Tom's Mad Blog
March 17th, 2010 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
This week we continue our Sketch o’the Week ink wash caricature series countdown to the May 23rd finale of “LOST” with the fetching Evangeline Lilly AKA Kate Austen. Each week I am planning on doing one of these ink wash studies of one of the major LOST characters. That means nine more until the finale… or until I get bored with it. I’ll try and stay focused. READ MORE
March 16th, 2010 | Posted in General
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG06zG6_SWU[/youtube] Speaking of cartoonists on TV, my buddy Stephen Silver was featured on the HGTV show “The Antonio Treatment” recently. READ MORE
March 15th, 2010 | Posted in MAD Magazine
I was the subject of a short piece on the weekend edition of the FOX9 newscast here in the Twins Cities: It was flattering to be contacted by the station and have them ask if I’d do this. It’s too bad that MAD hadn’t announced it’s switch to bimonthly before they did the final editing. It’s also unfortunate that my braces make it sound like I have a worse lisp than The Music Man’s Winthrop Paroo. Some of the quotes I give seem odd because the question the reporter asked me doesn’t proceed them. For example, the last comment I make about getting all my… READ MORE
March 14th, 2010 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: When you draw crowd scenes, are all of the people who make up the people in the crowd faces you doodle out of your imagination, or do you often fit in friends/family/random people you see on the street? A: I often talk here about how much I’ve learned working for the folks at MAD, and especially from MAD art director Sam Viviano. I can’t even begin to list all of the important things he’s taught me over the years in art directing what I turn in for the magazine. However one particular bit of wisdom he imparted on me early on when I was… READ MORE
March 13th, 2010 | Posted in MAD Magazine
This illustration I did for MAD‘s website is now available to download in high res in the MAD Web Download Gallery. Also just posted, the “Tiger Cheat” and “Avatar 2: Jersey Shore” parody posters and a special New York Times MAD Fold-in crossword puzzle. READ MORE
March 13th, 2010 | Posted in General
Someone recently posted a comment mentioning that they are used to my “effusive praise of other artists” to which I replied “if it seems I only effusively praise other artists that is because I only mention artists who work I truly admire… ones I think suck I just don’t talk about. My mom always said, “If you can’t say anything nice…”” Too true. I don’t dislike everything I do not take the time to post about… far from it. But I do wholeheartedly love and admire that which I do take the time to post about. Like the comic strip “LIO“. I’m friends with LIO… READ MORE
March 12th, 2010 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Good news! Today MAD editor John Ficarra sent out an announcement to all MAD contributors to say that DC Comics would be increasing the frequency of MAD from quarterly to bimonthly, stating with issue #504. The news stand date of MAD #504 is June 15th, so we should see MAD #505 on August 15th or so, and then an issue every other month after that. That is great news on several fronts. First, it’s two more issues of MADness every year, but as John points out in his letter it gives MAD the opportunity to do more topical and timely material. Quarterly publication really limited… READ MORE
March 12th, 2010 | Posted in MAD Magazine
My usual reply to MAD art director Sam Viviano when he calls and asks me if I’ve ever seen the TV show he is about to assign me the parody art for is “Never seen it”. That’s because I really don’t watch much TV… but this one was different. The few shows I do watch are usually because my kids or The Lovely Anna watch them, and thus I see them through osmosis. Even so I usually just casually catch some bits and pieces and don’t get very interested. However, “The Big Bang Theory” is one of the family’s favorite shows, and is one that… READ MORE