The Round-up
October 28, 2013 in Events, General, Links, News
The cartoon above, by Peter Steiner, is understood to be the most popular ever to appear in The New Yorker. Journalist Glenn Fleishman talks to its creator and looks at what has happened in the 20 years since it first appeared.
Last Friday’s edition of The One Show dropped in on a host of the UK’s most high-profile political cartoonists – among them PCO members Martin Rowson and Steve Bright. Ben Jennings and Bob Moran were then invited to draw against the clock, live on air. Watch the episode on BBC iPlayer here (available until 6.29pm on Friday 1 November).
The BBC show neglected to mention that the cartoonists were appearing in connection with the launch of a new book, edited by Tim Benson. The Best of Britain’s Political Cartoons 2013 will be published on 7 November.
Two British institutions are looking back over their own histories with the use of cartoons. The National Theatre on London’s South Bank is showing a selection of cartoons in its Olivier exhibition space, as part of a celebration to mark its 50th anniversary. Across the river, the Bank of England is exhibiting classics from its own cartoon collection. National Theatre Lampoon and the Bank’s Cartoons & Caricatures are both completely free to visit. The NT show runs until 4 January, and the BoE display is open until 31 December.
For No Good Reason, Charlie Paul‘s documentary about PCO member and Gonzo icon Ralph Steadman, is to get an airing on Sky Atlantic next year.
Congratulations to Emily Haworth-Booth, who has won this year’s Observer/Cape/Comica Graphic Short Story Prize. And on the subject of prizes, Mike Barfield of Private Eye responds to his recent win at the Cartoon Art Trust Awards.
by Blog Team
Opinion: Tearing a strip off automated online cartoons
October 30, 2013 in Comment, General
Bitstrips @ Procartoonists.org
The Procartoonists.org blog notes with interest the rise of Bitstrips, an app that allows anyone to make clip-art style cartoons featuring themselves.
Billed as “instant comics and cards starring you and your friends”, they are popular for Facebook e-cards and status updates.
We have seen this kind of automation of cartooning skills before. And now, as then, we believe it is a poor substitute for bespoke cartoons created by a professional cartoonist. The software may be clever but it does not produce hand-drawn, unique cartoons.
On the plus side, perhaps it is of little threat to professional cartooning, because as with previous fads the novelty appears to be wearing off quickly.
If you are interested in commissioning real cartoons by real cartoonists, take a look at the Procartoonists.org portfolios.
Tags: automated cartoons, Bitstrips, clip art, Facebook, social media, UK Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation 14 Comments »