Dame Helen Mirren is a great signer. Depending on the usual equation – the demand divided by the time allocation – she either signs her quickies, which are “H Mirren”, or, if you’re lucky, you get the full “Helen Mirren”.
Over the years she has signed a number of my sketches. On this occasion it was the European Premiere of Graham Greene’s classic crime thriller Brighton Rock at the Odeon West End in February 2011.
My previous drawing of Helen Mirren in theatre as the Queen is here.
Billy Connolly has made numerous trips to New Zealand, with sell out stand up shows, recorded a TV series entitled A World Tour of New Zealand and roles in films such as The Last Samurai, and a dwarf in The Hobbit series. In spite of recent cancer surgery and being treated for the early stages of Parkinson’s disease, Billy plans to undertake an extensive theatrical tour of the country next year.
I drew this caricature in the early 90’s which he signed after one of his shows. See my previous Billy Connolly post here.
Actress Amanda Seyfried was in London recently to promote her new film, the biopic Lovelace. She spoke at the Apple Store and attended the film’s gala screening at the Mayfair Hotel. On both occasions I missed her, mainly because I didn’t go to the venues! Instead, I mailed my sketch to her and received it back ASAP.
In 201 she made People Magazine’s Most Beautiful With No Make Up list, moving up to Most Beautiful at Any Age list in 2012. She also has a taxidermy collection that includes a baby horse, fox, owl, moose and two butterflies
This is a cartoon I did a few years ago, after a high ranking government official got her job after lying about her qualifications, including a fictitious PhD
The two most colourful mayors in New Zealand Michael Laws and and Tim Shadbolt (mayors of Wanganui and Invercargill, respectively) have had a number of colourful tiffs over the years.
I made this illustration somewhen around 2008, and Mr Laws requested the original.
Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills found fame at the age of 13 in Walt Disney’s Pollyanna. She won a special juvenile Oscar for her role and went on to make five other films for Disney to become one of the most popular actresses of the early sixties. Despite her long and successful career, Hayley isn’t sure she would have made it in acting had she not been a child star. “I started work at the right time. At 13 I was still spontaneous and unselfconscious.”
She mad an early stage debut as well, in the 60s West End revival of Peter Pan, as the title character. Her Godfather was the playwright, actor and singer, Sir Noël Coward. In 1992 she toured New Zealand, Australia and the UK in his play Fallen Angels with her sister Juliet. It played my home town of Invercargill, New Zealand, and I was lucky enough to meet them both at the stage door of the Civic Theatre.
Hayley signed my sketch in London, at her agent’s office in 2010.
A timeless gag cartoon about politicians that I used on the the back cover of my ‘Twink and Ink‘ collection of cartoons in 2001.
The Cut Bar at the Young Vic is a popular theatre restaurant. Named after the street location rather than the state of its patrons…. mostly, it provides a convivial place to wait for the talent as they slip through to the stage door and the bar’s western hall.
I had heard that Sir Patrick wasn’t likely to sign going in, so left this sketch of him in his role as William Shakespeare in Bingo at the theatre rather than suffer a rejection in person. I was finishing a quiet ale in the aforementioned establishment, when Captain Picard walked past me. I was sketching at the time and he complimented me, we exchanged some pleasantries, but I decided not to mention my request. The Shakespeare sketch was returned, signed.
An old cartoon of mine. This was exhibited in 1991 at the 10th International Biennial of
Humour and Satire in the Arts in Gabroro, Bulgaria
A selection of my recent cartoons about North Korea, and the nuclear situation.
ChicanePictures 