Tom's Mad Blog
September 14th, 2006 | Posted in General
Back in early August, while on a trip to New York City, I wrote this post about finding stolen samples of mine and other caricaturists I know used as display samples by artists who did not draw them. Ubercaricaturist Ed Steckley sent me this picture he took yesterday from somewhere in NYC showing a whole display full of my samples being used by a street artist. Sorry for the blurry picture, Ed must have used his cameraphone. Yikes. Not only are they all mine but they aren’t even redrawn by the artist like some of them do. These were printed right from low res website… READ MORE
September 13th, 2006 | Posted in General
While I was straightening up the studio for the “virtual tour” I took the opportunity to tackle a few drawers that seem to fill mysteriously with various odds and ends, stray sketches and things like that. I came across a bunch of roughs for a job dating back over 3 years ago now that I thought would make for an interesting study. This job doesn’t qualify as a “Freelance Nightmare”, but it does serve to demonstrate why it’s always a good idea to establish payment stages with any job… especially ones for new clients you do not know or have a relationship with. Some jobs… READ MORE
September 12th, 2006 | Posted in General
Some time ago on a message board forum for caricaturists somebody started a thread suggesting artists post pictures of their studios. The thread was a big hit and lots of people posted shots of their workspaces, from corners in their living room to big areas and rooms all devoted to studio space. It was a lot of fun and very interesting to see what kind of environment artists create in which to be and feel creative. One interesting thing, I have yet to see a cartoonist’s art studio area that does not have at least a few toys in it. Many are filled with toys,… READ MORE
September 11th, 2006 | Posted in General
I imagine that virtually every blog written by a United States based author will have the same subject today, how could it not? The events of Sept. 11th, 2001 will never allow this date to pass without it’s recognition in media, bars, cafes and anywhere humans gather and communicate. I wonder if the passage of time, when eventually those of us who were alive and bore witness to the attacks are all dead and gone, will change the way it’s viewed and remembered. Events like D-Day and Pearl Harbor are more and more being viewed with detachment because those who witnessed it in their lifetimes… READ MORE
September 10th, 2006 | Posted in Freelancing
Q: How much should I charge for an illustration? A: I get individual e-mails occasionally asking for advice on what to charge on this project or that kind of job, and the problem is that the question in basically unanswerable. It is always “that depends”. By the letter of the law the discussion of how much to charge for the same kind of service or product between two competing sources of said service or product is called “price fixing”, and is quite illegal in the United States. Realistically there needs to be someplace to begin for illustrators just getting into the business. For those people… READ MORE
September 9th, 2006 | Posted in General
Well, the Piranha shirts are finally done and on the racks. It was quite a struggle to get them out, and ultimately the Minnesota Twins had to give up on what we felt was an integral part of the design in order to just get them done. A lot happened over the last week between Major League Baseball, the Twins, myself and the printers of the shirts, but the bottom line was that we couldn’t get the proper approval from MLB and each team in order to go with the original design. Here’s the timeline and various steps that happened. At first I worked directly… READ MORE
September 8th, 2006 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Here’s another image and story from the Wall of Shame. For infrequent visitors, the Wall of Shame is an area just outside my studio where I have framed prints of some of my artwork signed by some of the subjects I have caricatured in them. Every once and a while someone connected with a show or movie sees the parody in MAD and wants to buy the originals. Part of the purchase price is a promise to get some signatures on an oversized print of the splash page. It doesn’t always work out, but sometimes it does and I’ve got a few of these prints… READ MORE
September 7th, 2006 | Posted in General
After all the hoola surrounding Katie Couric yesterday, I got the bug to draw her and did this quick sketch last night while endlessly printing out Anna’s birthday invitations. I might have to turn it into a park sample if she survives in her new job doing the CBS Evening News. She has a great face??ᬨ‚Ćfor caricature. Unusually sharp features for a woman, with an enormous toothy and gum-filled mouth that is quite crooked when it’s a real smile and not the publicity shot version. She has quite an under bite to the right also. Very thin lips, and her eyelashes stick out at all… READ MORE
