A Life Drawing

Descended from many generations of farming stock, Geoff Jones's expectations of becoming a farmer himself were curtailed when the powers-that-be decided that the much-loved family farm was earmarked for decimation by the construction of the M50 motorway, viaduct and bridge over the River Severn. There was never any mention of compensation, and nothing to do but sell up and depart. Faced with having to make a completely different start in life in his mid-twenties, with little money and despite being without any formal art training, he decided to become a commercial illustrator. The fact that comic strips appeared every week was the sole reason that his efforts were channelled in that particular direction. Luck was with him and for the next twenty years he drew picture stories for almost fifty different publications. Times changed though, and comics became fewer, so he spent the following twelve years working practically every waking hour to produce endless storyboard sequences for over 500 TV commercials.Later still a renewed interest in painting watercolours led to further diversity, including a successful exhibition and an unexpected market for paintings on the Internet. Illustrated throughout, this delightfully wry book tells the whole story.