News
September 13th, 2020 | Posted in News
I am in Indianapolis this weekend teaching a caricature workshop. Yesterday I am in the middle of the opening presentation when one of my students gets up with his phone and plays us all a video from the live virtual National Cartoonists Society NCSFest, where I was awarded a “Silver Reuben” divisional award for “Magazine/Newspaper Illustration”. I got a nice round of applause from the class! It was a nice surprise. I had to do back to teaching the class, so I was not properly able to thank the NCS for this honor. There is nothing like being recognized by your peers. It made me… READ MORE
September 8th, 2020 | Posted in News
I’ve been a member of the National Cartoonists Society since 1999, and served as president for 4 years from 2011 to 2015. Every year the NCS has its Reuben Award Weekend, where members get together for a few days to hang out, listen to panels and speakers, talk shop, eat and drink a lot, and enjoy the company of some of the greatest cartoonists (and people) on Planet Earth. Like most other things in 2020, the annual Reuben Awards Weekend, that was to take place in Kansas City the first weekend in June, had to be cancelled. Here’s some art by me for the original… READ MORE
September 1st, 2020 | Posted in News
If you’ve ever wanted a peek behind the scenes of the life of a caricature artist (I mean, besides the enormously creepy Dan Clowes‘ “Caricature” comic story), this documentary by artists Tom Faraci and Joe Ciomek is your ticket. It’s a look at not just the artform but the different ways it’s applied and the different artists that do it. While it touches on animation and illustration and published work, it mostly focuses on live caricature, especially the midway type artists that hit the road doing fairs and carnivals. There is an entire subculture of caricaturists, and this film certainly examines that dynamic. The International… READ MORE
August 28th, 2020 | Posted in News
I’ve had so many people ask me to produce my two page Mort Drucker tribute from MAD #15 as a print that I am knuckling under to the pressure. You can order that print here. I also have signed copies of MAD #15, which the spread appears in, available. However, every single copy of that issue that I received as an unfortunately printer defect on the left page of my spread. It’s a top to bottom linear streak, sort of like a rubbed line about 2.25 inches from the center gutter. It’s not really obvious but it is noticeable, and I have no copies without… READ MORE
August 18th, 2020 | Posted in News
I’ve had a number of people drop out of the Chicago workshop, now scheduled for Sept 26-27th, and we are down to only 8 students. We have plenty of room in the classroom space for proper social distancing and COVID-19 protocols, so I am opening up a spot for one more student. This is the last workshop of 2020. I have no idea when I will start doing these again. If you have wanted to take one of my workshops, this may be your last chance for a long time. READ MORE
August 18th, 2020 | Posted in News
This past weekend I finally conducted my “Caricature Illustration Workshop” here in Minnesota. Originally scheduled for March 27-29 with 15 students, the pandemic caused me to reschedule to Aug 14-16th, and we ended up with only 6 people in the class. This was a different sort of workshop for me. We did a mock illustration project from start to finish, and I taught the class about narrative and problem solving, working within the limitations imposed by the job, composition, and the process from rough concept sketches through to final art. I also taught traditional dip pen/brush inking, and both my digital coloring and traditional watercolor… READ MORE
August 13th, 2020 | Posted in News
Yesterday the folks at ReedPop made an announcement that surprised absolutely no one, that New York Comic Con was not going to take place at the Javits Center as planned in 2020. Right now ReedPop is hosting a virtual comic con called “Metaverse“, which runs from today through August 16th. This online comic con includes panels, guests, exhibitors, cosplayers, and a a virtual “Artist’s Alley”. There will also be a virtual “NYCC” on the original dates of October 8-11th which will include a marketplace and, presumably, a vitrual NYCC Artist’s Alley. I will be participating in that one. Look for announcements from me leading up… READ MORE
August 11th, 2020 | Posted in News
This past weekend I conducted the first workshop I’ve done since early February. This one took place in Detroit, Michigan on the dates originally scheduled. I have another one still on schedule for next month in Indiana, and three others that were rescheduled from the spring. We did have to make a number of concessions thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. We skipped the Friday night meet and greet originally scheduled at a nearby bar and grill. The hotel moved us into a giant ballroom and we were able to really spread out, with 8-10 feet between tables and one artist per table. We wore masks… READ MORE
