Mark Knight (cartoonist)
Encyclopedia
Mark Knight is the editorial cartoonist
for the Herald Sun
, a daily tabloid in Melbourne
, Australia
.
He created Leuk the Duck, short for Leukemia
, a mascot
for Challenge, a cancer foundation to provide a visual impetus for kids with cancer. It has consequently been used in all educational material produced by Challenge.
, attended Wiley Park Primary School, then Narwee Boys' High School
. He said there hasn't been a time when he didn't love to draw. He started a cadetship in 1980 in the Fairfax
art department, filling in the black squares in the crossword grids. He went to East Sydney Technical College and studied life drawing, painting, drawing and etching.
Knight's father taught him to love drawing
. When he was a little boy, his father would draw for him. Mark's first cartoon's were of his family and their idiosyncrasies, drawn on Christmas Day or at other family gatherings.
He cited the cartoonist
Paul Rigby
as having played an influential part of his childhood, as his first book his father bought for him when he was six years old was Paul Rigby's cartoon annual of 1967. He is quoted as saying that he still has the worn-out, tattered pages of this much-loved and influential paperback
on his bookshelf. He further added that he used to create scrapbooks full of Rigby's cartoons which he would cut out from The Daily Telegraph
. He would pore over them every day, copy and imitate them in school books, note pads as well as in sketch books in order to emulate the highly accoladed cartoonist as well as to develop a sense of his own style.
.
He was also named The Age Cartoonist of the Year at the 22nd annual
Stan Cross Awards
ceremony hosted by Rod Quantock
in Ballarat, Melbourne on November 4, 2007. His other accolades include awards in the cataogories Single Gag (2003) and Editorial (1995, 2006).
In 2004, Knight also picked up a Walkley
Award for his cartoon named "Benefits Of A Bedtime Story".
In 2003, he received an award as part of the Australian Comedy Awards in the visual category for Outstanding Cartoonist as well as another Walkley
.
Editorial cartoonist
An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is an artist who draws editorial cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary....
for the Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
, a daily tabloid in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
He created Leuk the Duck, short for Leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
, a mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
for Challenge, a cancer foundation to provide a visual impetus for kids with cancer. It has consequently been used in all educational material produced by Challenge.
Childhood
Knight was born and raised in Sydney. He grew up in LakembaLakemba, New South Wales
Lakemba is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lakemba is located 15 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canterbury....
, attended Wiley Park Primary School, then Narwee Boys' High School
Narwee High School
Narwee High School , known from 1958-1991 as Narwee Boys' High School , is a former high school in the southern Sydney suburb of Narwee, New South Wales, Australia....
. He said there hasn't been a time when he didn't love to draw. He started a cadetship in 1980 in the Fairfax
Fairfax Media
Fairfax Media Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The group's operations include newspapers, magazines, radios and digital media operating in Australia and New Zealand. Fairfax Media was founded by the Fairfax family as John Fairfax and Sons, later to become John...
art department, filling in the black squares in the crossword grids. He went to East Sydney Technical College and studied life drawing, painting, drawing and etching.
Knight's father taught him to love drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
. When he was a little boy, his father would draw for him. Mark's first cartoon's were of his family and their idiosyncrasies, drawn on Christmas Day or at other family gatherings.
He cited the cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
Paul Rigby
Paul Rigby
Paul Crispin Rigby AM , usually working under the name Rigby, was an award-winning Australian cartoonist who worked for newspapers in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States....
as having played an influential part of his childhood, as his first book his father bought for him when he was six years old was Paul Rigby's cartoon annual of 1967. He is quoted as saying that he still has the worn-out, tattered pages of this much-loved and influential paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
on his bookshelf. He further added that he used to create scrapbooks full of Rigby's cartoons which he would cut out from The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
. He would pore over them every day, copy and imitate them in school books, note pads as well as in sketch books in order to emulate the highly accoladed cartoonist as well as to develop a sense of his own style.
Awards
Knight won a Gold Quill Award from the Melbourne Press Club in 2005 for the best cartoon of the year. In 2001 he also picked up a Quill Award for Best Cartoon from the MPCMPC
-Astronomy:* Megaparsec, unit of length used in astronomy* Minor Planet Center, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory**Minor Planet Circulars, or astronomical publication from the Minor Planet Center...
.
He was also named The Age Cartoonist of the Year at the 22nd annual
Stan Cross Awards
Stan Cross
Stanley George Cross was born in the United States but was known as an Australian strip and political cartoonist who drew for Smith’s Weekly and The Herald and Weekly Times...
ceremony hosted by Rod Quantock
Rod Quantock
Rod Quantock is an Australian stand-up comedian and writer. He is known for his peculiar style of stand-up comedy, which is often politically driven, as well as being the face of bed retailer Capt'n Snooze for many years...
in Ballarat, Melbourne on November 4, 2007. His other accolades include awards in the cataogories Single Gag (2003) and Editorial (1995, 2006).
In 2004, Knight also picked up a Walkley
Walkley Awards
The annual Walkley Awards, under the administration of the Walkley Foundation for Journalism, are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. Finalists are chosen by an independent board of eminent journalists and photographers. The awards cover all media including...
Award for his cartoon named "Benefits Of A Bedtime Story".
In 2003, he received an award as part of the Australian Comedy Awards in the visual category for Outstanding Cartoonist as well as another Walkley
Walkley Awards
The annual Walkley Awards, under the administration of the Walkley Foundation for Journalism, are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. Finalists are chosen by an independent board of eminent journalists and photographers. The awards cover all media including...
.