'Tis I, LeClerc

Thought I’d have another go at some none cartoony drawing this week- here's one of the efforts- it's an attempt at a fashion type illustration- although it's probably more René from ‘Allo ‘Allo than René Gruau.

It’s done using an inky digital pen on the PC- any attempts to use real brushes ink and paper leave me looking like I’ve done battle with an octopus.

Ctrl Alt Delete

Do kids still get bikes as presents these days? Or are they really all gadget addicted gameheads- venturing beyond their darkened rooms only when the craving for pizza gets too much? Probably not- but such stereotypes I help to encourage with the following- in the Xmas issue of Private Eye.

I never intended this as a Christmas cartoon- the original has a banner above the doorway with 'Happy Birthday' writ upon it- the Ed decided that it would fit in the Christmas edition, and so they scrubbed the banner- I hope it's still obvious that it's meant to be a present

Getting plastered

This one was a surprise- The absurdity of the idea tickled me, but the subject is rather obscure so I wasn't sure anyone would take it- but, Reader's Digest did, and it's in the latest issue.
Have I ever mentioned that I once did a bit of studying of art history, and some of that in Florence? (Yes, several times- shut up!)
The Palazzo Vecchio in that town is a rather marvellous building- most people might recognise it as the place where Anthony Hopkins killed the Italian police chief in the movie Hannibal-but it is also where some people believe, hidden behind frescoes in one of the halls, is a long lost masterpiece by Mr Da Vinci.
So- here's my take on it.

The Palazzo Vecchio has a lot of things worth seeing that aren't hidden- I particularly liked the map room, which contains maps for the world as it was known in the 16th century. I was rather taken by the map of the UK, and how, for some reason, one of the most prominent towns marked on it was Basingstoke. I thought that perhaps the Medici family were shareholders in the AA (the Automobile Association headquarters being based there). But then one of my chums who seems to be an expert in that metropolis pointed out that it was probably to do with the wool industry at the time- but he's originally from Norfolk so he can't be trusted.

Keeping things in perspective...

I think I’m finally getting the hang of this cartooning lark- it's only taken 20 odd years.
I've managed to get another one of the cartoon clichés into print. So far I've had the desert island and psychiatrist gags- but now I can also introduce the 'businessman on a window ledge'.
This one's in the latest issue of Prospect magazine.

Idiocracy

My hometown is a rather average sort of place- not a lot happens- a few movies have been filmed here, but other than that life carries on in its unremarkable kind of way. Pop down to the local shopping precinct, and huddled within the 60's brutalist architecture you'll find groups of the new young hip generation, and their offspring.
They get a bit of bad press, these unemployed youths and their hundreds of children, but I don't know why- after all, isn't there some statistic about how the population is getting older, and this is a 'bad thing'? These guys are trying to make a difference- they should be applauded!
This one’s in the latest Spectator magazine.

ho, ho...er... ho

Christmas comes but once a year...
October through to December it seems, if you look at the shops.
So- to keep up with how the modern world works, here's a Christmas cartoon 3 weeks ahead of schedule- It's in the latest Reader's Digest.