Rich Skipworth - Featured Cartoonist Interview - BIO

[Leah-Admin]

Rich Skipworth

BIO
"I'm a freelance cartoonist, and have been in that state for ooh...25, maybe 30 years now. There's no cure. My main area of work is greetings cards, calendars and cartoony giftware. I originally thought I wanted to be an illustrator of paperback book covers, and I got a few commissions to do a few spy thriller type covers years ago and I thought "At last...made it!" but then I realised that that sort of work, well, it wasn't funny.

I wanted to do funny stuff. One day, more by luck than anything else, I got asked to submit some cartoon christmas card designs to a greeting card publisher, and they bought 'em! Then they asked for some more...and they bought those too! It kept happening, and I've been doing it ever since. Plus other stuff too. It's pretty busy most of the time. I publish my own ranges of cards these days too, and sell them online via my site. That's going really well these days I'm pleased to say."

Goals
Future goals would be to expand my own self-publishing empire, to have more control over the finished items, and to sell more stuff direct to the public.


Qualifications
I've had no specialist art or cartoon training. It's all self taught. I got a degree in Physics way back in 1976, then realised I preferred cartoons to hard sums and rocket science. I did get to do some cartoon illustrations for some Quantum Physics lectures though.

Publications
I've had work published by all the leading greeting card publishers in the UK: Hanson White, Paperhouse, Hallmark, Carlton, Rainbow, Webb Ivory, and others. My giftware is produced by the Xpressions Gift Co, and loads of my stuff is on sale in Clintons stores, Tesco, Sainsbury's and assorted other outlets.

Favourite Cartoonists
Marvel artist Jack Kirby was my inspiration as a kid, though my work bears no relation to his whatsoever. Ralph Steadman, Leo Baxendale, Ken Reid. Damn, I loved Ken Reid's work.

Location
UK

[Leah-Admin]

I'm having trouble loading images at the moment, but all will be sorted when pc stops playing up!! Many thanks to Rich for this awesome interview!!

[Simon Lake]

Rich Skipworth is my most favourite Cartoonist in the World. I requested that Interview and well done Leah!

[cartunes-r-us]

Rich Skipworth helped me a great deal with my coloured digital efforts over on another forum, which I am eternally grateful for---hell, he even coloured in one of my own b/w cartoons, and a brilliant job he done too.

Rich is one of the most accomplished colourists around in my view, with an instantly-recognizable style, and I especially appreciate his hyper-detailed stuff.

I see he has a good few 2012 calendars out at the moment on various themes, including sport and animals...well worth a look to any cartoon enthusiast.


Here's a link to a hyper-cool colouring job that Rich so kindly done on one of cartoons:

http://www.cartoonist-forum.com/t35p210-all-my-own-shirk#7357

[Kathy]

Wow!! Great coloring of your toon - and Rich's work is wonderful! I wish he'd be willing to share some coloring tips with us (my coloring is...bland and boring, I think.)

[Leah-Admin]

What a fun coincidence - my son came home yesterday with a Xmas Card
designed by cartoonist Richard Skipworth with the exact same picture as that posted above pic 2!

[Simon Lake]

Yup, he's everywhere. I'm not Gay but I love this guy.

[Steve B]

Just a few words to say how pleased I was to meet Rich in persona here in Malta yesterday. He very kindly invited me to attend any event of the other forum mini convention but due to the (new) job commitments couldn't really attend weekdays. There was a very good demo of live caricature drawing by Xi Ding.

Thanks Rich!

[Simon Lake]

[Leah-Admin]

Just a few words to say how pleased I was to meet Rich in persona here in Malta yesterday. He very kindly invited me to attend any event of the other forum mini convention but due to the (new) job commitments couldn't really attend weekdays. There was a very good demo of live caricature drawing by Xi Ding.

Thanks Rich!

Great stuff