Ralph Steadman

Steadman is an artist and illustartor who is most renowned for his political and social charicatures and cartoons. Steadman worked on many projects with American journalist Hunter S. Thompson, where he drew illustrations to accompany his articles and books. Most notably for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72. Steadman's illustrative method worked perfectly with Thompson's driven written style, much of Ralph's work revolves around charicatures of Thompson, the unmistakable bowler hat, cigarette holder and Aviator sunglasses. Infamous character Dr. Gonzo:

Steadman created the front cover for Frank Zappa's "Have I Offended Someone?" album:

I really like the work of this artist because he creates fantastical images and characters that deviate from the norm. The characters are ugly and their unattractiveness is embellished by the unprecise nature of his pen. I am especially drawn by the way that his illustations appear so rushed, as if he has something else on his mind, even the layout of the album cover for instance looks shoved together unthinkingly. The scrawling handwriting has become an icon in itself, appearing on the covers of books and albums he has illustrated. Even the DVD case and posters of the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas film have used this typography.