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Sorry, that should read: Warmest regards from a "teat sucking office worker"

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"Methinks the King doth protest too much..." Apparently, by the well-rehearsed quality of your paragraph, this is not the first time you've felt the need to defend yourself and your work. I'm actually glad to have this opportunity to speak with you directly. Perhaps you can answer a few questions for me. (And please understand that these are not meant to be attacks or criticisms, but honest questions. After all, who am I to criticize you?) You're obviously a skilled painter, Mike. Clearly, you've spent a lifetime studying anatomy, posing, composition, color theory, etc. And I congratulate you on your financial and publishing success. However, I must wonder how you handle the fact that it is completely impossible for anyone to view your artwork without comparing you to another artist? Doesn't that temper any satisfaction you must feel when showing your paintings? Seriously, how often do you hear, "Hey, that's almost as good as a...." ? (and I'm sure it is not necessary for me to fill in the obvious last word to that sentence) By the vehemence and animosity of your paragraph, my guess is that you hear this a lot. Perhaps not directly to your face, but certainly through the grapevine, or on various web forums and such. (I'll be glad to send you several dozen URL's if you'd like) Are you competely happy with the reactions your paintings receive? As someome with obvious talent, can you truly feel satisfied as an artist, knowing that your paintings are so reminiscent of someone else's, and are always compared thusly? Do you get artistic satisfaction out of constantly being described as "derivative"? And, since you obviously have strong skills, why not develop your own style, thereby eradicating the need to defend the "originality" of your work by posting angry and insulting emails on the websites of lesser artists like myself? Many, many artists begin their studies and their careers by emulating their influences, but then, in order to gain recognition as true "artists", most of them evolve by coming up with their own styles, which are often variations on their predecessors, rather than direct copies. But everything about your paintings, from the poses to the compositions to the color choices to even the way in which you sign your name is directly reminiscent of another artist. Surely, you know this, otherwise you wouldn't be so defensive. Seriously, what is the explanation for a talented artist like yourself choosing to spend his entire career being compared to another artist and then having to defend himself over such reactions, undoubtedly on a regular basis? Are you okay with this scenario? Obviously not, or else you wouldn't waste your time defending yourself to "amateurs" like myself. Is it just for the money? (This explanation I might actually understand). Or...do you actually not see the direct parallels between your paintings and those of FF? Do you truly feel that your work merely sits in the same genre and should simply be described as "influenced by FF", rather than deemed entirely derivative? I think you need to do one of two things, Mr Hoffman: (a) Develop your own style. You obviously have the skills in which to do so. or (b) If you choose to continue making a career out of emulating someone else's style, then learn to live with the scrutiny. Warmest regards. "Teat sucking office worker"

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This is as amateurish a website as I've ever seen, and the scribbled, diddling work of the "artist" is on the level of a 10-to-12-year-old; witness the horrific "life drawings" that appear to be filtered through a primitively infantile cartoon sensibility--they completely miss the point of what the human figure is. As far as being an "Animation Supervisor", this bears out the famous "Peter Principle", that people tend to rise to positions far beyond their competence. As for giving career advice, visitors to this site would do better keeping their noses to the drawing board; this site is a professional-level time-waster by a self-appointed Art "expert" doubling as talentless busybody. Visitors to my site can make up their own minds about the work there without obnoxiously blatant jealousy intruding. I advise every aspiring artist to learn from the best--this is a time-tested method for artistic excellence, predating the Sony Corporation by centuries. My publishing record bears this out, and the popularity and sales of my work speaks for itself. However, If you'd like to become a corporate cog with delusions of having true artistic talent, then by all means--follow the advice given on this website. People who are real artists are generally too busy with their work to make a part-time career of offering half-baked advice. Also, ask yourself--who would pay good money to buy an original drawing from this site? The value of the "artwork" is amply demonstrated by the fact that the "artist" knows no one would offer fifty cents for any of it. This is how one becomes an office worker, stuck for life sucking at the teat of a giant corporation. If you want to be a real artist and are willing to do the required work, then talk to someone who knows, but don't waste your time here.