IAN KENNEDY INTERVIEW

by Tony O'Donnell

Q. Firstly, can you tell me where and when you were born?

Ian. First saw the light of day in Dundee, Scotland, on the 22nd September 1932.

Q. Where were you educated?

Ian. My education took place in the Clepington Primary School and later at Morgan Academy, both in Dundee.

Q. Did you show an early aptitude for art, and was it encouraged?

Ian. Very  definately. My parents, who were always very encouraging, used to relate that, when I was a toddler, if they wished to keep me quiet and happy, all that was required was a pencil and a piece of paper.

Q. Did you read comics as a boy and if so, did you have a favourite story or artist?

Ian.  As a boy, I was a great reader of comics - anything that came to hand.
I was not particularly aware of the writers or artists' identities, but obviously I preferred some styles of artwork to others.

Q. What was the main influence on your drawing during your teenage years and what other interests or hobbies did you have?

Ian. There was no particular influence - I just had to draw - especially aeroplanes - my one abiding, not to say, obsessive love. As for any other hobbies, I used to enjoy cycling in the surrounding countryside - always on my own. I always was a bit of a loner, despite having a younger brother and sister.

Q. Did growing up during WW2 have an influence on your life and future career?

Ian. Very much so! There were quite a few operational RAF stations in the vicinity,
and this engendered a great ambition to join up and make my career in flying.
Unfortunately, this was made impossible by ear trouble, so you could say that since then,
more by accident than by good judgement, I have made my living portraying aircraft in all sorts of ways rather than flying them!

Q. Did you do National Service?

Ian. No, the ear trouble saw to that.

Q. After leaving school, did you go to an Art College or perhaps an apprenticeship?

Ian. On leaving school, I was taken on as a sort of apprentice illustrator by DC Thomsons in their Art department. I did spend some months at evening classes at the Dundee College of Art of that time (1949) but it was really of little value. My main training took place in the department; my first published work was, weekly, inking in the black squares in the Sunday Post crossword !!!

Q. When did you start as a freelance artist and who was your first client?

Ian. Having got married (1953) and with family on the way, it was obvious that I needed to increase my earning power, so had no option but to take my chances in a wider world. A local agent had no trouble in getting me work in, if I remember correctly, the 'Knockout' published by Amalgamated Press in London, and the rest, as they say, is history!

Q. Some of the earliest work of yours that I am aware of, (thanks entirely to Steve Holland's Stripography) was for the Collins Boys Annual and for Sun in 1954.
Do you have any memories of your working relationship with the editor, Len Matthews, or sub-editor David Motton?

Ian. Tony, you are now beginning to test my notoriously weak memory. Those early days are all a bit of a blur - the names I remember, but details escape me. The overriding impression is of breaking new ground in good and exciting times.

Q. You did a lot of work for Thriller Picture Library, Air Ace and other strip work with war as the theme, during the 1950's and 1960's. These war stories seemed to take over from the western comics. How did you feel about this shift?

Ian. A couple of my earlier answers will give you a clue. The western comics were what was asked of me at the time and I learned very quickly to supply, to the best of my ability, what was required, but when the change to Air Ace took place, boy, the world was my oyster and I was in my element at last !!!

Q. Can you remember, what your first freelance work for DC Thomson was?

Ian. I think that, on restarting for DC Thomson as a freelance, my first work was a series entitled 'Red Skull Branson' drawn if 'ahem', my records are correct, around January 1955.

Q. A major speciality of your art is your ability to capture perfectly scenes of aerial combat (dogfights). Do aircraft and flying hold a particular fascination for you?

Ian. You will never be more right - I am up there with them!

Q. When you first started, in the 1950's, was it difficult to reach the standards required to maintain a steady flow of commissions, for example, did you ever have problems with figure drawing, perspective, story telling or perhaps you had mastered all these elements before you went freelance?

Ian. Tony, if you want to make something of this job, it has to be accepted that the best artwork is 99.9% hard graft and the rest accidental, at least that's the way it has been for yours truly. Figure drawing, perspective, etc, have to be worked (slaved) at and problems are there to be solved - if they aren't, woe betide!

Q. I believe that you prefer an early start to your working day - were deadlines a problem or are you a fast worker?

Ian. My working day, over the years, has been extremely structured, starting no later than 9am and working till the set target was reached - no matter how long it took. I am not a fast worker, believing that quality is paramount and of course, deadlines are there to be accepted.

Q. How difficult was it, to balance family life with your freelance commitments?

Ian. It has been difficult but, thankfully, the family and especially my long-suffering wife have been very understanding - I don't think I gave them much option.

Q. I became an admirer of your work in the late 70's, but I was certain that I had seen your style long before that, perhaps in the Hotspur, Wizard or the Judy (my sisters) during my childhood. I have a vague memory of a racing car annual (mid 60's) which may have had a colour strip of yours in it,
but I can't place it any ideas?

Ian. You're testing me again, but as I was fortunate enough to be fully occupied during the 1950's and 60's, you must have come across some examples of my output.

Q. One of the earliest examples of your work that I have in my collection is a strip called Typhoon Tennyson from Wizard, it's a racing car story set in the Far East. I have always admired the way that you illustrate fast moving cars, the spinning wheels, speed lines etc. You are also a master in creating a sense of depth through your subtle combination of line thickness in foreground and background and your use of white space. Who if anyone was the major influence on your pen and ink techniques?

Ian. Thank you for your favourable comments. As for any particular influence on my pen and ink technique, it is well nigh impossible to pinpoint any one source. I can only describe my work as an amalgam put together by my being a bit of an artistic scrounger, keeping my eyes open and over the years, cherry-picking the best and ignoring the worst of my fellow artists and illustrators, then I suppose injecting a little bit of myself to round things off. A lot of frustration but also much fun!

Q. According to Steve's Stripography, you did some SF work for Collin's Boy's Annual in 1954 but am I right in thinking that it was not until the late 70's, the Star Wars era, that you started to concentrate more on Science Fiction with regular work for 2000AD and Star Lord?

Ian. Yes, I think you're right, it was about then I moved into Science Fiction, while still maintaining contact with Aviation interests.

Q. Did you ever do any work outside Comics, perhaps in Advertising?
Ian. I have done some Advertising, but it has never featured largely in my output. I was, in the late 80's and throughout the 90's involved in creating the covers for RAF Leuchars Annual Air Show, the originals of which now hang in the crew rooms of the relevant squadrons. During that period I also participated in producing limited prints of aviation subjects and the now defunct Tay Ferry Steamer the Abercraig.

Q. Speedmaster/Scalextric. I believe that Dez Skin sought you out for this job in the early 80's. I'll always regret not buying this when I saw it in a model shop, it was lovely work. Dez advertised Speedmaster in Warrior; did you ever consider contributing to Warrior?

Ian. Speedmaster was a very challenging and enjoyable experience, resulting in a product of which, I believe, both Dez and I can be proud. As for working for Warrior, it escapes me why the situation never cropped up.

Q. Over the years, you have produced countless covers for Annuals, Comics, and DC Thomson pocket libraries.eg, Starblazer, Football and Commando. I was thrilled when I saw your cover art on three of my own Starblazer books. All of your covers seem fresh and eye catching, with a bold use of colour and dynamic compositions. This is an impressive achievement. Do you find cover art easier than strip illustration?

Ian. Thank you again for your comments. Cover painting and strip work each present their own particular challenges, satisfactions and problems requiring the same application and resolve, which I mentioned earlier, hopefully resulting in a job well done. Personally, I get a great kick out of composing a good cover.

Q. Do you work in oils or watercolours for colour work and have you ever used an airbrush?

Ian.  I use acrylics for all my colour work. As for the other part of your question - what on earth is an airbrush!!!

Q. Are there any major influences on your colour painting techniques?

Ian. As in my answer to your question about my pen and ink work - a bit here, a bit there, and a fair amount of myself!

Q. Do you use a dip pen or a brush for your black and white work and what paper do you prefer?

Ian. I use dip pens, Rapidoliners and brushes in my black and white, and any good white board with a smooth stable surface will do - the cheaper the better, typical of a Scotsman!!!

Q. Are your pencils rough or very precise?

Ian. My pencils are very precise, as I believe this lessens the chances of problems further down the line.

Q. Some artists use photographic reference, for figures, photos and models for cars, planes etc. Do you draw mainly from imagination and memory, or do you use a reference file?

Ian. I have an extensive collection of references, photographic and otherwise. Imagination is a great asset, but the details have got to be correct.

Q. Whose scripts, stories, did you prefer?

Ian. Over the years I have worked with many authors but have never really had any favourites. If the script sparks me off, then that is good enough for me.

Q. What was your least favourite job? In a recent interview, Mike Western professed a dislike for drawing romance comics.

Ian. Mike has my sympathy - I am inclined to agree with him. Feminine subjects have never been my preference.

Q. I loved your work on Blake's 7, especially the line and wash style of the early issues, your work on this strip came to an end as you were in a car crash. This must have been a traumatic experience. How long was it before you returned to work?

Ian. Blake's 7 was a lot of fun, meeting the cast etc. I was very sad when that came to an end. The car crash was quite something, but I was very lucky in that the injuries I sustained, although nasty, were not life threatening and have not left any lasting effect. As I recall, I was about 2 or 3 months away from the drawing board.

Q. As far as I am aware, the 1980s was a very busy period for you, with your work appearing in 2000AD, Battle, Buddy, Blake's 7, Eagle (Dan Dare), Mask, Victor Summer Special, Wildcat and hundreds of covers for DC Thomson's pocket books. I have learned recently that you were also drawing an adventure - spy series for a Scandinavian comic - could you tell me a little about this work.

Ian. Yes, the 80's were a very busy period - never off the go with plenty of variety and working with a lot of good and interesting colleagues. Working on the Scandinavian publication, the Fantoman, was a bit of a challenge in that I tended to find the scripts uninspiring - probably I was as much at fault, it is difficult to say. Anyway, I found it to be a bit of a slog and in retrospect it could qualify as my answer to your question about my least favourite job.

Q. I have Commando No3072 Bombs on Target 1997. Was this one of your last comic strip jobs for Commando?

Ian. Apart from the Scandinavian work, Bombs on Target , I believe was the last comic strip work to date.

Q. I know that you are drawing various aircraft for the inside pages of Commando and are still painting a cover occasionally. Are you enjoying retirement?

Ian. Semi-retirement is a rather strange and somewhat unreal experience after a very full and structured existence over so many years - I am still trying to come to terms with the situation and am not sure that enjoyment is the right description - still, given time.

Q. Do you have any tips or advice for aspiring comic strip artists in what is now a vastly different marketplace than when you started out in the early 50's?

Ian. As you so rightly say, Tony, the marketplace has changed so much since I set out on this journey. There are no longer the opportunities, which were available then, and I think it is pretty well impossible for the young aspiring comic strip artist to build the sort of career I have been so fortunate to follow. As a consequence, I find it very difficult to offer advice other than to grab any opportunity that presents itself, learn as much as possible from the work of others more experienced and, above all, be prepared to work hard despite the inevitable frustrations. From my own experience, the moments of satisfaction make it all worthwhile!!!

Thanks for your time and patience, Ian, and thanks for giving so much entertainment and pleasure to your many fans over such an impressive career.
Tony O'Donnell.