Paul Sample (cartoonist)
Encyclopedia
Paul Sample is a British cartoonist and illustrator best known for his cartoon strip Ogri
, and for the covers of Tom Sharpe
's Wilt (novel)
and Flann O’Brien paperbacks, posters for BBC
Radio Two and advertisements for The Post Office, Ford, Dunlop, and British Airways. His fans include actor and biker Ewan McGregor
.
He trained at Bradford College of Art and Central School of Art
in London, where he studied Graphic Arts. As a student, he landed commissions from The Times
and The Sunday Times, the Daily Telegraph and Today, for which he designed and drew "The Zodiac Files’" strip cartoon. His first commission was for Management Today in 1968, for which he was paid £45. He went on to do freelance work for Melody Maker
, Rockstar, Men Only
and Skateboard magazine.
Inspired by Marvel comics, he created Ogri in 1967, and the character was first published in Bike magazine. “The first strip cartoon was based on my own experience of driving up the M1 at 90mph on a Rocket Goldstar and wondering what the rattle was,” recalls Paul. “Most people think Ogri is about biking but it’s not, it’s about life in general. The inspiration for the stories comes from riding my bike, talking to people in the pub or seeing things on the news." Ogri featured in Bike magazine for 35 years until January 2009, when it was dropped but then taken up by Back Street Heroes
(BSH), a custom motorcycle magazine.
Several compilation cartoon books have been published in the UK. Sample also produces Ogri-related memorabilia, including T-shirts, coffee mugs, posters, greetings cards, and badges. The Paul Sample archive, including many original Ogri strips along with other original artwork, was auctioned in Shrewsbury in January 2010. There is also an Ogri Motorcycle Club, founded in 1978 in Germany when all the members were serving in the Army or RAF.
Ogri
Ogri is a cartoon character of a British rocker-style biker created by English cartoonist and illustrator Paul Sample in the 1970s for Bike magazine in the UK until January 2009, when it was dropped but quickly taken up by Back Street Heroes, the custom motorcycle magazine. Four book collections of...
, and for the covers of Tom Sharpe
Tom Sharpe
Tom Sharpe is an English satirical author, best known for his Wilt series of novels.Sharpe was born in London and moved to South Africa in 1951, where he worked as a social worker and a teacher, before being deported for sedition in 1961...
's Wilt (novel)
Wilt (novel)
Wilt is a comedic novel by the author Tom Sharpe, first published by Secker and Warburg in 1976. Later editions were published by Pan Books, and Overlook TP.-Plot introduction:The novel's title refers to its main character, Henry Wilt...
and Flann O’Brien paperbacks, posters for BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Radio Two and advertisements for The Post Office, Ford, Dunlop, and British Airways. His fans include actor and biker Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
.
He trained at Bradford College of Art and Central School of Art
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. The school has an outstanding international reputation, and is considered one of the world's leading art and design institutions...
in London, where he studied Graphic Arts. As a student, he landed commissions from The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
and The Sunday Times, the Daily Telegraph and Today, for which he designed and drew "The Zodiac Files’" strip cartoon. His first commission was for Management Today in 1968, for which he was paid £45. He went on to do freelance work for Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
, Rockstar, Men Only
Men Only
Men Only is a British soft-core pornographic magazine published by Paul Raymond since 1971. However, the title goes back to 1935 when it was founded by C. Arthur Pearson Ltd as a pocket magazine . It set out its editorial stall in the first issue:'We don't want women readers. We won't have women...
and Skateboard magazine.
Inspired by Marvel comics, he created Ogri in 1967, and the character was first published in Bike magazine. “The first strip cartoon was based on my own experience of driving up the M1 at 90mph on a Rocket Goldstar and wondering what the rattle was,” recalls Paul. “Most people think Ogri is about biking but it’s not, it’s about life in general. The inspiration for the stories comes from riding my bike, talking to people in the pub or seeing things on the news." Ogri featured in Bike magazine for 35 years until January 2009, when it was dropped but then taken up by Back Street Heroes
Back Street Heroes
Back Street Heroes is a monthly UK custom bike magazine that helped to popularize a "new breed" of custom motorcycle, distinct from previous choppers because they combined rat bike-influenced utilitarian and minimalist design with greater use of high tech gadgetry, but catering to an upscale buyer...
(BSH), a custom motorcycle magazine.
Several compilation cartoon books have been published in the UK. Sample also produces Ogri-related memorabilia, including T-shirts, coffee mugs, posters, greetings cards, and badges. The Paul Sample archive, including many original Ogri strips along with other original artwork, was auctioned in Shrewsbury in January 2010. There is also an Ogri Motorcycle Club, founded in 1978 in Germany when all the members were serving in the Army or RAF.