Mailbag
December 6th, 2015 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: In the Gallery/Misc. section I love the Obama vs. Reagan boxing sculpture. Do you get involved much in caricature sculpture or 3D modeling software? If so, what type of clay or modeling software do you use? A: Here’s the image mentioned in the question: I did not do the sculpture, this was based on drawings I did. I have had my work turned into a 3 dimensional object a number of times, this statuette being one example. Here’s a few others: I have only ever dabbled with sculpture, and I have never used any 3D modeling software. I used to have a box of… READ MORE
November 29th, 2015 | 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 nine years, and this is the 450th “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
November 22nd, 2015 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: How’s the new Doctor Who print coming along? You said it would be ready in time for the holidays… ?? A: Check back here on Tuesday! Thanks to a whole bunch of people for the question. If you have a question you want answered for the mailbag about cartooning, illustration, MAD Magazine, caricature or similar, e-mail me and I’ll try and answer it here! READ MORE
November 15th, 2015 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I really love your book on how to draw caricatures. It’s the only one I’ve ever found that actually attempts to explain the thinking behind how to exaggerate the face. Do you have plans to write more books? Maybe about how to exaggerate anatomy or cartooning in general? A: First, thanks for the kind words about my book. I’m very glad you liked it. As for other books, “never say never” but I do not foresee any more how-to books in my immediate future. Some of that is because of the time involved. The Mad Art of Caricature! took a long time to put… READ MORE
November 8th, 2015 | Posted in Mailbag
Welcome to my every-year-or-so answer to the perpetual question “What kind of ______ do you use?”… Updated to November 2015 accuracy. In the Studio For doing my publication work I use a lot of different tools and materials. While most of what I do these days is digital I do occasionally, when the job calls for it, pull out the old paints and such. Here are the tools I like to use in the studio: Pencils– Honestly I usually use whatever I end up grabbing from my eight or so coffee cup/jars full of drawing utensils near my board. For years I used a clutch-type… READ MORE
November 1st, 2015 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Based on your past experiences, do you find that it is easier to do caricatures of some people over others? A: Yes, of course. Caricature is based on an artist’s perception of a subject and their features. Some subjects have obvious physical or personality-based traits that jump right out at you, and those types of faces are easier to caricature not because they are easier to draw (they have the same features everyone else has) but because you identify what features you are going to exaggerate and how to stretch them without much effort. As you develop your “eye” for caricature, more and more… READ MORE
October 25th, 2015 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Has the magazine ever considered doing full-length video game spoofs with the same style and look as the Movie/TV Show parodies? If they haven’t done it for a particular reason, what is that reason? For me personally, I would’ve loved to see parodies of games like GTA V, the Call of Duty games, and Bioshock/Bioshock Infinite. A: This is really a question for the MAD editors, but I thought it was an intriguing idea so I thought I’d post it. MAD‘s done plenty of material on gaming, including a huge “50 Worth things about Video Games” back in MAD #457, Sept 2005. I know… READ MORE
October 18th, 2015 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Reading your mailbag a few weeks ago about rejection when drawing live caricatures, do you think it’s better to go for high sales or for great caricatures? A: Yes. Some retail caricaturists, meaning those that sell drawings to their subjects at theme parks, fairs, street corners, etc, seem to think you can’t do both of those things when in fact you can if you keep a few things firmly in mind: learn to read your subjects and be aware of the environment in which you are working. There are two extremes when it comes to retail caricature: The “Sell-Out”– This is the “caricaturist” who… READ MORE
