Richmond Illustration Inc.

Tom's Mad Blog

Dreaded Deadline Demon

August 10th, 2011 | Posted in General

I have to skip the Sketch o’the Week this week. Swamped. Overwhelmed. Talking. Like. Frank. Miller. Character. READ MORE

MAD has had a number of international versions over the years, and I do not mean the U.S. issues translated into other languages. MAD has basically franchised the magazine name and format to several international publishers over the years, and foreign editions have been previously (but no longer) published in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Hungary, Denmark, France, Canada (Quebec), Argentina, Norway, Finland, Italy, Mexico, the Caribbean, Greece, Iceland, Taiwan, Israel, and Turkey. Currently, there are foreign editions of MAD published in Germany, Brazil, Australia, South Africa, France and now… the Netherlands. Actually there used to be a version of MAD published in the Netherlands that… READ MORE

“Secret Agent Man” Print Testimonials

August 8th, 2011 | Posted in General

Shameless Huckstering Dept. Here’s what a few folks have to say about our limited edition, signed and numbered “Secret Agent Man” print: I framed your print (awesome!) and showed a neighbor of mine.¬¨‚Ä† She wanted to get one for her son for Christmas. I’ll be going to your website to place the order if you haven’t run out. – Kevin Richlin The print arrived safe and sound, and is fantastic! It’s going to proudly hang in my Man Cave!– Grant Jonen Just got my print…that was quick! Just wanted to say you did the printing right. Heavy, nice stock and excellent color. Great caricatures!– Rich… READ MORE

Sunday Mailbag

August 7th, 2011 | Posted in General

Q: Has anyone ever explained the real meaning of “IND” on the cover of MAD? I saw an interview where the answer was an acronym for “Stupidity is Timeless” but ???? A: For those not familiar with this, here is an example from a recent MAD cover: There are a couple of MAD secrets that few know about, and the “IND” on the cover is one of them. Some have speculated that it is a tip of the hat to the cerebral nature of the thinking man’s MAD, forming the word “MIND” Others think it is an acronym for “Stupidity is Timeless” as pointed out… READ MORE

Happy 100th Birthday, Lucy!

August 6th, 2011 | Posted in General

Lucille Ball would have been 100 years old today. She was arguably the biggest female television star in the history of the medium. READ MORE

Caricature Article from Wired Magazine

August 5th, 2011 | Posted in News

Photo: Joshua Anderson; caricature: Court Jones I’ve been meaning to link to this for some time. Wired Magazine did an article last month examining how caricatures can help scientists better understand how the human brain recognizes faces. It talks about the work being done by Sinha Laboratory for Vision Research at MIT on the Hirschfeld Project, where researcher¬¨‚Ä†Pawan Sinha is studying how humans recognize facial features through caricature. The idea is to apply this to facial recognition software. The author of the article attended last year’s convention of the International Society of Caricature Artists, and both interviewed several prominent members and got a number of… READ MORE

Sam Norkin: 1917-2011

August 4th, 2011 | Posted in News

Click for a closer look at Sam’s NCS bio Illustrator, caricaturist and long-time member of the National Cartoonists Society Sam Norkin passed away on Saturday, June 30th from natural causes. He was 94. Sam was known for his caricature illustrations from the world of theater, dance, opera, music performances and just about every other type of entertainment taking place on a stage. His work appeared in Variety, Backstage, the New York Daily News and countless other magazines and newspapers over a career that spanned seven decades. Sam also did live caricatures at events and fundraisers, where he was known to be able to crank them… READ MORE

Sketch o’the Week

August 3rd, 2011 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week

And now for something a little different. Several years ago The Lovey Anna and I went to Paris for our anniversary. While we were there we visited the Lourve, and I brought my sketchbook along. I did an obligatory study from a Da Vinci painting, but really got fascinated by Jacques-Louis David‘s Le Sacre de Napol?¬©on (the Coronation of Napoleon). This is a gigantic painting, 20′ a 32′, showing the coronation of Napoleon, and every single figure in it is unique and practically breathing with life and personality. Several of them were real people, including a few that weren’t actually at the ceremony, but even… READ MORE