Sunday Mailbag- Artistic Comparisons?

Q: Do you ever get criticized or praised for people perceiving your work as similar to Mort Drucker? I see the differences, but just was wondering how you as an artist have dealt with that comparison.

A: I spent 20 years drawing caricature/likeness based movie and TV parodies for MAD Magazine. The comparisons to Mort Drucker and other famous MAD artists like Jack Davis, Angelo Torres, etc are inevitable. I have a drawing style based on line (as opposed to values like a painter), my caricatures lean more toward likeness than exaggeration, and my storytelling comes from a comic book background. Anyone who does that sort of thing for MAD is going to get those comparisons. I’ve had them range from being complimentary in that my work is quite different but favorably comparable to being accused of being a “Drucker rip off”.

I long ago realized those from the latter category don’t know what they are talking about, so I don’t give any credence to their opinions. I had that epiphany early on in my time with MAD. I had just had a few jobs printed with the magazine when I met a very well known caricature illustrator (who shall remain nameless) who was a guest speaker at a caricaturist convention I attended. When I told him I had just started doing work for MAD he said (I’m paraphrasing) “you have the house style down. I could never tell the difference between any of the artists in MAD… they all draw the same.”

This came from a guy who is a professional caricature illustrator? I would have expected him to be more “visually literate”. Even a non-artist should be able to tell the difference between Mort, Jack, Angelo, Sam Viviano, etc. Or me, for that matter.

I understand that sort of thing from a layman, though. To someone who is not an artist, they look at a caricature likeness drawn using ink lines within a rigid format like a MAD movie/TV parody and they register the art as similar or the same. The differences are very apparent when you put them side by side, however. Here’s a couple of caricatures of Morgan Freeman done by Mort from the MAD parody of “Deep Impact”, and here are some I did of Freeman from “The Shawshank Redemption” that will be in CLAPTRAP:

Now, The “Deep Impact” art is from Mort’s later MAD days (#372, Sep 1998) and his art had become looser and he used more “odds and ends” tools than straight dip pens and ink, but I happen to own a few of the original pages from this spoof so it was convenient to use as a comparison. Mort and I both use line and the thickness/thinness of them to define form (as do all cartoonists). It’s fair to say we both value likeness over exaggeration. After that the similarities are harder to find, especially in the drawing itself. Mort’s work is more rooted in realism, particularly with head shape and exaggeration of individual features. I tend to exaggerate and stretch the head shape more, and have a cartoony-er look as a result. Same with the individual features. On the technique end, Mort’s inking is far more loose and organic, using a lot of his signature “curly cue” lines. He’s also a lot more bold in using really thick lines and heavy darks. Mine is stiffer and more economical.

Most layman see and respond primarily to the superficial nature of the work meaning the cosmetic parts, the inks and techniques used to render the drawing, as opposed to the drawing underneath all that. Because we use the same basic tools and our work uses line to define form, that lends a superficial similarity to my and Mort’s work that some people can’t see past, although even those aspects are also quite different. If you look at the drawing underneath, there’s a lot of differences. Certainly I am influenced by Mort’s work, but it’s just that… an influence. One thing I learned from Mort and use extensively as he did is the use of hands as expression. Mort also taught me to value strong likeness over crazy exaggerations. He also taught me how lines can define form without the reliance on a lot of hatching or values.

When someone says my work reminds them of Mort’s I smile and thank them. That’s a high complement, Mort was a master of masters. He could draw rings around me on his worst day. If I am accused of being a Mort copycat, I just dismiss that. They don’t know what they are looking at.

Thanks to Richard Linden 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!