Mailbag
January 10th, 2010 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Hey, here’s a question, MAD mate! I’ve been considering buying an ipod touch as a cheaper way to get into the whole kindle dealie (my gal-pal has a kindle, loves it)–plus (and here’s the rub) for any other possible useful apps. Here’s the thing–I went on youtube to check out some ipod/iphone app reviews, and all the apps seemed to be a bunch of silly “fake lightsaber” gimmicks or very simplistic games. I realize this is because the people most likely to make a youtube video are teen boys and junior nerds, so there’s that. So, my question to you, master of all gizmos–nay,… READ MORE
January 3rd, 2010 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Working as a freelance artist, how do you financially plan for retirement? As artists, I don’t think most of us ever plan to completely “retire” but by being a freelancer you definitely have to create your own pension. Do you simply put a percentage of your income away each year? I’m making an assumption here but, seeing how selling your originals in the future might be a part of your income, what are some of the practices you keep when preserving your artwork? I feel like it’s very easy to forget about the future and not have a plan because it seems so far… READ MORE
December 27th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I have been looking for a platform on the Net to publish my works and, what is more important to me, get a little feedback on what I am doing. I have been considering Flickr, DeviantArt etc., but I am quite confused about the implications of the copyright terms behind them. I also have been thinking about opening an old-fashioned (but always good) blog, whereas building my own website from scratch still sounds premature to me. So I am asking your opinion: what do you think would be a good internet publishing platform for a wishful beginner? A: As far as the copyrights associated… READ MORE
December 20th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Is there any way you could explain the way you apply line weight (when inking) and why you would do it in a particular place? A: You can find out a little bit about line weights and variations in my tutorial on inking part one and part two, but I don’t touch on it too deeply. I do say the following: You add weight to a line to make something seem heavier or more substantial, or to place it solidly in front of another object, or to emphasize a light source. . . . which really is 90% of the concept of line weight.… READ MORE
December 13th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: A bunch of us were at a live caricature gig lately, complaining about how hard it is to juggle all of our different freelance projects. How do YOU do it? I know there is no “typical” day in the life of a freelance cartoonist,¬¨‚Ć but how do you juggle your administrative duties with your caricature venues (and all the traveling involved), with your freelance career? All this, in addition to all¬¨‚Ć the public appearances you make, in addition to making blog posts everyday! A: I get this question a lot whenever I do any kind of speaking engagement or meet up with other artists… READ MORE
December 6th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: My question is about the application of color. I’ve already seen your tutorials about coloring, but I’d like to know how to use the right color for each kind of illustration you make. How do you make your color selections? How do you know what’s the right color to use? Do you do it intuitively or is it pre-meditated? A: I am definitely the wrong guy to ask this question. In my opinion my color use skills are not very good, and certainly not very thought out. What (very) little I know about color I picked up on my own and never studied any… READ MORE
November 29th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Did you go to art school? If you did, which one? When I’m older, I want to go to an art university but I don’t know which ones are really good yet, or which ones teach cartooning. Do you even have to go to college to be a cartoonist? A: Yes, I went to art school (The College of Visual Arts, St. Paul, MN) but never had a cartooning class. I was taught traditional drawing, painting and illustration… there was virtually no such thing as a university that taught cartooning back in the 1980’s (except perhaps the School of Visual Arts in New York… READ MORE
November 21st, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: What happens when you are headed back from a trip to Australia and have absolutely no time, between packing and checking out and getting to the airport and going through security and customs and eventually getting all the way back to Minnesota, but you need to do a Sunday Mailbag blog post? Do you shamelessly cop out by posting a meaningless answer to a completely made up question, and even more shamelessly recycle a previously used gag? Yes. Thanks to A.E. Neuman for the question. If you have a question you want answered for the mailbag about cartooning, illustration, MAD Magazine, caricature or similar,… READ MORE
