Boardroom cartoon: Teamwork

"You're right, there is no 'I' in team. But there is 'tea', so I'm nipping off for a break right now ..."

Everyone hates people who use slogans like "there is no 'I' in team", am I right? See more cartoons in my Boardroom series here.

Humorous illustration: Social not working

As well as joke cartoons, I draw humorous illustrations to accompany magazine articles. Here's a social-networking cartoon which I was commissioned to draw for a business magazine. Or perhaps it's a social not working cartoon, the idea being that they're communicating online but not so well in the "offline" world.

Royston's portfolio website

Evolution cartoon: The job interview

"So ... where do you see yourself in four million years?"

Sometimes it pays to do a bit of picture research. I could've gone for the standard ape-like caveman look with this cartoon, but I decided to do a Google image search for artists' impressions of early man. It paid off I think. I might put him in some other cartoons ...

Royston's portfolio website

Desert island cartoon: Out of office

"I'm worried we might have exceeded our annual leave entitlement."

Yes, there is still life in the old desert island scenario. This cartoon can be seen in the December issue of Prospect magazine, which once compiled a list of new takes on old themes.

Royston's portfolio website

Social cartoons: The way we live now

"This is one of the pitfalls of shopping online ..."

When I tell people I draw cartoons they usually think primarily in terms of "topical", asking if I watch the news all the time to keep up with what's going on.

Of course, topical cartoons are part of what I do, but mostly they're not "this week's news" topical, they're more about reflecting the way we live now. And often it's the little things in life that I make jokes about.

This cartoon, from the current issue of The Spectator, is a case in point. Many people who do online shopping will recognise the scenario, even if it is a slight exaggeration.

Here are some more examples of this type of cartoon. They don't shout as loudly as newsy or political cartoons because they're not about the "big" issues, but they play a part in comment on society, I think. And, importantly, they usually have a longer shelf-life.

"I like to wear loud ties at work to project my true personality."

The fountain of youth

See more cartoons at my portfolio website

Not Yet Sold: Office cartoon

"You were the last person I expected to fall down on the job, Trubshaw."

Here's another rejected cartoon for you. I liked this gag, but perhaps the reference to the Weebles toys was lost on anyone who wasn't brought up in the 1970s like me.

Click the link for more Not Yet Sold cartoons.

This gag has actually been given an airing, albeit in a non-earning fashion, as it appears in the latest edition of the 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.

Office cartoon: The sick day

"Is somebody here implying that I was not really sick?"

One of the best things about being self-employed is that you never have to make that humiliating phone-call where you put on a croaky voice and call in sick.

(Having said that, I do remember loving that feeling when you hang up the phone, and you know you've now got a day of watching DVDs while sitting on the sofa under a duvet ahead of you!)

This cartoon was drawn to accompany an article about the number of working days lost to illness. Why do companies whinge on about this all the time? You're never going to get away from the fact that people get ill, and that there are some days when people just don't feel like working! I've never worked anywhere where they have "duvet days", but it sounds like a great idea.

Royston's portfolio website

Business cartoon: Economic woes

Here's a cartoon from the January edition of Reader's Digest. Cartoons are often based on current phrases and cliches that we hear a lot, usually in the media. This is one of those kind of gags. It's just a play on words really, but I think you can get away with jokes like that if it offers a good visual image. I had fun drawing this one, imagining what a black hole in an office would look like.

Cartoons by Royston

Private Eye cartoon: Facebook schmacebook

This cartoon is in the current Private Eye. Like many magazines they carry a lot of cartoons that are sceptical about new technology. But despite the view taken in this cartoon, I'm no luddite. I do have both a Facebook and MySpace profile ... it's just that often I'm not sure why. I signed up for Facebook because I was invited to, now I keep getting endless emails saying someone wants to discuss favourite movies with me, or has thrown a virtual custard pie at me. I ignore these to such an extent that someone sent me an email saying "You have been invited to join The Group For People Who Join Facebook Then Don't Do Anything". Naturally, I did nothing.

Birthday cartoon: The Big Four Oh-No

This is a cartoon I drew for an invitation to a 40th birthday party. It was easy for me to think of an idea for this as I'm reaching that milestone myself in a few months. I like to think I look better than the guy in the cartoon though ...

Planning cartoon

The government says it plans more public consultation and greater openness on planning matters, while at the same time promising to speed up the whole process. How can this possibly be done, you may well ask. Here's my take on it, in a cartoon drawn for a property law magazine:


I draw cartoons regularly for several business and trade magazines. And I find that the often dry, serious subject matter usually lends itself quite well to cartoons. Whereas if someone asks you to come up with a cartoon for a story that is already funny or bizarre in some way, that's a far greater challenge.

By the way, I know there's only three legs on that chair. There were four, but it looked cluttered and distracting so I took the fourth one out! The perspective is out of whack too. But it matters not a jot, because it's a cartoon. That's the beauty of the artform. If anyone questions it you say, "Tut, That's my style..."

Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival: Making an exhibition of myself

I'll be attending the Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival in a few weeks (April 20-22). I went along to the festival last year but was not an official participant. This year I am, which rather scarily means I have to draw a cartoon on an 8ft by 6ft board in the market square!

It also means I've got some cartoons in the "Mind Your Own Business" exhibition there, which opens at the Bear Steps Gallery on Tuesday (April 3). I submitted four pieces – two signed colour prints and two black and white originals. Three of the four cartoons have been previously published, but I thought I'd throw in a favourite of mine that has done the rounds of just about all the magazines I can think of but has not yet been published ... (I find that term so much more positive than "unpublished" or "rejected"!)

Business magazine cartoon: A splash of colour

I recently started doing a regular cartoon for a business magazine. Normally I submit roughs in black and white, even if the finished version will be in colour, but because this was the first one for the mag I added some colour to two of the characters to give the client an idea of what the end result would look like. The editor thought that having limited colour made it more striking, so that is how the finished artwork (below) appeared, as will all of their cartoons. I must admit, it wouldn't have occured to me to do it that way but I think it looks pretty good. Plus, of course, the customer is always right and it makes the job a lot quicker to do!

Rejected cartoon: Not this time, thanks.

Here's a rejected gag for you ...

Office cartoon: Going large

This cartoon is in the August issue of Prospect. I was pleased to sell this gag as it's one that I came up with while I was at the Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival (see May 3 entry) and therefore not at my desk trying to earn money! The general theme of the festival was "Size".