Being a Cartoonist for the New Yorker | Interview with Tom Toro

What does it take to make a living from being funny — with drawings?
In this episode of Thoughts on Illustration, I sit down with New Yorker cartoonist Tom Toro, whose sharp wit and deceptively simple line drawings have kept readers laughing (and thinking) for over 15 years.
Tom’s debut collection, And to Think We Started as a Book Club (Simon & Schuster, Oct 7 2025), gathers his best cartoons from across his career. We talk about the real life of a cartoonist — from weekly submissions and rejection to balancing humor and craft — and how to keep your creative voice human in the age of AI.

💬 If you’ve ever wondered how professional cartooning works, or how humor and illustration overlap, this one’s for you.

IN THIS EPISODE
What it’s really like to be a New Yorker cartoonist — and why rejection is part of the job
How the relationship between writing and drawing defines the cartoon form
The secret to making a success New Yorker-worthy cartoon
Why embracing imperfection keeps art alive
How Tom feels about his body of work from the past 15 years

📚 NEW FROM ME
• My new Skillshare class Slo-Fi Illustrations — learn to slow down and bring handmade warmth to your digital work:
👉 https://skl.sh/4nbo3KT — get 30 days free with this link!

• My upcoming book Drawing is Important — now available for pre-order at this link:
👉 https://geni.us/DrawingisImportant — first 500 orders come with a custom signed book plate!


🖊 CONNECT WITH TOM TORO
Website — https://www.tomtoro.com
Instagram —   / tbtoro  
Book — And to Think We Started as a Book Club (Simon & Schuster) — https://www.simonandschuster.com/book...

💡 SUPPORT THE PODCAST
If you enjoy Thoughts on Illustration, you can support the show by:
• Joining my Patreon community —   / tomfroese  
• Liking 👍, subscribing 🔔, and sharing this episode
• Leaving a comment or review — it really helps the show grow!

🎨 FIND ME ELSEWHERE
Website — https://www.tomfroese.com
Instagram —   / mrtomfroese  
Daily Drawings —   / drawingisimportant  

🎵 CREDITS
Music and cues by Mark Allan Falk — https://linktr.ee/semiathletic