Artist of the Month – Tim Harries
November 6, 2009 in Events
The Bloghorn Artist of the Month for November is Tim Harries.
Tim is a freelance cartoonist whose clients Readers Digest UK and USA, Punch, New Statesman, Oink, The Sun, The Star, Future Publishing, Grant Thornton, Nelson Thornes, Kodak and many others.
Bloghorn asked Tim what made him decide to become a cartoonist.
Despite obsessing over cartoons at an early age, avidly reading from The Beano, Dandy, Nutty, etc, and drawing cartoons constantly, I didn’t consider it as a possible career ’til my mid-twenties, having spent my school leaving years in a variety of boring office jobs. My interest in cartoons was still there, and my reading matter was now Squib, the shortlived ‘The Cartoonist’ broadsheet, and the occasional copy of Punch and Private Eye.
The call of the cartoon was too great and I started submitting speculative gags to the usual suspects. I managed to get one accepted in my very first batch (to The Sun), and subsequently didn’t sell another for 3 months. Things got better though! The work increased (gags, comic strips, illustrations) and I took the leap from part-time to full-time cartooning in 1998.
There will be more from Tim here at the Bloghorn next week. Remember, you can enjoy our Bloghorn Artist of the Month archives at any time.
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bill stott said on November 6, 2009
No mention of the ukelele then ?
Steve Bright said on November 6, 2009
‘Bout bloody time! Love the DIY toon.
Oink? Need to know more about that, Tim. And as for reading Nutty at an “early age”, you don’t half know how to make a happy man feel old, even if I was nowt more than a child when I started working on it.
Looking forward to more.
Tim H said on November 6, 2009
Merely a typo. The last sentence should have read “took the leap from part-time to full-time ukulele playing in 1998”
Nathan Ariss said on November 6, 2009
Great stuff! A one-man-bande dessinée!
Tim H said on November 6, 2009
Steve, the ‘Oink’ referred to was a kids financial comic that ran for a few years. I believe they may have bought the rights to use the name off the old publishers. I was too young to be in the original Oink of course. Perhaps I need to clarify that on my client list!
Yes, I enjoyed Nutty, though I suspect I was too old to make it through it’s entire run. It started about 1980 yes? I would have been 13 and at the tail end of my comic buying. I think the Sinclair ZX80/81 computers started to take all my money from that point on!
Clive Goddard said on November 7, 2009
I’ve not heard of Future Publishing, Grant Thornton or Nelson Thornes…
Thanks, Tim. I’ll be sending them some stuff in the morning. 🙂
Tim H said on November 7, 2009
Bah!