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  Gallery Of Cartoon & Caricature Tom Richmond-Usa

Legend has it Tom was born with a pencil in his hand… something his mother steadfastly refutes. She will, however, tell anybody who will listen that his head was the size of a basketball.

Tom and his big basketball head were born in 1966 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. After a tumultuous childhood during which he spent many a day in detention as a result of being blamed for every cruel caricature of a teacher that would surface at school (Tom only claimed credit for the “really funny ones”), he attended Art College in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he learned absolutely nothing about cartooning, caricature or humorous illustration. He did, however, learn how to draw fat naked ladies and bowls of fruit with consummate skill.

To pay for his college education, Tom got a summer job drawing caricatures at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. Here Tom learned an important life lesson: it was possible to get paid to make fun of people. While still digesting this revelation, he discovered a love for the art of caricature and had the opportunity to work with many talented artists who inspired him. He also discovered, in comparing his early caricatures with those of his co-workers, that his work in fact “sucked”. Midwest bred work ethic genes kicked in and Tom began working hard at his art. His ultimate goal was “not to suck”. This remains an ongoing (and some would say futile) goal.

Gallery