Dudley D. Watkins
Encyclopedia
Dudley Dexter Watkins was a British cartoonist
and illustrator
. He is best known for his characters Oor Wullie
and The Broons
; comic strips featuring them have appeared in Scottish newspaper The Sunday Post
since 1936, along with annual compilations. Watkins also illustrated for comics such as The Beano
, The Dandy
, The Beezer and Topper
, and provided illustrations for Christian stories.
, England
, although the family moved to Nottingham
while he was still a baby. His father was a lithographic print artist
who noted the boy's early artistic talent and ensured that he received extra art classes at the Nottingham School of Art
. By the age of 10 the local newspaper declared him a "schoolboy genius." He studied at Nottingham
School of Art, and while working for Boots
Pure Drug company in the early 1920s, Watkins' first published artwork appeared in Boots' staff magazine, The Beacon.
. In 1925 the school principal recommended Watkins to the thriving publisher D.C. Thomson
, based in Dundee
. Watkins was offered a six-months employment with D. C. Thomson, so he moved to their Dundee base and began providing illustrations for Thomson's "Big Five" story papers for boys (Adventure, Rover, Wizard, and later Skipper and Hotspur). The temporary employment turned into a full-time career; for several years he was just another illustrator, supplementing his small salary by teaching life drawing at Dundee Art School. In 1933 Watkins turned his hand to comic strip work, and soon his editor noticed that Watkins had a special talent as a cartoonist. In 1933 he drew The Rover Midget Comic and in 1934 he drew The Skipper Midget Comic. In 1935 Watkins' first regular comic strip, Percy Vere and His Trying Tricks appeared; the titular character was an inept magician whose tricks usually backfired on him. The strip ran for nearly two years, finally being replaced with another Watkins creation, Wandering Willie The Wily Explorer (Willie's hard-boiled characteristics would later re-appear in the form of Desperate Dan). While Percy was still appearing in Adventure, Watkins co-created, with writer/editor R. D. Low
, what would become his most famous characters, Oor Wullie
and The Broons
. They were part of the first issue (8 March 1936) of a weekly eight-page pull-out 'Fun Section' of The Sunday Post
. He was soon illustrating the Desperate Dan
strip for The Dandy
comic, launched in December 1937.
His workload was further increased when D.C. Thomson created The Beano
, an eight-page comic booklet, with Watkins being responsible for drawing the Lord Snooty
strip. The Beano's first edition was dated 30 July 1938. When the Beezer and Topper
were launched in the 1950s, Watkins was responsible for illustrating the Ginger
strip (based largely on Oor Wullie, but unlike that strip the text was written in standard English and not in Scots vernacular) and the Mickey the Monkey
strip for the two comics.
Watkins' most enduring adventure strip was Jimmy and His Magic Patch, which debuted in the 1 January 1944 issue of The Beano and ran for 18 years.
Watkins was one of only two D. C. Thomson cartoonists who signed their work (beginning in June 1946), which was known for its intricate detail and unique style. The other brilliant cartoonist to sign his work was Allan Morley and he was the first to do so.
and an enthusiastic supporter of the Church of Christ
in Dundee (where he met his wife). On his desk he had a huge Bible
on a stand in which he made copious notes in the wide margins. He used to deliver Christian chats to children which he illustrated with quick drawings on a blackboard. He contributed artwork for mission calendars, and from 1956 he produced (free of charge) the comic strips William the Warrior and Tony & Tina - The Twins for The Young Warrior, a children's paper published by the WEC Publications
. These strips, filled with quotations from Scripture, were collected into a series of booklets. Watkins also illustrated some Biblical features for Thomson annuals in the 1960s. It was his ambition to adapt the Bible into illustrated format, but that dream was never realised. In March 2008 a watercolour by Watkins depicting The Crucifixion was discovered in a house in Lochgelly
, Fife
.
Watkins and his wife built a substantial house in Broughty Ferry
, which he named Winsterly. He continued working with D. C. Thomson for the rest of his life. On 20 August 1969 he was found dead at his drawing board, victim of a heart attack
.
It is a testament to Watkins' work that D. C. Thomson continued to reprint Oor Wullie and Broons strips in The Sunday Post for seven years before a replacement was found. Watkins' Desperate Dan strips were reprinted in The Dandy for fourteen years.
In a 2006 BBC documentary marking 70 years of Oor Wullie
, it was claimed that, due to his frequent mocking of Axis leaders in his comics before and during World War II
, Watkins' name was on a list of enemies of the Third Reich.
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
and illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
. He is best known for his characters Oor Wullie
Oor Wullie
Oor Wullie is a Scottish comic strip published in the D.C. Thomson newspaper, The Sunday Post. It features a boy named William, known as Wullie . His trademarks are spiky hair, dungarees and an upturned bucket, which he often uses as a seat...
and The Broons
The Broons
The Broons is a comic strip in Scots published in the weekly Scottish newspaper, The Sunday Post. It features the Broon family, who live in a tenement flat at 10 Glebe Street, in the fictional Scottish town of Auchentogle or Auchenshoogle . They are also shown as living on Glebe Street...
; comic strips featuring them have appeared in Scottish newspaper The Sunday Post
The Sunday Post
The Sunday Post is a weekly newspaper published in Dundee, Scotland by DC Thomson, and characterised by a 'folksy' mix of news, sentimental stories and short features...
since 1936, along with annual compilations. Watkins also illustrated for comics such as The Beano
The Beano
The Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
, The Dandy
The Dandy
The Dandy is a long running children's comic published in the United Kingdom by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. The first issue was printed in 1937 and it is the world's third longest running comic, after Detective Comics and Il Giornalino...
, The Beezer and Topper
Topper (comic book)
The Topper was a UK comic published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd that ran from 7 February 1953 to 15 September 1990, when it merged with The Beezer....
, and provided illustrations for Christian stories.
Early life
Watkins was born in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, although the family moved to Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
while he was still a baby. His father was a lithographic print artist
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
who noted the boy's early artistic talent and ensured that he received extra art classes at the Nottingham School of Art
Nottingham Trent University, School of Art and Design
Founded in 1843, the School of Art and Design at Nottingham Trent University is one of the oldest in the United Kingdom and currently has more than 2,500 students.-History:...
. By the age of 10 the local newspaper declared him a "schoolboy genius." He studied at Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
School of Art, and while working for Boots
Boots UK
Boots UK Limited , is a leading pharmacy chain in the United Kingdom, with outlets in most high streets throughout the country...
Pure Drug company in the early 1920s, Watkins' first published artwork appeared in Boots' staff magazine, The Beacon.
Work with D.C. Thomson
In 1924 Watkins entered the Glasgow School of ArtGlasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
. In 1925 the school principal recommended Watkins to the thriving publisher D.C. Thomson
D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd
D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, is a publishing company based in Dundee, Scotland, best known for producing The Dundee Courier, The Evening Telegraph, The Sunday Post, Oor Wullie, The Broons, The Beano, The Dandy and Commando comics...
, based in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
. Watkins was offered a six-months employment with D. C. Thomson, so he moved to their Dundee base and began providing illustrations for Thomson's "Big Five" story papers for boys (Adventure, Rover, Wizard, and later Skipper and Hotspur). The temporary employment turned into a full-time career; for several years he was just another illustrator, supplementing his small salary by teaching life drawing at Dundee Art School. In 1933 Watkins turned his hand to comic strip work, and soon his editor noticed that Watkins had a special talent as a cartoonist. In 1933 he drew The Rover Midget Comic and in 1934 he drew The Skipper Midget Comic. In 1935 Watkins' first regular comic strip, Percy Vere and His Trying Tricks appeared; the titular character was an inept magician whose tricks usually backfired on him. The strip ran for nearly two years, finally being replaced with another Watkins creation, Wandering Willie The Wily Explorer (Willie's hard-boiled characteristics would later re-appear in the form of Desperate Dan). While Percy was still appearing in Adventure, Watkins co-created, with writer/editor R. D. Low
R. D. Low
Robert Duncan Low was a Scottish comics writer and editor. Employed by D. C. Thomson & Co., he was responsible for their line of comics, and, as a writer, co-created Oor Wullie and The Broons with artist Dudley D...
, what would become his most famous characters, Oor Wullie
Oor Wullie
Oor Wullie is a Scottish comic strip published in the D.C. Thomson newspaper, The Sunday Post. It features a boy named William, known as Wullie . His trademarks are spiky hair, dungarees and an upturned bucket, which he often uses as a seat...
and The Broons
The Broons
The Broons is a comic strip in Scots published in the weekly Scottish newspaper, The Sunday Post. It features the Broon family, who live in a tenement flat at 10 Glebe Street, in the fictional Scottish town of Auchentogle or Auchenshoogle . They are also shown as living on Glebe Street...
. They were part of the first issue (8 March 1936) of a weekly eight-page pull-out 'Fun Section' of The Sunday Post
The Sunday Post
The Sunday Post is a weekly newspaper published in Dundee, Scotland by DC Thomson, and characterised by a 'folksy' mix of news, sentimental stories and short features...
. He was soon illustrating the Desperate Dan
Desperate Dan
Desperate Dan is a wild west character in the British comic The Dandy. He first appeared in its first issue, dated 4 December 1937. He is apparently the world's strongest man, able to lift a cow with one hand. Even his beard is so tough he has to shave with a blowtorch.-History:The strip was...
strip for The Dandy
The Dandy
The Dandy is a long running children's comic published in the United Kingdom by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. The first issue was printed in 1937 and it is the world's third longest running comic, after Detective Comics and Il Giornalino...
comic, launched in December 1937.
His workload was further increased when D.C. Thomson created The Beano
The Beano
The Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
, an eight-page comic booklet, with Watkins being responsible for drawing the Lord Snooty
Lord Snooty
Lord Snooty was a fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano, first appearing in issue 1, dated 30 July 1938, and was the longest running strip in the comic until Dennis the Menace and Gnasher overtook it...
strip. The Beano's first edition was dated 30 July 1938. When the Beezer and Topper
Topper (comic book)
The Topper was a UK comic published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd that ran from 7 February 1953 to 15 September 1990, when it merged with The Beezer....
were launched in the 1950s, Watkins was responsible for illustrating the Ginger
Ginger (comics)
Ginger was The Beezer's cover star from its first issue until 1961. Pop, Dick and Harry took over the cover for a few years afterwards, but Ginger returned to the front cover in the late 1960s .He was originally created by Dudley D...
strip (based largely on Oor Wullie, but unlike that strip the text was written in standard English and not in Scots vernacular) and the Mickey the Monkey
Mickey the Monkey
Mickey the Monkey was a comic strip which featured the eponymous fictional monkey, Mickey. The character was the cover star of British comic The Topper from its launch in 1953 until the 1970s. The strip appeared throughout the comic's run, until its merger with The Beezer. The final story was in...
strip for the two comics.
Watkins' most enduring adventure strip was Jimmy and His Magic Patch, which debuted in the 1 January 1944 issue of The Beano and ran for 18 years.
Watkins was one of only two D. C. Thomson cartoonists who signed their work (beginning in June 1946), which was known for its intricate detail and unique style. The other brilliant cartoonist to sign his work was Allan Morley and he was the first to do so.
Private life
He was a devout ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and an enthusiastic supporter of the Church of Christ
Church of Christ
Churches of Christ are autonomous Christian congregations associated with one another through common beliefs and practices. They seek to base doctrine and practice on the Bible alone, and seek to be New Testament congregations as originally established by the authority of Christ. Historically,...
in Dundee (where he met his wife). On his desk he had a huge Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
on a stand in which he made copious notes in the wide margins. He used to deliver Christian chats to children which he illustrated with quick drawings on a blackboard. He contributed artwork for mission calendars, and from 1956 he produced (free of charge) the comic strips William the Warrior and Tony & Tina - The Twins for The Young Warrior, a children's paper published by the WEC Publications
WEC International
WEC International is a mission agency which focuses on church planting, and emphasises the importance of shared life in a local church as a vital expression of Christian life...
. These strips, filled with quotations from Scripture, were collected into a series of booklets. Watkins also illustrated some Biblical features for Thomson annuals in the 1960s. It was his ambition to adapt the Bible into illustrated format, but that dream was never realised. In March 2008 a watercolour by Watkins depicting The Crucifixion was discovered in a house in Lochgelly
Lochgelly
Lochgelly is a town in Fife, Scotland. It is located between Lochs Ore and Gelly to the north-west and south-east respectively. It is separated from Cowdenbeath by the village of Lumphinnans. According to the 2007 population estimate, the town has a population of 6,834.-History:From the 1830s...
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
.
Watkins and his wife built a substantial house in Broughty Ferry
Broughty Ferry
Broughty Ferry is a suburb on the eastern side of the City of Dundee, on the shore of the Firth of Tay in eastern Scotland...
, which he named Winsterly. He continued working with D. C. Thomson for the rest of his life. On 20 August 1969 he was found dead at his drawing board, victim of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
.
It is a testament to Watkins' work that D. C. Thomson continued to reprint Oor Wullie and Broons strips in The Sunday Post for seven years before a replacement was found. Watkins' Desperate Dan strips were reprinted in The Dandy for fourteen years.
In a 2006 BBC documentary marking 70 years of Oor Wullie
Oor Wullie
Oor Wullie is a Scottish comic strip published in the D.C. Thomson newspaper, The Sunday Post. It features a boy named William, known as Wullie . His trademarks are spiky hair, dungarees and an upturned bucket, which he often uses as a seat...
, it was claimed that, due to his frequent mocking of Axis leaders in his comics before and during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Watkins' name was on a list of enemies of the Third Reich.