Mailbag
April 4th, 2021 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Q: Has anyone ever drawn Alfred E Neuman from an angle that was NOT “straight on”? I know he has been drawn from the back of his head (but that angle is also sort of “straight on”). Just wondering if you know of any instance of an artist have tried him at an angle? A: Yes, Alfred has on occasion been drawn in a 3/4 view or even in profile, but VERY seldom, and not much after 1960 or so. When I first started with MAD, I was told that any depictions I might do of Alfred should be based solidly on the Mingo original. Artists are… READ MORE
March 28th, 2021 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: When is the “Virtual Artist’s Alley” comic con table you are doing right now going to end? A: I’m glad you asked that question! It ends at 5 pm CDT TODAY! That leaves only a few more hours to get one of my comic-con exclusive type commissions and order merchandise with FREE domestic shipping! So what are you waiting for, you putz? A furshlugginer invitation? Stop by my virtual table ASAP! Thanks to A.E. Neuman 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
March 21st, 2021 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: What do you think of courtroom sketches? Here in the UK, artists are not allowed to draw in the courtroom, and must draw from memory. Could you render a scene from memory, quickly, and with recognisable likenesses? How would you approach the task, if you were required to do it? A: I have no familiarity or experience with courtroom sketching. I know a couple of artists who do it as a side gig, but they are allowed to draw in the courtroom as the proceedings take place. I don’t know of anyone who does it as you describe, having to work from memory after leaving… READ MORE
March 14th, 2021 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: What was your very first freelance job? A: My first truly professional freelance job, meaning for an actual company and not a personal commission or a live caricature, I did while still a student in art college, and it nicely opened my eyes to the realities of art direction and working with difficult clients. During my third year of college at the then named “School of Associated Arts” in St. Paul, MN., I was approached by the head of the design department about doing a job for him. It was fairly well known throughout the small school (my graduating class: 40 students) that I… READ MORE
March 7th, 2021 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I have been reading your book, “The Mad Art of Caricature” and find it very helpful and encouraging. I have two questions. When starting, what are the basic tools I should acquire? I know paper is often mentioned as being most important component, so do you have any recommendations in that regard? Was this covered in the book or did I miss something? (ok…guess technically that was 3 questions) A: Thanks for the kind words about my book. It is coming up on the 10 year anniversary of its publication, and I am still amazed at the steady interest in it. I suspect I… READ MORE
February 28th, 2021 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I’m thinking about opening a retail caricature business in my area because I’m unable to do live gigs that used to be my main source of income before the pandemic. Can you answer some questions about that for me? A: This email question went on to ask a lot of specifics about the retail caricature business, which having owned and operated caricature concessions for over 30 years in venues ranging from county fairs to major theme parks I have a fair amount of experience in. I’m going to paraphrase a lot of these questions, and generalize a lot of the answers since every situation… READ MORE
February 21st, 2021 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I’ve read that your work for MAD is owned by MAD and they can reprint it anytime they want with no further payment to you. Is that typical, or do you have a different arrangement for other freelance jobs? A: When I do an illustration for a client, who owns the copyrights of that image depends on the agreement I have with that client. Sometimes they own the copyright in perpetuity, sometimes they are only getting the copyright for a single use with limitations such as time, market, etc. It’s important to make sure the copyright arrangement is clearly spelled out IN WRITING and… READ MORE
February 14th, 2021 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Q: This question is prompted by your recent Care Bears post … I haven’t seen you talk in your blog before about pitching your own ideas to MAD. Did you do this often, and did many get picked up? A: Actually that may have been my first and last pitch for a completely independent piece for MAD. I do not remember ever doing that before or since. It never really occurred to me to even try pitching my own features or gag ideas to them, because I was usually very busy doing the art for features they assigned to me that others wrote. I regularly… READ MORE
