Mailbag
April 5th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: When you do the splash page for say the “30 Rock” satire you did, how do you figure out how the background fits in reference to the characters? is there some simple geometry that you use? I always seem to have too big of a space, or everything looks like its getting crammed in. I am not really used to drawing characters in an environment, do you have any advise? Also when you do a big ensemble do you ever cheat and draw characters separately and add them or do you keep them the same from the rough stage? A: Here’s the “30 Rock”… READ MORE
March 22nd, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: It’s obvious that networking is a very valuable practice in the cartooning and illustration world, but are situations such as a comic-con or other gatherings of that nature an appropriate venue to try and foster such contacts? Those with booths and tables are likely there primarily to sell their own work, so would they view that sort of thing as an annoyance or an opportunity? A: Comic cons are weird animals, to be certain. I actually haven’t been to that many cons, but I think I know what you are driving at. You want to know if it’s worth attending a comic con as… READ MORE
March 15th, 2009 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Q: MAD #500 is about to come out. I would guess that is going to be a big deal! Is there anything you can tell us about what to expect? A: Unfortunately I can’t tell you much about MAD #500, mainly because I don’t know much. I will have at least one piece of art in that issue, but I might have a second article in there as well. I’m just finishing a two pager that might run in #500, or might be in #501. The article I will definitely be in is a small piece from me, but a very cool feature. It’s a… READ MORE
March 8th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I have a lot of trouble with facial hair AND head hair! I seem to freeze up when someone sits with 5 o’clock shadow beard or shaved head. Any help would be greatly appreciated. A: That question is difficult to answer because, like so many “how do I draw this…” inquiries, the answer is so dependent on the style of drawing. Someone with a more illustrative, involved style of drawing could not use the same techniques as someone who does a very cartoony style, or one that does a more graphic style. Therefore when answering such questions I invariably describe how I would do… READ MORE
March 1st, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: With all the jobs you have going on at the same time, how do you juggle them all?¬¨‚Ć When you have a deadline for MAD and a job doing a poster and other odd jobs coming up, what do you do?¬¨‚Ć Do you work on the MAD in the morning, and the poster in the afternoon?¬¨‚Ć And what is your limit in terms of taking on more work?¬¨‚Ć Will you only do a certain number of projects at a given time? A: Time management is something that can be difficult to get a handle on as a freelancer. Ideally you don’t ever want to… READ MORE
February 22nd, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I’m a college student, and I have very little time as it is, but I also freelance and am about to start drawing caricatures at a theme park for the summer as well… so I have a lot on my plate. Recently I’ve put on a few pounds (more like 20ish…), because I haven’t been eating well or exercising like I used to, because I don’t have the time. My question to you is, how on earth do you find time to make it to the gym, or not eat garbage all the time? A: The quick answer is… I often don’t find the… READ MORE
February 15th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: When you get a job, are you usually given reference photos to work from or are you expected to have your own resources? (Assuming the subject in question is famous, not just Joe From Accounting.) For a job where the reference photo is not provided, where do find your references? Do you have a clip file of particularly nice, interesting photos that you clip from magazines? Do you ever freeze a video image from a movie or TV show to get a reference? A: Since these questions all deal with reference I thought I’d answer them all at one time. When you get a… READ MORE
February 8th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Obviously most freelancers start at the bottom of the barrel and in the beginning of their career may take on some less glamorous jobs. However, once they start becoming a bit more established and gain bigger clients, how do they separate themselves from previous clients in order to focus on the jobs that they had been trying to get in the first place? A: A freelancer is not a factory, where you can add more employees and equipment to increase production when demand gets high. As a single artist you can only produce so much work. Therefore, once you reach a point where you… READ MORE
