I’ve received many compliments and questions about my cover artwork over the years, and I thought I would let everyone see behind the curtain as to who is the master of this whimsical art that I’m so lucky to have grace my covers. I did a short Q&A with him. His name is Ron Leishman, and you can find his work here:
Here are a few questions, to give some of our readers a little background into his life and art.
S4K: Tell us a little about you, where you’re from, family, what you like to do, etc.
RON: I was born in Winnipeg Manitoba and moved to Calgary, Alberta as an adult where I married my wife Nancy and raised 5 wonderful kids. We currently live in Utah, as my wife is completing a degree she started years ago before we were married. She’s a full time student at BYU.
Also, I’m a bit of a sports nut and watch as much as I can when not cartoning.
S4K: So, what sports teams would we find you rooting for?
RON: Warriors in basketball, Patriots in Football, Calgary Flames in hockey. Don’t really follow baseball except during the World Series.
S4K: Why did you become an artist?
RON: I’ve always drawn and in my early years as a junior high teacher, I did some free lancing on the side to offset my income. In 1996 with my discovery of the internet it opened the way to making it more of a career.
S4K: What did you teach in Jr. high?
RON: I taught French, art and computer graphics.
S4K: Is this your only style of art, or do you do others?
RON: I have done other styles over the year but I’m pretty much only interested in doing my current style. I guess if I was hungrier, I’d branch out a little but currently I’m pretty happy where I am.
S4K: Where can we see more art from you?
RON: The main outlet for my toons is my Toonaday.com site where I’ve done a toon every day for over 2o years. Almost all of my toons start out on Toonaday before migrating to my ToonClipart.com site that showcases all of my 7500 plus images as well as a few other clipart sites that license my images.
S4K: Where’s the most interesting or exciting place you’ve ever seen your art used?
RON: I guess that would include seeing my flying pig at billboard size on the side of a building in Mazatlan Mexico.
S4K: How many different drawings are there on your site?
RON: Latest count as of December 8, 2016 is 7,786 toons.
S4K: What’s been the most challenging aspect about being an artist?
RON: Probably having to come up with unique ideas every single day.
Well, there you have it.. a little insight into the creative mind of our illustrator, Ron Leishman. Also, a little note from myself, as well as all the other kids, parents, and teachers, we thank you for your art!
