Robert Grossman American Master
By Mark Kaufman One of my absolute favorite illustrators is Robert Grossman, prolific artist with over 500 covers for Time, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, TV Guide, and The Nation, and on and on and on… Mr. Grossman has been churning out genius work since 1963! The piece at the top left on Jack Kennedy is from […]
Paul Newman by Nick Taggart
By Mark KaufmanWhen Paul Newman died last week, my first thoughts weren’t his films, or his Newman’s Own products, his charitable works, his race car driving or his long-time support for progressive causes. All of those memories did run through my mind, but strangely enough the very first thing that popped up for me was […]
Tuli Kupferberg // Renaissance Left
By Mark KaufmanI saw the new Cohen Bros. film Burn After Reading the other day, and I liked it, but the most memorable thing about it for me besides my wife comparing me to the angry, blow his top character played by John Malkovich was the end credits. I don’t remember anything about the credits […]
Float // Sting // Draw
By Mark KaufmanI recently visited the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, which is a wonderful interactive museum dedicated to the life and work of the great boxer and humanitarian. I would recommend a visit if you’re ever down that way. One of the surprising highlights was the Leroy Neiman Gallery at the Center, outlining the […]
Luba Lukova Studio Tour
By Mark KaufmanAt the ICON conference a couple of weeks back I got to go on a tour of Luba Lukova’s studio out in Long Island City, NY. That was certainly a highlight of ICON for me this time around. Luba could not have been nicer and more accomodating. The workspace was small, and tidy, […]
ICON 5 = Nice People
By Mark KaufmanOne of the nice things about attending ICON, The Illustration Conference is getting to mix and mingle and meet nice, talented people. Not just those that are speakers or breakout session moderators, but more importantly fellow attendees from around the world. One such person who was great to talk to and is super […]
Barry Blitt New Yorker Cover Draws Fire
By Mark KaufmanThis New Yorker cover by Barry Blitt of showing Barack and Michelle Obama has just hit the streets and the blogosphere and the media have caught fire. I think the cover is absolutely on point. A satiric point. Many people still believe that the Obamas are Muslim, that the fist bump is terrorist […]
Sunday Reading: George Lois and Ralph Bakshi
By Mark KaufmanThis is becoming a regular occurrence and a regular Monday morning feature. It seems that every damn week in the New York Times, there is a nice piece on design, or illustration or animation and cartooning, giving these disciplines the same respect as the traditional arts and business coverage of fine art, architecture, […]
Congratulations. The Thing With 200 Heads
By Mark Kaufman Damien Weighill, British illustrator and proprietor of the wish I thought of that blog, Your Face has reached a milestone in drawing the heads of people that send in pics. If you haven’t done so already what are you waiting for? 200 portraits and still going. Congratulations!
How to Draw a Presidential Candidate II
By Mark KaufmanVery interesting and insightful article from The New York Times on drawing the remaining troika of presidential candidates, with a top-notch cadre of illustrators, Anita Kunz, Steve Brodner, Barry Blitt and Rick Meyerowitz weighing in. The reader comments run the gamut from intelligent to downright ridiculous. What else is new?