An illustrator, Rico Tomaso was known for his illustration of mystery novels and exotic adventure stories and also for his teaching abilities. Many of his illustrations were for The Saturday Evening Post, including the Albert Richard Wetjen stories about the Mounted Police of South Australia. Another client was the Granger Pipe Tobacco company, for whom he did full portrait illustrations.

As a young man, he played piano with a small dance orchestra, and future illustrator, Dean Cornwell, was the drummer. It has been written that Tomaso's "work mostly resembled Cornwell's in concept and broad brush style." (253)

Tomaso's family friend, John T. McCutcheon, cartoonist for the Chicago Trib...