Randall Enos

4/7/16

Randall stated that his interest in illustration came at an early age inspired by comics and then magazines and books.  But as he matured the comics’ drawing style started to appear corny to him so he took up painting and enrolled in the Boston School of Fine Arts.  There he worked at developing a style that was as far removed from comics as he could.  Many abstract paintings were the result.

Nevertheless, Randall maintained an avid interest in illustration and illustrators.  Consequently, when he met a girl from Westport (where many famous illustrators resided) he was instantly intrigued.  He later married the girl and moved to Westport.  While there he met some of the illustrators and was offered a job at the Westport School for Famous Artists in its comics section.  He accepted the job, which gave him a steady income and also allowed him to free-lance his work.  

By 1965 he became a full-time free-lance illustrator.  To set him apart from other free-lance illustrators, Randall developed a linoleum print technique, which allowed him to work very quickly while giving his work a unique appearance.  This satisfied the needs of many magazines and other publications that operated with extremely tight deadlines. Today he still does illustrations as well as producing some political cartoons.

Q&A

Q.  Do you know Pat Will Ferrrell and if so is he still around?

A.  I do know him and he is still around and just as crazy as ever.

Q.  What are the economics of cartooning?

A.  The fees are set by the customer and vary greatly.  But the field is disappearing.

Q.  How do you transmit your work?

A.  Today it’s done by email rather than giving it to a train conductor with a fee and asking him to deliver it to an art director in NYC.

Q.  Who owns the work you produce for magazines or other publications?

A.  I own the work and would collect residuals if there are any.