Tom's Mad Blog
November 21st, 2006 | Posted in General
Last night was the first night I actually watched an episode of Heroes at air time. Well, it was an hour after it actually aired, but close enough. Looks like my Monday nights will be booked for the foreseeable future… thanks a lot, Tim Kring! Really… thanks. This show is a gem. It’s riddled with interesting and deep characters, and unlike Lost it is not afraid to actually advance the plot in leaps and bounds. It’s sci-fi, but not reliant on the sci-fi part for it’s interest. Sure, I’m a comic book fanboy, or used to be until comics got so bad I became tired… READ MORE
November 20th, 2006 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
I’ve been visiting a lot of art blogs lately… there are a ton of them out there and an unbelievable number of great talents as well. One thing I’ve noticed about many of them compared to mine: they have a lot more art. I seem to mostly talk (so to speak). I like to write so that won’t completely change, but artists like my friend Steve Silver always inspire me with their seemingly unending commitment to draw, draw, draw. It seems like I never draw anymore unless it’s for a job. If you never do it for yourself, it becomes nothing but a job. So,… READ MORE
November 20th, 2006 | Posted in General
Several jobs in the works right now at various stages. Here are some sketches and pencils: Workplace Poster This is a fun one… lot’s going on. It’s always nice to do something that doesn’t involves caricatures so I can break out into a more cartoony and higher energy style of drawing. On a side note I started watching the TV show Entourage on HBO. There are some great faces there and I couldn’t resist doing some studies: Kevin Dillon has a great face to draw! I’ve seem 14 episodes of the show so far. I have to say it is very funny and entertaining. A… READ MORE
November 19th, 2006 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I know you are not in NYC where the MAD offices are, but have you met many of the other MAD artists, writers and editors, and if so, who? A: I occasionally go to New York City just so I can bum a free lunch off the MAD staffers, particularly art director Sam Viviano. I know flying all the way from Minneapolis is a long commute for just a free lunch, but Sam often gets extravagant and allows me to “Super-Size”. The first MAD person I ever met was Nick Meglin. He was reviewing portfolios at the San Diego Comic-Con in 1993. I was… READ MORE
November 18th, 2006 | Posted in General
One of the benefits of being a member of the National Caricaturists Network is that you have access to their excellent member’s only forum. This is a terrific place to interact with fellow caricaturists from all over the world, get feedback on your work, find and give advice on the business of caricature, network with other artists and artist/agents and in general just have fun gabbing and posting artwork. The highest honor the NCN bestows is the “Caricaturist of the Year” award, otherwise known as the “Golden Nosey“. One of the more prominent members of the NCN and a past winner of said award is… READ MORE
November 17th, 2006 | Posted in General
It’s not too often I recommend a website, but every once and a while you come across someone who’s work is just a plain old must see. Illustrator Chris Wahl is one of those artists. Here’s a caricature demo video of his, one of several you’ll find on his blog. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og7CsvhOjfc Inspirational stuff. This is an example of simply fantastic drawing. I’ve never met, talked to, emailed or otherwise interacted with Chris. Nonetheless I am a big fan. Check out his blog and watch his other video demos. I’m hoping to do something similar soon with my next tutorial on digital coloring. READ MORE
November 17th, 2006 | Posted in News
After last week’s elections and the resulting majority of a different party in the House and Senate, I know the biggest question burning in everyone’s mind… how will this affect the proposes Orphan Works legislation? Good question: ________ FROM THE ILLUSTRATORS’ PARTNERSHIP It’s not yet clear how the post-election power shift in Congress will affect the Orphan Works bill. It’s possible that one, maybe both, of the intellectual property subcommittees will be chaired by lawmakers who have been responsive to the concerns of visual artists. Yet, as legal analyst David Carney writes in the Tech Law Journal, “the orphan works bill “has broad bipartisan support,”… READ MORE
November 16th, 2006 | Posted in General
As I’ve mentioned numerous times in this space, I don’t watch much TV just for myself. I was talking on the phone with MAD art director Sam Viviano the other day, and I reminded him of this. “Sam,” I said. “You know how when you call me to ask if I’ve ever watched such-and-such a show just before you tell me I’m going to be doing the art for it’s parody and I always say, ‘no… never seen it’?” “Yes….?” He replied, suspiciously. “Well, I won’t give you that answer if you ask me if I’ve ever watched Heroes,” I continued. “You and everybody else!”… READ MORE
