November 30th, 2008 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I’m curious about how your creative process has evolved since you were a newbie. I’m fresh out of school myself, and I’ve landed a few low-profile illustration gigs, but I’m often pretty clueless about how to proceed after I’m hired. How do you go about working up your initial roughs? What processes are involved immediately after you get the greenlight? How much time do you spend brainstorming, looking up references … how much work do you put into your initial roughs? And how has this changed since you were as clueless as someone like me? A: My process from beginning stage to final art… READ MORE
November 29th, 2008 | Posted in General
The new book above by former New York Times Op-Ed art director of 13 years Jerelle Kraus promises to be an interesting look into the thought process, decision making and insider information of the approval (or rejection) of illustration in the Times’ Op-Ed pages. The book’s description states that within you will find: Episodic essays accompanied by illustrations re-create the battles between art directors and editors that have raged since the Times created the world’s first op-ed page in 1970. The works of famous Times illustrators like Brad Holland and Roland Topor, are enriched by Kraus’s presentation of the controversies associated with their publication or… READ MORE
November 28th, 2008 | Posted in MAD Magazine
It was inevitable when drawing caricatures at the theme parks every summer that should I do a drawing of a kid with a round head and large ears I would hear behind me “you look that that kid from MAD Magazine in the picture!”. Har har. However in the late 90’s that exchange changed somewhat. I more often heard (at least from the under 20 crowd) “you look that that kid from “MAD TV” in the picture!”. Me: “Actually that’s Alfred E. Neuman you are talking about, from MAD Magazine.” Them: “You mean “MAD TV” has a MAGAZINE?!? COOL!” Me: Groan. Since I started working… READ MORE
November 27th, 2008 | Posted in General
I hope everyone who celebrates this holiday has a wonderful time with family and friends today! READ MORE
November 26th, 2008 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
This week’s subject is “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart. This sketch took about 1/2 hour. It’s a good example of how the posture and body language of a subject can play an important part in the overall effectiveness of the caricature. Stewart’s hunched forward posture and folded hands are as recognizable a feature of his persona as his ample nose. Likewsie expression comes very much into play with his caricature. He often looks up from under his brows and cocks and eyebrow at the camera. These elements help reinforce and strengthen a caricature. READ MORE
November 25th, 2008 | Posted in General
Comic Strips are a tough business. The newspaper market keeps shrinking and its harder and harder to get in enough papers to make a living doing a daily strip. I know a lot of cartoonists who do syndicated newspaper strips and that all say the same thing… what would have been a hit strip back in the 80’s struggles to get off the ground today. Many complain that part of the problem are “legacy” strips that stay in the comics pages long after they are either stale and no longer relevant or after their creators have passed the strip on to their kids or other… READ MORE
November 24th, 2008 | Posted in On the Drawing Board
I have several irons in the fire at the moment but here’s the latest “workplace poster” job I just completed last week. This one was a killer. Here’s the art direction and tagline: (Urban street scene. It’s Feb. 14. Maybe there’s Times-Square-style zipper that says, “Happy Valentine’s Day today!’ Looking up on either side of the street you can see a flower shop, a bookstore, a jewelry store and a candy store. It’s a mob scene, with men and women (diversity, please) frantically running in the streets with cards and last-minute gifts, sweating and carrying their packages. Men carrying flowers and jewelry bags, a woman… READ MORE
November 23rd, 2008 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Q: I notice in the “Ironic, Man” Mad movie parody that there are caricatures of George W. Bush and Osama Bin Laden as well as a guy with an egg frying on his head. My question is: How much artistic licence do you have when it comes to producing the parodies? Do the ideas of putting Bush and Bin Laden in the picture stem from you or does the writer determine those sight gags? A: I have a great deal of artistic license when it comes to adding sight gags within the art of a parody or any MAD piece. In fact, the editors greatly… READ MORE
