Jim Connolly

Jim Connolly (born 1978) is an English illustrator, designer and commercial artist from Sheffield. He is best known for creating comic book style designs for album/single covers, concert posters, magazine articles and silkscreen prints. His style features loud and brash bubblegum colours and comical characters usually drawn with a sharp vectorized look. The dominant features of his work usually include comic book, science fiction and horror references, often with a UK slant. Beyond his comic book style work he has also worked in a variety of different styles as an illustrator and designer, mainly on outsourced E-Learning games for the BBC and Channel 4 via several E-Learning companies.

Early work Connolly studied illustration and animation at Manchester Metropolitan University under the tuition of illustrator Ian Whadcock. During his time in Manchester he first began creating and contributing to many underground comics and fanzines. This early work later evolved into the creation of concert posters and album/single artwork for several bands.

Concert posters and album artwork

Having seen Connolly's designs for the Ape Drape Escape, The Barbs commissioned him to work on two singles and an album cover. The Misfits and Zombina and the Skeletones. Swampy bluesmith Mr David Viner also received the poster treatment on a visit to Sheffield University Students Union.

Editorial illustration Exposed Magazine commissioned several designs primarily as profile pictures for their reviewers and then for their film column, where they have used Connolly mainly to visualise the latest comic book film adaptions. Sandman Magazine has also recently used Connolly's work in articles featuring Madchester icon Clint Boon and all-female Manchester punk band Hotpants Romance.

Art prints

In 2008, The Archipelago Press Company released a silkscreen print by Connolly satirising the destruction of Sheffield's iconic Tinsley cooling towers. In Jim's version of events the towers are destroyed dramatically by UFOs and onlookers are seen fleeing for their lives.

The popularity of the original print led to the release of a Henderson's Relish inspired print titled 'Use the Sauce' in November 2008, again via The Archipelago Press Company which has stated that a further four prints (six in total) will be produced continuing the Sheffield/comic book satirical theme. The film Dawn of the Dead is stated as a key influence on the image.

An exhibition will be held (in an as-yet unknown venue) in Sheffield sometime in late 2009 when the series is completed.

Music and writing Connolly is an original member of the alternative band the Ape Drape Escape in which he is a co-singer/songwriter. They have been labelled 'ramshackle' by Sandman Magazine for their unrehearsed and drunken performances. He is also an occasional magazine article writer and comic book enthusiast. He managed to combine the two by interviewing influential comic artist (and fellow Sheffielder) Paul Grist in July 2008.