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first time – a daunting experience. I was astonished by the skill of the head layout artist who would simulate a brochure – photos, lettering, typesetting – all by hand using pencils, inks and water colour so that it looked exactly like the eventual printed article. Art schools knew nothing about such expertise.
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On the
Principal’s advice he next did a year in Teacher Training College. The students used to take the bus to various schools for teaching practice. "Two characters who sold toy bows and arrows in the local market boarded the same bus and expressed their amazement that an aspiring teacher was always
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On teaching practice I’d amuse the kids by drawing Tarzan a la
Hogarth on the blackboard. The kids got to like me and would beg, “Don’t be a teacher, sir!” With this excellent advice and with my art school specimens I got my first job in a Newcastle Ad Agency, meeting with commercial artists for the
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Although one of the few acknowledged artistic pupils at his infant, junior and secondary schools, John
Armstrong's first proper art lessons were whilst serving in the Army, in the Far East. "To keep us occupied, art lessons were started in a deserted palace outside Rangoon; local people in ethnic
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On leaving the army, this course and its artwork steered
Armstrong to art school in Middlesbrough’s Constantine College. In five years he passed Intermediate Arts and Crafts and gained National Diplomas in Design in both painting and illustration – making me more qualified than any of the staff.
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In recent years
Armstrong has provided artwork for ice rink pantomimes while gradually reviving his oil painting skills, mainly doing portraits of skating friends.
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and soon got his first freelance commission from
Putnams Education Department for a poetry book. Quite a lot of school book work followed.
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After a year there
Armstrong headed south and pounded the streets of London with a heavy folder filled with art school work. Using an
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dress posed for us," he recalled in 2003. "I still have portraits of
Burmese and Indian women, and West African and Indian soldiers.
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Armstrong acquired an agent in London's
Holborn one year later and soon got his first comics job, a ballet story for
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reading a comic," Armstrong recalls. "In those days “educationists” regarded comics as a subversive element.
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he visited about 40 studios, publishers and agents and eventually got a job in a studio opposite
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was a success despite – or because of – its horror story content aimed at young girls.
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Biography supplied for 2003 Raptus convention in Norway (unpublished)
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Armstrong regards his most notable stories as the strips he drew for
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covers – plus some horse stories, his original passion.
286:"In Memoriam: Misty and Tammy artist John Armstrong"
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336:Report on comic panel about British girl's comics
273:Comics Britannia Gallery page for John Armstrong
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243:, for about a year. He then began working for
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208:Armstrong later worked on the girls title
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99:(died 28 August 2018) was a British
119:Other strips he has drawn include
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366:Fleetway and IPC Comics creators
320:Comics Britannia: Boys and Girls
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161:Writers and Artists Year Book
103:, best known for his work in
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28:John Armstrong (character)
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345:The Art of John Armstrong
190:Cherry and the Children
361:British comics artists
303:Lambiek's Comiclopedia
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89:The Silver Racer-back
16:British comics artist
275:, BBC4 Image Gallery
237:for a new magazine,
221:After the demise of
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121:The Secret Gymnast
288:. 29 August 2018.
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176:. It was
133:Biography
85:Moonchild
65:Penciller
24:superhero
19:For the
60:Area(s)
54:British
159:and a
117:Bella.
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260:Notes
250:Bunty
230:Misty
224:Tammy
216:Misty
211:Misty
202:Tammy
196:Bella
126:Bunty
112:Tammy
106:Misty
81:Bella
69:Inker
240:BEEB
227:and
109:and
43:Died
185:IPC
157:A-Z
123:in
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