Tom's Mad Blog
September 5th, 2014 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Now that the inks are all done, erased and cleaned up, it’s computer time! First the pages need to be scanned in sections, then placed together to make a complete page. This is roughly as much fun as getting poked in the eye by a sharp instrument, but it is what it is. I invested in a very large scanner to simplify my life and cut down on popping veins in my forehead. I use a Microtek ScanMaker 9800XL (Epson Expression GT 20000), which is a flatbed with a 12?x17? scanning area. I use their ScanWizard Pro software and scan directly into Photoshop.¬¨‚Ć Even so,… READ MORE
September 4th, 2014 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Now that the pencils are finished, it’s time for the inking. This has always been the toughest part for me. I don’t know too many comic artists who ever feel their inked work is as effective as their pencils are, and you can count me among them. No matter how much I’ve done it, I always begin an inking job with trepidation and a certain amount of nervousness. Over the years I’ve learned to trust myself a bit more, but I still wouldn’t say it’s easy. To get started, I take out a #3 (.80) Rapidiograph pen and rule the balloons and tails, bleed and… READ MORE
September 3rd, 2014 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Once the pencil roughs are approved with the gang at MAD, I can move on to the final pencils. This is the stage where most of the hard work occurs. The first thing I do is transfer the roughs on to the final boards. I do this by blowing up my scans of the roughs to 200% of original size, and then printing them off on 11???17 paper. In the case of a splash, I have to use the 13???19 paper and print the image in quarters, then trim and tape them together. With the story pages, a typical row of panels fits an 11???17… READ MORE
September 2nd, 2014 | Posted in MAD Magazine
The next step in a MAD job is the package I get from the art department. In it is a copy of the script, printouts of the layouts and the reference materials they have gathered and the boards. The boards large pieces of Strathmore bristol with all the pages, panel borders and text boxes drawn in pencil. These are usually done by longtime MAD production guru Lenny “The Beard” Brenner (I get nothing from MAD other than the emailed script and layout images these days. I layout my own boards with the text boxes etc. This deal has been getting more and more onesided over… READ MORE
September 1st, 2014 | Posted in MAD Magazine
This week I am in lock down, do-or-die, 24-7, no foolin’ Deadline Demon mode trying to finish an eight (that’s right EIGHT page parody) for MAD by the weekend. No time for anything else. So… Welcome to flashback week! About eight years ago I posted this little walk through of a typical job for MAD entitled “Diary of a MAD Job”. I thought I would repost it this week. It’s a little dated (I have annotated these with updated comments) but most of the process is the same. Diary of a MAD Job Part 1: Whenever I meet someone who knows that I do work… READ MORE
August 31st, 2014 | Posted in News
It’s with great sadness I pass on the news that comic book legend Stan Goldberg passed away today at age 82 from complications of a severe stroke he suffered a few weeks ago. Stan and his wife Pauline were two of the most wonderful, friendly and genuine people the Lovely Anna and I ever had the privilege of getting to know through the National Cartoonists Society… and that is saying a lot as we count many, many NCS members as very good friends. Stan had the kind of career in comics that in some ways flew under the radar, but in others was one of… READ MORE
August 31st, 2014 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I have a series of questions for your blog regarding the mental state one goes through when working from home as a freelancer (or just working from home in general). Do you ever get depressed from being locked in one room by yourself for an extended period of time without speaking or seeing anyone else besides your family? (And by family I mean your wife and children who live with you). Do you ever wish you were in a studio environment alongside other artists you could have lunch with or just casually chat to on a break? Continuing on with the theme of working… READ MORE
August 28th, 2014 | Posted in News
I officially succumbed to peer pressure and did the Ice Bucket Challenge: [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3TqT5LX1EU[/youtube] Embarrassing, but I ended up donating to ALS research anyway… BTW I was challenged by illustrator Howie Noel, comic book superstar Doug Mahnke and Reuben award winning “Baby Blues” cartoonist Rick Kirkman, and I in turn challenged my brothers-in-law Joe, Paul, Dave and Chris Voss. Don’t forget to donate here: http://www.alsa.org/donate/ READ MORE
