Tom's Mad Blog
January 27th, 2019 | Posted in General
Q: Do you have trouble capturing the likeness of some subjects and if so how do you fix it? A: How to capture a likeness is too big a question to answer here, but I do have some things that I do if I am struggling with a getting a good likeness for a particular subject: Get more photo references– This is hands down the most helpful thing you can do if a likeness is eluding you. Trying to base a caricature on a single image means you are relying solely on the information that picture gives you. Lighting, angles, odd expressions, lens distortion and… READ MORE
January 25th, 2019 | Posted in General
In the last week or so I’ve had three pals write and tell me they are having problems delivering digital artwork to clients and having said clients complain that the images are “too small” or “too low a resolution”. They are confused about the differences between resolution and physical size of a piece of art, and how those are related and how they are different for print and for web/computer screen display. I thought about doing a mailbag post on this subject, but I think a full blown post/article is in order: Understanding Physical Dimensions, Pixel Dimensions and DPI When you are working with a… READ MORE
January 24th, 2019 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
Here’s one last warmup sketch from my workshop last weekend… Liam Neeson. READ MORE
January 23rd, 2019 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
Here’s another “Workshop Warmup” sketch from my Orlando class last weekend: A young Emma Watson as Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter films. Apparently there is some kind of list of female subjects for a “caricature challenge” going around where you draw a caricature of a different subject every day for the entire month of January. Emma Watson here was on that list. WHO THE HELL HAS TIME FOR THAT??!?! READ MORE
January 22nd, 2019 | Posted in General
People seemed to like the “Workshop Warmups” I posted last week from my Orlando Workshop that took place Jan 11-13th, so I thought I’d post the ones from my second Orlando workshop that took place this past weekend. On the second day of the workshop, we always start out doing three warm up sketches. I have the class suggest a subject, I find an image online to work from, and then we project it on the screen and do a quick caricature while we listen to music. No instruction, just a few “getting the juices flowing” studies. 10 minutes per warmup (although I tighten them… READ MORE
January 21st, 2019 | Posted in News
I’m honored to be one of the guest speakers at the 7th annual Eurocature International Festival of Caricature Art, coming up April 5-10th in Vienna, Austria! I’ll be doing a couple of talks and other fun stuff. Visit their website for information about the festival. READ MORE
January 20th, 2019 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I’d love to take your workshop but I am concerned I do not have enough drawing skill. I’ve been doodling my whole life but I’m not a professional and my skills are still beginner level. Can I still take your class? A: The way I structure these workshops is what I call “style independent”, which also means “skill level independent”. What we are really concentrating on learning is how to “see” as much as how to draw. As a whole, I teach the class my approach to caricature, what I look for and how I see it. This applies to any style of caricature,… READ MORE
January 18th, 2019 | Posted in News
…is underway! Workshop illustration above. I’ve still got spots open in Atlanta, Amsterdam, and Washington DC, and I’ll be scheduling a few more in 2019. Check out my workshop page for all the details, and be sure to sign up for my email list in the upper right corner of this page. Those on the mailing list get a 24 advanced notice on new workshops before they are announced to the rest of the world. READ MORE
