My, it’s fun being a cartoon! I first noticed these fun characters on Facebook. Ted Gibson and Jason Backe both had these fun drawings as their Facebook profile pics. Then I started noticing all of the Ted Gibson salon employees had one, how fun!?! While my friend Linh Nguyen and I were on set for Philadelphia Style a few weeks ago, he asked if I knew Rit Lon from Ted Gibson. Why, yes, he is the talent who gave our BEAUTY REVOLUTION winner, Raelinn, her gorgeous haircut! Linh reported that Mr. Lon was also the talent behind his “hairicature”. What?!?! I MUST have one!

Meet Rit Lon:

Victoria:  What is the official name for these drawings and how do you like for them to be referred to as?

Rit:  I started calling them Hairicatures because they began as caricatures of hairdressers.

Victoria:  How long have you been doing these?

Rit:  I started doing these over a year ago.

Victoria:  I know most, if not all, of the Ted Gibson salon employees have one, how did the trend begin?

Rit: I wanted to make an app on Facebook of all my hairdresser friends so they can send them to all their friends and clients. I have soooo many hairdresser friends it’s not even funny. They loved their cartoon personas so much that they started using them as their profile pics. When I came to Ted Gibson salon, I made one of Ted and Jason and they decided to use theirs as well. Now everyone wants one. I originally wanted to just do hairdressers but no hairdressers were willing to pay for theirs. So, I’ve been trying to raise money to give to schools in Cambodia because I feel like I need to give something back to my country. This was a perfect opportunity to do something that I like and raise money at the same time.

Victoria:  Can anyone purchase one from you? If so, what is the best way to go about ordering one?

Rit:  Anyone can have one now. With a donation of $250 they can have a one of a kind personalized character of themselves, which they can use for business cards, brochures, picture profiles, etc. Some artists charge up to $1000 for a custom logo for businesses. Because I enjoy doing this, I charge a lot less. Not only that, the customer is indirectly donating to charity towards a fallen country. Each donation I receive, 50% goes towards the charity.

Victoria:  What steps do you take in researching the person in order to come up with their character?

Rit:  You have to be friended in order to get one of these on Facebook. If you dot have a Facebook account, I would need 8 to 10 pictures of yourself in order for me to study your persona and facial expressions. I would sketch your picture on paper, scan into the computer, and that’s where the magic happens.

Victoria:  What organization are you donating profits from your “hairicatures”?

Rit:  The organization is called HVTO. It was developed to manage literacy and vocational education projects aimed to help the poorest and neediest Cambodian communities, improve their quality of life and to enable self-sustainability.

Victoria:  I met you at Ted Gibson Salon during BEAUTY REVOLUTION and you provided a haircut for our lovely winner.  Please tell us more about your work at Ted Gibson and other projects you are currently working on.

Rit:  I’m a master stylist at Ted Gibson DC location. This is my current project. Last year I used these characters to raise $1200 for Haiti relief.

If you have any questions for Rit Lon or would like to order one of his unique personalized “caricatures”, please email him at rithylon(at)aol(dot)com.

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About The Author

Victoria Stiles is a make-up artist from Washington, DC working in New York and worldwide for commercial print, editorial fashion, red carpet events and weddings. Victoria’s client roster includes celebrities Roberta Flack, Jordin Sparks, Real Housewives of New York’s Jill Zarin, and publications Glamour, O Magazine, Vogue, Surface, Virginia Living, and Washingtonian. Stiles’ expertise in make-up is frequently called upon by local and National publications. Recent articles in Washingtonian, Real Simple, Women’s Health, American Baby, and Northern Virginia Magazine showcases and quotes her knowledge in make-up and labels her as an industry leader.

In addition to artistry, Stiles is a presenter for The Powder Group-- an organization uniting makeup artists worldwide with relevant industry information and career guidance. She has presented seminars nationally at The Artist Summit and The Makeup Shows.

Follow her on Twitter @victoriastiles and add her on other social media networks here.
www.VictoriaStiles.com