cartoonist, illustrator and painter, was born in north-west NSW. One of five brothers, he left school aged eleven to help support the younger boys and spent the following years in a variety of jobs, including working on sheep stations. He spent some years as a wool presser and was employed on a fishing trawler. Helped by his friend L.J. Gray, he moved into commercial art and eventually produced comic books as well as working for printing houses and advertising agencies. He collaborated with Will Donald on many comic-book titles for Offset Publishing; he also drew illustrations for the Australian Women’s Weekly and Woman’s Day .
Although entirely self-taught, English painted watercolours and oils of outback landscape, which he sold through Proud’s Gallery, Sydney; some were used for Dalgety calendars. He produced an enormous range of work, including sports cartoons, pin-ups, TV story boards, lurid sci-fi and horror/fantasy ( Revenge 1978, unpublished ill. Rae 37) and the preachy, naturalistic style of his strip Casey and Tim (undated example with Aborigines teaching the white lad Tim respect for the land: ill. Rae p.39). An angry self-portrait at an easel forms the frontispiece of Rae.
This entry is a stub. You can help the DAAO by submitting a biography.
- Writers:
- Kerr, Joan
- Date written:
- 1996
- Last updated:
- 2007
