Magazine cartoon: A hipster Christmas

"Everyone has beards now, so I've shaved mine off."

I'm not sure how I got to December 17 without blogging any Christmas cartoons, particularly as I posted loads last year and one every day as a cartoon advent calendar in 2012 and 2011.

This one can be seen in the current edition of Saga magazine.

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Christmas cartoon: Secrets and lies

"OK fill me in – who has been naughty and who has been nice?"

Here's a Christmas cartoon from the current issue of Reader's Digest. I won't be posting a cartoon for each day of advent this year (as I did last year and the year before) but I'll feature a few throughout the month.

This is not the first time I've done a topical gag based on the "naughty and nice" idea. Or indeed the second! And it won't be the last either. It's the Christmas gift that keeps on giving.

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Cartoon advent calendar:Day 20. Now you're Tolkien

This appears on the cover of this month's issue of The Jester, monthly magazine of the Cartoonists' Club. I was asked to do it on the cartoon theme of "myths and legends" so I combined it with Christmas and came up with this. It's also topical, as the new Hobbit film is out this week. Hobbit feet are fun to draw.

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Cartoon advent calendar:Day 7. Board silly

"I realise that you are new to the board, but we do not refer to non-executive directors as 'little helpers' ..."

Here's todays advent cartoon, one from my series of boardroom cartoons, drawn for a business publication.

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Cartoon advent calendar:Day 4. Still hacked off

"Perhaps you could tell us how you know if we've been bad or good?"

We all like to enjoy a few old favourites at Christmas so here's one from last year. It was topical then and remains topical, as Lord Justice Leveson delivered his report on the media just last week.

It can be seen as part of a round-up of Leveson cartoons at the Procartoonists.org blog here. (And there are more Leveson cartoons here.)

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Cartoon advent calendar: Day 23. Making a list

Today's advent cartoon is another from the Christmas Private Eye.

I did one similar to this a few years ago, which didn't sell, where he had three lists: Nice, Naughty and Misunderstood. But it seemed right to rework it this year in the light of the riots across England, after which people were searching for reasons for young people going on the rampage.

"Alienated" and "disaffected" were words used by Tony Blair in a post-riots speech.

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Cartoon advent calendar:Day 19. Modern Santa

Today's advent cartoon is another cartoon drawn for a company Christmas card, a marketing company in this case.

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Cartoon advent calendar:Day 4. Giving and receiving

"I think someone's stealing our wi-fi."

I hope you're all enjoying the advent calendar cartoons, and I can only apologise for the fact that each image does not come with a piece of funny-tasting chocolate in the shape of a robin. Today's is an unsold one from a couple of years ago.

The perfect stocking-filler ...

Cartoon advent calendar:Day 1. Hacking Christmas

"Perhaps you could tell us how you know if we've been bad or good?"

I'm going to treat you lucky people to a Christmas cartoon for each day leading up to December 24 -- a kind of cartoon advent calendar. They will be new and old, published and unpublished, some from magazines and others commissioned.

To kick things off, this is in the Christmas issue of Reader's Digest. Any resemblance to living people is purely coincidental etc etc.

I think this is the only cartoon I've done where the speaker is not in the cartoon. I wasn't sure it would work, but I think we're so used to seeing this kind of televised public grilling now, such as the current Leveson Inquiry, that I get away with it.

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Seasons greetings to all who've been reading my ramblings this year. This cartoon (click to enlarge) was bought by Prospect magazine for its 2008 Christmas card. You can also see a festive cartoon by me in the Christmas Private Eye.

I sold a few Christmas gags this year, which almost makes up for the drop-off in corporate Christmas cards, due to companies cutting costs. Anyway, 'tis the season to be jolly, so let's not fret about the Credit Crunch for a few days at least! This blog is now taking a break and will return in 2009.

Have a great one!

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Christmas cartoons: A long time coming

Yes, it's that time of year again: the Father Christmases are out in force and Slade are on heavy rotation. But for many cartoonists it's been a long time coming, as we've been drawing Christmas cartoons on and off since the summer.

To do Christmas cartoons you usually have to adopt a pretty cynical tone. Most people, adults at least, are quite cynical about the festive season, I find. But the terrible truth is ... I actually really enjoy it! We don't go hugely overboard on it (I think disappointment often comes when you do) but I usually have a good time. So on that note, here's an alternative Christmas song ...



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