AS A CARTOONIST in London I have drawn illustrations from a wide range of publications and companies with head offices in the capital.
It was very easy, back in the Eighties and Nineties, to visit offices armed with a portfolio and emerge with commissions for cartoons and caricatures.
Nowadays, it is possible to show your work in an instant to people all round the globe, but, somehow, with a much lower return on your investment. The sneaky suspicion is that emails are easier to ignore than a living breathing human being showing you his illustrations portfolio. And, is physical artwork in a folder of plastic sleeves somehow more impressive than clicking through yet another online gallery? I don’t know, but I am just nostalgic for all those opportunities that being a cartoonist in London gave me back then.
Of course, I still visit people in London on occasions, although it’s usually to see an already-started project through to completion, having received the commission over the internet in the first instance.
London is rich in history and art and has a character all its own which can lead to a great deal of inspiration for artists of all types. And it has always been a magnet to the rich and famous. I am currently involved in the production of a book, Stars on the Tube, which is a collection of caricatures of famous people connected to every single London Underground Station.
This was started at the beginning of 2020 and became an essential distraction from the Pandemic and Lockdowns that dominated the year after that. Originally intended only as a collection of 275 drawings, it quickly extrapolated into the detailed publishing project that it is now and work still continues on its production when commissioned work allows.
I was fortunate enough to have it picked up by ITV London News who interviewed me, under strict Lockdown conditions (outdoors at two meter distance!) and gave very generous coverage to the project.
You can see the video of me, the cartoonist in London, drawing caricatures of celebrities of London HERE
If you have any requirements for cartoons, caricatures or illustrations, please CONTACT ME Now!