Richmond Illustration Inc.

Workshops

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More 2025 Workshops Added!! More to Come!!

Longtime caricaturist, humorous illustrator, and longtime principal member of MAD Magazine’s “Usual Gang of Idiots”, Tom Richmond teaches his approach, process, and trade secrets of the art of caricature in an intense, two day caricature workshop in locations all over the world. Limited to a small group of students, you’ll get plenty of personal, one-on-one critique and instruction from Tom throughout the course of the workshop as well as full class exercises, lectures and tons and tons of drawing. Tom’s credentials in the world of caricature and humorous illustration are almost without peer. Among his awards are being a two time winner of the “Golden Nosey” for “Caricaturist of the Year” from the International Society of Caricature Artists, multiple divisional awards from the National Cartoonists Society and a recipient of the NCS’s highest honor “The Reuben” for “Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year”. As the main movie and TV parody artist for the iconic MAD Magazine, his work has been appearing in virtually every issue since 2000. He also literally wrote the book on how to draw caricatures… his The Mad Art of Caricature: A Serious Guide to Drawing Funny Faces is considered by many the gold standard for instruction in the art form, and has over 35,000 copies in print. Getting personal instruction from Tom is a unique opportunity.

This video was filmed, created and edited by one of the students for my 2017 Pittsburgh workshop, Greg Feinberg. You can find him at https://www.gregfaces.com/ and https://vimeo.com/showcase/greg . He does great work both on paper and with a camera.

Note: Things have evolved over the years since that video was recorded in 2017. My workshops are now 2 days not 3 (I found few people can give up three days for something like this… a 2 day weekend workshop is more accessible). Because of the shorter time I no longer do the inking and digital coloring demos, and stick to just teaching people to draw caricatures. That’s what everyone is there for anyway.

Whether your interests are with doing live caricature, illustration, comics or just caricature in general, you will not find a more hands on, informative, and dynamic opportunity to learn the art form than at one of Tom’s workshops. He will share his observations of specific subjects, explain what he looks for and how he chooses to exaggerate a face, demonstrate his process both with live caricature and illustration, demo his techniques and share his over three decades of knowledge over a fantastic two day experience. Tom will draw along with the students throughout the workshop, examining and caricaturing face after face while explaining how he approaches specific elements and how he draws them to great effect.

This is no impersonal online video course where the instructor sits on a comfy chair in their underwear and your “interactions” consist of instant message exchanges. The truly invaluable element of these workshops is the personal interaction, feedback, and instruction, Tom provides each student… IN PERSON. Limited to only 14 participants, Tom watches each student draw, examines their strengths and weaknesses, and provides instruction and draws along with them to help each participant better develop their caricature skills according to their goals and skill level. These hands-on workshops allows you to get direct, one-on-one feedback and ask and have answered specific questions in a small, personal setting.

What students are saying:

“Tom Richmond’s workshop was full of valuable information on drawing caricatures. I especially liked his ideas as to how to draw the facial features – the eyes, nose and mouth – and also the face shapes. His tips were really helpful as to what to look for in order to get a better likeness. He tries to answer all your questions and adapt his information to cover what you really want to know. I would highly recommend his workshop for beginners just getting started, or for the professional who has been drawing caricatures for years.”– Jane Yamada, Denver 2019

“Tom’s workshop experience was amazing. The individual critique and advice from him was priceless, and the feedback he provided others was equally valuable. Tom has an amazing talent for drawing and also teaching. Even though the workshop was only a few days long, I saw my work and the work of the other participants improve by following Tom’s advice. I also liked how he differentiated his instruction for learners of different levels and needs. We had a guy allergic to pencils for crying out loud! …and Tom found a way to make it work. This was to me, a once in a lifetime opportunity and I very happy to have experienced it. .”– Ernesto Munoz, Dallas TX 2018

“Tom is a wealth of artistic knowledge and happy to go over, in detail, any question or issue you might have regarding your drawing ability. I went from an airbrush graphics guy who just couldn’t grasp caricature head shapes and underlayments to someone who could sketch out a face in fundamental caricature with respectability. The people in class are fantastic and I forged many friendships plus the swag you go home with is worth the price of admission. Don’t miss a chance to learn from a legend!– – Kevin Estes, Las Vegas 2020

“I loved Tom Richmond’s workshop. As a beginning artist, I wasn’t sure I’d fit in but whether you’ve been doing caricatures for twenty minutes or twenty years, you’ll learn a lot through his blend of live demonstrations and encouraging one-on-one instruction. My caricature skills improved measurably over the course, and I highly recommend the workshop for beginners and professionals alike.” – Benjamin Radford, author of ten books including Bad Clowns- Las Vegas 2017

“Like a 5 year old kid who went to DisneyWorld for the first time, I’ve been talking about my workshop experience to anyone who will listen, months after the fact. I knew that I was going to get a chance to receive instruction, tips, and criticism from Tom, but what I didn’t expect was that I was going to make lifelong friends and acquaintances, who continue to help me along in my caricaturing journey. It has been about 8 months since I attended the workshop, and I’m still learning from it. Everytime I draw, I reflect on the guidance from the workshop and practice applying Tom’s instruction. I can’t recommend this workshop enough.”–Nitin Bhojraj, Eagan, MN 2023

“If you get the chance to join this workshop, TAKE IT!! I feel so lucky I could learn directly from Tom and an impressive amount of technique and in depth knowledge was distilled over this workshop. It was such a special and fun experience and we received individual attention and critiques tailored to each of us. I learned so much and the intuitive and personalized feedback from Tom about exactly where and how I could improve was priceless. Not to mention the two absolutely wonderful personal caricatures that are the envy of all my friends! Can’t wait to take it again.– Marie Krueger, Denver 2019

“I’ve attended and delivered many workshops in the corporate world of my past, but none was better than the learning experience Tom provided in Dallas. His teaching methods were top notch. He personalized the workshop with one on one critiques, ample Q&A, live drawing exercises and an overall vibe of fun learning. As a total drawing newbie, I was blown away and had a fantastic time. I heartedly recommend the workshop to rookies, as well as to experienced illustrators.”– Don Gallager, Dallas TX 2018

“I attended Tom’s workshop in Dublin in 2023. My drawing literally improved the following day when I attended a wedding for live work, even other artists commented on the change. Tom clearly explains and rigourously tests important concepts like “presence” and I know I emerged a better caricature artist. Highly recommended for professionals and amateurs alike.”– Allan Cavanagh, Dublin Ireland 2023

“Tom’s Workshop was amazing, and it is a great value for everything that you will learn. My friends noticed an improvement in my artwork almost immediately. Tom is entertaining, and a heck of a nice guy. He teaches insightful, easy to comprehend approaches to improving your skills. If you love caricature, it is an investment you owe yourself. ”- Peggy Meyerhofer, Eagan, MN 2023

“Tom’s workshop was tremendously good! His ability to explain matters in the same way he does caricatures – straight on, easy and clear – is absolutely awesome. Whatever level any participant has, Tom is able to pick anybody up at his or her very level and will point out ways of improving anybodies work!”– Thomas Jahn, Munich 2017

“My goal for the workshop was to sharpen my eye, and to see the caricatures we all are drawing. I feel Tom helped me in the right direction with his one on one constructive advice. Tom is a great teacher who can see where to set in no matter what level of expertise you are at. Beginner or seasoned professional you will learn a great deal. As always at these workshops, I get super inspired to draw, draw, draw, now I can’t stop drawing!”– Allan Buch, Munich 2017

Each workshop will feature:

Presentation/lecture on caricature theory
Class demos/instruction of live caricature techniques
Class drawing activities/exercises
One on one instruction with Tom
A bunch of cool swag

Each workshop also includes:

A digital copy of The Mad Art of Caricature downloadable immediately after reserving a space in any workshop
A signed physical copy of The Mad Art of Caricature OR one of Tom’s Sketch o’the Week books
Signed copy of one of Tom’s 11 x 14 prints
Your “live” style caricature drawn by Tom
Random other goodies like exclusive mini-prints
An EXCLUSIVE custom class poster illustration by Tom, done in his MAD Magazine style!:

Cost: $550 (€550 for most European workshops)

A $100 deposit secures your spot!

This unique opportunity to work IN PERSON, side by side with, and learn from, one of the world’s best known caricature illustrators is not to be missed! Below is a list of our upcoming workshop locations and dates. Click on any to read the details of the event and place a deposit to reserve your spot today!