Mailbag
October 29th, 2017 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: In a lot of caricatures of President Trump, the illustrator will exaggerate the orange-ness of his skin. You’ve spoken and written a lot about exaggerating features, but in what situations is it acceptable to exaggerate color? I imagine someone who is drawn green around the gills (sick) or exceedingly red (angry or sunburned) could be humorous, but in other instances an exaggeration of color (specifically skin) could be deemed racially insensitive, for example. When is it important to match color as closely as possible, and when do you choose to exaggerate it? A: That’s an interesting question. I’d never really thought about it before. I’d… READ MORE
October 21st, 2017 | 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 ten years, and this is the 530th “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
October 15th, 2017 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: In the description of you for the Lakes Comics Festival, it calls you “the world’s greatest living caricaturist”. Seriously? Do you really believe that? A: I take it you assume I wrote that blurb, or that I even saw it to approve it before it was plastered all over the promotional materials for the show. You don’t know much about how these kinds of things work and the hyperbole sometimes used. I didn’t see that until they started making big announcements about the festival and by then it was too late to do anything about it. I was quite embarrassed and had I been… READ MORE
October 8th, 2017 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: As a 53 year subscriber to Mad, I am both apprehensive and excited about the upcoming move and changes. I was wondering if you learned anything more about the changes coming during NYC Comic Con and also if you will still be involved with the “new” magazine and whatever online things they are planning? A: DC Entertainment paid a lot of attention to MAD at NYCC this year, theming their annual party around the magazine (I had a couple of pints of “Pale Ale Jaffee” at the party) and otherwise giving the New York staff some appreciation for the many years of stellar work.… READ MORE
October 1st, 2017 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: You have already been to China and Germany this year. How are you dealing with jet lag? Especially when coming home and having to meet deadlines. A: I thought this was an interesting question even though it has nothing to do with art. I’ve dealt with let lag many time with all my trips to the middle east for the USO, travels to Australia and Europe for cartooning events and trips I’ve taken for pain old fun. There are many opinions about how to deal with jet lag and some people will swear by certain methods and remedies to help with it. Some can… READ MORE
September 24th, 2017 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: What is the strangest thing you’ve been asked to draw, and did you actually do it? How do you handle a request that you just flat out feel uncomfortable doing? The reason I ask is because I got a request for a commission of a deceased person. While this is a bit odd (for some reason a few people a year request these-either at a party job or as a commission), I generally oblige on a case by case. What makes this one super odd-probably in my top 3-is that a woman wanted a gift caricature drawn of a family member’s baby who died at… READ MORE
September 10th, 2017 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: With MAD’s move to the west coast in 2018, and the resulting almost complete turnover in editorial and art staff, do you expect big changes with the magazine? A: I think changes are inevitable, but there is nothing wrong with that. Change can be a good thing, staying the same forever is a recipe for staleness, irrelevance, and eventually demise. Certainly we can expect the new editorial and art team led by new V.P Executive Editor Bill Morrison, to put their own stamp on MAD. BIG changes, though? I don’t think Bill and co. will do anything to change the MAD zeitgeist… in other… READ MORE
September 3rd, 2017 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I do caricatures more as a hobby right now but hope to do more of it as part of a business. As I explore the market I would like to throw this out for debate: I wonder if the appreciation for the value of caricature and cartoon art has decreased over time due to the fact that there is so much fragmentation in how people can view art now. Art can be quickly accessed and viewed on the internet, mobile phones, YouTube, TV, e-books, e-mags etc. Is traditional caricature and cartooning now considered more “old school”? Comic strip characters are no longer the rage… READ MORE
