Mailbag
November 11th, 2018 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I love your “Dracula” print, but you forgot to include Gerard Butler, who played him in “Dracula 2000”, and what is Grandpa Munster doing in there? A: I get this or similar questions especially at comic cons, usually from some smug know-it-all that thinks they are being clever and catching me screwing up somehow. I didn’t forget to include Gerard Butler (although I wish I could forget I ever saw “Dracula 2000”), I left him out on purpose. I also left out Udo Kier, and John Carradine, and Lorne Green and most of the other 77 actors who have played Dracula in films or… READ MORE
November 4th, 2018 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Did you ever had fear of disappointing a customer? Did this change over time or is this just a fear for beginners? A: I’m assuming you are referring to “retail” live caricature, where you are selling your caricatures directly to the subjects like at a theme park or a fair setting. That’s mostly an issue with very beginning artists, although I suppose anyone can have those fears. It’s a result of not having confidence in your work. It’s actually pretty rare because the very act of doing live caricature, spontaneous drawings at speed with an audience looking over your shoulder and the subject of… READ MORE
October 28th, 2018 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I am impressed with your use of perspective even in your more cartoony/humorous work. Do you use the old school methods of “vanishing points” and map everything out, or do you just wing it? A: Mostly I just eyeball the perspective, and the results are far from perfect. My main goal as far as perspective goes is to draw something that does not feel “odd” or “off” so as to distract the viewer from the main focus of the illustration or panel. That seldom needs perfect two or three point perspective… just getting it in the ballpark usually does the trick. If I’m having… READ MORE
October 14th, 2018 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Any new books on the horizon? I thought you mentioned a while back that Sketch-o-the-Week Vol. 2 would be out in October. Also,have you ever thought of putting out a dvd? Your book is so well done and thorough and inclusive,but speaking as someone trying to learn, actually seeing how an artist moves their hand to get a certain line or effect is actually quite helpful.. I just think it would be a cool compliment to your already amazing book. A: Well, Don’t Let the Penguin Drive the Batmobile is officially released on Tuesday, but as far as self published books I have only… READ MORE
September 30th, 2018 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Reading about your process I see that you still pencil and ink traditionally, but then color digitally. Why not do the entire thing digitally? A: Let me preface my response by saying I have zero problem with people who do 100% digital work. I have seen mind-blowing work done all digital. More power to you. No judgement here. That said I am simply not happy with the inking I do digitally. I have tried it, believe me. So far I have done two parodies for MAD doing digital inks. The first was the parody of the TV show “The Following” from MAD #525, which… READ MORE
September 23rd, 2018 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: When you need to do a movie or TV parody for MAD, how much time do you spend researching the subject matter? Do you watch the movie just once, or a few times? Do you watch just an episode or two of the TV show or an entire season or more? A: There are big differences between movie parodies and TV show parodies with respect to the research I put in. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Movie parodies are far less time consuming to research but usually require a lot more work to find actual references from the film and of the actors.… READ MORE
September 16th, 2018 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: How you save old work? Do you keep layered PSD files? Or do you merge layers to save space, knowing that you will never have to go back and edit them again? A: I used to archive everything on DVDs, with layered files and all. However I later found DVDs to be unreliable as several of them have become unreadable for some reason or another… I’ve lost a lot of old digital files as a result. For a while I would only save a flattened version of an illustration for space saving reasons as you cite. Nowadays with cloud data storage and spare hard… READ MORE
September 9th, 2018 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: When are you going to video your workshop and/or offer an online version of your workshop? A: Probably not for a long time, if ever. I know that’s not an answer most people in the internet age want to hear, but I prefer to keep these workshops in person and of limited size. It makes them a very personal and focused sort of experience, and while it makes the expense of doing one (cost of the workshop and travel expenses if necessary) prohibitive for some, it also provides those who do it a much greater value and experience than some video series. I’ve got… READ MORE
