Tom's Mad Blog
January 3rd, 2010 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Working as a freelance artist, how do you financially plan for retirement? As artists, I don’t think most of us ever plan to completely “retire” but by being a freelancer you definitely have to create your own pension. Do you simply put a percentage of your income away each year? I’m making an assumption here but, seeing how selling your originals in the future might be a part of your income, what are some of the practices you keep when preserving your artwork? I feel like it’s very easy to forget about the future and not have a plan because it seems so far… READ MORE
January 2nd, 2010 | Posted in MAD Magazine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCDxaiYZXaU My pal, the great animator and illustrator Stephen Silver, has been working on an incredible video series project for some time that is about to come to full fruition this month with the first of several video releases. His project has been to travel to the studios of some of the great legends of cartooning and film them working while interviewing them about their process, their careers and their philosophies about art. All the while the camera is looking over their shoulder and capturing them actually drawings, inking and painting. Not only are these videos going to be fascinating looks into the work of… READ MORE
January 1st, 2010 | Posted in General
Here’s wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year! READ MORE
December 31st, 2009 | Posted in News
The world of caricature lost one of it’s true giants Tuesday. David Levine, probably best known for his caricature illustrations for the New York Times Book Review, died on Dec. 29th at New York Presbyterian Hospital from prostate cancer and other ailments. He was 83 years old. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Levine’s work was as influential on caricature in the 20th century as that of Al Hirschfeld, Mort Drucker or any legend of that art form. His distinctive linear crosshatch style is also one of the most imitated by other artists. His caricatures were sharp, biting social and political satire… READ MORE
December 30th, 2009 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
This week’s sketch is a bit of a cheat… a rough for another of those workplace posters. This one is about co-workers providing support in the face of another worker’s difficulties. READ MORE
December 29th, 2009 | Posted in Tutorials
All these short tutorials are part of a larger and much more in-depth book I wrote on how to draw caricatures called The Mad Art of Caricature! now available to order online. One of the most common problems I hear about from other caricaturists is that women are harder to draw than men. Many struggle to make their caricatures of women look feminine, and often feel their female subjects look like “drag queens”. I think it’s a myth that women, particularly beautiful women, are harder to caricature than men. Women have the same sets of features that men have, but the need to differentiate the… READ MORE
December 28th, 2009 | Posted in News
Now playing on Tall Tale Radio, my interview with Tom Racine! I am truly thrilled to have been asked to be a guest on the show. It’s one of the best cartooning resources out there. Check out the show and be sure and bookmark the site and listen to the 60 plus other shows he’s archived. Informative and entertaining stuff. READ MORE
December 28th, 2009 | Posted in General
No, that’s not Robert Downey Jr. lounging in the sitting room of 221b Baker St., it’s me (still in a sling from my rotator cuff surgery) in the famous room’s recreation at the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London. Of course, I look as much like the literary Holmes as Downey Jr. does… I mean, if director Guy Ritchie can cast a 5’7″ guy with a button nose and weak chin as Holmes, why not a 6′ 235 pound weightlifter cartoonist?? But enough of the snarky complaining. Being an avid Holmes fan and Sherlockian, I had every reason to dislike this film and Ritchie’s very loose… READ MORE
