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Arthur Ranson
Arthur James Ranson (born 1939) is an English comic book illustrator, known for his work on Look-in, Anderson: Psi Division, Button Man and Mazeworld. His work on Cassandra Anderson has been called "photo-realistic".
Born in 1939, Ranson's childhood and formative years included access to the influences of art and artists in a mixture of British and American comics, including "[The] Beano, Knockout, [The] Dandy, Film Fun, Wizard, Hotspur..., The Eagle with Frank Hampson setting new standards. Wayne Boring's Superman, C.C. Beck's Captain Marvel," and others (including, "[l]ater, John Buscema's Silver Surfer and his Conan, Jack Kirby's Thor"). He says that Hampson in particular was an early influence, but that
Finding Al Williamson's work changed my approach because he did not do comic book drawings but just drew well using his own natural line. He replaced Frank Hampson for me as a spur when I started drawing.
Ranson attended the South West Essex Technical College and School of Art in Walthamstow, Essex, where he studied painting and printmaking. Trained initially as an "apprentice stamp and banknote designer" in the 1960s, learning "to translate photographs into watercolour... in stamp size." A "rare ability at the time," he would later use this skill as a "selling point" when pursuing a career "as an illustrator in advertising and publishing."
After a period of time as a "lettering artist for a cardboard box manufacturer", followed by teaching work, he says he "ran away to London." After some time in menial jobs, Ranson gained experience as a "general patcher-up and filler-in at a commercial art studio," where he was encouraged to become a freelance artist by, he recalls
a visiting commercial artist who said if I went freelance with him he could give me lots of work. I did, he didn't. Then I really became freelance.
Ranson has a son, Jonas, who is also an artist, and daughter, Cassandra.
Ranson first brought the precise techniques he had evolved through his apprenticeship to the UK TV comic Look-in, working first on portrait covers, and later alongside other major comics artists such as John M. Burns, Martin Asbury, Harry North, Colin Wyatt, John Bolton, Jim Baikie, Phil Gascoine, Barry Mitchell, and Bill Titcombe.
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Arthur Ranson
Arthur James Ranson (born 1939) is an English comic book illustrator, known for his work on Look-in, Anderson: Psi Division, Button Man and Mazeworld. His work on Cassandra Anderson has been called "photo-realistic".
Born in 1939, Ranson's childhood and formative years included access to the influences of art and artists in a mixture of British and American comics, including "[The] Beano, Knockout, [The] Dandy, Film Fun, Wizard, Hotspur..., The Eagle with Frank Hampson setting new standards. Wayne Boring's Superman, C.C. Beck's Captain Marvel," and others (including, "[l]ater, John Buscema's Silver Surfer and his Conan, Jack Kirby's Thor"). He says that Hampson in particular was an early influence, but that
Finding Al Williamson's work changed my approach because he did not do comic book drawings but just drew well using his own natural line. He replaced Frank Hampson for me as a spur when I started drawing.
Ranson attended the South West Essex Technical College and School of Art in Walthamstow, Essex, where he studied painting and printmaking. Trained initially as an "apprentice stamp and banknote designer" in the 1960s, learning "to translate photographs into watercolour... in stamp size." A "rare ability at the time," he would later use this skill as a "selling point" when pursuing a career "as an illustrator in advertising and publishing."
After a period of time as a "lettering artist for a cardboard box manufacturer", followed by teaching work, he says he "ran away to London." After some time in menial jobs, Ranson gained experience as a "general patcher-up and filler-in at a commercial art studio," where he was encouraged to become a freelance artist by, he recalls
a visiting commercial artist who said if I went freelance with him he could give me lots of work. I did, he didn't. Then I really became freelance.
Ranson has a son, Jonas, who is also an artist, and daughter, Cassandra.
Ranson first brought the precise techniques he had evolved through his apprenticeship to the UK TV comic Look-in, working first on portrait covers, and later alongside other major comics artists such as John M. Burns, Martin Asbury, Harry North, Colin Wyatt, John Bolton, Jim Baikie, Phil Gascoine, Barry Mitchell, and Bill Titcombe.