Mailbag
September 3rd, 2006 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Do you go about drawing the kind of caricatures like the ones in MAD the same way you would in a theme park where you start with the eyes, nose, etc and work your way from the inside out? A: No, I do it totally different in the studio for one main reason: I can. Working in a theme park or any live caricature setting is very different from doing it in a studio. When you work live you are under a time constraint, and you need to draw it quickly and efficiently. Live caricature is a reactive form of drawing, meaning you don’t… READ MORE
August 27th, 2006 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: How do you scan your inked originals for coloring in PhotoShop? A: I have an oversized flatbed scanner, the Microtek 9800XL, which has a live scan area of 12 inches by 17 inches. Even with the large bed,??ᬨ‚Ćmy pages are often??ᬨ‚Ćbigger than this, so I scan??ᬨ‚Ćthem in sections and piece??ᬨ‚Ćthem together in PhotoShop. Most of the time I ink my drawings at 150% of the size they print at, and in the case of MAD work it’s at 200% (MAD tradition). The poster image I inked for the inking tutorial, for example, had a print size of 17 x 17 inches. Those posters are… READ MORE
August 20th, 2006 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: What is the weirdest/strangest/craziest live caricature(s) that you’ve had to draw? A: This question comes from Trevour Meyer, a live caricaturist from North Dakota. He relayed this story of his weirdest live drawing: I just drew one this past weekend down in Austin- a young Hispanic lady, CRYING!??ᬨ‚Ć She didn’t speak very much English, but her group of friends asked me if I could draw her ‘beautiful,’ but with tears going down her face.??ᬨ‚Ć Fair enough, I said.??ᬨ‚Ć But then she began to produce REAL tears as I started the drawing. And she had the most sad look on her face the whole time.… READ MORE
August 13th, 2006 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Do you do any of the writing for your parodies in MAD? A: No and yes. How’s that for an ambiguous answer? There are many forms of writing, but in the traditional sense, meaning do I contribute to the actual script and/or dialogue of a parody I am doing the art for the answer is no. I get a script from MAD with all the dialogue and each panel already written and set. The writer of the parody submits the script to MAD, and he/she is the one who gets the credit (or blame) for the jokes, gags and satire of the piece. The… READ MORE
August 6th, 2006 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: When are you going to post the MAD artwork you just finished in the MAD Art section? A: I always wait until the date that the issue of MAD the art appears in has hit the newsstand to post full images on my website. The MAD editors have never specifically said I couldn’t post the artwork early, but I don’t think they’d like it. Technically I don’t own the copyright to the artwork anyway, and am only allowed to post it insofar as there is an unwrtitten rule that we (the Usual Gang of Idiots) can use artwork we’ve done for MAD in self-promotion.… READ MORE
July 30th, 2006 | Posted in Freelancing
Q: How do I get started doing freelance illustration? A: Making a living solely on freelance work is a tough and scary thing to do. There is no steady paycheck, and sometimes waiting for that phone to ring with a job seems like it takes forever. Other times you are so swamped you can’t keep up. It’s not a life for the faint of heart. First, I’d suggest for beginners to find a secondary source of income so your freelance work is not what you rely on to pay the rent. I used my live caricature work and businesses for this purpose, and it allowed… READ MORE
July 23rd, 2006 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Q: How do I break into MAD? A: If you want to break into MAD, the easiest way is with a grappling hook, 50 feet of rope, a glass cutter and suction cups. You can bribe your way in on Wednesdays with home baked cookies offered to Dick DeBartolo. Seriously, getting into MAD is notoriously hard to do, but it isn’t quite the impenetrable fortress it was in the 70’s and 80’s. Back then MAD had their legendary freelancers in their prime, and there was frankly very little work they had in the magazine that one of their established and well known “Usual Gang of… READ MORE
July 16th, 2006 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Can you do a caricature of (me, my mom, my friends, etc.) for their (birthday, wedding, anniversary, etc.) and how much would you charge? A: I really hate my answer to this frequent question, but realistically I have no other answer to give. No, I am very sorry to all who inquire,??ᬨ‚Ćbut I had to stop doing personal commissions a long time ago. Due to a plain old lack of physical time I have to often turn down very high paying freelance publication or advertising jobs. If I accepted personal commissions, I would have to turn down even more of the freelance work. For… READ MORE
