November 12th, 2008 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
Speaking of the National Caricaturist Network Convention, the only workshop I was able to attend was Steve Silver‘s “Figure Drawing”. Steve is a phenomenal artist and his workshop was terrific. He stressed the value of quick figure studies over doing long, drawn out poses as the best way to develop your figure drawings skills. He had a model come in and the packed room drew according to his direction. We did three different exercises in his workshop. First, we started out with twenty quick 30 second studies of the model in various poses. 30 second poses Next we did what animators call a “turnaround”, drawing… READ MORE
November 11th, 2008 | Posted in General
There are two turning points in my professional life that I credit with pointing me (and kicking me) down the right path towards my eventual career, such as it is. The first was getting a job drawing caricatures at a theme park near Chicago in 1985 while a freshman in college at the University of Minnesota. Prior to that job, being from a very small town in Minnesota, I had not been exposed to the kind of talents and abilities I would need to be on par with if I ever wanted to make a living as a commercial artist. Thus I had never really… READ MORE
November 10th, 2008 | Posted in General
Not really a deadline per se today, but after hoping to write a long post about the National Caricaturist Network Convention and how joining the organization changed my career, I am now coming to the realization that is not going to happen today. Too much to catch up on and not enough time. So, the Demon makes an appearance today, with the promise of that NCN post tomorrow. On the plus side, I deadlifted 385 lbs for six reps this morning and didn’t throw up. Much. READ MORE
November 9th, 2008 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Could you address ‘Parody/Satire’ and how it relates to copyright issues or even “right of publicity”? For instance when MAD does movies parodies they always change the names of the movie and the characters. What about merchandising of parodies? Could MAD produce ‘Dork Knight’ action figures? A: Satire and parody are very well protected free speech rights under the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The first amendment guarantees a person’s rights to voice their views or opinions about anything and everything. Those views include the right to criticize something or someone, and that includes making fun of them. Copyrights and the “right of… READ MORE
November 8th, 2008 | Posted in General
Coming back from the big National Caricaturist Network convention in Raleigh today. A beautiful town and a very fun time. As usual the artwork produced by the competing caricaturists was amazing and the “competition room” was brimming over with incredible caricatures that ran the gamut from the near portrait in charcoal to hyper exaggerated illustrations in acrylic. There was even some wood cut work! It’ll be a long trip home with a layover in Atlanta (again). I will blog about the convention more next week. The picture above is the artwork of my friend Jeremy Townsend. Below are just a few of the “walls” of… READ MORE
November 7th, 2008 | Posted in News
I’m in Raleigh, North Carolina right now speaking at and attending the National Caricaturist Network’s 17th annual Convention and Competition. As usual it’s a mind-blowing talent extravaganza. Here are some pictures of the main competition room. More details to follow: rent a car bulgaria READ MORE
November 6th, 2008 | Posted in MAD Magazine
In comic book shops this week and on news stands Nov. 11th: MAD # 496 (December 2008) Cover (Mark Frederickson) The Fundalini Pages (Charles Akins, Greg Benson, Dick DeBartolo, Desmond Devlin, J.C. Duffy, Darren Johnson, Jeff Kruse, Jacob Lambert, Kevin Pope, Tom Richmond, Ward Sutton, Rick Tulka) The Rise and Fall of a Rap Star (Desmond Devlin, Hermann Mejia) What the Deal or No Deal Models are Thinking (Ross Garmil and Matthew A. Cohen) The Horse That Knew The Way (Leonardo Rodriguez, Brian McConnachie) A MAD Look at Road Trips (Sergio Aragon?¬©s) 7 Periods Closer to Death (Ted Rall) Monroe and… The Natural Disaster (Anthony… READ MORE
November 5th, 2008 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
I’m on my way to North Carolina to catch the last few days of the National Caricaturist Network’s annual convention, so here’s a quick study of country music singer Taylor Swift. READ MORE
