Cartoonist, graphic artist, illustrator

Born in Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset on 6 February 1942, Clive Collins studied graphic design at Kingston School of Art in 1958, and worked in marine insurance and as a film extra before helping to run a film studio. He then repped for a small artwork studio, and in 1964 began contributing to Punch, before becoming in 1969 editorial and political cartoonist on the Sun, alongside Paul Rigby.
In August 1970 Collins left the Sun to become the first ever political cartoonist on the People, signing himself “Collie.” These ended in 1971, but he continued to provide single gag cartoons for the paper until 1999. In 1971, on the death of Gordon Hogg, he also returned to the Sun to become “Lucky Jim”, a cartoon racing-tipster. During the same period Collins was also stand-in cartoonist for Franklin on the Sun and for Jak on the Evening Standard – adopting the pseudonym “Ollie” for his Evening Standard work during the Falkands War. Collins was voted Cartoonist of the Year by the Cartoonists’ Club of Great Britain in 1984, 1985 and 1987.
Collins left the Sun in 1982, and in 1985 he left the Evening Standard to become deputy editorial cartoonist, under Griffin, on the Daily Mirror, remaining until Griffin left for the Express in 1996. He was also sports illustrator for the Daily Mirror’s Mike Langley column from 1991 to 1996. In 1985 Collins began illustrating the Reader’s Digest ‘Buy-Lines’ advertising feature, and he contributed regularly to the relaunched Punch from 1996 until its demise. He has also contributed to the Shell UK house magazine, Mail on Sunday, Sunday Express, Oui, Mad, Odds On, Sporting Life, Squib, Printing World, and Playboy (USA). Other work has included occasional copywriting, scriptwriting, audio-visual work, greetings card designs, live and studio caricature work, and animation storyboards.
Influenced by Giles, Starke, George Price, Charles Addams, R. B. Wilson and George Booth, he is a particular admirer of Charles Grave. In his work on paper Collins draws roughs in pencil, then works with a 0.3 Pilot Marqueur à Dessin, using a Speedball A5 pen to ‘heavy’ the lines if required. For expansive line work he uses a 00 sable brush, gouache colours or inks, and Rotring black. However, he now works mainly with aid of a computer.
Collins was appointed MBE for “services to art” in the Queens Birthday Honours 2011.

https://www.cartoons.ac.uk/cartoonist-biographies/c-d/CliveCollins.html

Secretary of the British Cartoonists’ Association
Life Vice-President Cartoonists’ Club of Great Britain
Newspapers/Magazines

2000 DAILY MAIL Cartoon Strip ‘Baby Blair’.
1994 – ’99 THE SPORTING LIFE Cartoons for David Ashforth Saturday column.
1985 – date READER’S DIGEST Illustrator plus general features artist.
1972 – date PLAYBOY US Single gag cartoons.
1972 – ’99 THE PEOPLE Regular ‘Money People’ and single gag cartoonist.
1972 – ’85 THE SUN ‘Lucky Jim’ cartoon racing tipster.
1964 -’92/’96 PUNCH Regular contributor (when it was still funny).
Award of Excellence, 10th International Editorial Cartoon Competititon 2010, The Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom,

National and International Awards:
Award of Excellence, 10th International Editorial Cartoon Competititon 2010, The Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom,
Winner of Special Mention Dutch Cartoonfestival 2007; Honorable Mention, Haifa, Israel 2003; 3rd Prize Tulcea, Romania 2003; Prize of Excellence Deva, Romania 2003; 2nd Prize Bucovina, Romania 2003; Award of the Jury Ploesti, Romania 2002; Prize-winner Lierse, Belgium 2000; Prize-winner Knokke-Heist, Belgium 1989; Cartoonists’ Club of Great Britain Cartoonist of the Year 1987, 1985 and 1984; 1st Prize Amstelveen, Netherlands 1987; Grand Prize Skopje, Macedonia 1986; Cartoonist of the Year Montreal, Quebec 1985; UK Representative in Amstelveen, Netherlands, 1982; 1st Prize Knokke-Heist, Belgium 1982; Prize-winner Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan 1994, 1990, 1986, 1984, 1983, 1982, 1981, 1980; 1st Prize and Glen Grant Cartoonist of the Year UK 1979; Prize-winner Berlin, Germany 1977.

http://www.clivecollinscartoons.com/biography

Books

In 2007 I was commissioned, alongside two French colleagues (JY and Bridenne) to make my own mark on a little book called ‘Rugby et sa Musique’ – it was intended as a celebration of the world cup, visiting France that year. While cartoonists are not famous for their love of sport, this one was a joy to work on and it was a very good reason to be in Paris. I’ve illustrated and collaborated on many books and here are some of them. You may even have seen one or two…
‘The Language of Love’ and ‘The Language of Rugby (Linguaphone), ‘Stranger Than Fiction’ (Penguin Readers), ‘The Funny Book Of’…series including Soccer, Sex, Motoring and Work (Brockhampton Press), Dillons Bookseller Induction Manual (Dillons), ‘The Book of Heroic Failures’ and ‘More Heroic Failures’ (Penguin Readers), ‘Is That What You Mean?’ and ‘Is That What You Mean Too?’ in collaboration with Paul Hancock (Penguin Readers), ‘The Idiot’s Guide To Sex’ and ‘All That’ in collaboration with Jed Pascoe (Why Not Publications), ‘Coups and Cons’ in collaboration with Graham Sharpe (Aesculus Press), ‘The Book Of Moving House’ in collaboration with Gerry Bel and ‘The Handbook Of Sailing and Watersports (Mondria), ‘Sir Edward and Nimrod’ in collaboration with Jane McCulloch, ‘A Hard Man Is Good To Find’ in collaboration with Ellie Lane (Star Paperbacks) and a few more but I can’t remember them!!