Tom's Mad Blog
June 12th, 2016 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I was recently studying your work on the Batmen print hanging on my wall and a question came to mind: When you are drawing superheroes (or other masked characters), you are given less real estate to get a good likeness, yet I can easily tell who each of the Batmen are, from just their mouths, eyes and feature relationship. Do you find yourself starting with a normal caricature of the actor first before adding the mask over it, or do you start with the mask and place the features where they belong? Thanks! A: The mask (or glasses, or mustache, or anything else that… READ MORE
June 9th, 2016 | Posted in Illustration Throwback Thursday
These illustrations were for a novelty product that (I think) never got produced. It was called “Trunks and Asses” and the idea was that these were supposed to be part of a label that would wrap around a tin can, one for republicans and one for democrats. The two different cans were going to be called something like “Democratic Party Promises” and “Republican Party Promises”… the gag being the cans were empty. I’m not sure what happened to the product, but it’s not usual to do packaging or product illustration all the way to final and have it end up never seeing the light of… READ MORE
June 8th, 2016 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
By popular demand, a study of George Hamilton as Dracula from the 1979 film “Love at First Bite!” As always, the original is for sale in the Studio Store! READ MORE
June 7th, 2016 | Posted in News
It’s hard to believe but I just ordered the seventh printing of The Mad Art of Caricature since its release in November of 2011. That sounds more impressive than it actually is, since the largest print order I’ve ever placed was 4,000 copies. Storage with my distributor is limited so I can’t order any more than that at a time, so I’ve done many smaller runs rather than fewer big ones. With this printing (3,000 copies this time), a total of 24,000 copies of this book will exist on this planet. Placed end to end they would stretch just over 4 miles. That’s a lot… READ MORE
June 6th, 2016 | Posted in MAD Magazine
In subscribers mailboxes and via digital now, in comic book shops Wednesday, and on news stands June 14th!!: Cover (Mark Fredrickson) Letters and Tomatoes (Ed.) The Fundalini Pages (Kenny Keil, Jose Garibaldi, Mike Morse, John Martz, Dick DeBartolo, Emily Flake, Jonathan Edwards, Desmond Devlin, Stephen Silver, Jeff Kruse, Rich Powell, Alison Grambs, Jason Adam Katzenstein, Sarah Chalek) The Trumpalini Pages (Uncredited) Battyman v Stuporman: Dumb and Joyless (Desmond Devlin, Tom Richmond) Spy vs. Spy (Peter Kuper) Donald Trump vs. The Bible (Desmond Devlin, Ward Sutton) Planet TAD!!!!! (Tim Carvel) MAD’s Tom Bunk Visits Coney Island (Who else???: Tom Bunk) New Olympic Events Americans are Sure… READ MORE
June 5th, 2016 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: If I draw a (realistic) person, the ratio is about 1:7 head to body. In a caricature, which is very different, I’ve seen already 1:1, 1:2 or 1:3. What is in your opinion the best proportion of head to body in a caricature? A: The short answer is there is no “best” proportion. Your subject matter and the situation dictates what works best. For live work I have always disliked the “lollypop” school of caricature, with a gigantic head and a little tiny body that is roller skating or something. That takes way any dynamic between the head and body that can very well… READ MORE
June 3rd, 2016 | Posted in News
Well, that was fast. All 12 spots are taken for the Sept. 23-25th workshop. The $100 deposit is fully refundable up until Aug 1st, so anyone can cancel their spot up until then without penalty. If you want to be put on the waitlist for a spot, email me and we will add you. First come, first served based on email date/time stamp. If anyone drops out we will contact the first person on the list and offer them the spot. If they decide not to do it, then we go to the second person, etc. There is no deposit required to be on the… READ MORE
June 3rd, 2016 | Posted in News
It’s official, I’ll be conducting my first ever caricature workshop this fall here in the Twin Cities. Here are the details: Dates: September 23-25th, 2016 Location: Eagan MN Class size: Limited to 12 students Itinerary: Friday, Sept 23rd: 7:00 pm- 10:00 pm: Welcome party at Tom’s home and studio: Hors d’ouerves, food and drinks included. Tour Tom’s studio, look at lots of original art, complete discussion of process that goes into doing a parody for MAD, including demo of inking and digital painting (transportation provided to and from the hotel for those that need it) Saturday, Sept 24th: 9:00 am- noon: Morning session– Lecture on… READ MORE
