Juristocracy

An email from the Spectator UK always gives my stomach a flutter, as I know it's a tight deadline. This one was no different, and I worked through most of the night illustrating Rod Liddle's piece on the rise of juristocracy in Britain (and the world). Please click for a slightly closer view...

I hadn't read the article, but the editors gave me a tight brief. They wanted an evil judge, looming over us. At first, we toyed with the idea of a leviathan, monster-like judge in a sea of paperwork with Lady Justice sailing into its cavernous mouth (thumbnail #1, below), but ended up going for a regular human villain. You can see my thumbnail roughs below, with #5 making the grade. Please click for a closer look...

I channelled the Disney villain a little for this one, and was very happy with the result, despite the majority being drawn in the wee hours of the night. The only downside was that the cover got bumped and the illustration only featured inside. Such is the nature of topical magazines.

Below is the sketch...

...and in the article:

If you're in the United Kingdom, get yourself a copy!

Thanks for looking, ~ Anton