Tom's Mad Blog
August 2nd, 2016 | Posted in General
A few peers of mine on FaceBook recently had a discussion regarding the age old query: is being an artist based on God given talent or training and practice? I think most people would agree it’s a combination of both, but how much of what an artist can do is a result of the talent, and how much the hard work? That’s where the debate and difference of opinion lies. I’ve had many people tell me they “wish they had the talent to draw” and make other comments that demonstrate they obviously believe that artistic ability is magically bestowed by the gods or the universe… READ MORE
July 31st, 2016 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Do you ever “recycle” your art? I mean: maybe there is an idea or a concept which one customer did not like but another customer could like? Or maybe you could recycle some “background-elements” in more than one picture (a dog, a car, a house, etc.). Or are you even sometimes able to re-use whole caricatures? A: Yes to all of the above. If I have elements of a previous illustration or some sketch or something that will work well with a current project, I will absolutely use those elements again. This is especially true with background objects or environments and illustration jobs. I… READ MORE
July 29th, 2016 | Posted in MAD Magazine
For those people who can’t or don’t want to use the native iOS or Android apps for getting their bimonthly MAD fix, DC Entertainment recently announced MAD Magazine will now be available on the popular digital magazine newsstand Magzter. This is great news as The Magzter app is available on the web, iOS, Google Play, Amazon App Store, Kindle Fire and is expanding to more platforms soon, making digital MAD much more platform independent. From the official press release: “The ‘Usual Gang of Idiots’ at MAD Magazine is very pleased to partner with Magzter in growing the online distribution of MAD. We are confident that… READ MORE
July 28th, 2016 | Posted in News
Issue 4 of The National Cartoonists Society’s FREE digital magazine, The National Cartoon!st, is out now! The NCS describes it as “A celebration of the best in cartooning, past and present, it contains in-depth features and rare, often previously unseen, artwork from some of cartooning’s greatest names!” I have an article in it on caricaturing the different sexes, particularly about my approach to drawing females. Read it here: http://www.reuben.org/thenationalcartoonist/issue-4/ READ MORE
July 27th, 2016 | Posted in News
This is a tough day for cartooning. In addition to the passing of Jack Davis, we also lost the very talented Richard Thompson. Richard was best know for the brilliant daily syndicated strip “Cul de Sac” and the weekly Washington Post comic “Poor Richard’s Almanac”, but he was also a terrific illustrator and an incredible caricaturist. His work has appeared in major publications like US News and World Report, National Geographic, The New Yorker and others. He was honored with the 2010 National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben Award for “Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year” among many other awards and honors. I did not know Richard very… READ MORE
July 27th, 2016 | Posted in News
One of the greatest cartoonists who ever lived just left this world… the afterlife is going to be a much funnier place starting today. The great Jack Davis passed away today at age 91. No conversation about the the best of the best in the world of comics, cartooning and/or humorous illustration would ever be complete without his name near the top of the list. Jack was a cartoonists’s cartoonist, an man of immense talent and an eye for visual humor that left the entire world laughing at his simplest of drawings. He was one of the original EC Comics artists on their much beloved… READ MORE
July 27th, 2016 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
I’m afraid I have to post a cop out for Sketch o’the Week this week as I am swamped playing catch up with work… here’s a former SotW (with digital grays added for it’s inclusion in my book) of Hulk Hogan. READ MORE
July 26th, 2016 | Posted in General
I’m going to be playing catch up for about a week after being away for Comic-Con, so things will be a little light here on the blog. Here’s the art I did for the July poster for the Marlin Company, which I did back in April. It’s very apropos considering the current state of the country, although the majority of those depicted are long gone. Pencil sketch below. READ MORE
