Tom's Mad Blog
December 13th, 2007 | Posted in General
I’m still extremely swamped with several jobs, but I thought I’d share something about a new project I’m getting involved with. It’s something very different and I’m looking forward to seeing where it all goes. Some may recall I did the illustration above some months ago as a favor to the incomparable audiobook vocal artist David Ian Davies, which he used as an “album cover” of sorts for a new audiobook collection of the complete Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes canon. The collection, One Voice Chronological: The Consummate Holmes Canon, features all 56 Doyle short stories unabridged and compiled in chronological order. David’s son Dana… READ MORE
December 12th, 2007 | Posted in News
My flat files are overflowing and my walls are covered with originals, so it’s time to start selling off some of the artwork I just don’t have room for anymore. Not mine… I can’t give that crap away. No, this piece I just put up on eBay is by legendary caricature illustrator Bruce Stark, and was published in TV Guide back in April of 1984: Click for a closer look… I bought this from Bruce a number of years ago. It’s a gorgeous acrylic painting measuring 14″ x 18″, showcasing his immense talents. My reserve is very low considering Bruce charges $1,000.00 for an original… READ MORE
December 12th, 2007 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
Singer, songwriter and absolute train wreck Amy Winehouse. This woman makes Courtney Love look like Miley Cyrus. Self destructive behavior seems like a prerequisite for rock stars. Lyrics to her hit song: “They tried to make me go to rehab, I said NO, NO, NO.” Better rethink that one, Amy. I would have done more with her hair if I’d had more room and more time. READ MORE
December 11th, 2007 | Posted in MAD Magazine
In comic book shops tomorrow and on news stands November 18th: MAD # 485 (Jan. 2008) Cover (Mark Fredrickson) The Fundalini Pages (Dick DeBartolo, Desmond Devlin, Harrison Greenbaum, Glen LeLievre, Hermann Meijia, Todd Nauck, Bob Staake, Don Vaughan) The MAD 20- The Dumbest People, Events and Things of 2007 Michael Vick’s Bad Newz Kennel (Jeff Kruse, Mark Fredrickson) Bush Breaks Presidential Record for Time Off (Desmond Devlin, Mark Stutzman) Imus (Dave Croatto) Britney Spears (Gary Hallgren) Walter Reed Army Hospital Scandal (Jacob Lambert, Dave Croatto, Irving Schild) Anna Nicole Smith Paternity Trial (Mort Drucker) Paris Hilton (Uncredited) The Crazy Diapered Astronaut (Scott Maiko, Charles Akins)… READ MORE
December 10th, 2007 | Posted in General
I’m afraid I am so swamped right now we may be seeing the Demon’s ugly face quite a bit leading up to the holidays. Sorry about that. Just as a quick aside, I was interviewed recently for an internet comic’s magazine called Jazma and that interview is now online. Jazma has a ton of interviews with comic’s professionals from every imaginable walk of the industry, and is definitely worth a look. Check out my interview here and some of Jazma’s other interviews as well. READ MORE
December 9th, 2007 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: How important is it for an cartooning/illustrator/caricaturist to be trained with traditional art like oils and such? A: There can be a very big difference between a cartoonist, an illustrator and a caricaturist. It would all depend on how an artist wanted to apply their skills in any or all of those categories as to how much a traditional art education would help them. A general education in art and the techniques of the masters would only serve to strengthen the skills and abilities of any artist, even if the art they end up doing bears little resemblance to those traditional arts. I think… READ MORE
December 8th, 2007 | Posted in On the Drawing Board
Yikes. Things have gotten a little crazy this month. All these jobs are due at some point before the end of the year: MAD– after some delay I’m finally working on the afore mentioned TV show parody… one I’ve been hoping to get. I wish I could share the name of the show, but that would be super irresponsible of me. I guess I’ll have to exercise an almost heroic level of self control and not fly off the handle and spill the beans. However if any of you were mind readers, you’d really go nuclear over this one! 😀 Workplace Poster– Another one of… READ MORE
December 7th, 2007 | Posted in Freelancing
Most of the time the way freelancing works, at least with illustration, is that you get a call or e-mail from a client with you in mind for a particular project. They describe what it is they are looking for, and most of the time name a dollar amount as their budget on the job. Then you either accept the job, or you don’t. It isn’t always that way, however. There are three main scenarios where a “job” comes in that isn’t really a job but is a “potential job”… you may or may not end up with any work out of it. The first… READ MORE
