Tom's Mad Blog
May 5th, 2019 | Posted in Mailbag
Looks like it’s that time again… no questions to answer in the mailbag. I actually only have to post this maybe once or twice a year, and only because many of the questions I get are repeats of ones I have answered more than once in the past (I’ve had this feature running for over 11 years, and this is the 587th “mailbag” post) or of the “please show me how to crosshatch” variety that are impossible to answer in a few paragraphs. It’s entirely possible that people have run out of questions. There are only so many questions people might have about freelancing, illustration,… READ MORE
May 2nd, 2019 | Posted in News
If you are planning on attending NCSFEST is just a few weeks in Huntington Beach and you’ve been wanting to see what my caricature workshops are all about, here’s your chance… FOR FREE! I’ll be doing a FREE mini-workshop at the Huntington Beach Arts Center as part of the NCSFEST events. This two hour class will give you a taste of what my caricature workshops are all about. The class takes place Friday, May 17th, from 2pm-4pm at the Huntington Beach Arts Center, 538 Main Street, Huntington Beach, CA. Be sure and bring a sketchbook and some pencils, as we will be drawing several faces!… READ MORE
May 1st, 2019 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
Here’s another “Workshop warmup” 10-15 minute sketch from my St. Louis Workshop last weekend… action/comedy star Jackie Chan. READ MORE
April 30th, 2019 | Posted in General
I did a workshop in St. Louis this past weekend, which means I have a few “Workshop Warmup” caricatures to share this week. These are warm ups the entire class does on Saturday morning to get our engines running for the day. The class suggests a subject, I do an image search and project a picture up on the screen, then we all spend about 15 minutes doing a caricature sketch. Here’s one of those from Saturday, country music icon Willie Nelson. READ MORE
April 29th, 2019 | Posted in MAD Magazine
This was one of my favorite panels from MAD 418 (June 2002)’s parody of the first Tobey Maguire “Spider-Man” movie, written by Dick DeBartolo (the parody, not the movie). This was the schizo scene where Willem Defoe‘s character has a conversation with his collection of creepy masks. The cameo by Russell Crowe and Ed Harris was referencing “A Beautiful Mind”… and if you are upset I just spoiled the plot of that film for you, it was out almost 20 years ago so- your fault. READ MORE
April 28th, 2019 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I have often wondered what best describes your occupation, or actually how you describe it: Are you a MAD artist/contributor/idiot (as in a member of the “usual gang of…”) who also does a lot of work with and for various companies, or are you an artist who does work for a variety of companies and publications, most notably MAD Magazine? If neither truly fits, which one in your opinion comes closest? A: That’s an interesting question. I’d never really thought about it but if asked for a bio or blurb I have always gone by the latter description. I describe my occupation as being… READ MORE
April 26th, 2019 | Posted in News
I’m teaching a workshop in St. Louis this weekend, class illustration above! Right now all I have left in 2019 is one spot in my June workshop in Amsterdam and four spots in my workshop in Austin, TX in October… every thing else for this year is sold out. I won’t be adding any more workshops until 2020. READ MORE
April 24th, 2019 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
This is an old one of Eddie Van Halen, as I am too busy to do a new SotW this week. I did this one as a park sample back in 2008, but I also posted a step by step of the sketch study at that time, so here that is: READ MORE
