Book illustrations: Look Who's here

This book is finally released today, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who this month. I'm a fan of the show (though nowhere in the same league as Neil, the author of the book) so it's fun to be a very small and unofficial part of the celebrations.

This is the original drawing. Faber, the publishers, added the colour. And below is the illustration I drew for the back cover, a shelf full of mundane kitchen stuff alongside Doctor Who paraphernalia.

It's a bit small to see the detail here, but I had fun coming up with the titles of the books on the shelf, such as Cybermen Behaving Badly and The Doctor's Day Off. I'd like to read that last one, though there's no sigh of him taking a break any time soon.

For more on the original Wife in Space blog cartoons click here.

Happy Birthday, Doctor Who!

TV cartoon: Careful what you wish for

Fans of Doctor Who will know that the current series has been leading up to death of the Doctor tonight. Sounds unlikely that they would kill off a much-loved franchise, er, character, but unlikely things do happen: it's October 1 and it's hot and sunny.

Click play


For some though, you should be careful what you wish for ...

"Do you ever get a hollow feeling when you've looked forward to something for ages and then it finally happens?"

You know you want to see more Doctor Who/Dalek cartoons ...

Captionless cartoon: A new Dalek

This week's caption contest on the Cartoonists' Club of Great Britain public forum is a actually a no-caption contest. Instead, a theme is provided and you have to draw a "silent" cartoon to go with it. And the theme is Daleks. Having done so many Dalek cartoons in the past, I couldn't resist.

Royston's portfolio website

Shrewsbury, Daleks and exhausted cartoonists

Phew! Very tired still after the Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival 2010. Will post more on it when I've caught up with work (and sleep) but in the meantime here's a cartoon I drew for the "HuMurals" in the town's Darwin Shopping Centre.

I returned home last night to find I'd got an email from a mum whose 10-year-old son was "very amused and excited" by the cartoon and drew his own version inspired by it (which she sent to me). That's kind of what the festival is all about and makes all the effort more than worthwhile.

To see the live coverage of the festival we put together while there, see The Bloghorn

Not Yet Sold: Dalek cartoon

"Every time you use that word you exterminate part of yourself."

Here's number 2 in my exclusive new part-work series Not Yet Sold, which builds week-by-week into a chronicle of blind hope and failure.

This rejected cartoon from 2007 is one of many Dalek gags I've done over the years (click Daleks in labels below to see a few) but I thought this one had a bit more substance as it's not just a joke about the usual Doctor Who/Dalek cliches (climbing stairs, hiding behind the sofa etc). Alas, it has been submitted to many magazines, with no luck.

It remains a personal favourite though, I just like the idea of a Dalek struggling with his true nature and seeing a shrink. Maybe, in a parallel universe, it was a hit ...

As ever, feedback and constructive criticism on the Not Yet Sold cartoons (or any on the blog) is welcome and, indeed, encouraged.

Royston's portfolio website

Snowman cartoon: Who's that?

Apparently, lots of people here in the UK have snow today. People in London appear to be getting particularly excited about it on Twitter. As usual, there is none here on the tip of the Kentish coast, so I have to make do with snow cartoons instead.

This one can be found on a Christmas card in a gift shop near you (I sold the card company this and a slightly rude caption for a photo card). It can also be seen as a full-page cartoon on the back of the latest edition of Foghorn, the magazine of the Professional Cartoonists' Organisation.

You can read an archive of the Foghorn online, just click the button on the right-hand column of this blog (scroll down). To buy a print subscription to the mag, which comes out six times a year, go here.

In other news: There's an interview with me over at a US blog called David Wasting Paper. David is a self-confessed cartooning geek and has put the same questions to a whole load of cartoonists and comics artists, including Bill Griffith, Nick Downes, Dave Coverly, Chris Browne and Larry Gonick. There's lots to read there, well worth a look during the inevitable festive period down-time.

Royston's portfolio website