!
ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
AUTUMN 2005
!
The
Jester
The
Jester
MANY LAYERS
CRYING WITH
LAUGHTER ...
WE ASKED FOR
‘ONION’ GAGS AND
YOU OBLIGED!
ALEX NOEL
WATSON’S SHOW
PETE DREDGE ON
THE TIGHTROPE
CLIVE COLLINS’
KEEP-FIT COURSE
BILL RITCHIE:
MORE ON MASON
CARTOONISTS
AS PAINTERS
WESTON ARTS
FESTIVAL NEARS
PLUS: CUTTINGS,
NEWS AND MORE
Newsletter
of the
Cartoonists’
Britain
The Newsletter
of the
Cartoonists’Club
Clubof
ofGreat
Great Britain
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
The Jester
Issue 400 - August 2007
Published 11 times a year
by The Cartoonists’ Club
of Great Britain
The CCGB Committee
Chairman: Terry Christien
020–8892 3621
[email protected]
Secretary: Jed Stone
020–7720 1884
[email protected]
Treasurer: Anne Boyd
020–7720 1884
[email protected]
Membership Secretary:
Jed Pascoe: 01767–682 882
[email protected]
Les Barton: 01895–236 732
[email protected]
Clive Collins: 01702–557 205
[email protected]
Neil Dishington: 020–8505 0134
[email protected]
Ian Ellery: 01424–718 209
[email protected]
Graham Fowell: 0115–933 4186
[email protected]
Pete Jacob: 01732 845 079
Jill Kearney: 0115–933 4186
[email protected]
Helen Martin: 01883–373 202
[email protected]
Roy Nixon: 01245–256 814
Derek Quint: 01984–632 592
Richard Tomes: 0121–706 7652
[email protected]
Mike Turner: 01206–798 283
[email protected]
Jock Williams-Davies:
01473–422 917
[email protected]
Trish Williams-Davies:
[email protected]
Jester Editor:
Royston Robertson
01843–871 241
jester_magazine @yahoo.co.uk
Front cover: Noel Ford
Back cover: Ian Ellery
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
The Chair
HERE’S a statistic: the CCGB has 174
members, 131 of whom are online.
That says that a quarter of the membership don’t feel the need to be in touch
on the internet.
Now, I could say, “Are you mad?”, but
instead, I would urge you to look into it
and check out the advantages of computers. Apart from being able to get in
touch with newsy stuff and details of an
encyclopaedic nature, the programs
allow us cartoonists (and indeed any
visual producers) a feast of image enriching possibilities, all under your
control, of course. I would urge you to
take a look into that particular pool, and
would steer you in the direction of an
Apple Mac, for many reasons that I
won’t bore you with now.
Long-time member Pete Dredge has
written an article for the current issue of
Inkspot, the quarterly newsletter of the
Australian Cartoonists’ Association
which touches on the rise and fall of
Punch magazine. It’s reprinted in this
issue on page seven.
Pete rightly celebrates the depth of
Punch’s editorial and cartoon content.
When you actually look back at its
pages, the content was indeed quality,
but the actual physical magazine i.e.
design, layout and appearance, was
rather dreary looking.
This got me thinking: given the technology of our time, what could Punch
look like today, bearing in mind it
missed its chance for a second coming
in the Nineties. Carefully considered
commissioning of cartoonists and writers could produce at least as good a
quality as yesteryear. Add good typographical design and layout of the text
shaping creatively around the cartoons,
and cartoon illustrations (many editorial
led) and, it has to be said, a modest
amount of photographs, and you’d have
something like an illustrated cross between Hello! or OK!, RadioTimes and
Heat – incorporating a pod of pop, a
jeroboam of jazz, a cluster of classics,
an arsenal of arts and a pisspot of politics – fabulous fodder for cartooning.
Alright, alright, just let your prejudices
melt away for one moment and
hold those page images and tell me
they wouldn’t produce something
very saleable?
2
Seaside Special!
Weston-super-Mare
Arts Festival weekend,
Saturday and Sunday
September 22 and 23
Our cartoon exhibition will be at the
Weston Arts Festival and there’s a
room set aside for children and adult
workshops on cartooning, caricaturing, strip cartooning – whatever we
choose. The entrance money can be
retained by the individual cartoon
tutors – not a fortune but they have
recommended £1.50 for adults and
50p for children (who must be
accompanied by an adult) and the
room holds 15-20.
I thought the workshops could run
from mid/late morning on Saturday,
every one and a half hours, and I
would suggest a workshop duration of
three-quarters of an hour to an hour.
That time goes exceedingly quickly!
Can you let me know if you would like
to do a workshop? If need be, I’ll
gladly help with any advice as a confidence booster. Any of us who can
and would like to do on-the-spot cartooning and/or caricaturing, that would
be great to boost our presence. But I
absolutely insist nobody should be
lumbered for hours on end (and I
speak from experience!) so an odd
half-hour would be gratefully received.
There are a number of you members
in the area and it would be good to
see you there. Can anybody recommend an ideal place where we could
gather for drinks and nosh? As for the
rest of us grocks who need a hotel for
the Saturday night, can you let me
know if you’re stopping over, in order
for us to get the best booking deal?
Can you let me know during August,
please? Email terry@cartoonology.
com or phone 020-8892 3621
Thanks and tatty bye,
Terry Christien
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
News
Comic strip
Alex on stage
A stage adaptation of the cartoon
strip Alex is to run at the Arts
Theatre in London’s West End from
October 18 until December 8.
The strip about life in the City
appears every day on the front-page
of the Daily Telegraph Business
section. Alex’s creators, Charles
Peattie and Russell Taylor, have
now written a play which brings
the investment banker to life.
Alex will be played by Robert
Bathurst, best known as David from
TV’s Cold Feet. Digital projection
will allow the actor to interact with
animations of Alex’s world which
will feature all of the familiar
characters from the strip.
Alex began life on the City pages
of the London Daily News in 1987
and chronicled the lives of the Big
Bang wealth generation. The paper
soon ceased publishing but Alex
was “headhunted” by The
Independent, where he stayed for
four years. In 1992 he defected to
the Telegraph To book tickets for
the play call 0870-060 1742.
Saying goodbye
Sadly, we have to say farewell to
several cartooning names this month:
Kevin Woodcock: The Private Eye
cartoonist famed for his visual,
often very dark gags, died on July 2.
He was 64. See page 15.
Thomas Allen Myers: CCGB
member, who signed his work
“TAM”, died after a short illness at
the age of 85. See letters, page 4.
Bud Handelsman: The New Yorker
cartoonist, well known in the UK
for his Freaky Fables strip in
Punch, died on June 20. He was 85.
See page 14.
George Melly: The flamboyant jazz
man died on July 5, aged 80. He
was not strictly a cartoonist, of
course, but he wrote strips and gags
drawn by others. See page 14.
Doug Marlette: The Pulitzer
Don’t miss QUIZ 25 at the Sept. meeting!
25 questions on “humour”, taking 25 minutes,
with a stunning 25 pounds for the winner
September 4 at The Cartoonist Pub, 7.30ish
Prize-winning cartoonist, who was
also a novelist, died in a car
accident in Mississippi on July 10.
He was 57. Marlette was an
editorial cartoonist and creator of
the syndicated comic strip Kudzu.
Robert “Buck” Brown: The
creator of Playboy’s infamously
naughty “Granny” character died at
a hospital in Chicago on July 2,
after suffering a stroke. He was 71.
Searle show
An exhibition of 50 pictures by
Ronald Searle is at Nunnington
Hall, near York, until September 2.
The show is presented by the Chris
Bettles Gallery and will feature
original art from Searle’s early
period as well as Punch cartoons,
political reportage, portraiture and
cartoons from Le Monde and The
New Yorker. Opening hours are
Tues-Sun 12pm-5.30pm. Call
01439-748 283 or email nunningtonhall@ nationaltrust.org.uk
Exhibitions
 Heath Robinson’s Helpful
Solutions, Cartoon Museum,
until October 7: Selection of
cartoons by William Heath
3
Robinson highlighting his daft but
genial “inventions”.
 Blair’s Legacy: The Iraq War
in cartoons, Political Cartoon
Gallery, until September 1: Sixty
cartoons by the likes of Steve Bell,
Peter Brookes, Andy Davey, Matt
Buck, Martin Rowson, Dave Brown
and Morten Morland.
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
Dear Jester
Farewell, Tam
In praise of J.R.
It is with deep regret that I have to
inform you of the death of thomas
Allen Myers (TAM).
Alled died peacefuly at the age of
85 in hospital, after a short illness,
on 30 June, 2007.
We know Allen was a regular contributor to your magazine and our
local journals. His birthday and
Christmas cards were always a joy
to receive, with their personalised
cartoons.
Captain Gordon Tennant
(Nephew)
Just a note to expand on the piece in
the Dundee Courier, spotted by the
ever-observant “Speedy” Harrison
(see July Jester, page 4).
The cartoons, found by a reader
and published in the Courier, were
by J. R. Mason and the finder
wanted to know who he was. The
response was amazing, apart from
my own letter – I knew John quite
well. Lots of readers remembered
John’s sports cartooning. Even
John’s son, John Scott Mason, got
in touch and gave us new material
on John’s life. It’s good to know
that even after a considerable time
(John retired in 1964) the public
remember his work with affection.
An all-round cartoonist, John is
particularly remembered for his
Monday morning sports report
cartoons, with their humorous angle
and brilliant caricatures – eagerly
collected by fans, players and
managers alike.
I am a great fan of John’s work
myself, and put him up there with
Webster and Ulyett. He could have
made it in the national press. I once
asked him why he didn’t make a
move to bigger things, say covering
Manchester United v Chelsea,
rather than Celtic v Forfar. He told
me he had had offers but felt he was
more secure where he was. As
things turned out, he was right as
the nationals moved their Scottish
base. John was happy in his
environment. He did other work
too – Andra in The People’s
101 Uses for
The Jester
Number: 13
Eye protector for
chopping onions
Journal, an old-school farming
strip, was very popular. John also
did some comic work. His Barney
Boko – the Long-nosed Tramp
appeared in the early Dandy.
Grandma Jully and Willie
Woodpecker were other examples
of his comic work.
However, sports cartooning was
John’s forte. There were no
gimmicks or publicity – he
unobtrusively went about his
work from the press box, using
binoculars to pick out his subjects
for caricature.
To comment on another of
Speedy’s spottings – the cartoon
convention in Dundee (see July
Jester, page 11) – I did look in on
this two-day event, in the tower
block of Dundee University’s
lecture theatre.
To be honest, I found it a bit
academic and biased towards
graphic novels. There was a small
exhibition of artwork and I did
enjoy seeing some of Hunt
Emerson’s original work.
Dundee’s art gallery and museum
is closed for extensive renovation
just now – but a little bird tells me
that when it reopens a space will
be given to the history of comics
and will have changing exhibitions
of work.
Not before time, and very
appropriate as D. C. Thomson’s
headquarters building is
immediately opposite the museum.
You heard it here first!
Bill Ritchie
THE JESTER
c/o ROYSTON ROBERTSON
20 UPTON ROAD
BROADSTAIRS
KENT CT10 2AS
Email: jester_magazine
@yahoo.co.uk
Lost art: Excerpt from a Courier football cartoon from 1963. Mason drew
from the press box, using binoculars to pick out his subjects for caricature
4
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
“He’s been like this for days,
Doctor. He just keeps muttering
‘onions’ and ‘blasted Brenda’ ...”
Editor oniondated
with cartoons
Well, I did ask. When Brenda
Romans suggested “onions” as an offthe-top-of-the-head cartoon theme,
I decided to call her bluff. I should
have known that you lot like a challenge. I ended up with more cartoons
about said pungent bulb than I could
deal with – I think the biggest
reaction so far to a cartoon theme, with
the exception of “animals”. There were
probably a few more “know your
onions” and “pickled (drunk) onions”
than was strictly necessary, but thanks
to all who sent gags in!
The Ed
“I need a secretary. Interested?”
5
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
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Summer Fun!
101 Uses for
The Jester
Number: 14
Flood barrier
The Paranoid Cartoonist – Andy Vine
6
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
Don’t look down
When asked to contribute some thoughts to a magazine for Australian cartoonists, the CCGB’s
Pete Dredge found that he soon slipped into “whingeing pom” mode. Here we reprint his article
WHILST chatting over a pint
or two the other week with a
group of local Nottingham
journalists, the subject of
property prices somehow
came up in the conversation.
They were surprised to learn
that I live in a largish, fivebedroomed house in a soughtafter suburb of the city (most
journos I know are divorced and
have had to downsize as a matter
of course). I was quick to
apologetically respond, “Ah
yes, but we’ve been there for
sixteen years and there’s no way
I could afford to buy my house
today.”
This set me thinking. I’ve been a
full-time cartoonist for thirty-odd
years but could I start from scratch
again today? The answer, depressingly and most probably, would be
“no”. A disturbing thought for a
typical freelancer who continues to
gingerly tread the commercial tightrope without the use of a net. I
haven’t “fallen” yet despite a couple of wobbles in the past, but this
recent cogitation was the equivalent
of “looking down”, something not
to be recommended too often if
equilibrium is to be maintained.
How did I start? In my early
twenties I was working as a graphic
designer but nurtured a driving
ambition to become a Punch cartoonist – not just a cartoonist but a
Punch cartoonist. I loved the work
of Mike Williams, Hector Breeze,
Albert, Ed McLachlan, Bill Tidy,
Larry and Honeysett and it certainly
was a life-changing moment when I
sold my first cartoon to the magazine in 1976, at my first attempt too
(plenty of rejections since, I hasten
to add!)
From that moment on I exploded
onto the scene and all sorts of other
cartooning doors opened for me.
Most tabloid national papers carried
a gag cartoon column and the
“girlie” magazine market (Mayfair,
Penthouse, Men Only, Fiesta etc)
were using cartoons by the lorry
load so it was quite possible to earn
a reasonable living solely from the
gag cartoon markets in those days.
The exposure in Punch and later in
Private Eye certainly helped to
enhance my reputation as a gag
cartoonist and this particular skill
would hold me in good stead in
later years when working for a
wider range of clients in the advertising and PR world.
Things are certainly different now.
Punch is tragically no more and
premier-rate telephone sex ads fill
the pages in the “girlies” where the
cartoon slots used to be. I’m finding
it increasingly difficult to offer any
constructive advice to the
wannabe cartoonists we all get
button-holed by (“Don’t bother” is a
touch negative, I feel!)
By the time Punch went to the
wall in the 1990s my career was
well established and new markets
continued to open for the seasoned
pro but I feel that it’s demise has
sounded the death-knell for gag
7
cartooning in the UK. Private Eye,
The Spectator and, to a lesser extent, The Oldie still provide a market but nothing like the space and
opportunity that a specialist humour
weekly like Punch used to offer.
It’s a fading memory but cartoonists were given equal billing to the
writers and also had the, now unimaginable, luxury of being able to
comment on topical subjects on
half-page, full-page and doublepage spreads – not to mention the
occasional colour cover slot!
It’s fair to say that Punch was not
only a benchmark when it came to
judging the standard and quality of
gag cartooning but it was also an
incubator for and nurturer of fresh
talent. Poor management and misdirected marketing targets led to the
inevitable demise of this once great
British institution. So what now for
the future? There’s always property
development I suppose!
This article first appeared in issue
52 (Autumn 2007) of Inkspot, the
official magazine of the Australian
Cartoonists’ Association
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
TONY EDEN
Bob certainly knew his onions
“Can you make me look like
a shallot?”
“Don’t cry for me, Ar ...gen...tina ...”
“Good news, love – I’ve
given up smoking.”
“Do we look like we ordered
liver and onions?”
8
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
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“The procedure is very simple. First we
carefully remove your skin, then we
chop you into tiny pieces before frying
you in olive oil.”
MIKE TURNER
“The onions won’t make your eyes water, but the price will.”
Cheesy jokes and
Onions
“And you say eating onions has cured
your 60-a-day habit?”
“$%?&*!! I give up – every onion I draw looks like William Hague!”
Many thanks for all your onion cartoons. Next month’s cartoon theme is SCIENCE FICTION, and was
suggested by Jed Stone. Cartoons, and suggestions for future themes, to the usual addresses please.
9
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
When
funny
guys get
serious
Neil Matterson of the ACA
on cartoonists who turn their
hands to the canvas
I HAVE often wondered whether the
likes of Bacon, Freud or Auerbach
have ever wanted to be cartoonists,
for it is said that inside every cartoonist is a serious artist waiting to get
out – or at least paint your insides
cadmium green.
Maybe it’s just a desire to occasionally satisfy the urge to inhale the
fumes of oil paint and turps, or to
paint that erotic nude that your newspaper or magazine won’t allow you to
include in a cartoon.
And so it was at the Australian Cartoonists Association awards weekend
late last year, when the gathering
opened with an exhibition called
“Cartoonists as Artists” at the Ballarat
Fine Art Gallery in Victoria. Everything from landscapes to nudes and
oils to print making were featured,
from cartoonists who are mostly
known for their inky squiggles –
serious work from some very funny
people.
Cartoonists have the ability to bring
to their paintings a creative process
developed over the years based on
drawing skills, lateral thinking, analysis of information and visual presentation. In one way the quality of these
paintings were of no surprise, as Australian cartoonists are historically a
creative lot.
Australia’s premier portrait competition, the Archibald Prize, is one such
example, where a few cartoonists
have featured prominently in its long
history since 1921.
William Pidgeon (1909-1981), who
signed his work WEP and appears
regulary in Australian cartoon anthologies, won the prize three times
from 1958 to 1968. George Lambert
Work by
Neil
Matterson
from his
two roles:
painter
and
editorial
cartoonist
(1873-1930) who cartooned for the
Bulletin magazine and in London as a
newspaper illustrator won in 1927.
Other cartoonists have been regular
finalists in recent years. Galleries in
Australia abound with the serious
daubs of cartoonists venting and displaying yet another side of their personal creative library.
A few years ago I started to add to
my skill base a few days a week, by
switching from fine black lines on
paper to swathes of colour on canvas.
The tightness and clarity required for
newspapers presents its own dilem10
mas when adapting to the looseness
of large canvases.
But it is mostly a delightful dilemma, a challenge which satisfies
the inner craving of finding another
way to be creative.
Coupled with the fact that it’s such a
damned good excuse to use cadmium
green.
Neil Matterson is editorial cartoonist
for the Sunday Mail, Brisbane, and is
a member of the Australian
Cartoonists’ Association.
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
Alex wows them at Clocktower
CROYDON Clocktower, the rather
swish arts and cultural centre, was the
venue for a very enjoyable evening: the
private viewing of Alex Noel Watson’s
one-man exhibition From the Croydon
Advertiser to The New Yorker.
The show featured a great selection of
original cartoons, drawings and prints
dating from 1963 to the present, and it
was evident that Alex and the Clocktower team had put a lot of hard work
into the exhibition.
Due to Croydon’s unique one-way
system and my sad-nav skills, Nikki
and I arrived with only minutes to
spare. After the briefest of hellos to
Alex and the odd club member (I
won’t tell you which ones were odd),
we were all ushered into the spacious
gallery to hear a few opening words. It
was great to hear real appreciation
being shown for Alex and his work,
and by extension, the art of cartooning.
Alex’s old editor at the Croydon Advertiser (where Alex spent many years
as staff cartoonist, film reviewer and
feature writer) enthusiastically spoke
about the work on display and encouraged all to enjoy it and to come away
with smiles on their faces. Minutes
later, we looked at the guests, all grinning and laughing, and agreed that it
was mission accomplished.
As well as work from the Advertiser,
the show featured many cartoons from
the more than 70 newspapers and
magazines in which Alex’s work has
been published, including Private Eye,
Punch and of course, The New Yorker
– excellent gags one and all.
Of special interest were the illustrations from around the world – including Paris, Prague and Africa. It was a
treat to see these pen and ink drawings.
I’ve since heard from Alex that the
exhibition has been one of the most
well received at the Clocktower,
judging by the positive comments from
the organisers and remarks in the guest
book – a testament to how much the
general public enjoys cartoons and all
the more reason to congratulate those
who put the show together.
Excellent food and wine too. Note to
anyone who organises a show in the
future: get the number of the caterer
from Alex. I’ll definitely turn up. Even
if I’m not invited.
Words and pics: Tim Harries
Clockwise from top: the
public get their first look at
the show; a grinning Alex
Noel Watson at the opening
of the exhibition; a Paris
street scene, one of the
drawings from around the
world included
“I’m a paediatrician!”
Days after this cartoon appeared in
Private Eye in 2000, a real
paediatrician was attacked in South
Wales (the assailants mistaking the
word for “paedophile”). The
incident and the “prophetic”
cartoon were mentioned on BBC
Radio 4 News and the cartoon was
reprinted in The Sunday Telegraph
11
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
Oobituary of former CCGB Treasurer
David Myers, from The Independent,
June 21. Spotted by Les Barton
12
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
From The
Northern
Echo, June
29. Spotted
by Arthur
Middleton
From
The Dundee
Courier and
Advertiser,
July 14.
Spotted by
John
“Speedy”
Harrison
13
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
From The Independent, July 3, spotted by John Featherstone
From the mid-1950s, Melly began to
be increasingly financially and professionally independent from his life as a
musician. In 1956 he was invited by
the Daily Mail to replace Humphrey
Lyttelton as the author of the balloons
in Wally Fawkes’s Flook cartoon
strip, and henceforth, as he travelled
the country with Mulligan, he carried
a portable typewriter to tap out the
adventures of Rufus, Scoop and the
strip’s furry hero. The constant obser14
vation of life in Britain’s dance halls
and musicians’ digs kept the strip
sharp and topical, just as, in the 1960s,
it reflected Melly’s later occupation as
a film and TV critic.
He eventually handed the balloonfilling on to Barry Norman in 1970,
but that same year an anthology of his
work on the strip appeared from
Sidgwick & Jackson as A Flook’s
Eye-View of the Sixties. A retrospective exhibition of Flook’s first 30
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
Left: obituary from The Independent,
July 7, spotted by John Featherstone.
Above: Woodcock cartoon from The
Pengiun Book of Private Eye Cartoons
(1983)
years was held in 1979 at the Centre
for Cartoon History at the University
of Kent.
Melly also collaborated with Mark
Boxer who, as “Marc”, was The
Times’s pocket cartoonist between
1969 and 1983. Melly would often
provide him with ideas and work out
the captions with him.
Left: excerpt from the George Melly
obituary on the Times Online
website, July 6. Far left: caricature
of George Melly by the late Jack
Pennington, ace jazz caricaturist
and CCGB member. Taken from
The Jester, December 2004
Right: from The Times, July 21.
Spotted by the Ed.
15
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
Reprinted by kind permission of our friends at the Australian Cartoonists’ Association magazine Inkspot
16
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
Clive Collins
IT’S GOOD to see a double helping
of Harry Potter out now – first the
film Harry Potter and the Editorship
of Evil in which cartoonist Harry
strives yet again to get his work published, despite the Wall of Ignorance
erected by the Cartoon Editors, or
“Fuggles”, that inhabit the Dark
World of Publishing. See the Forces
of Evil not paying him on time, and
returning his work with footprints and
breakfast stains upon it. Cheer him
along as he re-submits an old idea for
the tenth time and at last has it accepted. Certificate A (young cartoonists must be accompanied by a reputable older professional).
Meanwhile, on the publishing front,
the final Potter book has emerged. In
Harry Potter and the Deathly Silence
our hero discovers that no-one is
laughing at cartoons any more and
takes it upon himself to find out just
why cartoons don’t seem to be as
funny as they used to be. Devoted
readers should be warned that in the
book, one or two of the regular characters from previous Potter adventures actually pack up the profession
and embark upon alternative careers
as lollipop persons and pub bores.
I HAVE come across some useful
exercises to help take us through the
remainder of the holidays – they’re
simple, and won’t bite into those
deadlines.
The tips are all contained on a KeepFit DVD called Draw Yourself Up
from Darren Nits, celebrity body
workout specialist, and designed with
the cartoonist in mind.
Lie on the floor of your studio, garret, cellar, squat – wherever – with
your body prone and still, breathing
evenly and low and simply staring at
the ceiling. Empty your mind of everything, while softly chanting the
mantra “Why does that bastard sell
more than me?” followed by “He’s
not funny, I’ve seen more wit in
misshapen vegetables,” and “He must
know someone in editorial to get
published so often.”
Feel that acid blistering its way
through your veins? This is healthy
tension, sheer and naked hatred, and
you can use the mental image of anyone who is selling more than you. It is
Good Loathing and you will find that
after a week or so of this, you can
mentally work your way through the
entire CCGB Members’ Directory.
The exercise pumps acid and bile to
the stomach lining, making your
nerve endings tingle. After half an
hour of this, rise to your feet, find a
mirror and work on the facial muscles
in order to allow your visage to return
to its normal colour, and enable the
wild rictus grin to lessen sufficiently
so as not to frighten strangers.
Speed cross-hatching: this is for
those who still have access to art-pen
nibs. Select a large, heavy gsm piece
of cartridge paper, and the smallest
mapping pen you can find, and attempt to cover as much as possible of
the white surface of the paper with
Rotring’s finest black ink. You will
find that within ten seconds of starting, the little nib will have crossed.
No matter. Turn the
pen over and bend
the nib back – as fast
as you can – while
still cross-hatching.
Every blot and every
spatter of ink is relieving you of unhealthy and extremely harmful tension. You may find
the occasional blood
spot appearing as you
continue to carve
your black-inked way
across the sheet.
Don’t worry – there
is arsenic in Indian
ink, but it will take a
lot to fatally slow you
down. Yelling during
this exercise is also
good, and again
choose an image of
an editor maybe, or
someone who didn’t
like the caricature
you did of him or her
at that last gig. This
exercise, like most of
17
them, is ideally suited to be practised
at a time when you’re in the premises
on your own, so that your wife, girlfriend, partner – or all three – are out
of earshot.
For those on computers, the really
first-class way to exercise is to have
your Mac or PC powered via foot
pedals. You can almost reach Olympic or Tour de France cycling standards as you work on that multicoloured piece of artwork.
Lastly, and most important of all,
always make sure that you wake with
a hangover, since this is the best condition in which to handle returns from
editors or the responses to final demands for non-payments, for work
long undertaken and completed. The
increased blood-flow pumped round
your body during these morning
chores, plus that little throbbing vein
in your forehead and the red mist
forming both inside and outside your
eyeballs is a REAL workout.
You’ll thank me in years to come.
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
101 Uses for
The Jester
Number: 15
Welcome
re-joining
to _______
new member
Present: Terry Christien, Royston
Robertson, Mike Turner, Jed Stone,
Neil Dishington, Les Barton, Clive
Collins, Jed Pascoe, Helen Martin.
Apologies: Graham Fowell, Jill
Kearney, Ian Ellery, Derek Quint,
Anne Boyd, Jock Williams-Davies.
Phoney cover for
Razzle readers
Lee Healey
Strawberry Lodge
Gorsewood Road
Hartley
Kent
DA3 7DF
T/F: 01474-704 437
E: [email protected]
W: www.leehealey.com
Published: Viz, Maxim, CBBC,
Smut, Dandy, Tate Britain
Potted Minutes from CCGB
committee meeting
of July 3, 2007
If it hadn’t been for the staples,
he thought he’d have found a
102nd use for The Jester
Matters arising: Weston Arts
Festival – a half-page ad to appear
in next month’s Jester. Workshops
will be £1.50 adults, 50p children
(must be accompanied with adult.)
Hotels yet to be clarified; Ip-art was
cancelled through “lack of interest”
on behalf of festival organisers; Jock
to bring CCGB exhibition to next
meeting to hand over to Terry.
Correspondence: Whipps Cross
Hospital has expressed interest in
displaying the cartoon exhibition or
part of; DACS has invited the CCGB
to enter five selected works for its
exhibition “Politics Pays Back”.
Entries to be in no later than August
6. The committee felt that in order for
us to put such events to the whole
membership, DACS would in future
need to give us more notice.
Individual political cartoonists within
CCGB to be approached instead.
Clive Collins strongly disagreed with
the whole idea, saying that it was a
bad idea for the committee to decide
whose work was fit for entry.
New members: The committee
welcomed back Lee Healey.
There are two
ways of dealing
with a camera
being thrust in
your face at a
CCGB meeting.
Here Simon and
Sheba Cassini go
for 1) the Oh-SoWacky Approach
while Paul Baker
perfects 2) the OhSo-Nonchalant.
Jed Stone, back,
just keeps munching the beer nuts.
Any other business: On the subject
of talks at meetings, Neil Dishington
suggested inviting cartoonist Bill
Stott along to address a meeting, as
he is a noted public speaker;
Re. reviving the Golden Jester, Joe
Allens was mooted as venue. On the
issue of a “celebrity” speaker, as
discussed last month, dissenting
rumblings were heard. Clive Collins
and others argued that candidates
should at least have a “cartoon connection” and not just be any old
celeb. Realities of booking cost to be
looked into. To be discussed further.
Pic: Simon Ellinas
Meeting closed 7. 27pm
18
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
MIKE TURNER
Changes of
address
Tony Neat
19 St David’s Close
Birchington, Kent
CT7 9BG
Tel: 01943-841 341
THE JESTER
DEADLINE IS
THE 12th OF
EVERY MONTH
Thanks again for all the onion gags.
And remember, next month’s theme,
suggested by Jed Stone, is
SCIENCE FICTION. Cartoons to the
usual addresses please ...
Contributions via email:
jester_magazine
@yahoo.co.uk
Jed Stone’s new address,
printed here last month,
should have read ...
Jed Stone
57 Terry House
Park Row
Bristol
BS1 5LX
Tel: 07804-889 052
“Hey, aren’t you worried about
onion breath?”
The makers of
The Simpsons
Movie
grabbed
headlines with
this stunt in
Dorset. They
said it would
wash away
with rainfall
– so it’s
amazing that
it was around
long enough
for a photo.
Pic: Reuters
Membership enquiries to: Jed Pascoe (Membership Secretary),
4 Osprey Close, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 1TW
Tel: 01767-682 882. Email: [email protected]
Subscription enquiries to: Anne Boyd (Treasurer), 57 Terry
House, Park Row, Bristol BS1 5LX Tel: 07804-889 052
Email [email protected]
Website enquiries to: Ian Ellery, 25 Nelson Road, Hastings TN34
BRX. Tel: 01424-718 209. Email: [email protected]
19
Contributions via post:
The Jester
c/o Royston Robertson
20 Upton Road
Broadstairs
Kent CT10 2AS
Tel: 01843-871 241
All articles and cartoons
welcomed (especially for the
front and back covers)
Email submissions are
preferred, as then images
and text do not need to be
scanned – but snail mail is
still acceptable. All images
sent by email must be jpegs
at a resolution of 300dpi
REMINDER: the next
two club meetings are
August 7 and
September 4 (featuring
Quiz 25! See page 3)
at The Cartoonist pub,
Shoe Lane, London.
Committee: 5.30pm
Members: 7pm
THE JESTER ISSUE 400 – AUGUST 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
20