My first caricature workshop finished up yesterday here in Minnesota. I think it went well! It was a pleasure to have such a great group of artists, all pictured above in the workshop T-shirt illustration I did. Thanks for coming, all! I hope everybody got something out of the weekend. I’m going to do it all over again next weekend with a new group of artists! READ MORE
Tonight kicks off my first caricature workshop weekend! I’ll be working with 13 students all through the weekend on how to draw caricatures. The students range from total beginners to seasoned caricature pros that frankly draw better than I do and I’ll be doing the learning. They have come from as close as right here in the Twin Cities to as far away as China. I’ve been thinking a lot leading up to this week about teaching caricature and the best way to approach it, and looking back over some of the comments I’ve gotten on my The Mad Art of Caricature book I realized… READ MORE
I get this question often, especially from young artists (or the parents or young artists) who are seeking advice on art as a career and the role of higher education in that career. Artists that ask this question seem to lean towards the idea that higher education is a waste of time and money, and parents of young artists that ask it lean towards the idea that college is a necessity. Both are wrong to some degree. Art school or no art school is an age old question, but one with an easy answer… if you find the right school it is worth the time… READ MORE
I was sad to hear of the passing of Gene Wilder yesterday. He has always been a favorite of the Richmond family. The kids loved “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” when they were little, and then graduated to some of his great collaborations with Mel Brooks in “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein”. I remember when he was a big star in the late 70’s and early 80’s in movies like “Stir Crazy”, “Silver Streak”, “The Frisco Kid”, “The World’s Greatest Lover”, and “Haunted Honeymoon”. I haven’t seen any of those movies in 30+ years, but I remember them fondly. He was an understated but… READ MORE
Prototype cover of Goodnight Batcave In an unusual break from the tradition of publishing, the book Goodnight Batcave that I illustrated with writer Dave Croatto, is going to be released two weeks earlier than previously announced. The release date was originally set for Nov. 8th, but its debut was moved up to Oct. 25th. The books pre-order page on Amazon.com now reflects that new date. If you are confused by the caption under the preview cover art above, let me explain. That is not quite the actual cover art for Goodnight Batcave, but I understand that is not so unusual. I don’t do a lot… READ MORE
I’ve got a pile of MAD #538 variant sketch covers ready to do your commission requests on here at Chicago Wizard World Comic Con. Prices range from overpriced to ridiculously overpriced to you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me… I’ve got a wedding and two more years of college to pay for! Come by and see me at booth F2 in Artists Alley! READ MORE
We preempt the Sunday Mailbag for an important announcement… The National Cartoonists Society Foundation’s cartoon art auction to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital ends at 5:00 pm central time today. The above piece is my original ink and wash illustration for the St. Jude benefit fundraiser the NCS did on May 26th of this year. as of this writing, it’s going for a ridiculously cheap $280. There are a lot of other great originals going for a song right now, including a Robb Armstrong “Jump Start” daily for $12 (???), a Greg Evans “Luann” daily original for $22 (WTF?), an original… actually there are… READ MORE
A few peers of mine on FaceBook recently had a discussion regarding the age old query: is being an artist based on God given talent or training and practice? I think most people would agree it’s a combination of both, but how much of what an artist can do is a result of the talent, and how much the hard work? That’s where the debate and difference of opinion lies. I’ve had many people tell me they “wish they had the talent to draw” and make other comments that demonstrate they obviously believe that artistic ability is magically bestowed by the gods or the universe… READ MORE
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