The blog of Richard Thompson, caricaturist, creator of "Cul de Sac," and winner of the 2011 Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year.

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Jason Chatfield quotes Richard Thompson 3x in his new newsletter

Jason (if I may) talks about meeting one of Richard's heroes, Edward Sorel, and then looks to Richard for some nib thoughts.  Read it here at 

'How do you decide who you're going to be when you get up in the morning?'

How one piece of advice from Edward Sorel changed my career and helped me finally find my own style.

Saturday, June 22, 2024

Team Cul de Sac fundraiser t-shirt by Sergio Aragones info

Hi everyone, Chris Sparks. 

Sergio Aragones was kind enough to do the art for our Team Cul de Sac shirt to raise funds for Parkinson's research.
 
I have a few xs,s and m left and more of the large, xl and 2x.

It's $35 a shirt including the shipping, supplies and fees, in the USA. 

If you want a shirt and my PayPal email is JEDITRUE@GMAIL.COM

I will contact you as I work through the orders and wait for payment. 

I accept paypal goods and services unless it's a friend we can do friends and family.

All the shirts are WHITE. The back has the Heroescon logo! On front, it's a logo that Richard Thompson did in his own style for his first appearance in 2008.

If you have never been to Heroescon, you should plan for next year. 

Oh BTW, we made 20k at this year's drink and draw!!!!! All for Parkinson's research!

If you need multiple shirts I can do 3 per box. 

Remember, we only have White shirts. 
Invoices will be sent through my personal pp account jeditrue@gmail.com

Thank you Christen Ryan-Sanchez and Sergio Aragones!!!!

Sunday, June 9, 2024

Richard Thompson original art including in Chris Schweizer's graphic novel exhibit


It's at minute 45.

ART OF THE KIDS' GRAPHIC NOVEL Exhibition Virtual Visit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WReewXGnbAU

A live walk-through of the Glema Mahr Center for the Arts's ART OF THE KIDS' GRAPHIC NOVEL Exhibition, with curator Chris Schweizer

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Jason Chatfield on seeing Richard Thompson originals

from his Dispatches from NancyFest 2024 on Substack, and reprinted with his permission. Subscribe here - https://www.newyorkcartoons.com/


When I was here 6 months ago for Cartoon Crossroads Columbus —my first as a guest presenter— I got to see an extra special selection of art by my favourite cartoonist, Richard Thompson. Jenny had pulled them out, especially for me ahead of time.



Seeing Original Richard Thompson art up close is a pretty special experience. Five Stars. Highly recommend.

When I eyeballed Richard's original art for the first time I thought I was having heart palpitations. I pored over the Cul De Sac strips with a magnifying glass, forensically studying his line like Sherlock Holmes trying to solve A Scandal in Bohemia. I can't quite describe how important it is for artists (especially younger artists) to see original art, up close: white-outs, pencil marks and all. I never attended art school, but I've learned more from mushing my eyeball against great art than from any drawing class I've ever tried.

Friday, March 22, 2024

New Team Cul de Sac site launches

Team Cul de Sac

Cartooning Against Parkinson's Disease

https://teamculdesac.com/

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Richard Thompson drew About Schmidt

Courtesy of his friend Joe Sutliffe, here is a drawing that Richard did for an article on the movie About Schmidt and actuaries in films for Contingencies Magazine July/August 2003, p. 33.

The article is "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi" by Joseph C. Higgins, p. 32-34.

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Team CDS drawings by Jon Esparza for this year's auction

 Jon's always been great about donating artwork for the annual auction at HeroesCon. Here's 2 pieces he did this year. The Mr. Danders balloon was photographed when Chris unwrapped the art and unfortunately has a reflection of packing material as a result. I bought the Alice and put it on the scanner when it arrived from Chris this week (we operate on Thompsonish time scales).





And a real quick page addenda for your existing book:




Wednesday, October 11, 2023

New book from Richard's friends Watterson and Kascht

They met as we were all working on The Art of Richard Thompson.  At some point during that, they decided to work together. Their new book is The Mysteries.

You can hear them talking on this new video, which is about the process of making the book, and fascinating:

Collaborating on The Mysteries - Bill Watterson and John Kascht

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=HHND7L1wUl0

Thursday, May 4, 2023

CdS daily page sells at auction

Last night a Little Neuro strip sold for a piece that would have shocked Richard, but made him proud.

Thursday, March 30, 2023

Bonotom Studio design samples book

Richard's freelancer employer Bono Mitchell hired him frequently for magazine illustrations for her Bonotom Studio, which she ran with Tom Specht. I scanned a booklet of their work today, although there's nothing by Richard in it. There is a Guy Billout illustration for Contingencies magazine.

Friday, March 10, 2023

Richard lifting his mother's Suitcases (updated)

One of Richard's earliest jobs, done in a style he never returned to, was illustrating his mother's autobiography, The Suitcases. His mother, Anne Hall Whitt, spent some time in an orphanage in Charlotte, NC. The book is touching and worth reading. 

 The first time we went to HeroesCon, Richard and I visited the site (pictures now included below), and he was very moved by it. Here's some images from Bono's copy of the book, along with some material from Mrs. Whitt-Thompson's funeral that was laid in.


 
Richard at the orphanage site, June 6, 2010 (updated3/10/23):
 






 
 





The following letter and photo layout are from Richard's father -




Thursday, March 9, 2023

Richard Thompson, Chameleon

  

Richard wasn't really a chameleon - he was pretty much a WYSIWYG, except for a couple of minor things.

If he said, "Bless your heart," as a true Southerner's son, he may have either meant it, or "Damn you to Hell."

He was modest, but also he knew his value. He knew he was good, but didn't crow about it.

He also liked orange food, which may or may not be an attribute of chameleons.

Anyway, this is a project that he was part of in 1999. Can you tell what section he did?

He was the face. The other creators were Jeanne Turner, Annie Lunsford, Richard Steadham, Bono Mitchell, Dana Verkouteren, Ken Krafchek, and Patricia Cullen-Clark.

I know some of the group - Krafcheck teaches art at MICA, Verkouteren is a courtroom artist and caricaturist, and Mitchell and Lunsford have passed away. 

Here's Diane Rickenbaugh for HOW Nov/Dec 1999 on the project:






I'll put a pdf of the article and larger versions of the poster on the Internet Archive later tonight.


This year's Team Cul de Sac donation link

 https://give.michaeljfox.org/team/474477

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Chatfield on Thompson by way of Searle

How to strengthen your real estate market illustration, and a TCDS piece

 I'm not sure what Richard did this illo for, but I bought the original from Bono Mitchell's estate -

 and this drawing by Chris Schweitzer was for the Team Cul de Sac book and fundraising auction -


Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Billions of billions of drawings - Richard draws Carl Sagan

Richard did hundreds, if not thousands, of caricatures throughout his career. Here's one of astronomer Carl Sagan (the Neil deGrasse Tyson of his day) from a Washington Post Magazine  April 23 2006 article by Joel Achenbach. Thanks to Anita Finklestein for keeping this and passing it along,

 



 



Monday, March 6, 2023

Illustration work for Electrical Contractor and Contingencies

 As any regular reader of this blog knows, Richard did a lot of work for Bono Mitchell, an art director at BonoTom Studios. Recently I got a few magazines from her estate featuring Richard's work. Of this, most of it shouldn't be familiar - I think only the little girl at the blackboard appeared in The Art of Richard Thompson.



 
 

 


 

 

 

Tom Richmond also did some work for the studio, and gave his permission to repost one here, while saying about Bono, "I did several jobs with her as AD and she was a delight to work with. Funny, smart, and she knew her stuff. "


Tuesday, February 21, 2023

RT's Christmas party invitations

Received today from Richard's old friend Brian Nicklas -

"I found another pair of Richard's well-illustrated maps to parties."

"I love the way he drew Santa.  And his description of "Bethesda"."




Monday, January 9, 2023

Another dedicace for Cul de Sac

 Material keeps trickling in, now that we've finished the book. Here's a drawing I got from a friend over the weekend.



And the new page you can print to add it to your book.