Another sequel to "Life imitating cartoons"

I have written many posts here about life imitating cartoons, where things I have drawn happen in real life. (See them all by clicking here.)

This cartoon (rejected) was drawn last week ... before the same gag was used by the host at the #Oscars last night. Note to Jimmy Kimmel: I am available for next year's ceremony.

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Spectator cartoons

Here are a couple of recent cartoons from The Spectator. One on over-sensitive university students closing down debate (which is proving to be a rich seam for joke cartoonists ...)

And one about a recent high-profile crime ...

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Private Eye cartoon: Easily distracted

Technology continues to inspire as the dominant subject matter in my cartoons these days. This is from the current Private Eye, a joke about the Steve Jobs film. No, not that one.

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Private Eye cartoon: Bear-faced cheek

"For God's sake, put some trousers on."

Cartoon from the current Private Eye about this.

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Cartoons about Lego

"I hope there's no product placement in this."

This cartoon about The Lego Movie can be seen in the current Private Eye. And here are a couple of older Lego cartoons. 

"I must say I'm not convinced by Lego Jenga."

I heard the Lego Jenga line on QI on BBC Two the other day, but I can assure you I didn't steal it from there. I stole it from my son. And talking of stealing, the one below never sold, which is a shame as I thought it was a nice visual gag.

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Cinema cartoon coming at ya

"Wow! The devastating satire on the failure of the American dream just LEAPS out of the screen at you!"

I haven't seen the new Gatsby, but I'm baffled by the idea of it being in 3D and I'm wondering if they have put in some kind of aerial chase scene. Every film I see with my kids has a scene, or several, involving falling from planes or climbing cliffs, cranes etc. It's getting old.

This can be seen in glorious 2D in the new issue of Prospect magazine.

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Film cartoon: Down in front!

Don't you just hate it when this happens? From the current issue of The Spectator.

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Film cartoon: Oompa Loompa do-ba-dee-do

This is one for fans of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the original (and best) version of Roald Dahl's much-loved story.

It was fun to draw, and the famous Oompa-Loompa song ran through my head as I did so. The cartoon appears in the current issue of Saga magazine.

I considered writing "Royston tan cartoon" as the headline for this post, because whenever I Google myself (we've all done it) I get some results for the Singaporean film-maker Royston Tan, and I thought it would be funny if people searching for him find me instead. It may happen anyway now ... so hello Royston Tan fans!

In other news, a local paper, the Isle of Thanet Gazette, wrote a profile about me this week. Here's the picture they took. As you can see, I can draw three cartoons at the same time while balancing a bookshelf on my head. Read the interview here.

In case you're wondering what that small white thing is in the top right, it's a key from an old computer keyboard. Sometimes I press it.

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Not Yet Sold: At the cinema

Time for another in my occasional series of rejected cartoons. (Not that my cartoons are only occasionally rejected, you understand ...)

This was inspired by my six-year-old daughter who, largely to wind me up I think, likes to scoop up popcorn off the floor at the end of a film and shove it into her mouth, while saying, in a Homer Simpson-style voice, "Mmm ... floor popcorn."

You can see more Not Yet Sold cartoons here.

Cinema cartoon: Film fun

"Wow! That's probably the best Kyrgyzstani neo-realist horror-comedy crossover I've seen so far this year."

The job of a cartoonist is to poke fun, and that can apply even when the subject is something you actually like.

This accompanies an article in Isle magazine about two local film clubs. I'm a fully paid-up member of one, the Thanet Film Society, and regularly attend its screenings at the Palace cinema here in Broadstairs.

They actually did show a Kyrgyzstani film recently. It wasn't a horror-comedy crossover though. I'm eternally grateful to them for bringing films that barely get shown anywhere to our corner of Kent, and I hope they'll forgive this spot of piss-taking. Just doin' my job.

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Film cartoon: All rise

I haven't yet seen Rotpota, as the cool kids call it, but I intend to. I'm a fan of the original and I hope that the new one will finally eradicate the appalling Tim Burton "re-imagining" from my memory. This cartoon can be seen in this week's edition of The Spectator.

Here's another cartoon on an "Ascent of Man" riff.

Books cartoon: Thinking about inking

The Dragon with the Girl Tattoo

You may have seen quite a few cartoons around which play on Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Cartoonists often riff off each other's ideas to come up with new jokes, and certain themes take hold. This cartoon can be seen in the October issue of Reader's Digest.

If you saw my Ramsgate Arts festival talk last month, you'll have got a sneak preview of this. You lucky people.

Royston's portfolio website