Tom's Mad Blog
October 20th, 2013 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: A few posts ago you mentioned how sometimes art directors ask you to ape the look of another illustrator and how you either talk them out of it or decline the job. Are there illustrators out there who routinely do ape the look of other artists? A: Oh, yes. I know of several illustrators who have built their entire careers around mimicking the style of other illustrators. Originally this question included the website of an artist that does just that, but I removed the reference. I don’t like bashing other people as a rule, so do not expect me to name names. What people… READ MORE
October 18th, 2013 | Posted in General
Clicky to embiggen… If you do, better order soon… my limited edition Doctor Who print “The Doctor is in” just passed the 350 mark, and there are now less than 100 prints left. Once they are gone, they’re gone! You can get the original print for $25, or I will do an original added drawing of the upcoming 12th Doctor, Peter Capaldi, for the ridiculously low price of only an extra $10: Clicky to embiggen… I do not think these prints will last through the holidays, so if your gift-giving plans include some Doctor Who fans, you might want to order one soon. READ MORE
October 17th, 2013 | Posted in General
When you freelance for a living you sometimes get some really odd projects to work on… not odd in the sense that you cannot understand why anyone would want something like that but in the sense that it’s not really something you have ever done before and it’s new territory for you. Most of those types of jobs are kind of exciting, as it’s outside your comfort zone and really makes you think about how to accomplish the project. Here are a few examples of some different jobs I’ve done in that vein, with some links to the backstory (if any): Titling animations and images… READ MORE
October 16th, 2013 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
It’s a blast from the past today in the Sketh o’the Week- “Sons of Arnarchy” star Katey Sagal, far removed from the days I used to draw her for NOW’s “Married… with Children” comic book. READ MORE
October 15th, 2013 | Posted in News
In the next few weeks I’ll be doing a couple of talks/presentations and classes on caricature… on two different continents. ACA Stanley Awards- Oct 25th-27th, Coffs Harbour, Australia If you are “down under” aka in the wonderful country of Australia later this month I’ll be conducting a workshop on caricature and taking part in a panel on working for MAD along with fellow members of the “Usual Gang of Idiots”, Anton Emdin and D.J. Williams (editor of the Australian MAD). This will be part of the Australian Cartoonists Association‘s “Stanley Awards” weekend, this year being held in Coffs Harbour. This is not open to the… READ MORE
October 14th, 2013 | Posted in Monday MADness
I came across a few videos on Youtube of some of the segments of the MAD Cartoon Network show I’ve worked on the past few seasons… the “Parks and Rec” one of these is just a clip with ads starting out: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LdshlJBgrw[/youtube] uGlee [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IZQdfkEoC8[/youtube] Jurassic Parks and Recreation [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubQuH8GRPk8[/youtube] CSiCarly (this was the first one I did for them) READ MORE
October 13th, 2013 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I’ve been meaning to ask you about how and at what point during a project do you normally send your roughs to MAD for approval. And since your originals are “twice-size’ how do you scan your work? Just curious. A: The process goes this way: Sam Viviano, MAD’s Maddest Art Director, calls me to give me a heads up that I will be doing the art for a parody of some TV show or movie. This gives me a chance to go see the film or to get some episodes of the show to watch so I can familiarize myself with the subject. Yes,… READ MORE
October 11th, 2013 | Posted in MAD Magazine
MAD’s Editor-in-Chimp, John Ficarra Popmatters.com just posted a really insightful interview with MAD VP & Executive Editor John Ficarra (and yes, that is a bit of an oxymoron). All joking aside…and some would say MAD does that regularly…the article really examines how MAD has changed with the times, some of the thought processes behind the magazine’s approach to humor in the 21st century, and a look behind the scenes at some of the features in MAD #424. It’s actually one of the best looks into the magazine’s inner workings I’ve read in a long time… John must have had an intern do it. Speaking of… READ MORE
