Tom's Mad Blog
August 1st, 2008 | Posted in General
Every year when the theme parks open up I always say I am going to get at least 6 new samples done to hang up and replace some of my older ones… for a while this year we had one I had done of Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner from “Star Trek: The Next Generation”… with ALF coming out of Data’s open skull!! Circa 1991 I think. Yikes. There is no kid alive today who would recognize Alf. It was busy on Monday but not so busy I was not able to do some new samples for the wall. Faithful readers will recognize them as… READ MORE
July 31st, 2008 | Posted in Freelancing
Yesterday I posted this drawing of Michael Cera and mentioned how it was a “cold” drawing… meaning I had one photo reference to work from and no other familiarity with the subject either from seeing him in a film or on TV, or any other forms of reference. Here’s the photo reference I used: I got a few comments and some private e-mails asking for more details about what it means to draw “cold” and what makes it different from using multiple references or drawing from a live model. I thought it would make a good topic for a more involved post. Drawing caricatures from… READ MORE
July 30th, 2008 | Posted in General
FROM THE ILLUSTRATORS’ PARTNERSHIP Senate Orphan Works Bill Put “on Hold” We’ve just received word that the Senate bill has been put “on hold.” In fact, there appear to be multiple holds on it. Senators who “hold” hotlined bills do not have to identify themselves nor give their reasons for holding it. Holds are temporary. We don’t know how many of you contacted your Senators on such short notice this afternoon, but many, many thanks to all of you who responded so rapidly. Most people are unaware of the process called hotlining. In the past it was used to pass non-controversial legislation, but increasingly, it’s… READ MORE
July 30th, 2008 | Posted in News
FROM THE ILLUSTRATORS’ PARTNERSHIP: ORPHAN WORKS BILL HOTLINED THIS MEANS IT COULD PASS THE SENATE THIS AFTERNOON PLEASE CALL YOUR SENATORS IMMEDIATELY ASK THEM TO PUT A “HOLD” ON THE BILL: S2913 THE SHAWN BENTLEY ORPHAN WORKS ACT OF 2008 TELL THEM YOU OPPOSE THIS CONTROVERSIAL BILL ASK THEM NOT TO PASS IT WITHOUT A FULL AND OPEN HEARING WARN THEM THAT IT WILL DO GREAT HARM TO SMALL BUSINESSES To find your Senators’ phone numbers go to the Illustrators’ Partnership Orphan Works site: http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/ At the top of the home page, click on “Elected Officials” You’ll find a US map: Click on your state,… READ MORE
July 30th, 2008 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
What? ALREADY?! Seems like I just did a bunch of these. This week’s sketch is a study of “Superbad” actor Michael Cera. This is a good example of drawing someone “cold”, or in other words having no other reference than a single picture and no other source of information. With most other subjects, especially in regards to jobs for MAD, I have seen the subjects in movies or TV shows and have some impression of them from that source. Things like how they move, their attitude, personality, expressions, etc. are all things that influence a caricaturist’s depiction of the subject. Even if I draw someone… READ MORE
July 29th, 2008 | Posted in General
I’ve only done live caricatures a handful of times this summer, and it seems like every time I forget to bring my camera. Yesterday I didn’t forget, so here are a few of the live ones I did and the subjects: READ MORE
July 28th, 2008 | Posted in General
Fellow National Caricaturist Network member and UK caricaturist Craig Rogalski emailed me these pictures from British weekly gossip magazine Heat. Yes, that’s my caricature of Amy Winehouse taken directly from this blog the fan in the article is trying to get her to sign. Click image for a closer look… Hmmmm… that looks familiar. Something tells me from her expression that Amy doesn’t like my depiction of her! I’m so heartbroken over that. I know the article credits the fan for doing the drawing, but let’s not jump to conclusions. The fan in question isn’t quoted or named so it’s just as likely this picture… READ MORE
July 27th, 2008 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: How do you handle artists that you hire/train or added to a multi-caricature artist private/corporate gig that try to steal your clients as they work for you? It’s an ugly part of the party caricature business. A: One thing I have never done in the “caricature business” is to be an agent for other artists, booking them to do events or “gigs” and then paying them a percentage of the fees collected. I have always preferred the retail approach to caricatures, where I have set locations and times and let my customers come to me rather than the other way around. Still, I have… READ MORE
