Mailbag
December 23rd, 2012 | Posted in Mailbag
This is one of the most frequently asked questions I get, so every year or two I repost this mailbag from 2006: 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… READ MORE
December 16th, 2012 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Do you/ have you ever use pigment liner, brushpens, manga graphic pens, calligraphy pens with chisel nibs, any fibertip or fineliners from Stabilo, Shinhan, Sakura etc. inplace of crowquill, say for Mad assignment. If you’ve tried them how do like them. A: Yes, I do use a variety of oddball pens when I am inking jobs, particularly for MAD. I’d say 98% of my inking is accomplished with a brush or a pen nib. I use a combination of these for different line qualities and thicknesses. I’ll use a brush for the big, sweeping, bold lines. A Gillott 303 or a Hunt 102 does… READ MORE
December 9th, 2012 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I am sure in your days you have come across clients who end not paying in the end like they said they would. I recently did a logo for someone who had a “change of business plans” between the sketch approval and the final artwork. I get a deposit to begin but getting ALL of the payment is what’s needed to make a living! Now I am left trying to figure out how to get my money when the client lives 5 states away from me. I was wondering what advice you can give to other fellow illustrators/artists¬¨‚Ć regarding this issue. Thanks! A: I… READ MORE
December 2nd, 2012 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: What was your very first professional freelance job? A: My first truly professional freelance job, meaning for an actual company and not a personal commission or a live caricature, I did while still a student in art college, and it nicely opened my eyes to the realities of art direction and working with difficult clients. During my third year of college at the then named “School of Associated Arts” in St. Paul, MN., I was approached by the head of the design department about doing a job for him. It was fairly well known throughout the small school (my graduating class: 40 students) that… READ MORE
November 25th, 2012 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: When you go from the “final pencilling” to “the inking,” what is your process of getting rid of the pencil lines? Do you simply erase them? Or are they not a problem once the pictures are scanned into your computer? Just wondering, because I want to get the cleanest final drawing as possible. A: Erasing underling pencils from inked pieces is every cartoonists bane. There are a number of ways to help make it less painful. Which one would work the best for you depends on your drawing technique, the final effect you want to achieve with your cartoons, and the way you prefer… READ MORE
November 18th, 2012 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Did you always want to be a caricaturist and illustrator? Did your parents support or discourage your career choice? A: I have wanted to be an artist, since before I can remember. The 1960’s Batman TV show was what started it. I was born in 1966, the year the show began, so by the time I was old enough to watch TV it was already off the air but in endless reruns. My parents say even when I was as young as two, I would come scurrying into the living room when they turned up the volume during the opening theme song. Then… READ MORE
November 11th, 2012 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I’m trying to get the hang of inking the old-fashioned way, with a dip pen and brush, and I just can’t seem to get it to work for me. My ink lines never seem to make the drawing look like the pencil did, no matter how much I try to match the drawing. I also have problems with the link pooling up or smearing, especially with the dip pen. Is it really just practice I need? Would going digital be better for me? A: Join the club. I go through the same problems every time I pick up the ink pen. Sometimes the ink… READ MORE
October 28th, 2012 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: When you were in college and first working at Six Flags, what was it like? Was it really nerve-wracking? Did it help build confidence in your drawings and style, and what kind of feedback did you get from the people you drew? Do you have any examples of the work you did back then? A: For those who may not know this story: I got my start in caricature working at a Six Flags theme park during my college years in the mid to late 80s. I was skipping a highly pretentious art class while attending the University of Minnesota, hanging around the studio… READ MORE
