Tom's Mad Blog
March 21st, 2017 | Posted in MAD Magazine
A week or so ago Bleeding Cool broke the news that MAD was apparently following the rest of DC Comics out to Burbank “soon”. Back in 2013 when DC announced they were moving out of NYC and to Burbank, I wrote this post speculating on what would happen with MAD. The short version is I saw four possible scenarios: Enough current MAD editors and art staff make the move that MAD remains the MAD we know and love. DC bankrolls a small, separate MAD office in NYC, and MAD remains the MAD we know and love. DC forms a new editorial and art staff to… READ MORE
March 20th, 2017 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Here’s a couple more sneak peeks (courtesy of Mashable) at some pages from MAD‘s Superman and the Miserable, Rotten, No Fun, Really Bad Day, coming out this fall. Words by Dave Croatto, art by me. On sale everywhere in October!… READ MORE
March 19th, 2017 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: It is essential, that your customers like your drawings. But whom else do you want to like your art (yourself, family, friends …)? A: Everyone has an opinion, but fortunately we can decide which ones actually matter. One of the things I try and teach rookie theme park artists is that the opinions of your customers are only important insofar as they are happy with the drawing and they purchase it. Beyond that, you should not take their opinion of your actual art with anything but a grain of salt. Many people are “visually illiterate” and cannot tell the difference between a good caricature… READ MORE
March 17th, 2017 | Posted in Classic Rock Sketch Series
Sorry that posts this week have been sporadic… deadlines and my daughter’s wedding tomorrow have been getting in the way. Here’s a late Sketch o’the Week and past of my classic rock caricature series, the great John Lennon! READ MORE
March 14th, 2017 | Posted in News
The dates for my workshop in Pittsburgh this summer are finally set… June 9th-11th! The workshop will take place at the Comfort Inn & Suites RIDC Park. Click here for all the details and to reserve your spot. This will be the last workshop I schedule for 2017. I have some spots still available in the other ones currently scehduled: Eagan, MN: April 28-30th, 2017- 4 spots left Eagan, MN: May 5-7th, 2017- 8 spots left Pittsburgh PA: June 9-11th, 2017- Just Listed! Munich, Germany: July 7-9th, 2017- ONLY 1 spot left! Long Island City, NY: Aug 8-10 2017- 5 spots left If any of… READ MORE
March 13th, 2017 | Posted in Monday MADness
Image courtesy madmagazine.com It’s a MAD dual birthday today… in fact it happens on this day every year! Yes, today is the birthday of both legendary “MAD fold-In” creator Al Jaffee and longtime MAD artist and current MAD art director Sam Viviano. You see above Al accepting Sam’s award for picking such an excellent date for his birthday, and Al thinking how nice it is to know he could still crush Sam’s hand like a rotten egg despite having been born 32 years earlier. Al is 96 today, and still delivers his completed MAD assignments to the offices by hand, and they are still as… READ MORE
March 12th, 2017 | Posted in General
Q: In your training seminars have you found everyone is teachable/learnable? Do you ever have a student who will NEVER get it? A: Not in any of my workshops (so far), but yes, I have run across many people, some artists of good ability, who just don’t “get” caricature, and maybe might never be able to draw them competently. Drawing and drawing caricatures are two separate things. Everyone is teachable to some degree. If you study and practice drawing hard enough, you will improve your skills. That doesn’t mean anyone can become a great artist, it just means anyone can improve their ability to draw… READ MORE
March 8th, 2017 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Mashable just debuted an exclusive sneak peek at MAD‘s newest kids book parody, written by Dave Croatto with art by me. Goodnight Batcave did so well they followed it up with Superman and the Miserable, Rotten, No Fun, Really Bad Day, in bookstores October 17th. I finished up the art for this around the holidays, and am already working on another book project for them. Check out Mashable for a peek at some of the interior pages. READ MORE
