From as early as I can remember I studied the work of other artists whose approach straddled the line between the bizarre and the ridiculous. My appreciation of various artistic styles has broadened since then and thanks to hard work and good teachers I am much better at my craft. However I still gravitate towards my original passion for funny characters. I love the way that the subtlest facial details can change the whole meaning of a subject’s story. I spend a lot of time getting those details just right; the crook of the mouth, the glare of an eye. I don’t rest until the character breathes on it’s own.
I do a lot of political caricatures. Often you don’t need to look very far into a public figure’s background to find fodder for satire. Some present a challenge but the majority don’t bother hiding some glaring personality disorder that just begs to be made fun of.
I like to keep up with current events and I browse through a number of online news sites in the course of each day. It’s very gratifying when I am given an assignment in which I am already familiar with the background story. It makes it much easier to figure out a strategy with the art director or editor. If you would like to see some of my characters on The Toronto Illustrators website please click (HERE).