Tom's Mad Blog
January 4th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Do you ever have a client give you a vague job proposal, then ask for endless changes once they see something on paper? A: Yes, of course. That may happen if you do not take steps to make sure it does not, specially if you recognize that you have a client that might be a problem in that regard. Sometimes that is impossible to spot, but usually you can sense it coming right away. Part of an illustrator’s job is to solve a visual problem, so you can expect in any job to do pencil sketches and sometimes to explore ideas. However a client… READ MORE
January 3rd, 2009 | Posted in It's All Geek to Me!
I have blogged some in the past about our oldest daughter Elizabeth, who is autistic. Elizabeth will be 19 on Tuesday (gulp!), and like many autistic people she has certain routines, patterns and obsessive/compulsive demands that dictate her days. One of Elizabeth’s big things is watching videos. Her subject matter of choice will gradually fluctuate but there are several constants: the “Barney” children’s videos, the “Roseanne” TV show and currently the “Kidsongs”, “BabySongs” and “WeeSing” series of kid’s videos. She will watch these shows repeatedly all day long, often rewinding and watching a certain scene over and over. Back in the days of VHS rule,… READ MORE
January 2nd, 2009 | Posted in General
…of a local North Carolina politician for The Independent. This will appear in their “Good Old Boys Gone Bad” column in print and online on Sunday. I guess the 2009 freelance campaign is officially underway. READ MORE
January 1st, 2009 | Posted in General
Here’s wishing health and happiness to all for 2009. I did this little doodle as an experiment with a new technique I am working on. It involves using colored lines as opposed to traditional black inked lines for a digitally colored piece. It’s hardly a new concept, but I have only attempted it a few times and in different ways with mixed results. The above was done by inking the drawing in the traditonal way and then scanning as always, but then replacing the black ink color with other colors. It produces a slightly more painted and softer look. READ MORE
December 31st, 2008 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
The final “Sketch o’the Week” for 2008 is of former child star Macaulay Culkin. I saw a small picture of him in a magazine and it stuck me how creepy he looks. He retains just enough of his 10-year-old features from his “Home Alone” days to be recognizable, but he’s now nearly 30 with this thick giraffe neck and long, bony nose. The reference picture was taken in pretty bright sunlight, which left some heavy shadows that were interesting. I’m not sure if he’s even still in the entertainment business, as his appearance in the magazine was a result of the tragic death of his… READ MORE
December 30th, 2008 | Posted in News
I’ve seen my artwork stolen off the internet and used as samples for dozens of live caricaturists all around the world. I’ve seen it put on postage stamps from South American and former U.S.S.R. countries and sold in sets on eBay. I’ve seen it being used on many websites and being sold as prints online. I’ve even seen a caricature I did of Jesse Ventura tattooed on somebody’s shoulder. This one might top them all: Yep… looks familiar. The above shoe throwing extravaganzas took place near the University of Tehran and the U.S. Embassy in Iran on the 26th of December and featured as targets… READ MORE
December 29th, 2008 | Posted in Surf's Up Dept.
I’m busy working on a few jobs right now, but here are some tidbits from the last week of interest around the interwebby: Who Blotches the Watchmen Dept. Fox, that’s who. On Christmas Eve Judge Gary Allen Feess issued a ruling in favor of Fox in the rights dispute case over the new Watchmen movie that is supposed to premiere on March 3rd. Fox alleged that they owned the rights to produce and distribute a Watchmen movie, and that producer Larry Gordon was breaking a contract between himself and Fox guaranteeing those rights by producing the Zack Synder film and distributing it through Warner Bros.… READ MORE
December 28th, 2008 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: While in school at Syracuse I heard (maybe from Nick Meglin) that the artists of MAD were not paid that well. Essentially they traded exposure in MAD to secure freelance work from other sources. Can you tell me if that was true and if it is still true? If not is payment in accordance with the Graphics Artist Guild standards. Also there is the usual gang of idiots but does Mad negotiate on a separate basis for say a “visiting artist” i.e.. CF Payne? A: This is a bit of a delicate subject, because I am not sure if it is proper to discuss… READ MORE
