FitzRoy James is an internationally known AWARD-WINNING CARTOONIST, caricaturist & fine artist. He is very personable, puts you at ease, works comfortably in any environment & loves to make people smile. He is available for events ranging from private parties to corporate & government events. You will be pleased with his work because he always goes that extra mile. His specialty is black & white REALISTIC LOOKING PORTRAIT CARICATURES drawn with graphite. He DOES NOT BOOK JOBS FOR LESS THAN 2-HOURS. Please take time to view samples of his work as well as the video.
BIO:
FitzRoy hails from the Caribbean nation island of Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. As soon as he could hold a pencil he was drawing on the walls at home. In spite of being chastised by his father he continued to draw on any surface available. In his early school years he even answered math test questions with drawings. He became a self-taught cartoonist due to his natural talent & sense of humor. He continued to draw profusely even after he began working at Shell Oil but quit that “good job” to pursue his passion. His tenacity led him to work as a political & editorial cartoonist at some of Port of Spain's major newspapers.
FitzRoy immigrated to the U.S. & settled in New York City. He began his formal art education at the School of Visual Arts (originally the Cartoonists & Illustrators School), studied graphic design at Cooper Union University & graduated from NY City College of Technology. He worked as a mechanical artist & graphic designer at some of the Big Apple's top advertising agencies.
It wasn't until he relocated to metro Atlanta that FitzRoy found his niche in the vibrant arts community. He has taught caricature art classes at Soapstone Center for the Arts, Lou Walker Senior Center & youth summer camps. Even though he teaches others he is forever honing his craft & improving his technique. He has trained under the internationally renowned, award-winning master cartoonist, caricaturist, humorous illustrator & author Tom Richmond who is best known as a major contributor to Mad Magazine.
FitzRoy has been drawing caricatures professionally for over 35 years. His client list is extensive & still growing. It all began when he traveled with the National Black Expo showcasing his talent in major cities throughout the U.S. When an Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau employee saw his work he was invited to partner with the bureau. He began forming business relationships with corporate giants like Coca-Cola, Marriott Hotels & Sun Trust (now Truist) Bank; as well as Bojangles, Chick-fil-A, CNN, Cox Enterprises, Delta Airlines, Genuine Parts, Georgia Power, HD Supply, Macy's & the movie, music & entertainment industry. Year after year, he participates in events sponsored by many of the municipalities encompassing metro Atlanta; DeKalb County CEOs, court officials, commissioners & department heads; the City of Atlanta, DeKalb & Fulton County Schools; metro Atlanta's colleges & universities, as well as UGA; health, athletic & major sports organizations; tourist attractions; carnivals & festivals; hospitals; churches & synagogues; theater groups; senior centers & neighborhood associations.
FitzRoy was working at Eastern Airlines when it abruptly shut down. He started focusing on his craft full-time & never looked back. Before the newspaper industry started downsizing his cartoons appeared in more than 25 weeklies throughout the U.S. Since 1991 he has been the Editorial Cartoonist for The Champion Newspaper in Decatur which is the official legal organ & newspaper of record for DeKalb County. He creates cartoons weekly that focus on editorial commentaries, politics, newsworthy events & life issues. His cartoons have won multiple awards from the Georgia Press Association in its annual Better Newspaper Contest. Those for 1ST PLACE recognized him in the Weekly Division Category as the BEST EDITORIAL CARTOONIST IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA among the association's member newspapers. More than once he has won 1st & 2nd place in the same year.
FitzRoy gives back by participating in school career days, fundraisers, teaching cartooning to budding artists & mentoring young artists aspiring to become caricaturists.
FitzRoy is respected among his peers as a fine arts painter. His signature work, "The Woman, The Child", has been exhibited in major cities all over the U.S., as well as Paris, France. He has illustrated & been a consultant for many books & produced artwork for CD animations, musical artists, corporate clients & small business. "Carib Laughter" is a book featuring his cartoons that was published in Trinidad. He has been invited to exhibit his work at DeKalb County's Stonecrest Library.
FitzRoy is a sought-after history lecturer who has made presentations at Morehouse, Spellman, GA Tech and other schools. He was a world-class athlete in track & field. Locally, he has won multiple Gold Medals in DeKalb County’s Senior Olympics.