General
June 22nd, 2022 | Posted in General
No “Sketch o’the Week” this week because I am on a for real, actual vacation! However I am a guest this week on the “3 Point Perspective” podcast with illustrators Jake Parker and Will Terry this week. It’s a very different kind of discussion because they were most interested in the world of live caricature, so we talk a lot about that and only touch on MAD and other aspects of caricature illustration. The link will take you to a landing page with access to the YouTube or audio only versions of the podcast. Thanks Jake and Will for having me on the show! READ MORE
May 30th, 2022 | Posted in General
Here in the U.S. Memorial Day is a lot of things… the unofficial start of summer, part of a three day weekend, a day many people spend on the lake, at the beach, or in the backyard cooking up hotdogs and hamburgers, eating potato salad, and spending time with loved ones. All those things are excellent ways to celebrate the day, but the real reason for the day is to remember all the soldiers who have died in the service of our country. Enjoy the sunshine, the brats and beer, and the company of family and friends, but take a moment to pay your respects… READ MORE
April 25th, 2022 | Posted in General
It’s Monday again, and that means another riveting episode in our rampaging romp through my work at MAD magazine! This week we take look at another of MAD’s odd forages into advertising. In 2007 and 2008 MAD did some unique advertising inserts which were put into many of DC’s comic books as well as MAD itself. These consisted of a kind of “Mini-MAD” which centered around a subject that was the product which was being promoted. These were done very tongue in cheek, and the subject matter needed to fit with the MAD format. The first one was for Ballpark Franks which appeared in MAD… READ MORE
April 18th, 2022 | Posted in General
It’s Monday already? We leave the gun but take the cannoli with this week’s peek at yet another whack job of a piece I did for MAD Magazine. This was part of “The MAD List of 20 Dumbest People, Events and Things” of 2007., entitled “Alternate Sopranos Endings that Would Have Been Better”. This appeared in MAD #485, Jan 2008. There is no writer’s credit so it was written by the MAD staff. I remember watching the Sopranos series finale with The Lovely Anna in our basement home theater. This was back in the days where TV shows aired on a certain day of the… READ MORE
April 11th, 2022 | Posted in General
Get out your credit cards folks! American television producers can’t tell the shows from the advertisements in this week’s episode of our relentless run through my work for MAD Magazine. Believe it or not, there was a time when TV creators actually thought a television show based on characters from a series of insurance commercials was a GOOD IDEA. The folks at MAD did not agree. Thus, we had this three page farce called “When Other Advertising Characters Get TV Shows”, written by Scott Maiko and appearing in MAD #483, November 2007… Whoops. Apparently back in 2007 the “R” word was still acceptable to use.… READ MORE
March 13th, 2022 | Posted in General
Happy Birthday to two real MAD men! Today is the birthday of both Al Jaffee and Sam Viviano. The seemingly immortal Al turns 101, while Sam (or, as Al calls him, “that young whippersnapper”) is a mere 69. The picture above is from a MAD event at the Savannah College of Art and Design circa 2011, and of course the gentleman between them is the great Jack Davis. Happy birthday, guys!! READ MORE
February 18th, 2022 | Posted in General
Recently I’ve gotten a few inquiries as to what happened to my blog, which used to be updated daily and is now only a few times a week. Back in October I announced I was switching my focus from a daily blog to a weekly newsletter. That newsletter is called “The Ink Stained Wretch” and is free to subscribe to. It features an exclusive first look at my “Sketch o’the Week” (I post that same sketch on my blog a week or so later), articles on freelancing, illustration, cartooning, caricature, news from me, etc. etc. It’s delivered directly to your inbox and you can opt… READ MORE
January 1st, 2022 | Posted in General
Here’s to a happy and healthy 2022! I’m hoping this is the last year I have to draw a mask on Baby New Year. READ MORE
