07/01/2025
It’s Talent Tuesday! 🤩
Meet Gardner! Gardner has been drawing caricatures for seven years, getting his start at Worlds of Fun where he discovered the thrill of picking apart facial features and turning them into playful, expressive art. He later earned his BFA in Animation from the Kansas City Art Institute, and for the past few years, he’s been delighting guests with his sharp eye and even sharper wit at festivals and events across the city.
His favorite part of entertaining? The people! From wide-eyed first-timers to seasoned caricature collectors, each person brings a new energy and story to his chair. Whether it’s nervous laughter or a confident smirk, Gardner knows how to bring out the personality behind every face - especially when it comes to his favorite feature to draw: noses! While some people shy away from their most prominent facial real estate, Gardner sees it as a celebration - a signature element that makes each face completely one-of-a-kind. The diversity in noses, and the challenge of capturing them, keeps caricature fun and endlessly rewarding for him.
One standout event? A Halloween dog park party - yes, costumed dogs getting caricatured in full whimsical glory.
When he’s not drawing at events, Gardner is animating, storyboarding, and growing his art portfolio. He also has a deep love for voice acting and dreams of drawing at a voice actors convention one day. His creative spark doesn’t stop there - he’s usually sketching while watching movies or hitting up the local AMC to soak in the latest visual storytelling.
All of it is done to the sounds of his (in a big booming voice) “Ran Across Cool Playlist” — a handpicked collection of music with only one rule: if he likes it, it stays.