Bio: Besides doing cartoons for The New Yorker, I’ve also written for The Onion News Network and Clickhole for about 8 years. I also do a strip called Scribble Mountain for Mad Magazine, and a sporadically updated strip called Pie Comic.
As you can see, my drafting table has a beautiful view of the world passing me by. The Picasso print of Don Quixote is a constant reminder to never have reasonable goals.
I also have a studio mate, Eli Whitney, the guinea pig.
Tools of choice: I use a .05 Micron for almost everything. I brainstorm ideas in my beloved Kunst and Papier sketchbooks. I tear through those so fast, that I use a pile of them as a TV stand.
I do the final version of my cartoons in a Canson Mixed Media sketchpad, because I have enough loose paper lying around already. For shading I usually use a Copic warm grey marker, though I’m trying to get better at ink washes.
Tool I wish I could use better: I wish I could use a nib pen well. I love the line quality, but these wads of meat I call hands don’t gots the delicacy.
Tool I wish existed: Joke sharpener. The worst is when you have an idea that almost works, but that just isn’t pointed enough.
Tricks: Always try to have the strongest word at the end of the punchline, give each of your drawings a point of view, and if you ever want to improve your layouts, check out Frank Santoro’s thoughts on the subject here.
Misc: You can read more of my work at piecomic.com