Tom's Mad Blog
December 31st, 2006 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Some people seem to be easy targets for caricature (Ross Perot, George Bush, Elvis, Stallone). Is that case? And if it is, have you ever had trouble with an “easy” subject? If so, why? A: I tell the new caricature artists I work with that it is only an illusion that some faces are easier to draw than others. Faces all have the same elements… eyes, nose, mouth, etc. Those features are always unique from one person to another. They are sitting right there in front of the artist and should be easy to see and to draw. Why then, as you say, do… READ MORE
December 30th, 2006 | Posted in Wall of Shame
Yet another installment of the Wall of Shame, where I hang prints of some of my pieces that have been signed by the subjects. I don’t really have many because I don’t go chasing after signatures, or try and mail them. I only get them if chances allow and that doesn’t happen all that much. Incidentally if you want to see the previous posts about the Wall of Shame I have created a category for them, just click the link on the blogroll on the right. These Wall of Shame pieces are’t like the others… they were never in MAD and have nothing to do… READ MORE
December 29th, 2006 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
The cranial-endowed Reese Witherspoon: READ MORE
December 28th, 2006 | Posted in General
I received several books as Christmas presents, one of which I burned through over the holidays because it was short and one I had been looking forward to. That book was Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris. This is of course the prequel to the books written by Harris which feature the character Hannibal Lecter, made famous by actor Anthony Hopkins‘ portrayal in The Silence of the Lambs. It was Hopkins’ performance as the cannibal serial killer that caught the public’s interest and spawned the sequel book Hannibal by Harris, later made into a film. That was followed by the film Red Dragon, which was based… READ MORE
December 27th, 2006 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
I said these may occasionally crop up! Winona Ryder from the vastly underrated Bram Stoker’s Dracula: Despite several very bad acting performances (can you say Keanu Reeves?) this 1992 Francis Ford Coppola film is a pretty good telling of Stoker’s tale. Gary Oldman makes a creepy and tragic Dracula, and Anthony Hopkins is terrific as Van Helsing. READ MORE
December 26th, 2006 | Posted in General
I guess I’m a sucker for book series and epics. If I was put on the spot to name some of my favorite books, I’d include J.R.R. Tolkein‘s Lord of the Rings, Frank Herbert‘s Dune books, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books and Robert E. Howard‘s Conan stories. It’s not like I don’t read other books and enjoy the work of many other authors, but these long tales seem to keep ending up on my night stand or playing on my iPod every few years… they are like visiting old friends or putting on a favorite pair of shoes. Arguably near the very top of my… READ MORE
December 25th, 2006 | Posted in General
From Anna, myself and our children Elizabeth, Victoria, Gabrielle and Tommy… all the best, health and happiness to all. READ MORE
December 24th, 2006 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: What sort of sequencing do you use when you do caricatures live? Do you draw in the head shape first, or start with an individual feature? A: I was taught to start with the interior features first and work my way out and I still feel that is the best way to do it when working live. If you work from the head shape in, you are immediately locked into your entire caricature and all the relationships it will describe once the head shape is done. This often leads to generic looking caricatures… drawing the same face/head shape over and over again, and having… READ MORE
