David Banks

About

David Banks was born in London on 7 August 1963 and was educated at Stoke Brunswick School and, from 1977 to 1978, Eastbourne College. From 1982 to 1986 he attended Dundee University.

A self-taught artist, he began contributing cartoons to Food Manufacture in 1984, and was the winner of a cartoon competition in the Sunday Times in 1987. Has since contributed cartoons to the Independent, Daily Telegraph, and Financial Times, and also to Punch, Spectator, Dandy and many trade magazines. In 1997 the Conservative Shadow Cabinet presented William Hague with a caricature by Banks as a wedding present, showing the Conservative leader in a suit and baseball cap, surrounded by the Shadow Cabinet dressed as choirboys. The present was the idea of Sir Brian Mawhinney, the former Tory Party chairman.

In 1998 Banks won the New Scientist cartoon competition, and since 1999 he has been staff cartoonist on Police Review. In addition he has drawn for advertising, produced greetings cards for Hallmark and Carlton Cards and drawn illustrations for educational books published by Harper Collins, Cornelsen, Oxford (Berlin), IDG (Sweden), Haymarket, Chrysalis and others. He has taught a cartoon course at the London School of Journalism. Banks works in pen and ink, felt-tips and gouache but has also used computer software programmes such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Wacom Tablet.

• Website at www.bankscartoons.com

•  The Times, 18 December 1997, "Strippers Ambush Hague at Party."
• Food Manufacture, November 1999, p.3, "Have a Laugh With Us."