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.


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Life imitating cartoons. Part 2

"You're listening to Browse FM! Broadcasting to libraries across the UK!"

Unwanted piped music seems to be wherever you go these days. So when trying to come up with a cartoon on that theme, in February of 2008, I decided to think of what would be the most outrageous place you could have piped music. The library was the answer I came up with, and the cartoon above was the result.

Now, you may have seen this news story last week: Libraries criticised for playing music. Yes, it's another case of life imitating cartoons! And as the gag did not sell, it proves that punctuality is crucially important with topical cartoons i.e. just as a cartoon that is created too long after the event is useless, so is one that arrives too early!

Oh, and in case you missed it, here's my first Life imitating cartoons post, from last October.

Tweeting and warbling at Shrewsbury

Well, Shewsbury 2009 has been and gone, or #shrews09 as us cutting-edge Twits call it. Yes, this years Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival, the sixth, was the first to be covered live online, by Matt Buck, Alex Hughes, and myself, for Bloghorn.

Alex and Matt did most of the really technical stuff, uploading video and audio clips, while I wrote some words, took quite a few photos (such as the one of the rather impressive queue for caricatures, above, which remained constant throughout the festival) and asked silly questions like, "What the Tweet is the difference between using the hashtag and the at-symbol?" It was a steep learning curve, luckily I managed to cling on.



It wasn't all new media though. Here's me doing some old-style drawing, roughing out a contribution for the Humurals. These large cartoons decorated the Darwin Shopping Centre (the great man was born in Shrewsbury, hence the enthusiasm for marking his bicentenary at this year's festival). Thanks to Duncan Bourne for taking this photo ... I'm glad I haven't evolved a bald spot yet.

I drew a cartoon involving a couple of Galapagos Island tortoises in a credit crunch scenario. Here's the cartoon on display, bottom left, followed by a close-up.



"Times are hard, I've had to take in a lodger."

No Shrewsbury Festival would be complete without a bite to eat and a few drinkies for the cartoonists, followed by some raucous singing and the obligatory drawing on tablecloths.


Here I am trying not to get stuck in "Stuck in the Middle With You", helped considerably by Noel Ford on guitar. Tim Harries, out of shot, also provided acoustic guitar and reminded me when to come in and what notes to sing.


And that's me fourth from the left, immortalised by the genius that is Martin Honeysett. He's famed for drawing highly unattractive types for the likes of Private Eye and Punch, so he had plenty to work from with us lot. Thanks to Gerard Whyman for these last two pics.

The icing on the cake for me was that my sperm and egg cartoon, which I've never managed to get published anywhere (I blogged about that here) was bought by a festival-goer who saw it in the Boffination exhibition. See, I knew it was a good 'un! I've got three cartoons in the show, which can be seen at the Bear Steps Gallery until May 9.

As well as being a chance for us all to meet up and have a laugh, there was something of a support group feeling at this year's Shrewsbury. Few industries are immune from the recession, and many cartoonists are feeling the pinch, with a drop in offers of work. Most people remained upbeat though, and we hope we can do it all again next year in a better economic climate.

In the meantime, we'll do our best to promote the noble and ancient art of cartooning online, as long as I can tell my at-symbol from my hashtag.

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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!

Twitter cartoon

"This is progress for you, social-networking that does not involve lamp-posts."

Here's a cartoon about Twitter, which was drawn to accompany an article about a dog that has its own Twitter feed. No, really! OK, maybe the owner had something to do with it.

I set up a Twitter account recently. I was very sceptical about it at first, as I couldn't see the point of it. But as with all these sites, you really have to try them out to see what it's all about. I can use it in a social-networking way or to point people in the direction of this blog and my portfolio site.

I find that it's a lot more instant than Facebook and it's also good fun. There are a lot of very funny people on there, such as ace comedian Peter Serafinowicz and the comedy writer Graham Linehan, sharing thoughts and links.

My Twitter updates now appear on the right of this blog (though obviously some of the links would just send you back here!) or you can follow me at twitter.com/roystoncartoons.

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Political cartoon: Fat cat takes us for a ride

This cartoon appears in the Kent Messenger newspaper this week. Apparently, the number of Kent County Council staff earning more than £100,000 has nearly doubled in a year, and chief executive Peter Gilroy earned £255,000 last year, making him one of the wealthiest council bosses in the country.

I usually draw pocket cartoons for this newspaper group, i.e. straightforward gags accompanying a story, but this was a chance to do something a little different for me, and I joined the ranks of cartoonists currently employing the "fat cat" motif! The steed being flattened by this moggy of mammon is the Invicta horse, usually seen in a more proud position on the KCC logo, thus:

Animal cartoon for Shrewsbury festival

"It's not as if that's all I do. I write poetry. I'm very much involved in charity work ... why single out that one thing?"

Here is another of the four cartoons I submitted for exhibition at the 2009 Shrewsbury International Cartoon Festival. The festival takes place from April 23-26, though the exhibitions will open before that.

The original version of this cartoon appeared in Private Eye in February 2005. As the Shrewsbury organisers were looking for cartoons on the subject of science and nature, to tie in with this year's Charles Darwin theme, it seemed like an appropriate one to submit.

As the original artwork sold shortly after it was published, I drew a new version and added watercolours. Usually I colour on-screen with Photoshop, so previous colour cartoons that I've exhibited at Shrewsbury have been signed prints, but I thought it'd be fun this year to break out the paints and submit only original artwork. Here's another one, which I put on the blog back in February.


My cartoons were submitted for an exhibition now titled Boffination which is at the Bear Steps Gallery from Tuesday (April 14) and runs until after the festival has finished.


The anteater cartoon also appears in the new edition of Foghorn, above, the magazine that showcases the best of British cartoon talent and is published by the Professional Cartoonists' Association. You can read more about the new issue here.

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Cartoons appreciated by their subjects

"It may surprise you to hear that, actually, morphine is the best medicine."

This old cartoon is to be reprinted to accompany an article written by, wait for it, a clown who works in hospitals, voluntarily giving his time to cheer up patients.

It's not often that someone who is effectively the subject of a cartoon gets in touch to say how much they appreciated it, but it's great when it happens.

Here's another example: This Reader's Digest cartoon was used in a lecture on black holes by a professor who is an expert in that field.


"I'm afraid there's a black hole in our finance department."

And here's my favourite example. Unlikely though it sounds, the original of this cartoon, which appeared in The Spectator, was bought by someone whose work involves Health and Safety regulations pertaining to fairground rides.
"Damn those Health & Safety guys."

If only this kind of thing happened with every cartoon, we cartoonists would be a lot richer!

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Cosmetic surgery cartoon, more on "Keep Calm"

"Of course, there's a possibility that you are a swan, but do you want to take that risk?"

This cartoon is in the April issue of Reader's Digest. I referred to one of my kids' nursery rhyme books to get that sad-looking "ugly duckling" right.

The repeated caption, by the way, is for the benefit of those looking at this site on phones, who tell me that sometimes the words on the cartoons are not readable. I may go back and laboriously add all the other ones, when I have a spare couple of days ...



Talking of feedback, thanks to everyone who who emailed asking for a copy of the cartoonists' propaganda poster I posted here a couple of weeks ago, and everyone else who made nice comments about it, online and off.

It was really only intended as a joke, a riff on the original Second World War poster, I never intended it to be a "motivational" poster, as such. But it seems to have touched a nerve, and some people even found it inspiring, it seems.

Particular thanks to the following for linking to it: Jason Chatfield, Tim Harries, Mike Lynch, Chichi Parish, Cathy Simpson, The Surreal McCoy, and my PCO colleague Matt Buck who put it on The Bloghorn.

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Looks familiar

As a freelance cartoonist and father-of-two, I can really relate to the scenario in this Jack Tippit cartoon. I hope this guy has bought stuff that's going to last! This is from the always excellent Mike Lynch Cartoons blog.

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From the archives: A Spring cartoon

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring, so here's a colourful cartoon from the archives featuring some cute bunnies!

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Propaganda poster for cartoonists

The Keep Calm and Carry On World War Two propaganda poster is proving to be a big hit, as a result of the economic downturn, according to the Guardian. So here's my version for cartoonists (above, click to enlarge).

It's not hard to see why people love the 1939 government poster, they're embracing the "Blitz spirit", refusing to let the credit crunch get them down. Here's the original:


But, as a cartoonist friend said to me recently, "Your whole life's a credit crunch when you're a cartoonist!" Like many self-employed people, cartoonists do find it tough-going sometimes, recession or no recession. You may not be selling enough gags, maybe not getting enough commissioned work ... it can get tough.

All you can do is keep calm and carry on, as the poster says, and hope that something turns up. It usually does. So in that spirit, I created my own version of that poster for all you cartoonists out there.

If you would like a non-watermarked version of my poster for your own use, contact me and let me know. You can put it on your blog or print it off and stick it on your wall ... stiff upper lip chaps and chapesses, noses to the drawing boards, we'll get through it!

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Comic Relief T-shirt

As today is Red Nose Day, my son was required to dress up for school. Like most six-year-olds he's really into drawing dinosaurs, so I traced two of his creations on to a white T-shirt and added some red noses. It was my wife's idea, so all in all it was a real family effort!

The dinosaurs are, of course, a T-Rex and a Brachiosaurus. Let's take a closer look. Raaaar ....
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Boardroom cartoon: The doodle bug

"I've no objection to doodling during meetings, but it must be within reason."

You may have seen a story in the news recently reporting that boffins have declared that doodling is now officially A Good Thing. A business publication I draw for regularly wanted a cartoon on this subject, with reference to board meetings (above).

As you might expect, I am a compulsive doodler. I often doodle a lot when I'm thinking up cartoon ideas. Sometimes they can help develop the joke, if you keep within the themes you're thinking about, but often I just end up drawing funny looking blokes. And clowns, lots of clowns. Here are some of my doodles (click to enlarge, should you wish to).


My cartooning pal Tim Harries is the master of the odd-looking bloke doodle. So much so that he's turned it into a regular feature on his blog, called Strange Looking Bloke Wednesday.

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Cartoon inspired by Watchmen, it turns out

"No, I can't make it next Friday. How about a week Tuesday?"

I recently re-read the graphic novel Watchmen, partly to remind me of the story ahead of the release of the forthcoming film adaptation (particularly in case it turns out to be rubbish!) but mostly just because it's a brilliant book.

Watchmen is the superhero comic for people who don’t like superhero comics. I have never been a fan of the genre myself but in 1988 I was urged by a friend to read Watchmen, so I did. And I’ve read it several times since.

A key part of Watchmen's appeal is its humour. And as I read it this time, it occurred to me that I may have subconsciously pinched a joke from it, namely the one in the cartoon above, which was published in a, ahem, men's magazine four years ago. In the graphic novel there is a character who carries an "End is Nigh" sign who always thinks Armageddon is due today, yet makes a point of ensuring that a news vendor puts aside the following day's issue of his favourite newspaper.


It's certainly a similar joke. Still, if you are going to steal, subconsciously or otherwise, they do say that you should steal from the best.

Watchmen image © DC Comics 1987

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Cartoons on any subject you like

I will draw cartoons on any subject a client can think of ... as long as as it's legal and they are willing to pay me the appropriate fee for it. It's all part of the "cartoonist for hire" side of the job. Above is a cartoon for a car-trade magazine. Below is an excerpt from a strip for a finance company's intranet (click to read).



Recently I was asked to come up with six cartoons on the subject of "anaerobic digestion". That, as I'm sure you know, is the process of turning waste products into bio-fuels. I've asked around, and no cartoonist I know has so far come up with anything more odd as a commission! Clearly, it's not an obvious subject for humour, but it can be done (and was).



The key is not to get bogged down in jargon and detail. The cartoon should be quick and simple, a humorous counterpoint to the serious stuff. And it can be very serious: the above is from a book called The Business Impact of Enterprise Asset Management.

Here's a random selection of some other subjects I've been commissioned to draw cartoons about over the years: planning regulations, the Lord Mayor's Show, NHS governing boards, accountancy, tourist guiding, the London Local Authorities Act, curry (and rice), health and safety, life in medieval times, careers, grammar and punctuation, golf, caravanning, IT marketing ... I think you probably get the point.

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Coming soon: Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival

The Shrewsbury International Cartoon Festival website has been updated, with details of this year's events. The festival takes place from April 23-26, with various exhibitions in April and May. There's more at The Bloghorn.

This will be my fourth time at the festival. Here's what I got up to last year, and in 2007 and 2006. Or click this link for all my Shrewsbury- related posts.

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Family cartoon: Life imitates art

When this Reader's Digest cartoon was published last summer, I showed it to my son as it had been inspired by playing Hangman with him. After I explained the joke (he is only six, after all) he suggested that we play a game of Whole Life Tariff! So we did.

I mention this now as earlier in the week I found the game on a piece of paper, while sorting through a pile of receipts. Here it is:


My son – who is not called Josh, by the way! – did not get the answer (below, upside-down of course) so the prisoner spends his life in jail. Humane, but not quite as much fun as Hangman.

Answer:
(ɥɔɐǝq ǝɥʇ ʇɐ ǝɹǝʍ ǝʍ) ɹıɐɥɔ ʞɔǝp

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My new advertising campaign

Someone told me that in times of recession you should spend more on advertising your business. So I have. What do you reckon? Oh OK, it's not real. This was created on the Bus Slogan Generator website which was inspired by the recent "No God" advertising campaign, run by the British Humanist Association.

That website address again: roystonrobertson.co.uk

Biology cartoon: It's only natural

This is one of four cartoons I submitted for the "Science of Nature" (working title) exhibition which is part of the 2009 Shrewsbury International Cartoon Festival. The festival takes place from April 23-26, though the exhibitions will open before that.

As 2009 is the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Darwin, and he was born in Shrewsbury, the festival has a Darwin-related theme. The organisers suggested that "Science of Nature" be interpreted widely though, presumably so they weren't inundated with too many "Ascent of Man" gags.

This is a cartoon that I was touting around some months ago. It has got a great reaction from everyone I've shown it to, but the magazine editors have not bitten. I suppose it is a bit of a weird one, it doesn't look like your usual magazine gag cartoon. Maybe they don't want people to turn the page and suddenly think they're reading a textbook on sexual reproduction.

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