*Photo Credit for this picture of Randall goes to his son Kristan.
This is from Randall's Mocha Dick project (click to enlarge). 
Randall was nominated for this year's National Cartoonist Society's, Advertising Illustration Award for his artwork on the show "The Norman Conquests".
Illustrator Randall Enos was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts. In the mid-1960's, Randall developed his linocut style and for over 50 years now has been well known for creating these colorful illustrations. His work has been published in magazines and newspapers including Playboy, Time, Sports Illustrated, The National Lampoon, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone and countless others. The pages of hundreds of children’s trade and textbooks, record and CD covers, posters and animated films have all been graced with his illustrations. He has created comic strips for Playboy and The National Lampoon, and his animation designs have been used by NBC, CBS, Columbia Pictures, Xerox, Singer and John Hancock. In 1964 Randall won a Cannes TV Film award for his work in animation. He has taught at Parsons School of Design, the Philadelphia University of the Arts, RISD, Syracuse, Montclair and the School of Visual Arts. Growing up in New Bedford inspired him to study the history of whaling and to collect whaling tools and artifacts. His whaling print creations are sold at Mystic Seaport and other maritime centers. Just this year Randall was nominated for the National Cartoonist Society’s Advertising Illustration Award. Randall lives on a horse farm in Connecticut with his wife Leann, horses, ducks, cats and a dog. Check out Randall's website here and also go to his Drawger page where he has some great posts.
What is your favorite pen to use?
I don't really use pens. I do linocuts so I use a linocutter. However on the rare occasions that I do use a pen, My preference is a stiff Hunt # 107 pigsticker.
Do you draw in pencil first and if so do you use a standard pencil or a mechanical one?
I do my roughs in pencil and I use a regular good ol' #2.
Do you do your coloring by hand or on the computer?
Both.
If you do your coloring by hand, what do you use?
I print on colored papers and create a collage by cutting out the parts I need and pasting them together. But since I have a limited supply of the papers (The company stopped making them), I usually pop my colors in on the computer.
What type of paper do you use?
Just cheap copy paper...unless I'm making a print to sell or give someone in which case I'll use a good printing paper. But for magazine and newspaper work that's going to be sent by jpeg, I just use standard copy paper (I find it takes the ink very well and gives me a good print. If I'm drawing in pen etc. I'll use double ply Strathmore.
What thing(s) do you hate to draw?
I'm not terribly fond of drawing buildings or cars.
Do you buy your supplies from big chain art store catalogues/websites or a local one that you physically go to?
Both. My linoblocks and printing ink I buy on line from a big supplier. For small stuff, I use an art store that I have been going to for 54 years. The cheapo copy paper comes from Staples.
Are there any rituals that you do before starting to draw?
I find that donning an Indian headdress and chanting whilst hopping around in a circle really gets me going. I don't drink caffeinated coffee.
Do you listen to music while you draw and if so what genre?
I used to always have the TV on while I worked sometimes not even seeing a single scene...just listening to it but now I prefer listening to MSNBC or CNN or blues music.
Did you read comics as a kid and if so what was your favorite?
I definitely read a lot of comics as a kid. Little Lulu was my favorite comic book.
What is or was your favorite comic strip?
Blondie and Bringing Up Father (Jiggs and Maggie) were my favorite comic strips as a kid. Krazy Kat was a little before my time but is my all-time favorite comic strip (what else?).
What was your favorite book as a child and do you still own a copy of it?
Tom Sawyer and I still have a copy of it.
Did you have any formal art training and if so where did you receive it?
I have very little to no formal art training. I took two years of painting at an old fashioned school where you didn't get to paint from a model until your third year, which I never got to. I'm really self-taught.
Do you feel that the Internet is a blessing or a curse?
I vote for blessing although sometimes I curse at it.
Did either of your parents draw?
My father made a few drawings when he was first married and they were excellent realistic drawings but then he never drew again.
Who in your life is/was the most supportive of your art?
My wife, my father and my mother-in-law.
Do you keep a sketchbook?
Never.
Have you ever taught cartooning/drawing and if so did you enjoy the experience?
I have taught for many years at a few different schools and I did enjoy the experience most of the time but the frustrating thing is that the students are not familiar with the field and the practitioners of it as, for instance, dance or music students would be.
Do you feel that talent or passion is more important in drawing?
Passion.
Do you collect anything and if so what?
I collect books and tools of 19th century whaling. And I seem to have a huge collection of masks all around my studio walls that seemed to just appear. I have never purposefully collected them. I inherited a lot of them from my mother-in-law.
If you were an animated cartoon character who do you think you would be?
Popeye.
Are you a righty or lefty?
Right in drawing...left in politics.
If you weren't an artist what would you want to do for work?
I would be an actor/comedian.
In one or two sentences describe your drawing area.
I work in a good-sized room in my basement. It is filled with three drawing boards, lots of books, drawers and one old, antique OS 9.1 Rasterops computer.
Do you play any musical instruments?
I can play a very bad five-string banjo and I'm getting fairly good at blues harp.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to pursue drawing as a career what would it be?
Be honest...draw honestly not in an affected way or a way that mimics other artists. Try to find your own "voice".
Who is your favorite artist?
Cy Twombly in painting. George Herriman in cartooning (followed closely by Cliff Sterrett).
Thank you very much Randall!
Up next is cartoonist and caricaturist Bill Larocque.
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