Tom's Mad Blog
September 29th, 2009 | Posted in News
This past weekend the Southeast chapter of the National Cartoonists Society had a chapter event in Asheville, NC featuring a whole gaggle of members of the “Usual Gang of Idiots”, plus a bunch of other terrific cartoonists. I wish I would have been able to attend, but it was just impossible for me to get away. The lineup of speakers above is certainly stellar. However, due to the magic of the internet here are three YouTube videos featuring Nick Meglin and Jack Davis. Great stuff from two great guys: EDIT- Sadly somebody objected to the posting of these videos, presumably either Nick or Jack, and… READ MORE
September 28th, 2009 | Posted in On the Drawing Board
Busy Busy Busy. First, here is the final of that workplace poster job I posted the pencil of as the “sketch o’the week” last Wednesday. Click for a closer look… Also on the board right now: Continuing with the 535 caricatures for the iPhone app job. Hope to be done by the end of the week. Illustration for a calendar 5 or 6 page teaser of graphic novel project Assorted other goodies READ MORE
September 27th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: It is my experience that digital art, even when scanned inks and with digital finishing, takes longer to do, for the artist, than if the art were totally done traditionally. A problem I keep running into is that clients assume anything digital is faster and easier for an artist to complete. Have you found that your working method is any faster than if you worked entirely traditionally? I will agree that a digital file can be easier to make corrections on; but does that make up for a longer initial work time? A: That question seems to ask two things. First it seems to… READ MORE
September 26th, 2009 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Holy Sequels, Batman! I just found out through the grapevine that MAD is doing a Volume 2 of MAD About SuperHeroes, due out in January. The cover image above is an advance cover and the actual cover will be different. I was bummed out when they came out with the first MAD About Super Heroes as I had just done the “X-Men 2” parody and it missed the publication deadline of the book. I will definitely be well represented in this book, however. It should contain my parodies of “Spider-Man” 1 and 2, X-Men 2, “Batman Begins”, “Superman Returns”,” Iron Man”, “The Dark Knight”, “Watchmen”… READ MORE
September 25th, 2009 | Posted in News
Some explanation of the insidious attempts of Google to take over the world (insert Pinky and the Brain music): FROM THE ILLUSTRATORS’ PARTNERSHIP Orphan Works and the Google Book Settlement / Part I 9.25.09 We’ve been asked for news about the Orphan Works bill. Last June Intellectual Property Watch warned that it would be back during the summer. And on June 11th, Senator Orrin Hatch confirmed his intent to reintroduce the bill. We immediately put out a notice to artists. But summer’s over and we’ve had no further news. So far, so good. Of course Congress has had other priorities: the ongoing financial mess, the… READ MORE
September 24th, 2009 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Cover art by Yours Truly I got a pleasant surprise in the mailbox yesterday… issue #4 of John Read‘s excellent Stay Tooned! magazine has arrived. This issue is the “MAD” issue featuring profiles of eight different members of “The Usual Gang of Idiots”: Don “Duck” Edwing, Scott Nickel, Sergio Aragon?¬©s, myself, John Kovaleski, Paul Coker, Ted Rall and Jack Davis (listed in order of appearance in the issue). These profiles/interviews are extensive and full of fantastic info and great artwork. It also features an intro article by longtime MAD editor Nick Meglin in which he calls me a bastard… but he means that in the… READ MORE
September 23rd, 2009 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
Looks like I’ll have to cop out this week and post this rough pencil sketch of one of the projects I’m working on for the “sketch o’the week”. Yes, it’s another “workplace poster”. After looking at it again I think I’ll move the man down towards the bottom right just a little bit to better balance the composition. I should be able to share the finished artwork on Friday. READ MORE
September 22nd, 2009 | Posted in General
Being too busy to post on the blog in today’s market is a good thing. READ MORE
