Since the fifth grade when he drew his first "penman," Gary Blehm has had an obsession with
the figure. Blehm describes them as "neither Modern Art nor Cartoon ... PENMEN are Modern
Cartooning."
He published his first "Find the Two Identical Penmen" poster in August 1989, and
sponsored a contest. He split the cost of a radio ad with a frame shop at the local mall.
Together they offered $200.00 to the first person to solve the cartoon game. It took the person
who won six hours to solve the puzzle; the winner said he managed to solve it through a
process of elimination using beer nuts.
Blehm's "Penmen" are exceedingly popular with young and old alike. He has expanded
from "Find the Two..." to many other popular posters such as "Penmen with Pen," "Penmen
#1," and "Modern Cartooning".
Blehm currently lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with his wife and son. In addition
to drawing, Blehm is also interested in music, photography and playing the guitar.
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