Mr Bingo

Mr Bingo in Brooklyn, 2008

Mr Bingo (or James John O'Neil), born in 1979,[1] is an illustrator, artist and speaker, living and working in London, UK.

Early life

Mr Bingo grew up in Leigh, Kent and attended The Judd School in Tonbridge.

Biography

"Dress Your Age" for Soho House magazine

Mr Bingo studied a foundation course at the Kent Institute of Art & Design in Maidstone in 1998. It was during this year that he played Bingo at Gala Bingo in Maidstone, Kent earning him the nickname ‘Bingo’.[2] He went on to study graphic design at Bath Spa University College and specialised in illustration.[3] He graduated in 2001 and moved to London.

Since then he’s had a steady rise to fame as a freelance illustrator however, more recently he has stopped working commercially to pursue a career as an artist.[4]

Mr Bingo works from his studio, in Shoreditch, London."[5] and describes himself as having a "slightly smaller than average" head and "girl's arms," plus "the same haircut as his mum".[6][7] His star sign is Aquarius.[8]

Work

Illustration for WIRED

His first paid work involved "character and background designs" for the BBC Three animated TV series Monkey Dust.[8] He has also produced artwork advertising the Suicide Girls' first tour, and has also produced posters for the Scottish Food Standards Agency.[9]

Among his many clients are such big-name organisations as Oxfam, Orange, Microsoft, Nike, the BBC, Volkswagen, Virgin, Converse, Howies, Carhartt, Absolut and MTV. He also does editorial illustrations and other work for both The Financial Times and The Guardian newspapers, and has had work featured in magazines as diverse as Bearded, Dazed and Confused, WIRED, Esquire and GQ, while his art has also been featured in Creative Review and Icon magazines.[6][7]

In 2006 and 2007, he provided the covers for the two QI books based on the comedy panel quiz fronted by Stephen Fry. The Book of General Ignorance and The Book of Animal Ignorance are both published by Faber and Faber. A selection of rough artwork and preliminary designs have since been showcased by the QI website.[10]

He has also designed a couple of T-shirts, including one for Club Compression, San Francisco-based club promoters.[8]

He counts "beatboxing" and "Scrabble" among his hobbies, and collects pairs of trainers.[7][8]

Speaking

Mr Bingo is a regular on the global speaking circuit and has appeared at many events, including The Lost Lectures,[11] FITC, OFFSET, Pictoplasma, Vice, OFFF, Reasons To Be Creative, The Economist Big Rethink, BBC Worldwide Creative Summit, Bookslam, D&AD Presidents Lectures, Guardian Masterclasses, TYPO Berlin and Latitude Festival.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Mr Bingo's MySpace. Accessed February 6, 2008
  2. ↑ Jeffries, Stuart (2015-07-19). "Troll for hire: the abusive art of Mr Bingo". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  3. ↑ "#CSinterview, Mr Bingo". Creative Social Blog. 2013-10-18. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  4. ↑ "Pictoplasma focus: Mr Bingo, rude postcards and dirty queens". We Make Money Not Art. 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  5. ↑ Mr Bingo at "On My Desk". Accessed February 6, 2008
  6. 1 2 Contemporary Urban Art Blog: Mr Bingo - ASDA, thick humans & juvenile graffiti, September 14, 2006. Accessed February 6, 2008
  7. 1 2 3 Mr Bingo biography at Blanka.co.uk. Accessed February 6, 2008
  8. 1 2 3 4 Mr Bingo at Modular People. Accessed February 6, 2008
  9. ↑ Mr Bingo's website: Latest Work #Six; #Sept. Accessed February 6, 2008
  10. ↑ QI Book's Photos at Facebook. Accessed February 6, 2008
  11. ↑ The Lost Lectures (2015-12-30), Mr Bingo: Hate Mail, retrieved 2016-04-30
  12. ↑ It's Nice That (2015-02-17), Nicer Tuesdays: Mr Bingo on Humour, retrieved 2016-04-30

External links

"Happy Mothers Day" (2005)
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