rare departure from tradition, this original sketch is still available to buy! Jaws was released in 1975. I was nine years old, and this movie had a profound effect on me that I still remember to this day. Did I somehow see the film at only 9? I actually do not remember if I did or not. I doubt it. My parents… READ MORE
May 13th, 2024 | Posted in MAD Magazine
We interrupt our chronological slog through my work at MAD because it was at this moment in our timeline, June of 2017, that we finally learned who would be the new editor of MAD once it moved out to Burbank a mere 6 months later from that point. Back in March of that year it had been announced that MAD was finally following the rest of DC Comics from NYC out to Burbank, but since that announcement took place there was no word on who would be the new editor nor who would be on staff. I knew that no one from the NYC staff… READ MORE
May 8th, 2024 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
It’s another “famous movie moment” caricature sketch! This week features Al Pacino going full-on cocaine rage in “Scarface” in the “Say hello to my little friend!” scene. This is another good example of how, in the moment and with the expression/emotion being shown by the subject, a lot of the usual likeness landmarks of the subject have to be ignored. Typically when you think of Al Pacino, you think of heavy, sleepy eyelids, a long nose, a small mouth and very high and sharp cheekbones. This moment requires emphasis on the mouth and the gritted teeth, the squinted eyes, and angled back head. All that… READ MORE
