John Watkiss facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Watkiss
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| Born | 28 July 1961 Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, England
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| Died | 20 January 2017 (aged 55) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Years active | 1983–2017 |
| Known for | Tarzan |
John Watkiss (born July 28, 1961 – died January 20, 2017) was a very talented British artist. He was famous for his paintings and his work in comics and movies. His career took him from drawing graphic novels to designing characters and drawing storyboards for films. He is perhaps best known for helping to create the visual style of the Disney movie Tarzan.
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About John Watkiss
John Watkiss was born in England in 1961. He grew up in the central part of England called the Midlands. He later graduated from The Faculty of Arts and Architecture, Brighton University with a degree in fine arts.
His Artistic Journey
John started his career in London as a portrait painter and illustrator. He also taught anatomy and fine art at the Royal College of Art. He worked for many famous companies and people. These included the Museum of the Moving Image in London and director Steven Spielberg's company, Amblimation.
He also worked with other well-known directors like Derek Jarman and Ridley Scott Associates. His talent was also used by advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi. Later, he contributed to major film studios such as Francis Ford Coppola's projects, DreamWorks, 20th Century Fox, and Disney.
Creating Tarzan
One of his most famous jobs was working on the 1999 animated movie Tarzan for Disney. He helped design the characters and the overall look of the film. His work was very important in bringing the jungle world of Tarzan to life on screen.
Other Notable Artworks
John Watkiss also created paintings that were sold in famous art auctions. One of his paintings, called The Boxer, was sold at Christie's in 2001. In 2002, he was asked to paint a large mural for the Ford Museum.
His Work in Comics
Besides his film work, John Watkiss was a respected comic book artist. He drew for many popular comic series.
- For DC Comics, he worked on The Sandman and Sandman Mystery Theatre. He also drew for Starman.
- He illustrated all 13 issues of the Deadman series, which was written by Bruce Jones.
- For Dark Horse, he worked on Ring of Roses and various Conan comics.
- He also contributed to John Jakes' Mullkon Empire for Tekno Comix.
- In 2016, he worked on Surgeon X with writer Sara Kenney for Image Comics.
John Watkiss passed away from cancer in 2017 when he was 55 years old.
