A mutant Donald Trump and Sad Pitt: the strange world of illustrator James Clapham

Date
24 September 2015

Many have satirised Donald Trump, none as far as we’re aware have gone as far as to turn the squillionaire tycoon into a green, Grinch-like gif. Apart from James Clapham that is, the Scouse illustrator who just loves to explore the “topical/trashy,” as he puts it. From Wayne’s World to junk food to editorial commissions about coco farmers, James’ unashamedly daft aesthetic may not be anything new, but his approach has real charm.

“I’m a big fan of reading gossip news and illustrating it just in time to catch the Twitter hype wave,” James tells us. “I enjoy that process because you’re quickly responding to something and the ideas don’t become stale. For me it’s mainly about finding unique subject matter and trying to stay away from uninspired personal works. Sometimes the better work comes from almost being surprised by a topic or a commission rather than doing a generic A-Z or a reinterpretation of a well-known story.”

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James Clapham: Trump

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James Clapham: Hey Arnold x Seinfeld

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James Clapham: Coca Plant Eaters

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James Clapham: Sad Pitt

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About the Author

Emily Gosling

Emily joined It’s Nice That as Online Editor in the summer of 2014 after four years at Design Week. She is particularly interested in graphic design, branding and music. After working It's Nice That as both Online Editor and Deputy Editor, Emily left the company in 2016.

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