Illustrator and cartoonist Leon Edler admits his biggest love is comedy. “I’m a comedy nerd and grew up loving everything from 50s radio comedy to modern sitcoms,” he told Sense of Creativity, mentioning names like Tony Hancock, Seinfeld, and Alan Partridge amongst his comedic icons.
“I wanted to make stuff that made people laugh,” says Edler. As it turns out, that “stuff” would be illustrations and cartoons. “I thought that would be for TV, but I liked how immediate cartoons were,” he explains. “I could draw them and make my friends laugh.” As time passed, his drawing improved, catching up to his sense of humor.
Jump forward a decade later and Edler now runs his own illustration studio, Leillo, based in Brighton. Over the years he has collaborated with the best of the best, including publications and news outlets like The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Guardian, CNN, and Vanity Fair.
“I’m sure everyone is creative in some way,” says Edler. “But it’s a spectrum like anything. I think if you’re really creative, you will always feel a need to make stuff – whether that’s writing, drawing, making music or whatever. But to make good stuff, you need to spend a lot of time practicing – finding what you’re good and bad at.” His confident style and hand-drawn humor provide a well needed comic relief.
