Tom's Mad Blog
March 31st, 2013 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: What is the best way to make up a funny expression for a caricature when all you have is a single photo reference with the person having a bland expression? A: Before I answer that, I have to point out that you really can’t make up an expression for someone and still call it a true caricature. A person’s expressions are as individual as their nose or any physical feature. People smile differently, cry differently, scowl differently… their features react to and express emotions in very unique and individual ways. If you are trying to do a good caricature of someone conveying a certain… READ MORE
March 29th, 2013 | Posted in General
Every once and awhile I get something like this in my inbox that really makes me smile: Tom, I’ve read EVERY book that was ever written on caricatures and at best I never considered myself anything more than an amateur caricaturist. After reading, then studying your book, I am now working the beach in Ft Lauderdale daily.Thanks to you I am now a professional caricaturist. You made a lifelong dream come true, and for that I thank you. Sincerely, Tim Timothy Wittneben Deerfield Beach, FL. That is perhaps the highest compliment anyone who has written a “how to” book of any kind can get. You… READ MORE
March 28th, 2013 | Posted in General
Some people seem to be confused or just terribly misinformed as to how the process that results in the three nominations for the National Cartoonists Society’s two online comics divisions work. Much of this seems to stem from a few people jumping to conclusions because this year the three nominees for “Best Online Comic: Short Form” all ended up being from Universal Uclick’s GoComics website. Said assumptions ran the gamut from the NCS jury being lazy and not looking beyond a single source of online comics, to bias in voting for “syndicated” online work rather than independent work, to accusing members of the Online Comics… READ MORE
March 27th, 2013 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
I know I said I’d be starting a series of caricatures from The Walking Dead this week, but considering the show ends for the season Sunday that’s bad timing. Instead, in honor of his 50th anniversary, I’m going to start a Doctor Who series of the different actors who have played the intrepid main character. In chronological order, of course! First up, the very first Doctor, William Hartnell. EDIT- For those not familiar with the blog, I post a caricature sketch every Wednesday. This series will be weekly installments, not daily (sorry! I have loads of work to do!). Look for the second Doctor in… READ MORE
March 26th, 2013 | Posted in General
The National Cartoonists Society just released the nominees for their divisional awards for 2012. From the NCS Website: Congratulations to the 2012 divisional nominees for the 67th Annual NCS Reuben Awards! The winners will be announced Saturday, May 25th at the Reuben Awards dinner in Pittsburgh, PA. TELEVISION ANIMATION Todd Kauffman, Executive Producer, “Sidekick” Alberto Mielgo, Production Design, “Tron: Uprising” Rich Webber, Director, Aardman Animation Studios, “DC Nation” FEATURE ANIMATION Rich Moore, Director, “Wreck-It Ralph” Joann Sfar, Director, “The Rabbi’s Cat” Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Director, “The Secret World of Arriety” NEWSPAPER ILLUSTRATION Mark Brewer Bob Rich Dave Whamond GAG CARTOONS Roz Chast Sam Gross Mick Stevens… READ MORE
March 25th, 2013 | Posted in Freelancing
Clicky to embiggen… Every once and awhile I pull out some artwork from an old job that might be interesting to share. These two full page illustrations were for InfoWorld magazine circa 2005. The story was about Bill Gate‘s “plan” for the future of computing. The concept was that Gates was supposed to be not just predicting where computing was going, but was supposed to be one of the chief architects of that future. We decided on making him the coach of a football team. I personally wanted to make the players into robots with computer screens for faces, etc. because it seemed to make… READ MORE
March 24th, 2013 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Have you every been congratulated on a caricature of a celebrity, say Denzel Washington, Mick Jagger or Lindsay Lohan, only the actual caricature in question was someone entirely different (Larry Fishburn, Steve Tyler or Liz Taylor respectively)? A: Yes, that’s happened a few times, mostly with regard to caricatures I have hanging up as samples on the walls of my theme park caricature booths. I recounted one particularly funny story about a mistaken caricature subject here. The other I remember was this one: Granted, not the best caricature of Mick Jagger ever (it’s 15 years old now), but it was constantly being referred to… READ MORE
March 22nd, 2013 | Posted in It's All Geek to Me!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fclqizIc7Jo[/youtube] I’d love to say I’m doing a review of this new Wacom Cintiq 13HD “portable” unit because I was sent one by Wacom to test drive, but they don’t return my phone calls. sooooo…. I only know what I’ve read like most of the rest of the world. However, I am a veteran of using 4 different models of the Cintiq (five if you include borrowing a pal’s original Cintiq 15sx to do a job when I was on vacation), including the 12wx which I did review hands on, so after seeing the specs of this new model I can safely make some recommendations… READ MORE
