Mailbag
May 31st, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: When drawing live caricatures (theme park) how do you decide whether to have a couple or just a single person be drawn in the 3/4 view or frontal? If it’s a couple do you draw the woman first, or does is not matter? Also, do you have or can you put up a video of you doing a live theme park caricature to show us how your technique is done? Since it’s officially the theme park caricature season I thought these might be some good mailbag questions today. When drawing live caricatures (theme park) how do you decide whether to have a couple or… READ MORE
May 25th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: What happens when you are headed back from a Reuben awards weekend trip, and have absolutely no time, between packing and checking out and getting to the airport and going through security and eventually getting all the way back to Minnesota, but you need to do a blog post? Do you shamelessly cop out by posting a meaningless answer to a completely made up question? 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, e-mail me and I’ll try and answer it here! READ MORE
May 17th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Do you ever think color MAD cartoons would’ve been funnier in B&W? A: No, I do not think that the color art in MAD would be funnier in black and white. Color is incidental technique and has little impact on the effectiveness of a cartoon. A cartoon is either funny or it is not. Most of that has to do with the concept/writing of the cartoon and in art terms with the drawing/communication. Funny drawings are funny drawings. The work of MAD artists like Jack Davis, Don Martin and Sergio Aragon?¬©s is visually funny. If they were to take their art from the black… READ MORE
May 10th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I’m just wondering if there are any particular syndicated strips that you are a fan of (past and present), what you think of their decline with the newspaper industry, and how you feel about the growth of web comics? A: I was a huge fan of Bloom County back in the 80’s. That strip consistently made me laugh. I also liked Peanuts, B.C. and enjoyed many other strips as well. I also liked Calvin and Hobbes but that was popular right at the wrong time for me… it ran during my college years, my marriage, move to Atlanta and the births of three of… READ MORE
May 3rd, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: You love to write and illustrate. Have you written any of your own books, if not when will you? A: No, I have never written a book. I am currently working (inbetween everything else) on a “How to Draw Caricatures” book, but every time I think I’ll have a little time to work on it some big job comes along and it’s shoved to the back burner. Currently the big job keeping me from working on the caricature book is, coincidentally, a book… written by someone else, however. This project will take me the entire month of May, but the end result I hope… READ MORE
April 26th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: While in Syracuse, we listened to a pretty cool artist who complained of unfair standards in the publishing industry. She¬¨‚Ć ranted about doing something for Playboy then finding out that Proctor and Gamble discovered it and banned her from their list of preferred illustrators. Do you fear backlash after doing something for Penthouse? A: That thought did cross my mind. I do work for some kid orientated publications and having work in an “adult” magazine might be viewed by some as unacceptable to then be allowed bylines in their publications. That’s partly why I used a pseudonym on the last job I did for… READ MORE
April 19th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q:¬¨‚Ć I recently saw a display for some caricaturists at the Sydney Easter Show that showed the caricature of you done by Mort Drucker. They were using it as a sample of work. I know your work itself is also always being used to promote others (placed on their displays meant to make potential customers think they did it themselves).¬¨‚Ć I would love to hear your thoughts on this. A: Here’s a picture from the Sydney Easter Show he is referring to: Photo courtesy of Aussie cartoonist Lee Sheppard That’s a caricature of me by Mort Drucker on the left. I also see (from left… READ MORE
April 12th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Considering your recent surgery: If your ‘normal’ level of output of artwork (for want of a better expression) is affected for some reason such as illness, injury etc, do you find it hard to regain the motivation you had before? I try to draw every day but find that if I go for a period where I have no significant commissions or projects, or when I recently suffered from flu, and I found it really quite difficult to motivate myself again. When I did grasp the pencils again I didn’t think the quality of my work was as good. Do you have any tips… READ MORE
