Mailbag
January 20th, 2008 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: You mentioned you drew caricatures in bars to help support yourself in school. What’s the financial arrangement between you the artist and lounge owner drawing in bars? A friend told me-why bother spending/wasting money socializing in bars when you can get paid for doing the same thing working in a bar as a bartender-bouncer-barback? I thought about it and he made sense-but drawing sounds a lot more fun and lucrative. A: I didn’t really make much money doing it, but I did draw caricatures in bars and clubs when I was a full time student between summers at the theme park. The Lovely Anna… READ MORE
January 13th, 2008 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I know there is no substitute for actual art instruction. Books have often help me though. I was wondering if there are any books that you recommend on cartooning in general? What books do you recommend for caricaturing? Most of books are geared toward kids or just seem to scratch the surface but don’t give the tools needed to make the connection between what makes a cartoon a caricature. A: There is no definitive book on how to draw caricatures. There are a number of them out there, but each has it’s own focus (i.e. live caricature, general caricature, cutsey cartoon caricature) so you… READ MORE
January 6th, 2008 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Your work is a total rip off of Mort Ducker’s style. How do you sleep at night?- Anonymous A: Other than when my wife pokes me when I snore too loudly, I sleep just fine, thanks. I usually don’t post anonymous questions or comments, but I thought his one would be worth answering. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard that, but am confident in saying that my work isn’t a rip off of Mort Drucker‘s, and anybody who thinks so isn’t looking really looking. Mort will always be identified with caricatures in MAD, and anyone doing traditional ink line, cartoon caricature likenesses in… READ MORE
December 30th, 2007 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Do you have some set of rules that determine a particular way a caricature should be done depending on face shape or features or is it simply an acquired gut feeling? A: If by “rules” you mean following a template that is applied to any face that is drawn, then absolutely not. Following the same rules or pattern of exaggeration for all faces isn’t caricature, it’s stylization and distortion. If you apply the same relationship of features, for example, on each face you draw, you may get a likeness depending on your skill with the individual features but you would be missing the target… READ MORE
December 23rd, 2007 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: When you were first starting out, how did your parents react to your decision to become a cartoonist? Were they supportive of your chosen profession, try to talk you out of it, or somewhere in between? Also, how did the in-laws feel about having their daughter marry someone who aspired to become one of “the usual gang of idiots”? A: As a young kid my parents were very supportive of my desire to be an artist. In fact, they enrolled me in the “Art Instruction Schools” correspondence art program when I was 14. I did about three lessons with them before realizing the “individual”… READ MORE
December 16th, 2007 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Do you ever get a hankering to stretch your artistic legs by doing some “serious” art like portraits or landscapes, or to try your hand at more traditional media like oils and watercolors? A: Not as much as I used to, but I still like to break out of the box when I can. I am still challenged artistically daily with my regular work, but I have always found it relaxing and fun to switch gears entirely and work realistically or with different mediums. Life drawing I especially enjoyed, and just can’t find the time or the venue for it these days. Here’s an… READ MORE
December 9th, 2007 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: How important is it for an cartooning/illustrator/caricaturist to be trained with traditional art like oils and such? A: There can be a very big difference between a cartoonist, an illustrator and a caricaturist. It would all depend on how an artist wanted to apply their skills in any or all of those categories as to how much a traditional art education would help them. A general education in art and the techniques of the masters would only serve to strengthen the skills and abilities of any artist, even if the art they end up doing bears little resemblance to those traditional arts. I think… READ MORE
December 2nd, 2007 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Have you ever turned down an project because you disagreed with the content/subject matter of the project the client approached you with? Subject matter that was too “adult/explicit”, violent, racist, clashed against something you supported etc.? The reason I ask is that artists who may encounter such projects may get project offers in that vein and need the money but also wonder about possible future work loss from drawing such content. However the flipside is also drawing such controversial project may also get you exposure as suddenly your work is more noticed/discussed than ever before. A: An excellent question. Yes, I have had many… READ MORE
