Paul (Harv) Harvey has that infuriating but awe-inspiring knack of being able to draw instantly - recognisable caricatures of some of our greatest sports stars. He makes it look so effortless, as all great artists do, as in just a few pen strokes he captures the essence of the person he is drawing.
To call him a caricaturist, however, is to sell him short because he adapts his style to suit the medium and the occasion, whether its illustrating children’s books, conducting corporate presentations, designing company logos or painstakingly creating Brownlow certificates. His artwork for the recent AFL Microfigures has brought his skills before a new and appreciative audience.
Harv doesn’t draw in some rarified vacuum. He has a vast knowledge of football history, and he understands and acknowledges the debt of those great cartoonists who came before him, such as Samuel Wells, Bob Mirams, Noel Counihan and WEG (William Ellis Green). He is a worthy successor to their legacy, and the future of sports cartooning is in safe hands.
Robert Allen
Football writer and historian
