Tom's Mad Blog
August 2nd, 2007 | Posted in News
My inbox and phone have been buzzing since last night’s Minneapolis bridge collapse disaster checking to see if we are all right. Yes, I was slaving away on my latest MAD job when the accident happened, and none of my family or friends were on it at the time (so far as I know right now). I have been over that bridge many times and can hardly believe it just fell into the river. So far seven dead and that would be getting off easy by the looks of it. It’s odd how your life can just be chugging along as usual and suddenly something… READ MORE
August 1st, 2007 | Posted in General
We might be seeing this horror a bit this week…. now back to work…. READ MORE
July 31st, 2007 | Posted in News
A bit of news through the National Cartoonists Society: The ToonSeum Gallery at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh In October 2007, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh will open the ToonSeum Gallery, a space dedicated to rotating exhibits of cartoon art featuring the genres of comic book, comic strip, illustration, editorial and animation. The gallery will kick off with an exhibit titled “From Illustration to Animation: Picture Books Come Alive Through the Art of Animation” and feature production art from classics such as “Lord of the Rings,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “Raggedy Ann” and “Horton Hears a Who.” Upcoming exhibits include “Drawn in Black and White: The Portrayal… READ MORE
July 30th, 2007 | Posted in General
I just arrived back from New York after a short but energetic trip to the big city. The Lovely Anna, myself and kids Victoria, Gabrielle and Tommy made the trek in part to see Laura Osnes, winner of the “Grease: You’re the One That I Want” reality TV show, perform as Sandy in the Broadway production. Laura, as I wrote last week, grew up four houses down the street from us and was a drama instructor for years with our kids during summer drama camps at the local high school. Laura with Tommy, Gabrielle and Victoria Trips to NYC are always fun but very expensive… READ MORE
July 29th, 2007 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Does anyone ever get angry or offended by a live caricature you’ve done? And if so, how do you handle it? You seem like such a diplomatic and eloquent guy on your blog, but maybe that is the result of thoughtful editing. Tell us some stories! A: These days I have little problem with people getting angry over their caricatures when I draw live because after 22 years I am pretty good at reading a person’s tolerance for caricature and exaggerate only when I think they can handle it. I always err on the side of caution if I am unsure, and frankly my… READ MORE
July 28th, 2007 | Posted in Freelancing
Back when I was going to college at a small school in St. Paul, Minnesota called the School of Associated Arts (now the College of Visual Arts), there were three distinct groups of students… the illustrators, the fine artists and the designers. To say the three groups were mutually exclusive would be unfair, as most of us got along just fine, but it would be fair to say that among each group there was often an attitude about the validity of other groups. The fine artists were sometimes heard to call the illustrators “wrists” as we were considered by some creativeless machines that churned out… READ MORE
July 27th, 2007 | Posted in News
As thousands of cartoonists head to the west coast for this year’s San Diego Comic Con, I’m on the east coast for a short visit to New York City. We are meeting good friends here and went to see “Grease” on Broadway last night, among other things we’ll do in the big city. Why “Grease”? Well, some may recall a reality TV show this spring called “You’re the One that I Want”, which was an “American Idol”-like competition for the leads (Danny and Sandy) of this Broadway revival of “Grease”. The winner of the Sandy role was Laura Osnes, who happens to have grown up… READ MORE
July 26th, 2007 | Posted in On the Drawing Board
Lots o’stuff on the board at the moment. As usual not much of it that I can show images of, but I did finish this poster job last night. I’m posting it to show how sometimes you get so focused on the details you don’t step back and think about the big picture until you literally step back and look at the big picture: Pencil sketch, approved by client Final color illustration…. …hmmmm….. I’m thinking the placement combined with the coloring of the stuffing coming off that falling platter might be unfortunate… yep. Better fix that. That’s better, a poo-free illustration. Whew. Disaster averted. You… READ MORE
