Cartoons that keep on going

Article from The Weekly News, click to enlarge

It's always amazing to me how some cartoons seem to take on a life of their own. My leopard on a psychiatrist's couch cartoon, which was first published 11 years ago (albeit as a different, black and white version) is a case in point.

Thanks to The Jester, newsletter of the Cartoonists' Club, I've just found out that it was picked for a preview of the Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival in Scotland's Weekly News (above, click to enlarge). That's it in the bottom, left. Shame they cropped the signature. The BBC also used it in a Shrewsbury piece.

I don't get paid for these PR uses, but the cartoon has already been published, I sold the original, and I've sold it for re-use many times, so that's OK. I'm happy to help promote the festival and it's good to know that the cartoon is still out there, hopefully making people laugh.

Incidentally, I normally cringe a bit at the attitude shown in this article i.e. "We're all wacky, zany cartoonists here to cheer you all up with a chuckle!" but at the moment it feels quite appropriate, like a genuine public service.

Royston's portfolio website

Evolution cartoon: The missing link

"Let's all do the Conga, let's all do the Conga, la-la-la-la ..."

Three out of the four cartoons I submitted for exhibition at the Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival can be seen in the Boffination show (which is at the Bear Steps Gallery until May 9) but this is the one that got away.

I always knew this one would have an outside chance, because with the theme being Darwin-inspired they were bound to get lots of "Ascent of Man" cartoons. And they did. But once I had the idea of them do-do-doing the Conga, I just had to draw it up. Makes me chuckle, anyway.

Talking of Shrewsbury (as have been doing quite a lot on this blog lately, don't worry it'll stop soon) I was alerted today to the fact that the BBC picked one of my Boffination cartoons to illustrate an article on the festival. Excerpt below.


Royston's portfolio website

Preparing for the Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival

"You have got to WANT to change."

Getting my stuff together for the Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival, which I'll be heading off to later this week.

Here is another of the cartoons I submitted for the exhibition "Boffination", which can be seen at the town's Bear Steps Gallery. It runs until May 9.

This cartoon is a new version of one of my earliest published gags. The original appeared in the fondly remembered Journal of Silly in 1998 and a slightly different version in the similarly defunct Times Metro supplement in 1999. It seemed an appropriate one to revive as an exhibition watercolour, as it fits in with the evolution/Darwin theme. And, of course, recycling cartoons is good for the environment.

I'm not doing a Big Board at the festival like last year and the year before but I will probaby get involved in other stuff such as the "Humurals", a mural of cartoons on the festival theme, and I will be reporting on the festival for the PCO's Bloghorn along with Matt Buck and Alex Hughes.

I don't know if I'll get the chance to put anything on this blog, but I'll aim to do a few Twitter updates from my phone (as I learned how to do that a few days ago!) so they will appear in the column on the right.

I was delighted to find out today that one of my exhibition cartoons has sold already. No idea which one yet, but I'm chuffed as that will pay for travel and a few beers at least. Cheers!