Tim Sanders was born on 8 October 1957 in Castle Donnington, Leicestershire. He attended the King Edward VI School in Lichfield from 1970 to 1976, and studied at the Harrow School of Art from 1976 to 1979, specialising in illustration and leaving with ‘a perfect ability to draw fire extinguishers’.
Sanders draws pocket cartoons and political cartoons, using the signature ‘Tim’. He was cartoonist for the Socialist Worker, and in 1995 a collection of his cartoons was published as ‘In the Heat of the Scribble.’ In 1999 Sanders began working as pocket cartoonist for the Independent, replacing Chris Priestley.
As well as working for The Independent and Independent on Sunday, Sanders has drawn cartoons and illustrations for a range of publications, including The Guardian, Observer, Daily Telegraph, Mail on Sunday You Magazine, Nursing Times, Broadcast, and Red Pepper. Sanders is also a Spanish speaker and ascholar of Hispanic art.