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
November 22nd, 2008 | Posted in General
A never considered myself much of a “Trekkie” (or “Trekker” if you prefer). The original “Star Trek” series aired when I was only 2 years old so I grew up watching it on syndication… which is appropriate since that is when Star Trek really became a phenomenon. Being a comic book reader and science fiction fan I naturally liked and watched the show but I was more of a cape and cowl kid. I did buy many of the old Star Trek model kits that contained a phaser, communicator and tricorder (I must have slipped that slimy decal of the alien face onto that tiny… READ MORE
November 21st, 2008 | Posted in General
Very busy right now but I thought I’d do a quick post recommending a recent comic book series from a King. Not Jack “King” Kirby (don’t we all wish we could see more Kirby work on the comic book shelves)… but a new series based on a novel by Stephen King. I took Number One Son Thomas to the comic book shop the other day, and I was surprised and delighted to see there is another adaptation of a “King story on the stands… actually “The Stand“. The first three issues are already out. I picked them up with some low expectations, mainly because the… READ MORE
