Kim Raymond facts for kids
Kim Raymond, born in 1957, is a talented British artist and animator. He is well-known for his work on comic books and for drawing many popular Disney characters. In the UK, he contributed to the famous Judge Dredd comic series in 2000 AD. He also drew newspaper comic strips for papers like Today and The Daily Star. Kim Raymond is one of the first British artists to gain international fame for creating official Disney art from the UK.
Early Life and Artistic Beginnings
Kim Raymond was born in Woking, Surrey, England. His father, Eric, was a former navy engineer. His mother, Patricia, was a nurse.
From a young age, Kim loved comics. He enjoyed British comics like The Beano, Tiger, and Lion. A big influence was TV21, a comic linked to the puppet TV shows by Gerry Anderson.
Artist Frank Bellamy often drew for TV21. He later drew a daily comic strip called Garth. This greatly inspired Kim Raymond. He was also influenced by Marvel comics like Spiderman, The Silver Surfer, and Thor, which were becoming popular in the UK.
After studying animation for three years, Kim joined The Walt Disney Company in London. He started as a junior artist. However, after a year, he decided to focus on a career in comics.
Drawing for UK Comics
Kim Raymond began his comic career working for DC Thomson. He drew for girls' comics like Mandy and Tracy. Later, he moved to IPC London, working on boys' comics such. These included M.A.S.K., Robo Machines, and Starcom. He then contributed to Tharg's Future Shocks and Judge Dredd in the early 1980s.
Kim's skill in drawing female characters led him to work on Judge Anderson, Psi Division, in Judge Dredd. He was inspired by artists like Jim Holdaway and Romero, who both drew Modesty Blaise. Frank Bellamy and Ron Smith also influenced him. Ron Smith, another Dredd artist, gave him helpful advice. Kim Raymond worked on the "City of the Damned" epic, drawing three episodes. His last comic work was for the newspaper strips Checkout Girl and Roy of the Rovers.
Creating Art for Disney
In the late 1980s, Kim Raymond noticed changes in the UK comic industry. There was less chance to create new characters. So, he returned to drawing for Walt Disney, an area known for high-quality art.
He worked as a freelance artist for several years. In 1992, he started his own company, Character Magic Ltd. This allowed him to improve his art and work with many Disney partners. After more training in the US and Paris, Kim became the top UK Disney Character artist. In 1999, he began advising The Disney Stores in Europe.
Today, Kim Raymond is a Senior Principal Artist for Disney in London. He is responsible for many successful Disney art projects.
