He was the second child of William Flinn Evison (baptised 24 May 1831 – October 1872),[3][note 1] a clerk for the Liverpool and America shipping trade, and Sarah Ellen Emson (born third quarter 1845),[6] the daughter of a publican.

He studied pen and ink drawing full-time under John Finnie[note 4] at the Liverpool School of Art, where he won a scholarship worth £60.

[11] He had already begun to have some drawings accepted by Magazines like Pick-me-up or Judy and this success led to him coming to London and joining the Slade School where he worked for 12 months.

The serial story covers the adventures of two young Americans who set out from San Francisco to travel around the world with only $10 between them.

[note 10] The following illustrations are not from the cheap editions which featured Evison's strong pen and ink drawings, but from a full-priced Christmas book.

[note 33] Evison provide eight illustrations for the book, painted rather than in the pen and ink which he used for cheaper editions.

Houfe states that Evison was a particularly good figure artist and that he used pen and ink with heavy body colour.[1]: 297 .

His magazine illustrations covered a much broader range, and were not just restricted to pen and ink work.