Mailbag
November 15th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: With your recent “Bo Confidential” project, and in light of the new MAD Magazine business model, have you considered personal pet projects for development under the MAD umbrella? A: Yes I have. While things have changed (and are still changing) at MAD there is an unspoken rule that any regular contributor to the magazine can approach the powers-that-be and pitch ideas for things like books and they would be given due consideration. Likewise the publishers that have handled publication of other MAD books like Watson-Guphill will give a good look at any book project from a MAD artist or writer. Of course, that doesn’t… READ MORE
November 8th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I’ve been following your blog for quite some time and on the last few months I can see that you’re trying to use more and more your new “no black lines” style, it looks pretty cool by the way.¬¨‚ĆMy question is related to “style”, how do you feel about the need for an commercial artist to establish a style and stick to it for years and years? Isn’t it something that ends up slowing the artist progress as he ends up stuck in a “comfort zone”? A:¬¨‚ĆThis is a concept that does see a fair amount of debate: whether or not a freelance illustrator… READ MORE
November 1st, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: As a live caricaturist, I’ve noticed that some days, things flow quite naturally.¬¨‚Ć I can observe what I see and properly draw it on the page with a little exaggeration here and there.¬¨‚Ć But on occasion, I have “one of those days”.¬¨‚Ƭ¨‚Ć These are the days that I find it extremely difficult to get the result I want – likeness, line quality, and so forth are a struggle to achieve, and simply “trying harder” doesn’t seem to get me too far.¬¨‚Ć You have been doing this a long time, and I wonder if you had any insight into how to deal with one of… READ MORE
October 25th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I was wondering if you could explain the process of getting an art rep/agent. When I develop my portfolio more I would like to seek out work in various publications and book illustration. What steps would someone take to get represented or to get regular work? A: I’ve never had a rep (with the exception of a loose arrangement with Cagle Cartoons, now defunct), but having both looked into one and knowing enough colleagues that do that I think I can answer your question. First off, for those who may not know a “rep” (short for “representative”) in the art world is like an… READ MORE
October 18th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: What you and your fellow cartoonists are doing on your trip to visit the troops is fantastic. How did that all come about? A: Although he would be quick to try and pass off some of the credit to others, the driving force behind the National Cartoonist Society’s visits to wounded soldiers, veteran’s hospitals and more recently overseas troop locations is Navy Times/Broadside cartoonist Jeff Bacon. Jeff is a retired naval captain and started his strip “Broadside” in the Navy Times in 1986 while still on active duty. The strip is about the lighter side of life in the Navy, and is well known… READ MORE
October 11th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Have you ever had to caricature someone that was so incredibly dull , boring and completely void of any notable characteristics that you are at a loss? I have been stumped¬¨‚Ć a couple times by some friends that literally had “NO” features what so ever!¬¨‚Ć They were just so generic and plain!¬¨‚Ć Have you ever turned customers away because of this? A: This question is geared towards the live caricature angle, but the answer applies to caricature in general. There is no such thing as an “uncaricaturable face”. There are faces that seem to be much easier to caricature than others, but none that… READ MORE
October 4th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: My question is about freelancing in the drawing area, like you, how you charge your clients? I mean, do they pay you before drawing or after that? or just 50% at the beginning and the other at the end of the project? How much is normally the price for each project? Because the client often fear the price and at the end they will not work because of that. A: These are actually many questions, so I’ll try and answer them one by one. Do you charge the client before you start the work, or after? That depends on the client. A new client… READ MORE
September 27th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: It is my experience that digital art, even when scanned inks and with digital finishing, takes longer to do, for the artist, than if the art were totally done traditionally. A problem I keep running into is that clients assume anything digital is faster and easier for an artist to complete. Have you found that your working method is any faster than if you worked entirely traditionally? I will agree that a digital file can be easier to make corrections on; but does that make up for a longer initial work time? A: That question seems to ask two things. First it seems to… READ MORE
