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Below is an excerpt from tmst.twu.net/sluggy/tmstaug05.htm.

07/08/05 (Visitor Counter=195,950): I AM NOT MADDOX'S ILLUSTRATOR (yet)
Okay. A while back, this bloodthirsty, buttkicking pirate called Maddox who runs a website called The Best Page In The Universe on which he disses everyone and everything including his own viewers, sent out a request for illustrators for his upcoming book. The submission brief was to demonstrate your drawing skillz by sending him a B&W picture of someone getting punched in the face, and also a B&W picture of a Lumberjack and a Bull. Here's what I came up with (click the images for larger versions):
Click for larger image Click for larger image

(Note that I've used the colour version of the Lumberjack/Bull image here, and that the pirate dude punching the bleached-haired, skinny white rapper in the chops is meant to look like Maddox himself.)

Although Maddox had asked for an "encyclopedia" style of artwork, I just used my normal cartoony style anyway, hoping that at least he'd post the pictures on his site if he liked them.
As it turned out, he did like them, and posted the "Someone Getting Punched In The Face" one on his site with his few other favourites, stating that these were the runner ups, and that the work of the selected artist wasn't shown on that page.

Here's what he said:

In one week, I received 762 entries, which resulted in 1/2 gig of submissions (483,780,341 bytes). I finally finished reading all the emails today, and narrowed down the submissions down to 40 for final consideration. Of the 40 finalists, I narrowed it down further to 8 illustrators I'll be working with on this project.

And so, ever since then, I've been getting people contacting me and congratulating me on being Maddox's new illustrator. So I'd just like to clear up that I'm not. YET. Here's what he said in his email to me (with pirate-talk censored out by me, out of consideration for all those Ninjas who visit TmsT):

Andrew, these are f**king sweet. Very cool work, but it's more stylish than what this book calls for.

I'm looking for simple black and white illustrations along the lines of what you'd see in a reference book or an encyclopedia. Strong emphasis on anatomy, with a realistic look and non-exaggerated proportions.

Still, I may have a use for this style in the future, keep in touch. Thanks for your submission.


Not that I don't appreciate getting encouraging messages like this, of course:
Congrats on being chosen for Maddox's book! Your eCelebrity has probably risen a bajillion points...

...I'm.so.jealous.

-random fangirl

It's a lucky thing that I made a new GCW comic for the comicpage, what with my raised eCelebrity status and all now. ;)

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