ARtist Research: Ralph Steadman

Another with lots and lots of pictures; illustrators are prolific.

Ralph Steadman is a cartoonist and illustrator who has been involved in making scathing political cartoons actually longer than he knew HST. That said, association with Hunter S Thompson and Gonzo journalism is what vaulted his career and where the crazy splattery ink stuff really started happening. Still does a lot of political cartoons. He also illustrates labels my favorite beer company.

Very energetic work. Tends not to have too much color (but there are, especially recently, more color in the work. Oftne in a sort of hazy way, as if an airbrush is used.)  

quotes from this article:

"I was concerned that Ralph's art would be the man and that I'd end up trying to make a film with someone who had this kind of aggressive attitude towards the world," Paul says. "But Ralph is such a lovely, warm and generous man, and yet he goes to his table and creates these pieces of art which are dangerous and, to be perfectly honest, quite upsetting sometimes."

Steadman's caricatures and drawings — whether of Richard Nixon or cats and dogs — don't start with a pencil sketch. He dips his brush into an inkpot and flings the black liquid onto his paper to create a formless blot to which he adds lines.

"You don't pencil in anything; you just start going and see where it leads you," he says. "It's an adventure, a little journey. Every drawing is a kind of journey. There's an organic quality that is quite potent, you know. You surprise yourself, and that's quite nice."

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Not all of the work has the ink spatter effect hat he's known for. information on what he works in outside of ink is less obvious. 

Things I'm interested in: How he handles crowds and masses of organic things. Organic drawing. imagery building. Ignoring perspective where it helps. Totally ignoring backgrounds unless they're relevant. pattern. How color is employed, when it is employed. how things are exaggerated. how mood is conveyed through selective/limited color and aforementioned exaggeration.