Tom's Mad Blog
January 25th, 2013 | Posted in On the Drawing Board
Clicky to Embiggen… Right now I have basically nothing on the drawing board, except the dreaded “almost ready” sort of projects: MAD Job for #521– Promised to be “meaty”… might mean I am drawing cows. Still in the works in editorial. DC Comics job– Previously mentioned forthcoming assignment… WB Product illustration– One down on this two illustration job, second one still in development so in temporary limbo Workplace poster illustration– my usual monthly assignment, direction not yet delivered That’s it for certain jobs bound to be on the way shortly, although there are a few “maybe” jobs in the works as well. I don’t… READ MORE
January 24th, 2013 | Posted in Freelancing
I got a big box in the mail the other day, containing The Absolute Ultimate Gutters Omnibus Volume 3 in all its hardcover and glossy, oversized page glory. So-so cover art . . . but otherwise a handsome book. If you are not familiar with The Gutters, and you are a fan of comic books at all, shame on you. It is a series of single page comics that parody, criticize, and sometimes utterly savage, the comic book industry, its culture and subject matter. It’s sometimes funny, sometimes vicious, but always on target. Written by Ryan Sohmer, the art is done by guest artists making… READ MORE
January 23rd, 2013 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
And now for something completely different… Reader Daniel Singley wrote me a week or so ago to ask if I was ever going to do a digital video “Sketch o’the Week” like I promised I would back in 2008. Well, here it is, with mixed results (actual drawing time 18 minutes): [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGwVbRPnTk[/youtube] So, there you have it, a video record of a caricature of Homeland star Claire Danes, finished result way up above. I included the reference pics I used in the video as well. I am not overly fond of drawing on the computer screen. Even though I have a Cintiq, there is still… READ MORE
January 22nd, 2013 | Posted in Freelancing
De-BLAH Vu Dept. It’s finally happened… after almost seven years of writing Tom’s MAD Blog, I keep running up against the following problem: I get an idea about something I’d like to write about I do a quick search of my blog to see if I have written about it already I have The solution? Reblogging! Let’s face it, you readers don’t comb through the 6 plus years and 2,500 posts I’ve done looking for interesting topics. My mom doesn’t even do that. So, if I think up with a topic that I was planning on writing about, and thus still relevant in the world… READ MORE
January 21st, 2013 | Posted in General
Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of the passing of the great Al Hirchfeld. Maybe it doesn’t show in my style much, but I count his work as a main influence, and inspiration, behind my wanting to do caricature illustration. I got to meet Mr. Hirschfeld once, and that meeting led to my getting the original pictured above. You can read that story here. This fall The Lovely Anna and I took a trip to Los Angeles…just for fun and to see some people there who have become very dear friends. We went out sightseeing one day, and visited the Paley Center for Media on North… READ MORE
January 20th, 2013 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I am an illustrator and cartoonist at heart, but since college I’ve been stuck working as a sign designer. I loved doing it at first, but over the last few years I’ve become pretty unhappy with it. The work I’m doing it’s really limiting and not where I really wanted to be. I’ve taken some time to get back to the work I enjoy doing, which is caricatures and cartoons. The reason for my email is I was wondering how you broke out into the scene? I’d like to get out of the design job and freelance full-time. A: Your story is a very… READ MORE
January 18th, 2013 | Posted in General
I just shipped out a whole batch of my Limited Artist’s Editions of The Mad Art of Caricature! You know, the limited-to-120 editions with the handsome, hand-numbered bookplate and the caricature of YOU (or whomever you want) drawn by me! Here are a few of the recent ones to show how these turn out: The pics… The drawing! The pics… The drawing! The pics… The drawing! The pics…¬¨‚Ć The drawing! Yes, these are still available, but we are well into the back end of the 120 limited editions, so if you want one don’t wait too much longer to order!: READ MORE
January 17th, 2013 | Posted in News
The Minneapolis Star Tribune had an article today about how the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul. MN will be closing after this school year after 89 years. They cite the recent recession leading to reduced enrollment and the lack of endowments as the culprits. This is the college I studied at, although it’s under a different name and has changed considerably since I graduated with a B.F.A. and an illustration major in 1989. Back then it was called the School of Associated Arts, and was housed in only one physical building, an old mansion on Summit Ave. in St. Paul. I transferred there… READ MORE
