The Clockwork Woman

by Claire Bott

A Telos Original

About the Cover Artist

The following is from John's website @ www.turmoilcolour.com

John Higgins is an artist of remarkable ability (and adaptability). To some, he is the quintessential Judge Dredd artist. To others, the visionary behind the incredible World Without End. To others still, the man who brought colour to the world of Watchmen. To those who know him, he's one of the friendliest people you could ever meet.

John has had to write many different biographical pieces over the years, for many different markets. Here's a brief sample of those pieces... (Readers are warned that Mr. Higgins' legendary modesty is rampant here, so he has a habit of skipping over certain things that the rest of us would be boasting like mad about).

1989 - The Beginning, leaving home for the East...

John Higgins is one of a small group of people who have a perfect sense of mistiming, he can go to a place before anyone else wants to, then leaves before they arrive. He left his home in Liverpool at 15 years, just before it was fashionable to be a Liverpudlian, arrived in the Far East while the world travelled to London England. Made his first tentative step to be an artist by entering on to a night course for O level art in Singapore for completely hormonal reasons. Unfortunately for him all the women in his class were over thirty and married, but he did learn he loved drawing.

1990 - The Return...

Back in England to become the first skin head to live in a hippy commune in Wiltshire. Left the commune to return to Liverpool, grew his hair, discovered an amazing fact; you could paint pictures and people would pay you money for them. But they had to hang on railings and go with the colour of their wall paper. Became very cynical about art and the market place but around this time found real art but decided he had no appetite for starving in a garret. So entered Art College with the sole intent of being an Artist in relative comfort. Fortunately the Wallasey College of Art had an able and discerning principle who decided illustration was the best course for him to take, for which John Higgins is eternally grateful.

1991 - The love of Science Fiction...

Being an avid reader of Science Fiction and Fantasy, the one occupation of a Saturday in Liverpool that would cost at the most the price of a paperback book was the walk thru the food hall of Lewis's department store to the SF section of the book dep't., three deep breaths past the bread counter one big breath at the cooked meats and hold it round the cheese board. Finally one Saturday the image he had unknowingly been waiting for, the cover to the Princess of Mars (Edgar Rice Burroughs) by Bruce Pennington, here was impossible reality, the sun shone, the bread smelt, celestial angels sang, he had found his vocation, to be a SF book cover illustrator. He still managed to side slip into medical illustrations at the Royal Marsden Hospital, Fulham. But illustrated in his free time for the SF monthly (NEL) and 2000 AD, a BWL weekly comic (IPC). Still at the Medical Art dep't, he did his full colour cover for Pan Books commissioned by David Larkin who had plenty of time for new illustrators. On this basis, one book cover and the odd BWL illustration. With his usual sense of timing he decided to forgo the visceral delights of the operating theatre, and go fully freelance, just before the recession which caused the contraction and collapse of a large number of publishing houses in the UK. Became a Jack of all illustration which covered Advertising, book illustration Animation, Comics and Magazine covers.

1992 - TBA...

Also at this time some how found the strength to get married and help produce a beautiful daughter, Jenna, who is slowly nudging him out of his chair in front of the drawing board, by painting and drawing at 10yrs better than he did at twice that age.

1993 - The joys of acrylic...

The cover to The Steerswoman (Rosemary Kirstein) was painted in acrylic, the first time John Higgins has ever used this paint. Every day since discovering acrylic suits his method of working, he has a ritual where he stands in front of his drawing board and kick himself for taking so long to find out. Jenna helped on the spiders and snakes in the trees.

He is at the moment concentrating on the two forms of illustration that he finds gives him the most satisfaction. Book cover illustration, for which he will read the whole book and strip illustration for which he is currently co-writing and illustrating World Without End, a full colour graphic novel for DC comics of America, which WAS OUT IN TBA.

1998 - Unexplained references...

Once upon a time in Camelot, there was a beautiful young princess called IPC 2000AD, a young suitor came to the kings reach tower and begged to be allowed to court this most beautiful of all beings. he was set tasks to achieve by the court magician the McManus. Each a little harder than the last, he work at them day and night. at each success he got closer and closer to the moment he would be allowed to court the princess. Finally he past the final task and was allowed into the halls of Camelot. A great number of other suitors had arrived before him, but he didn't mind. He knew he would be the one she chose. As he gazed into the eyes of his lady he noticed she had a slight squint but everything else was perfection, he thought his heart would burst. He mixed with knights and courtiers, all of whom he had admired from afar for so long, but each day after he arrived they started to disappear one by one. The strongest and the bravest went first, but he still only wanted the princess, her slightly less then perfect eyes, but a body to die for and skin of peaches and cream, except for that one black hair on her chin.

One day in court as he worshiped the princess, he saw knight slip out a door he had not seen before, he decided to follow him to find out were the other knights and suitors had disappeared to.

He followed down a yellow brick road and over the sapphire hills. He saw in the distance a wonderful glow on the horizon. As he got closer, a most majestic city of gleaming spires appeared, with sunlight sparkling from a million windows. He was entranced as a parade of multicoloured heroes, eyes bright with visions of past deeds and future adventures, led the most beautiful queen he had ever seen in a emerald green coach, he was spellbound, he had no more thoughts of the princess, he only dreampt of the day he would be allowed to court the queen, he did hear wicked rumors she ate the hearts of all who loved her. But he could never believed that.

This was all so long ago, he is still striving to complete all the task set him, but he knows one day she will be his...

1999 - For Childrens' Book Publisher...

John first started illustrating for childrens' books in 1986 for Armada Paperback books on a very popular horror series called Nightmares, which ran to 3 issues till it was cancelled due to adverse media publicity concerning the horror content. He then went on to illustrate a number of Role Playing books for the same publishers, which had a very successful run of 9 issues. He also worked on one of Britain's most popular comic book characters, Judge Dredd. When the film of Judge Dredd was distributed in Britain he was asked by the distributors to illustrate the movie poster. He created the artwork using a mix of traditional painted and computer enhanced photographic technique, he really enjoyed seeing his artwork as a 20 foot by 60 foot poster towering over Leicester Square in London. When he first produced work for Spinechillers partworks for Eaglemoss publications, he used a traditional painted method, later in the run most of the work was produced using the technique he first tried on the Judge Dredd movie poster, creating a more personal style of computer illustration than usual because of the mix of media. At the moment he is just finishing off a series of horror titles for DC Vertigo, called Hellblazer. John quite likes Horror.