John Parsons Illustrations

     Artist and Illustrator John Parsons works in a wide range of styles, using a variety of media to provide high quality work to meet most art and illustration requirements, producing paintings and drawings for advertising, architectural and book illustration, cartoon and caricature, greetings cards, pin-up, portraits, landscape, pets and wildlife

     Born in 1956 in Stafford, England, John studied at the West Sussex College of Art and Design. His first job, after leaving art college, was as a layout artist for Promoter Newspapers  (in the days when layout was done with hot wax and a scalpel) where he was also required to do occasional drawings for adverts and editorial.

     In 1979 John worked as a comic strip and cover artist for a rather exotic and obscure adult magazine called 'Wildcats', leaving in 1983 to become a caricaturist on Blackpool Pleasure Beach where he and fellow illustrator, Andy Hazel, drew quick five-minute cartoon caricatures of visitors to the amusement park.

     After a year in Blackpool, John returned to Bognor Regis, on the south coast, and began illustrating for advertising agencies, greetings card manufacturers and book publishers. He continued to caricature at the Regis Centre and Bunn Leisure in Sussex and at Leicester Square, Marble Arch and Tottenham Court Road in London.

     These days, most of John's work is a mix of commercial illustration and private commissions for portraits, his illustrations have appeared in books, magazines and on television for clients including the British Olympic Squad (via Oxbow Data Services), Inde Coope Friary Meux and British Telecom (via Market Place), W. Foulsham Publishing, Butlins Southcoast World and the West Sussex County Council.

     John still occasionally takes commissions to draw the 'Quick Caricatures' for events such as trade exhibitions and conferences or for corporate Christmas/New Year parties and Weddings. He has appeared at venues such as the Wembley Arena, the NEC, various hotels across the UK and at the Ruby Shoes Burlesque Cabaret.