News
April 1st, 2008 | Posted in News
Well, it was interesting while it lasted. We laughed, we cried…. etc…. Back in June of 2006 I started The MAD Blog thinking it would be a good outlet for my writing and a chance to share some of my experiences and insights into the world of cartooning, caricature and freelance illustration. I also hoped it would be a great exercise in creative thinking… trying to come up with worthwhile topics for posts, articles and the like. I knew it would be a challenge, and that it would take some of my time and energy every day. So far I have not failed to make… READ MORE
March 29th, 2008 | Posted in News
I’ve written a number of times about this scourge of evil that lobbyists are trying to push through the legislature. Basically it’s a law that allows publishers or whomever to use creative works without paying the creator if the creator cannot be located by the vaguely defined “reasonably diligent search”. That’s bad enough, when any copyright violator can claim the made a “reasonably diligent search” if busted by the original creator, but previous incarnations also limited the amount a creator could receive in a court case so that it would cost the user of the creative works little or no more to try and use… READ MORE
March 24th, 2008 | Posted in News
Last week I mentioned that John Read‘s new quarterly magazine, Stay Tooned! had been released and was arriving in subscriber’s mailboxes. Two days later I got my copy, and was finally able to give it a good read through yesterday. First off, it weighs in at a whopping 88 pages, and most of that is content, not advertising. That’s an impressive collection of articles and interviews on cartooning. It’s printed on a white, sturdy stock paper with a color cover. Photos and artwork reproduce well on that paper, and they all look great in the magazine. The issue includes profiles of no less than nine… READ MORE
March 17th, 2008 | Posted in News
“The park formerly known as Camp Snoopy” and “until recently was known as the Park at MOA” officially changed to “Nickelodeon Universe” on Saturday with a grand opening gala. Ashley Simpson was lip syncing on the main stage at noon, several Nick TV stars were on hand to sign autographs, and the new rides and theming were fully unveiled. Four roller coasters, a flume, Ferris wheel and a dozen other major rides in “Nick U”. Yes, it’s all indoors… Our caricature booth, having been previously designed for the “Northwoods Camp” theme of Camp Snoopy, got replaced with a kiosk style cart themed for the new… READ MORE
March 13th, 2008 | Posted in News
Some time back I posted a “Sketch o’the Week” that was to be a header for an ongoing column by me in the new publication Stay Tooned!, produced by John Read. In said post I promised to let people know when the magazine was out and how to obtain a copy. Well… the publication’s first issue, after a few brief delays, is arriving in subscriber’s mailboxes now. Stay Tooned! is “a quarterly publication devoted to the art and business of cartooning”. It “features profiles of professional cartoonists, plus articles and information of interest to working cartoonists, aspiring cartoonists, and fans of the art of cartooning!”-… READ MORE
March 8th, 2008 | Posted in News
Within the pile of studio mail waiting for me upon my return was the official ballot for the National Cartoonists Society‘s Reuben award for “Cartoonist of the Year“. This award is the ultimate recognition for any cartoonist. Here’s what the NCS website has to say about the significance and history of the award: THE OUTSTANDING CARTOONIST OF THE YEAR is chosen by a secret ballot of the members of the National Cartoonists Society. The REUBEN AWARD is the highest honor that the profession bestows. As with all the NCS awards, the winner need not be a member of the Society. The award was previously called… READ MORE
March 7th, 2008 | Posted in News
Well, I’m back from the St. Louis NCN MiniCon. It was a great time even though I spent a good part of it frantically working on the last few pages of a MAD parody. That ended up being alright as I set up shop in the main competition room and everybody got a chance to see me work and ask me questions or just chat. My presentation on Monday went pretty well, although I really need to take out a lot of art from the PowerPoint show… it took two hours to go through it all. The inking workshop also went well… frankly it was… READ MORE
March 6th, 2008 | Posted in News
Unless you’ve been to one of these events, it’s really impossible to impart the sheer creative energy and inspiration that you find there. These pictures do not tell the story, but it’s the best I can do. Imagine a large ballroom full of artists drawing and painting in dozens of different styles and mediums. The walls about the ballroom have taped off sections with numbers above them, and each artist has his or her designated space. Gradually these spaces begin to fill up with caricatures… spanning the spectrum from a typical live, quick draw style to an elaborately rendered illustration. By the end of the… READ MORE
