Tom's Mad Blog
May 24th, 2019 | Posted in General
Whenever I do a festival or comic-con There is always one question I inevitable get asked. Well… two actually. The first is “where’s the closest bathroom?” The second, usually coming from the parents of a kid who is showing me some of his/her artwork, is “is art school worth the time and money?” I got that one three times at last weekend’s NCSFest. I wrote a long-winded post about that a few years ago, and as I have nothing more to add to it, here’s that post again: Should I go to Art School?: I get this question often, especially from young artists (or the… READ MORE
May 23rd, 2019 | Posted in Illustration Throwback Thursday
This was for a series of really cool trading cards a semiconductor manufacturer named Rochester Electronics did back in 2011. They had a whole cast of characters and the hero, Captain Rochester, fought semiconductor counterfeiting. That might not sound like a big deal but as semiconductors are used in all sorts of equipment and stuff that can actually be very dangerous if bad conductors are used, it was/is a real issue. Anyway, Rochester Electronics did these cards with a lot of artists from the National Cartoonists Society and other well know comic book artists. They even did at least one issue of a comic with… READ MORE
May 22nd, 2019 | Posted in News
I’m going to try posting this again because for some reason the main image in yesterday’s post got broken. I also got access to the original files. One of the coolest things about NCSFest this past weekend was the “Windows Trail” where over 50 businesses in Huntington Beach signed up for cartoon/comic window display. Each business got paired with a cartoonist and they they got custom designed windows for the Festival. I got assigned to local gym “F45” (go figure) so I used a combination of existing art and did some new stuff, all with bodybuilding/fitness/beach themes. Mark Wahlberg is part owner of the gym,… READ MORE
May 21st, 2019 | Posted in General
One of the coolest things about NCSFest this past weekend was the “Windows Trail” where over 50 businesses in Huntington Beach signed up for cartoon/comic window display. Each buiness got paired with a cartoonist and they they got custom designed windows for the Festival. I got assigned to local gym “F45” (go figure) so I used a combination of existing art and did some new stuff, all with bodybuilding/fitness/beach themes. Mark Wahlberg is part owner of the gym, thus his inclusion. Here are a few pics. READ MORE
May 20th, 2019 | Posted in General
The inaugural NCSFest was a rousing success! Loaded with stellar programming and with a booming Main Street Marketplace, we had fantastic crowds and a lot of fun. If there was any downside, it was just that there was so MANY panels and speakers happening simultaneously at the Big Tent, the Huntington Beach Arts Center, the Library and the premium events at the Hyatt, it was tough to choose what to go and see and some of the programs had small crowds as a result. I know some people who nay-sayed this Festival as just another comic-con in the middle of where two of the biggest… READ MORE
May 17th, 2019 | Posted in News
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the Huntington Beach Art Center, 538 Main Street, Huntington Beach, CA. Be sure and bring a sketchbook and some pencils, as we will be drawing several faces! Then be sure and stick around to enjoy all the great exhibits at the Arts Center that are also part of NCSFEST! You need to RSVP for the class, as space is limited. If things are full, you can always just enjoy the exhibitions at the Arts Center! READ MORE
May 16th, 2019 | Posted in News
Join me and a whole lot of other cartoonists at the NCSFest Kick-off Autograph Event tonight, 5:00pm- 7:00pm at the Hyatt Regency Resort, Huntington Beach. READ MORE
May 14th, 2019 | Posted in News
… sounds like a sequel. I’m posting this image again because when I posted it a week or so ago I was asked to take it down as they did not want to reveal too much of the “90 Years of Popeye” show at the Huntington Beach Art Center. Well, that show opened yesterday so here’s my piece again, which is currently hanging in said show. Many of the original Popeye tribute pieces will be auctioned off to benefit some worthy cause, and I’ll let everyone know the details of that when I find them out myself. READ MORE
