Thomastoons Cartoon Blog

Thomastoons Cartoon Talk"Rob Thomas on Sound Effects"

Warning-this podcast has been proven to cause severe nausea, vomiting, restless leg syndrome, A.D.D., and projectile diarrhea in laboratory rats and politicians.
Download Podcast-SoundEffects.mp3

Good Art VS. Good Idea"A Cartoonists Perspective"

Today, my post asks the eternal cartoon question "What's more important, the idea or the drawing?"
Not quite as profound as the chicken and egg question, nor as contemplative as the tree in the forest conundrum.

In fact, this rises to the level of a no-brainer.

A quick look at Dilbert or South Park pretty much answers the question for us.
Put it this way:

GREAT IDEA+BAD ART=FUNNY
BAD IDEA+GREAT ART=NOT FUNNY

Of course, this is an over-simplification. There are limits to just how good or bad a gag cartoon should be drawn, but it's safe to say that somewhere between stickmen and Rembrandt lies the happy medium.

-Rob

Thomastoons Cartoon Talk"Rob Thomas on the New Yorker"

Download thomastoons-NYerPodcast1.mp3

War Cartoon

Just a little cartoon of mine, as an animation.
-Rob

New Yorker Cartoon woes"Cartoonist Rob Thomas Reveals All"

As a successful gag cartoonist, I often submit cartoons to the New Yorker.
Unfortunately, I've never been accepted, even though the great Wiley Miller once told me that my work would fit that mag like a glove (he must have been referring to OJ's glove).

OK, so a few years ago, I bought a very informative and witty book on cartooning by New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff. I enjoyed it so much that instead of a submission, I sent him my copy of his book and asked that he sign it for me.

I wrote a very sincere letter which included all of the appropriate ass-kissing (sincere, of course). Needless to say, he never returned the damn book. I'm still waiting...