Fashion cartoon: The odd idea

This is one of those slightly odd ideas that sat around in my notebook for quite some time, in various different forms, until I decided to draw it up.

It can be seen in the March Reader's Digest.

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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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Computer cartoon: Make it stop

"It's the golden rule of the computer age: If it ain't broke, upgrade it."

I have just got a new computer, so I'm feeling the truth in this cartoon from last year. [Goes for a lie down ...]

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Cat cartoons

I've always drawn a lot of cat cartoons, for some reason. Possibly because I like cats. This is one from the current Reader's Digest.

Below is one from the current issue of The Spectator. I've always drawn a lot of psychiatrist couch cartoons, though I can't say I particularly like psychiatrists.

"I want you to be open and honest and to not leave any hairs on the couch."

Also in that issue of Reader's Digest is this, a rare win in Beat the Cartoonist:

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Private Eye cartoon: Retro humour

Sometimes cartoons come in a flash of inspiration. Much of the coverage of the trials of various TV and radio stars has featured multiple photographs of the accused, which led me to think, "It's like a bad episode of Celebrity Squares" ... and then quickly reach for my notebook.

Only after doing a bit of picture research for the cartoon did I discover that Celebrity Squares may indeed be due for a revival.

I can almost draw barristers and judges with my eyes closed, as I have drawn cartoons for the Law Society Gazette for many years.

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Topical cartoon: Matters of opinion

"We believe this woman to be a witch as she is known to have expressed an opinion online."

This topical cartoon about the abuse of women online (a kind of follow-up to this Private Eye one) can be seen in the January issue of Reader's Digest.

UPDATE: A letter about the cartoon from a subsequent issue. Looks like Reader's Digest needs to start a Pedantry Corner like Private Eye ...

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Topical cartoons: A look back at 2013

Time for a look back at some topical cartoons of 2013. Game on ...

The year always starts with those oh-so-serious Oscar contenders ...

You heard that Margaret Thatcher died, right?

The "Onesie" was everywhere (but not on me, I should add!)

There was a high-profile job vacancy ...

Mainstream media struggled to keep up with social-media ...

But many found themselves victims of verbal abuse online ...

Unbelievably, we had a long, hot summer ...

The royal birth was covered as if it was the Second Coming ...

The 3D printer went mainstream, for those that can afford them ...

At the cinema everything was also either 3D ...

... or a familiar franchise returning (or both!)

Boris Johnson faced testing times ...

MPs were told they'll get a whopping pay rise ...

There was a clear winner for word of the year ...

And finally, here's one for the NSA, in case they are reading this ...

Happy new year to you all!

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Christmas cartoon: Panic buyer

"Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house, Not a creature was stirring, except a mouse ..."

One for any late shoppers, from the current issue of Prospect magazine.

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Christmas newspaper cartoons

Here are a couple more Christmas cartoons, both drawn to accompany articles in local papers. The subjects were the privatisation of Royal Mail, tying it in with the controversy over rising fuel bills, above, and Christmas gridlock, below.

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Christmas cartoon: Strips and skips

The cartooning life is not all about the, er, glamour of Private Eye, The Spectator and the like. Here's a festive cartoon from what is referred to on Have I Got News for You (and has featured on that show) as "this week's guest publication" ... Skip Hire Magazine.

I've been drawing a strip for the monthly mag since February. People think it must be difficult to draw for specialist publications but provided the mag has a sense of humour (which Skip Hire with it's regular "skip chick" and "skip hunk" features most definitely has!) I don't find that to be the case.

This has turned out to be a fun job. It's basically a straightforward workplace strip with regular characters. Like Dilbert with skips!

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Christmas cartoon: Private Eye card 2013

"I think UKIP have got to him."

This was one of the 12 Private Eye Christmas cards this year. Yes, it's another spin on the "naughty and nice" theme!

I could be wearing a look of dismay similar to that elf in 2015 as there's a real possibility that the UKIP leader Nigel Farage could become my local MP! There is also a rumour, however, that he may stand in nearby Canterbury. Here's a cartoon I drew about that earlier this year.

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Christmas cartoon: Media interest

Time for another  Christmas cartoon, this time from the bumper festive issue of The Spectator, which is out now.

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Private Eye cartoon: Take the test

Breaking the run of Christmas cartoons, here's one from this week's Private Eye, focusing on the London Mayor's ill-advised speech about people with low IQs and his subsequent poor performance at answering IQ test questions.

In a somewhat different style, here's Boris Johnson vs the leader of Medway Council in a cartoon drawn to illustrate a local newspaper article about opposition to the Mayor's planned Estuary Airport.

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Beat the Cartoonist Christmas Special!

This Christmas drawing is the latest Beat the Cartoonist entry in Reader's Digest. Here are the caption options:

"We broke up."
"I'm sorry, but your true love will have to return them himself."
"I'm afraid I can't do anything unless you have a receipt."
"Sorry, could you run through the list again?"

As usual, one of them is mine and the rest are by readers and the idea is that you vote for the one you think is the funniest. Click here to vote (ends December 20).

This cartoon below was in Beat the Cartoonist a couple of months ago.

As revealed in the latest mag, the vote was won by one of the reader's captions*.  So I've got my fingers crossed for the Christmas one.

*I don't have a copy of the mag so I'm not sure which one! But it's one of these.

See all previous posts on Beat the Cartoonist

Christmas cartoon: Word of the year

"Does my nose look shiny in this selfie?"

Apparently "selfie" was named as the word of the year so there expect to see a few festive twists on it from cartoonists this year. Here's one from the December issue of Saga.

Give the gift of of Royston's cartoon book this Christmas ...

Christmas cartoon: Secrets and lies

"OK fill me in – who has been naughty and who has been nice?"

Here's a Christmas cartoon from the current issue of Reader's Digest. I won't be posting a cartoon for each day of advent this year (as I did last year and the year before) but I'll feature a few throughout the month.

This is not the first time I've done a topical gag based on the "naughty and nice" idea. Or indeed the second! And it won't be the last either. It's the Christmas gift that keeps on giving.

Royston's cartoon book: The perfect stocking filler! 

Keeping busy

Here's me with fellow cartoonist Simon Ellinas and a wall full of cartoons at a recent live-drawing event in central London. It has been a very busy month cartoon-wise, hence I've not updated the blog for a while. I'll redress the balance next month when I post a load of Christmas cartoons. In the meantime, here's a recent one about gnomes.

"My son ran away to join the Terracotta Army."

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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!

Cartoons in Private Eye and Oldie books

The Christmas book-buying season is upon us, inevitably, and I have cartoons in the 2013 Private Eye Annual 2013 and The Oldie Book of Cartoons.

Here's one from the former, as described, along with my Angry Birds cartoon, by Ian Hislop in this video (24.36 minutes in. The Eye editor appears to give it a caption!)

And this, another visual joke, can be seen in the Oldie book:

My cartoons can also be seen in all good bookshops in Private Eye: A Cartoon History and the book of Adventures With the Wife in Space.

But it would be remiss of me not to mention that my own cartoon book is still available. Like Morrissey's Autobiography, it's an instant penguin classic – ahem – and it fits in a stocking better than those mentioned above. Click here to buy it

Prospect magazine cartoon: Slow day

"You work from home? Me neither."

This is not, as you may suspect, autobiographical. I do strive to avoid daytime TV and sitting around in my underwear when working from home. However there are some days that are more productive than others and this came out of an unproductive one. But it turned out OK as it led to this cartoon, which can be seen in the new issue of Prospect.

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