Artist Ralph Steadman gained popularity, but he never squandered his earnings

Ralph Steadman, 88, a British illustrator and satirist, rose to fame with publications such as Punch and Private Eye before working with American writer and journalist Hunter S. Thompson, according to Dan Moore.

They met in 1970 while covering the Kentucky Derby for Scanlan’s Monthly. Their subsequent collaboration included the cult classic “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Wild Journey to the Heart of the American Dream.”

Ralph’s unique style, full of ink splatters and grotesque characters, has made his works extremely popular ever since.

The song has graced the covers of albums by The Who and Frank Zappa, novels such as Alice in Wonderland and Animal Farm, and works by Ted Hughes and Brian Patten.

Ralph, a father-of-five, lives near Tenterden, Kent, in the family home he shared with his late wife Anna.

What did your parents teach you about money?

They taught me to be honest, direct and do the right thing. This included recording everything correctly so that the authorities knew everything there was to know about you as a UK citizen.

What was your first job?

As an apprentice radar operator with the de Havilland Aircraft Company in Broughton, Chester, in 1952, before my national service, I was probably paid about 30 shillings a year.

How did your adventure with art begin?

I saw an advert for a course at the Percy V Bradshaw Press Art School in Forest Hill, London. It said: “You too can learn to draw and earn pounds.” When I met Mr Bradshaw, I told him the course was old-fashioned. He said, “Oh, my boy, the rules of drawing never change.” We got on well. The rules of drawing are the same. People like Picasso changed it in a way, making drawing something a child can do – but it’s still imaginative.

When did you realize you could make a career out of this?

I don’t think I ever did. I feel as poor now as I did then. I didn’t even consider drawing as a career, I just tried to do it. I didn’t think I could make a lot of money from it, I just wanted to do it as well as I could and convey something with it.

How did the collaboration with Thompson come about?

I was in New York. It was my first trip to America, in 1970, and J.C. Suarez, a design consultant for Scanlan’s Monthly, a counterculture magazine, asked me if I wanted to go to Kentucky to cover the Derby with former Hell’s Angel Hunter S. Thompson, who would write a story that I would illustrate.

I went in not knowing what to expect. It took us a few days to find our bearings, and when we did, Hunter’s first comment was, “Well, they said you’d be weird, but not this weird.”

I had a goatee then, and in Kentucky it wasn’t very common. But we brought out something inside of us that needed to be released.

We had adventures, but they were very spontaneous. You never knew what was going to happen with Hunter.

Were you well paid for illustrating his work?

We just wanted honest work for honest pay. Jann Wenner, the editor of Rolling Stone, paid us about a salary, as did Scanlan.

My daughter Sadie recently found the original letters from Rolling Stone about the Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas assignment. They said, “We’ll pay you $500 for this job and we’ll provide hospital care if necessary during the assignment.”

This amount increased to $750 when the number of cover illustrations was increased to ten pages and three additional illustrations were added.

Do you regret selling your work?

Since I sold the original Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas to Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner for $75, I haven’t sold most of my originals. I’ve been often quoted as saying, “If someone has a Steadman original, it’s stolen.”

What was the best year of your financial life?

I probably worked for Oddbins Wine Merchants from 1987 for 12 years and then when we signed the deal with Flying Dog Brewery in 1995.

Commercial work is often the most lucrative. It pays for my exciting projects, such as my children’s books, I Leonardo and The Big I Am.

Have you ever been paid a ridiculously high salary for one job?

At one job I was paid for a brand new Mark 1 Golf convertible. It was A-registered, so that was 1983, when it cost £6,500.

Are you a giver or a saver?

Frugal. I was raised to be prudent and I have a pension.

What do you allow yourself to do most?

In 1985, our house had a swimming pool installed. I use it every day, so each swim costs me less and less.

What was your best financial decision?

It was probably the purchase of our home, which is a Georgian manor house. It is a wonderful place and the whole family has enjoyed it over the years.

What financial advice have you given your children?

Just be careful, honest and don’t be a cheater or a con artist.

What are your plans for the future?

In September there will be an exhibition in Chatham entitled INKling.

Sadie put it all together. It was quite a task.

And this is one thing I always tell my children: commit to the job you do 100 percent – ​​don’t do it just for the money.

• Ralph Steadman: INKling runs from 21 September to 17 November at Historic Dockyard Chatham (thedockyard.co.uk).