Peter Richardson studied illustration at Brighton Art College under the tutelage of John Vernon Lord and, after graduation worked initially in the field of children’s publishing. His work includes the creation of character designs and storyboards for London animation studios, as well as advertising, publishing, editorial and design.

In 2009 on the occasion of the art college’s 150th anniversary, he wrote:

“I had the great good fortune to attend Brighton Art College from 1972 to 1975, where I studied illustration for what was then a Diploma in Art and Design. A wonderful era to be at Brighton.

“I was lucky enough to have John Vernon Lord as my personal tutor and in addition we also had the dry wit of Raymond Briggs and Justin Todd enlivening the fortnightly crits.

Gothic image of dark haired, darkly dressed young people in a bar with a dagger smoking on the table in front of them.

Peter Richardson, Cyber Goth Angst

“Harold Cohen was another great asset to the course as was Clive Chizlett. I remember Geoffery Treneman and Gerald Woods who always seemed to appear as a duo and in a wonderfully weird way with their faintly regretful demeanor and saturnine appearance, looked like a couple of undertakers. They were however both passionate in their pursuit of illustrative excellence.

“The three years seemed to whiz by, in a blur of macrobiotic food, marijuana, the Pre Raphaelites and the Velvet Underground. Great days indeed – I still miss them!

“Since leaving Brighton I have worked as a freelance illustrator across a wide variety of mediums and applications. Aside from book illustration, my work has included editorial commissions, packaging, in-store displays, comic strips, 48 sheet posters, storyboarding for TV commercials, styling, layout and background work for animation studios, web design. In fact, pretty much anything involving illustration.

In addition to working on a graphic novel along with my regular commissioned work, I am also editing Illustrators, a newly launched journal which is focusing on the best of UK and European illustration from the last 150 years. I am also designing and editing a succession of books focusing on some of this country’s premier comic strip and graphic artists, the latest of which, The Art of Denis McLoughlin, will be published this month.”

August 2012.