Send in the Clowns?
Cartoon by © Rupert Besley Rupert Besley writes: [a personal viewpoint, not purporting in any way to represent the opinions of the PCO] For the first time in my life I’m seriously wondering if humour might not be doing more harm than good. That’s a worrying thought and no conclusion I would ever wish to […]
Press One to Continue Nightmare
Rupert Besley writes (mainly because he couldn’t get through on the PCO helpline): I’m sure I’m not alone in my dislike of having other people’s words being put into my Choose from one of the following options, then click on Next to continue: – orifice – earplug – lexicon – exhaust pipe – rear end […]
Noel Ford 1942-2019
Noel with daughter Sara at Nottingham’s Big Grin Cartoon Festival 2003. Photo © Pete Dredge Pete Dredge writes: It’s a cruel irony that it is only when someone passes that the outpourings of love, praise and acknowledgement spill out from friends, colleagues and acquaintances. Such has been the response to the sudden and unexpected death […]
Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival photo album
The ‘Plan B’ Shrewsbury Square. Photo © Tat Effby. Glenn Marshall & Jonathan Cusick write: With Storm Hannah due to roll in threatening rain and high winds the marquee company wouldn’t put up the festival’s gazebo roofing. Fear of airborne ‘para-boarding’ cartoonists made the festival organisers hastily arrange a Plan B for Saturday, which involved […]
Shrewsbury International Cartoon Festival 2019 preview
It’s only two weeks until Shrewsbury International Cartoons Festival. This years theme is ‘Animals’ and has a very full programme. This year all the speakers happen to be Procartoonists members. Friday 26th, 7.30pm Fist up on the Friday night The Guardian’s Steve Bell will share his lifelong close-up study of ‘Political Animals’, from Tarzan Hesletine […]
How to illustrate your point…
Tim Ruscoe writes: “At simply-communicate we know that cartoons are magnets to draw our readers’ attention so we can land messages with impact. And Tim’s work is both funny and memorable – whenever an article is illustrated with one of his jokes it gets twice the attention.” Marc Wright, Publisher, simply-communicate.com A phrase originally used by […]
What’s your favourite cartoon book?
We’ve been talking in the inner sanctums of the PCO forum about favourite books on cartoons/cartoonists. Here I share some of our choices: Steve Jones (Jonesy) I could easily have gone with Sempe, Stauber or Ungerer – Steadman, in particular, was a really close call – but Matt Jones’ mighty labour of love blew me […]
Tomi Ungerer – ‘Expect the unexpected’
Glenn Marshall writes: I’m easily influenced by all sorts of things around me, as Tomi Ungerer said ‘I’ve always been a sponge, just absorbing whatever I see, whether it’s in daily life or in art’, and Ungerer, who sadly died last week, was particularly inspiring and influencial to me. I love his varied, playful and boundary-pushing […]
Hats off to JR
Caricature by © Rupert Besley Rupert Besley writes: …John Ruskin, that is. It’s his 200th birthday in February and there are events lined up to mark the occasion. One such is Chris Beetles’ forthcoming exhibition ‘Ruskin’s Artists’ (13 Feb-2 Mar), celebrating the work of those he cherished. Helen Allingham ‘A Devonshire Cottage’ (from © Chris […]