The Jester - The Cartoonists` Club of Great Britain

!
ISSUE 396 – APRIL 2007
!
AUTUMN 2005
The
Jester
The
Jester
FLOCK AND ROLL
BREW-HA-HA
IN THE DALES
MASHAM REPORT
AND PICTURES
THE CLUB’S DAYTIME AGM: APRIL 3 / YOUR LAW GAGS
MARTIN HONEYSETT INTERVIEWED / SHREWSBURY PREVIEW
CLIVE COLLINS’ SMOKING GUN / ACA’S PETER BROELMAN
PLUS: TIME TO PAY YOUR SUBS OR SLEEP WITH THE FISHES!
Newsletter
of the
Cartoonists’
Britain
The Newsletter
of the
Cartoonists’Club
Clubof
ofGreat
Great Britain
THE JESTER ISSUE 396 – APRIL 2007
The Jester
Issue 396 - April 2007
Published 11 times a year
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
The Chair
by The Cartoonists’ Club
of Great Britain
The CCGB Committee
Chairman: Terry Christien
020–8892 3621
terry@cartoonology.com
Secretary: Jed Stone
020–7720 1884
jedstone@tunamoon.demon.co.uk
Treasurer: Anne Boyd
020–7720 1884
anneboyd@tunamoon.demon.co.uk
Membership Secretary:
Jed Pascoe: 01767–682 882
mail@jedpas.co.uk
Les Barton: 01895–236 732
barton@barton104.fsnet.uk
Clive Collins: 01702–557 205
collinscartoons@aol.com
Neil Dishington: 020–8505 0134
neil.dishington@ukgateway.net
Ian Ellery: 01424–718 209
ian@toondesign.biz
Graham Fowell: 0115–933 4186
thehitmancartoons@talktalk.net
Pete Jacob: 01732 845 079
Jill Kearney: 0115–933 4186
jillkearney@talktalk.net
Helen Martin: 01883–625 600
keeplaughing@helen-s.fslife.co.uk
Roy Nixon: 01245–256 814
Derek Quint: 01984–632 592
Richard Tomes: 0121–706 7652
r.tomes@virgin.net
Mike Turner: 01206–798 283
mikecartoons@aol.com
Jock Williams-Davies:
01473–422 917
jockdavies@yahoo.co.uk
WELL, didn’t we have a fantabulous
weekend? That was the Gathering of
the Flock at Masham, that was! The
weather was a bit chilly, but the company more than made up for it. It was
great to see old mates and some new
ones like Brenda and Chris Romans
and the other Alan Turner, and wife
Diane. We even met Dave and Irene
Gaskill’s dogs!
The King’s Head Hotel in the centre
of Masham did us proud – excellent
atmosphere and service all wrapped in
good old York stone architecture. I was
reminded of that on a few occasions
when looking out for low-flying
beams. Even my trouble and strife,
Sue, at 5ft 3in, only just managed to
sneak under them.
After our tour around the Black Sheep
Brewery on the Saturday night, we had
a stupendous spread in the brewery’s
bistro, having been “piped” along the
winding road by our very own Club
Piper, Arthur Middleton. Thank you
Arthur, good to see and hear you in
action again.
We were able to sample the Black
Sheep products to make sure they were
up to scratch. Their shop merchandise
was suitably represented by cartoon
artworks, particularly in black and
white of course. Late night banter and
hearty home-cooked breakfasts
rounded off a thoroughly social gettogether. Very importantly, I wanted to
thank Jed Pascoe so much for taking
the sheep by the wosnames and getting
the right organising persons to do what
they do best and do it for us – a simple
stroke of common-sensickle genius,
Jed! Well done.
And we’re nearly at the AGM time
again. Don’t forget we’re taking in the
afternoon this time as well – committee meeting at 1pm and members 2pm
onwards – until whenever suits you,
making timings more flexible for your
good selves for return journeys. Apart
from the social chit chat, there will be
nibbles and the pool table will beckon
your skills. Will welcome all of you
who can make it.
Toodle pip,
Terry Christien
Ouch! Beam me up, says Terry
Jester Editor:
Royston Robertson
01843–871 241
jester_magazine @yahoo.co.uk
Front cover: Jed Pascoe
Back cover: Ron McGeary
“Yes, that’s him – he’s the one ...”
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THE JESTER ISSUE 396 – APRIL 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
News
Packed schedule
at Shrewsbury
The Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival
takes place from April 20-22, a long
weekend of varied cartooning
activity with several exhibitions.
Around 40 cartoonists, including
many CCGB members, will
converge on Shrewsbury and be set
loose around the town to undertake
various activities for the public.
Cartooning activities over the
Festival weekend will include:
Caricaturing; Live cartooning, in
which 20 giant cartoons are drawn
in The Square on 8ft x 6ft boards,
on the festival theme of Trade;
Illustrated talks by Steve Bell, Jed
Pascoe and others; plus workshops
and the Cartoon Clinic – drop-in
sessions for budding cartoonists.
The main Festival exhibition is
called Mind Your Own Business
and runs from April 2-28.
Cartoonists from the UK and
overseas were invited to submit
cartoons.
Around 100 cartoons will be
exhibited and the majority will be
for sale. Most cartoons will be new
work and the exhibition will be a
mixture of originals and goodquality prints.
There will also be exhibitions by
the late Dave Follows and by
Albert Rusling. For more details go
to the Shrewsbury website: www.
shrewsburycartoonfestival.com
 From Paul Hardman: Dave
Follows’ two lads, Chris and
Steve, are working hard to get a
comprehensive exhibition
together which will first be seen at
Shrewsbury and, later, in Stoke.
They have asked me to contact
Club members to ask if anyone
has, or knows who has, any
memorabilia of Dave. They specifically would like to see the cartoon he drew on a napkin in New
York and which was published in
one of the cartoonists’ magazines
over there. They would welcome
any photos or videos members
might have. The lads can be contacted on info@davefollows.com
Angel delight
Fallen Angel! The Political
Cartoons of the Daily Worker
Cartoonist Gabriel is at the Political
Cartoon Gallery until April 28. This
is the first exhibition of the work of
Jimmy Friell (1912-1997), aka
Gabriel, from the Communist paper,
and offers an insight into the
attitudes of those on the Left during
the Cold War. The exhibition will
consist of 60 of his best originals.
The Political Cartoon Gallery, 32
Store Street, London, is open
Mon-Fri 9.30am-5.30pm and Sat
11.30am-5.30pm.
Museum pieces
Alice in Sunderland, an exhibition
of more than 60 original pieces of
artwork from Bryan Talbot’s new
graphic novel, is at the Cartoon
Museum in London from April 5
– July 1. The Museum also has a
Family Fun Day on April 7 and a
series of Easter Children’s
Workshops on April 11, 12 and 13,
11am-3.30pm. For more details and
to book places for the workshops,
phone 020-7580 8155
3
THE JESTER ISSUE 396 – APRIL 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
THE SUBS
ARE DUE!
Yes, it’s that time of year again – your
annual CCGB subscriptions are due
on April 1, 2007.
So, to make sure your membership
remains intact, your Jester continues to
land on your doormat and your presence
on the website forum and gallery stays
firmly put, don’t forget to renew them.
Members now have the option of paying
by Standing Order. You should have
received a form with the last Jester. We
would like as many people as possible to
pay by Standing Order, as it will make the
subs payment process easier in the
future. But if you prefer to pay in the usual
way, then send your cheque for £35 to the
CCGB Treasurer Anne Boyd, at
7 Gambetta Street, Battersea, London
SW8 3TS
Pay now to avoid distress! (see left...)
The Paranoid Cartoonist – Andy Vine
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THE JESTER ISSUE 396 – APRIL 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
From NCB to CCGB
I am 71 this year. I started
cartooning when I was a young lad
working as a coal miner, I thought
cartooning would get me out of the
pit. Unfortunately, although I had a
few cartoons published I couldn't
earn enough to cease my pit work
and stopped sending cartoons in.
Some 35 years later a heart attack
stopped me working and through
sheer boredom I started art work
again, in a more serious manner.
Since then I have had success as an
illustrator and cartoonist, having had
more than a hundred cartoons published, and have done illustrations
for advertisements. And I am now a
member of the esteemed CCGB.
A few months ago someone
contacted me and told me he used to
work for the NCB many years ago.
He said he was clearing out some
old papers and came across a copy
of Coal magazine dated January
1959 and in it was one of my
cartoons (below). It brought back
wonderful old memories of a
struggling miner with a big
ambition. Had I not seen this old
cartoon I probably would not have
told you this little story, but it goes
to prove that no one should ever
give in on their ambitions.
Frank Canning
Postal address:
The Jester,
c/o Royston Robertson,
20 Upton Road,
Broadstairs,
Kent CT10 2AS
Email: jester_magazine
@yahoo.co.uk
Dear
Jester
Jim Towle came across this picture
of the Andy Capp Blackpool
Special in a recent edition of Steam
Days, a magazine for railway
enthusiasts.
The Fat Controller would have been
chuffed if this engine had visited the
island of Sodor, although Thomas the
Tank Engine would have looked
insignificant beside the red, black
and yellow “Andy” the compound
engine. The Daily Mirror hired and
paid for this engine to be painted in
the newspaper’s house colours.
It hauled a Daily Mirror-sponsored
Andy Capp special excursion from
Manchester to Blackpool Central on
Bank Holiday Monday, August 3,
1959. The boiler and tender were
painted yellow, the cab, coupling
rods and splashers red, and the
wheels white.
After the excursion, No. 41101 was
taken to Derby and hidden from sight
until it was scrapped at the end of
August. Sacrilege, I say, considering
another engine of this type is
preserved and on display at York
Railway Museum.
Imagine if 41101 had been
preserved and returned to running
order. Wouldn’t it have been fantastic
to see it heading an Andy Capp
special train to the unveiling of his
new bronze statue at Hartlepool?
I’m assuming the original day trip
was laid on for Mirror employees
and their families but wonder if Reg
Smythe was on the train too. Maybe
one of our members could shed some
light on the subject?
There are over a hundred private
steam railways operating throughout
the UK so wouldn’t it be marvellous
if even one could be persuaded to run
a cartoon-themed day? They do have
real ale days ... so perhaps a
combination of both?
Jim Towle
Farewell Lord Forte
Those sharp-eyed among the membership will have read of the death of
Lord Forte, in March. He was a sterling supporter of the CCGB in the 60s
and 70s, thanks to our Founder and then Chairman, Ian Scott, and it was
through their association that we were able to host various functions at
the Café Royal, and I think we should record his passing – albeit at a
grand age (98) – with some regret.
Clive Collins
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THE JESTER ISSUE 396 – APRIL 2007
101 Uses for
The Jester
Number: 4
Polonium 210 tea strainer
Name that CCGB member
(Answer page 15)
My first is in Beer and also in Bitter
My second’s in Sit and also in Sitter
My third’s not in Pose but is in Model
My fourth’s twice in Molly, once in Coddle
My fifth is in Bridge but not in Span
My sixth is in Child but not in Man
My seventh heads a Tick and also a Tock
My eighth is in Jack and also in Jock
My ninth’s in an Hour but not in a Day
My tenth is in Mild, but not in May
My last is in Value but not in Worth
And my whole is a writer from the North
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
Coffee and sympathy
Peter Broelman on the daily struggle of the Aussie cartoonist
HERE in drought-ridden South Australia a small band of cartoonists
gather for their Friday morning coffee.
Once in a while we might even talk
about cartooning. The feedback from
the rank and file over our latest edition
of Inkspot, the ACA’s quarterly magazine, was interesting.
ACA and CCGB member Dave
Gaskill wrote a piece that everyone
could relate to – the threat to editorial
cartoonists in the mainstream media.
Dave’s take on the UK scene was
indeed interesting. I think some Aussie
members were genuinely surprised as
they considered the UK to be the last
great bastion of cartooning. Last year
several large US newspapers dumped
editorial cartoons altogether.
In Australia the threat to editorial jobs
was solved years ago by the concentration of media ownership in capital
cities. So much for healthy competition. Today there’s one daily newspaper in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth –
all cities with populations of more than
a million. If you aren’t one of the fortunate few to score a daily paper
you’re left with a smattering of regional papers whose bean counters are
more ruthless than their editors. You
have no choice than to syndicate.
Some regionals have dumped editorial
spots altogether to save themselves
$100 a week for six cartoons (about
£40). The full-time editorial cartoonist
Down Under is a rare breed indeed.
Then there’s the comic strip artist.
Don’t even get me started at those
unfortunates who get kicked in the
guts on a regular basis by the syndicates and bean counters combined.
So what does a cartoonist organisation do? The ACA is always battling
ways to think of promoting cartoonists
and raising the bar for all cartoonists.
We’ve joined newspaper associations
for a lot of money. We recently decided not to renew as there was no
ascertainable benefit, despite the best
efforts, and we would be better served
hitting editors and management direct.
I checked out the CCGB website and
that has inspired the ACA to redesign
its own website – www.cartoonists.
org.au – with more emphasis on promoting cartoonists rather than promoting the organisation that’s supposed to do the promoting.
Last year our annual Year Book (a
120-page catalogue of all the entrants
to our annual Stanley Awards) was
sent to 100 publishers Australia-wide
rather than just newspaper editors.
Our online members directory gets
attention from clients (I suspect none
are editors). Members’ entries are
categorised and there’s a recommended rates chart for potential clients
to see, and to dissuade freebie-seekers.
While these steps address outside
influences, occasionally members’
attitudes towards their own work have
to be addressed. Free work for free
exposure is self-defeating. Not all
cartoonists are natural-born business
people. At the next Annual Stanleys
Awards Conference we’ll be having a
motivational speaker. The business
ethic behind providing cartoons is no
different than any other business.
There’s no guarantee these measures
will provide the solution to the
problems faced by cartoonists. We are,
after all, masters of our own destiny.
At the very least it’ll be a good
talking point at the next Friday
morning coffee.
Peter Broelman is
the President of the
Australian
Cartoonists’
Association. He is a
recipient of the 2004
and 2005 Stanley
Award for Editorial/
Political cartoons
and 2005 Gold
Stanley Cartoonist
Of The Year.
“And remember, MY door is always
open – tough bananas, eh?”
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THE JESTER ISSUE 396 – APRIL 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
“Sorry Ma’am, but stealing the duvet
is not technically a criminal offence.”
“Hello, Tech Support?
Crime is down.”
Fuzz
Funnies!
“He says he’s nightshift, Sarge,
fitting energy-saving lightbulbs.”
“Can’t I choose a dress the normal way?”
Next gag theme is: THE ENVIRONMENT (climate change chuckles, global warming giggles etc etc)
7
THE JESTER ISSUE 396 – APRIL 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
The Gathering of the Flock
The CCGB’s Black Sheep
Brewery weekend was all
laughs, late nights, and
colossal cheese platters, says
Tim Harries
I’M HAPPY to report a positively
excellent time was had by at all the
CCGB get-together. Situated in the
Yorkshire Dales, Masham is a small
market town that boasts two breweries, and was therefore the ideal venue
for a cartoonists’ weekend.
Despite traffic delays getting there,
the trip was certainly worth it. Settling into the King’s Head Hotel, we
had the chance to catch up over a few
pints, followed by a delicious meal in
their restaurant. The hotel had helpfully, but rather naively, put up a
board in reception with which cartoonists could leave each other notes
and messages. Minutes later it was
covered in scribbles and one or two
vital polls (see page 15). The turnout
for the weekend was good, most
Masham 2007
agreeing that it was an excellent
weekend break for the price, and it
was nice to see new members Brenda
Romans and Alan Turner (plus their
partners) mingling with the regular
faces. We socialised until the bar staff
gently chucked us out at 2am.
The following morning saw a hearty
breakfast quickly followed by a short
official meeting to discuss any club
matters and why Terry wasn’t wearing shorts for once. A brisk walk
Lookalike
Scene from Reservoir Dogs
Have any other
readers noticed
the similarity
between a bunch
of cartoonists
and their
partners out on
the razz in a
Wensleydale
market town
and a bunch of
ruthless
criminals on
their way to a
jewellery heist?
Are they
perhaps related?
I think we
should be told
etc.
Tintin
Quarantino
Off to the brewery
8
around the “Farmers’ Market” revealed several used DVDs and a
deerstalker for sale, so several of us
adjourned to the nearest pub. It had
just gone 12, honest. Some rugby
matches were playing on the telly, but
despite that, we still had a good time.
In fact, it was such a good time that
we visited every pub in Masham,
talked scurrilous talk, drew libellous
pictures and only just got back to the
hotel before we had to wobble back
out for The Event of the Weekend …
the Black Sheep Brewery visit.
A quick gathering for a group photo
in the square and then we were off,
led by club piper Arthur Middleton,
complete with bagpipes and kilt. Several doors opened and curtains
twitched as we marched as a group
through the village. Terrific fun,
though I suspect it was rather chilly
for Arthur. Little wonder Terry wasn’t
wearing shorts.
After an informative and entertaining tour of the brewery, we were
treated to a spot of beer tasting, then a
gorgeous meal at the Brewery Bistro,
complete with more free drinks and
cheese plates the size of Cuba. Pens
and paper appeared and no one was
safe from doodling. Royston admitted
he’d seen Lindisfarne in concert in
Masham in the 1980s and since there
was no way to top that revelation, we
all made our way back to the hotel,
settled into the bar and chatted into
the early hours, until once again flung
out by the bar staff. You’d think these
people had homes to go to.
Sunday arrived, a bit of brekkie and
it was over all too soon. We said our
goodbyes and looked forward to
seeing each other at the AGM. As we
left I had tears in my eyes, but then I
had just paid my tab.
William Rudling: It was over all too
soon! The Black Sheep Weekend was
a great success. If you want a laugh
and a memorable 67 hours, spend it
with the people I met from the
CCGB. It proved to me that personal,
social contacts strengthen the club.
My thanks to its creator, Jed Pascoe,
Venues Unlimited ,the King’s Head
Hotel and the Black Sheep Brewery
for looking after us.
THE JESTER ISSUE 396 – APRIL 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
Arthur Middleton: Good one Jed,
excellent company, excellent food
and what about that beer? It was
really good to meet up with old
friends and meet new ones. Did the
weekend achieve its aim? Well, on a
scale of 1 to 10, I will give it 12.
Steve Willis’s T-shirts and badges
were great, I don’t think I’ve ever
had a better badge and they are a
great help to those us of more senior
years who struggle to keep the memory cells active more than a few
seconds at time. Well done and
thanks. The whole weekend was
spot-on and those poor souls not able
to with us, I think, will be the poorer
for it.
Brenda Romans: We had a great
time at the weekend. It was great to
meet you all, and quite inspiring.
Alan Turner (the Shrewsbury
one!): “He couldn’t organize a piss
up in a brewery!” … but Jed did just
that with panache, aplomb and any
other supportive adjective you can
think of. Masham was an undoubted
success. It had the relaxed and
friendly atmosphere which you’d
expect, all mixed with a very tangible sense of fun. In fact, I’d go as far
as to say that many of us behaved like
cheeky schoolboys on the Saturday
evening (I thought underage drinking
was banned in most pubs) and my
wife and I enjoyed it immensely. It
was also a wonderful opportunity to
put names to faces but, more importantly, to discover that one is not
alone in striving for excellence or to
get published; the exchange of ideas,
coupled with very firm offers of help
and advice, were always there.
Please pass on my and Diane’s most
grateful thanks to the committee,
especially to Jed, for an excellent
weekend in Yorkshire. To those of
you who didn’t make the effort, you
don’t know what you missed. It was
bloody marvellous! Let’s have more
PU’s in a B.
Flocked and loaded (well, almost): a photo-call before the brewery visit
Alex
Hughes
models the
official
Masham
2007
T-shirt,
while the
Black
Sheep goes
to Tim
Harries’
head
Pied piper Arthur Middleton leads the cartoonists, by Brenda Romans
Ian Ellery: It was truly a great weekend. Lovely to meet new members
Alan and Brenda too.
Steve Willis: I’ll second all of that. A
great weekend.
There were no
complaints about
portions during
Saturday’s meal at
the brewery
Photos: Royston Robertson,
Tim Harries and Alan Turner
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THE JESTER ISSUE 396 – APRIL 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
What we did at the weekend
Typical. You ask Masham organiser Jed Pascoe for a write-up and he delegates it to his inner child ...
By Jeremy age 5 1/3: Me and Deryl
went to Masham. Mummy said the
men wore flat caps and Daddy said I
would have to watch out that they
didn’t show me their wippits and then
him and uncle Stan had a good laugh
but I don’t know why. We got to a big
house called the Kings Head and it
was a hotel and we was the first and
we had a room with a big bed and a
canopy to sleep in. The bed not the
canopy because it would have come
off. Then William and Alex arrived
because I saw them from our window
which was at the front. And they had
nice rooms too and we went for a
glass of Tizer in another room called
the Bar and everybody arrived two by
two like the animals in the ark only it
didn’t rain at all except for a little bit
about five o’clock but that was all
right becose we were all in the Bar
drinking Tizer so it didn’t matter. We
met a man called Arthur who played
the bagpipes only he wasn’t Scottish
and Dave brought two dogs and Irene
said one of them was a half cross and
very good-natured which I know is
true because when mummy says she
is not half cross it means she really is.
Then we all had dinner and it was just
like school because you queue up and
get your own and the man with the
white coat gave me a big pile of meat
which wasn’t like school becouse you
only get a tiddly slice there and this
looked like half a cow had died on
my plate but some people had special
food because they was vejetairine and
that was allright because it was
yummy. And then we had lots more
Tizer and in the morning we had a big
cooked breakfast with black pudding
which was Yorkshire food and Brenda
wasn’t sure if she liked it but Chris
said he would have her’s. Then we
had a meeting when a man called
Terry who said he was the Chair-man
but he couldn’t have been because he
stood up told us what the Club was up
to and then we had coffee and went
around the market and into Auntie
Wainwright’s only she wasn’t there
but a man with a hat sold us some
books. Bill went walking into the
Dales and Matt and Royston and Ian
and Rita and Alex went to find out
how many pubs sold Tizer and they
did. And our new friend Alan used to
be in the RAF and he had his own
scooter but he wouldn’t let us have a
go. And in the evening we all put on
our t-shirts what Steve made and we
followed Arthur as he played his bagpipes all the way through the town to
the Black Sheep Brewery which was
a funny name because there weren’t
any sheep and we sat in the classroom
and the teacher told us all about beer
and how they made it but there wasn’t
no sheep in the beer but stuff called
yeest was in the big tanks where they
made the beer and that looked fluffy
so maybe that’s why it’s called Black
Sheep only it wasan’t black. And then
we had more food and lots of Yorkshire dark Tizer called Riggwelter
10
what was in the cassrol too and we
got a hooj plate of cheese. We all
drew pictures of black sheep and
Dave the teacher on a big piece of
paper then we had lots more Tizer and
I can’t remember anything except
naughty Ian pretending he knew the
script to a scary old film about Sherlook Homes only he had a lot of Tizer
and he didn’t do a good job of it so
there. And we al had a great time and
in the morning we had more food
bacon and eggs and other people had
black pudding and liked it and then
we all went off in our cars but nobody
ever showed me a wippit and I was
dispointed
the end
THE JESTER ISSUE 396 – APRIL 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
Big in Japan
Lawrence Goldsmith talks to Martin Honeysett
Who were your early influences and
who do you admire now?
As a young teen I avidly read the Giles
annuals that an uncle collected. Later, I
came to admire Ronald Searle and
then people such as Larry and Bill
Tidy. There were many I admired, and
still do, but I’m not sure how much
they influenced me. As for current
cartoonists, I’m a bit out of touch
having been away for two years but I
always find Steve Bell outstanding.
Laugh with
conviction!
“I’m in here just because
I made big money. It was
about 2mm too big.”
How did you get started?
I did a year at art school then left and
drifted around, lived abroad for several
years doing a variety of jobs. I started
trying to get illustration work with
magazines, with limited success.
When I returned to England in the late
1960s, I thought I’d try cartoons. Putting drawings in an envelope and
sending them in seemed much easier
than touting a portfolio around. Fortunately, I had some early success but it
took a year of weekly submissions
before Punch accepted me. I was, of
course, over the moon when they did
and it gave me the confidence to become a full time cartoonist.
You are currently at the cartoon
department of Kyoto Seika University in Japan. Tell us about that.
I first visited Japan about 20 years ago.
I was part of a group of six English
and six French cartoonists and it was a
sort of cultural exchange trip. We were
there for two weeks and spent a few
days in Kyoto visiting the cartoon
dept. of Seika University. After that I
kept in touch by submitting work to
the International Exhibition they organise every two years. Four years ago
they invited me out for a visit and
asked if I’d be interested in being a
visiting professor. Naturally, I jumped
at the chance. For me it’s been a very
exciting and interesting experience, to
live and work in a completely different
culture. I’ve never really taught before
but I find it very satisfying and some
of the students produce excellent
work. Not that my duties have
been too onerous. I’ve had lots of time
to do my own work and to try to
absorb some of the culture, in particular the strong drawing tradition in
Japanese art.
11
Martin Honeysett:
cartoon professor
What other projects are you
working on?
While here I produced some work for
an exhibition in Kyoto reflecting my
views of Japan. I want to expand on
this for another exhibition and hopefully some sort of publication.
What materials do you use?
Pencil, “fine liner” type pens, and
watercolour.
Do you feel the market for cartoons
is tough at present?
I think it’s been getting tough for a few
years now. Not only is the market
shrinking, there doesn’t seem to be the
same appreciation of the special qualities and values of the cartoon in all its
varied forms.
How do you feel cartoonists will fair
in the increasing digital age?
Cartoonists have always had to adapt
to new technologies and we’re all
having to adapt to the digital age,
some with more enthusiasm than
others.
Any advice for aspiring cartoonists?
Don’t strive for a style, it will come
naturally. Don’t give up.
THE JESTER ISSUE 396 – APRIL 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
Reprinted by kind permission of our friends at the Australian Cartoonists’ Association magazine Inkspot
12
THE JESTER ISSUE 396 – APRIL 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
Clive Collins
LET’S begin this month’s offering
with my wholehearted agreement
with Neil Dishington’s comments on
the Mike Williams’ show at the Cartoon Museum (was it all that time
ago? Doesn’t the time fly when
you’re twiddling your thumbs and
staring at the electricity meter whizzing round?). At least, my wholehearted agreement with Neil up to the
bit about Steadman; Scarfe yes, but I
think Steadman’s someone quite special. Anyway it’s all personal choice.
Apart from the sheer brilliance of
Mike’s artwork and the wonderfully
crazy ideas, once again my enjoyment
of a show of great cartoons was
tinged with the sad knowledge that
there are no magazines in this country
today that would even contemplate
using work of such a high standard.
I’ve been a keen admirer of his work
from the time I first saw it in the
Daily Sketch and Weekend – long
before he hit Punch – and you just
knew that he’d be one of the best.
Furthermore, it was during that
magical period when Liverpool was
spawning so much cartoon talent –
Bill Tidy, Albert Rusling, Mike’s
brother Pete (a superb cartoonist in
his own right), Ian Jackson, Bill Stott,
Paul Hardman and others too numerous to mention, all making their
marks on the many and varied cartoon pages that were then available.
Great also to hear laughter at a
cartoon exhibition. I recall, some
years back, Lynne laughing out loud
at a Larry show at Chris Beetles’ gallery, and seeing the shocked and offended faces of the po-faced regulars
turn round to her. Mike’s cartoons
ARE funny, and are a perfect match
of words and pictures, and the
non-captioned ones are in a league of
their own.
On a side note, it was fascinating to
overhear disparaging comments on
the displayed work, made by far
lesser cartoonists than Mike. One of
whom (as legend would have it) had
once actually told Larry that his cartoons could be improved by the use of
a ruler. Funny old world! By the time
you read these words the exhibition
will have closed, so I hope that as
many of you as possible grabbed the
chance to see it.
MEANWHILE, in a corner of Shoe
Lane, there has been much bitterness
over the fact that The Cartoonist pub
‘There is much
bitterness that
The Cartoonist
pub wasn’t picked
for Mega-Casino
status ...’
wasn’t among those selected for
Mega-Casino status. The CCGB had
placed great store on the prospect of
members being attracted back to
monthly club meetings by the lure of
a possible Big Win while they were
talking to Frank Holmes. It is even
believed that a number of caricaturists
had cleared their diaries on the first
Tuesday of each month in order to
cruise for business among the punters
filling the upstairs and downstairs
bars. In response to concerns expressed about the Mega-Casino,
gambling, and the risk factor of the
unsophisticated poor being lured into
debt, the landlord stated that “cartoonists have always been welcome
in the pub, and those that cannot afford to gamble will, of course, be able
to refrain from doing so”.
There had also been a chance that a
monthly inn-sign competition would
be inaugurated, incorporating a
“Where’s Wally” type of feature, on
which punters could bet, the winner
being granted free drinks for life (so
long as “life” meant not beyond
age 45).
There’s still a slim chance of a rethink, bearing in mind the Manchester
doubts, and despite a negative campaign by Ye Olde Bell in Fleet Street,
who had been looking to a franchise
for 1,000 fruit machines running
along the walkway between the pub
and St. Bride’s Church.
We will keep you informed on
progress.
THIS column comes to you from the holding cell of Leigh-on-sea nick,
courtesy of the police laptop. A Smoking Warden gained access to my house
(by breaking an upstairs window) three nights ago, and went through my
originals, where he discovered a collection of cartoons that involved characters depicted with cigarettes in their mouths. Copies of the offending cartoons
were taken away and I was charged with “being a threat to the moral fibre of
non-smokers”. It is believed that the offices of The Mirror were next on the
list, with the entire collection of Andy Capp strips being confiscated.
13
THE JESTER ISSUE 396 – APRIL 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
Potted Minutes from
CCGB committee meeting
of March 6, 2007
Present: Terry Christien, Jed Stone,
Neil Dishington, Jed Pascoe, Anne
Boyd, Clive Collins.
Apologies: Graham Fowell, Jill
Kearney, Ian Ellery, Derek Quint, Les
Barton, Helen Martin, Jock WilliamsDavies, Richard Tomes, Mike Turner,
Royston Robertson.
Left: from the Daily
Record, March 5. Above:
from the Dundee Courier
and Advertiser, March 9.
Both spotted by John
“Speedy” Harrison
Did you know that
Claude Monet drew
caricatures? Well, now
you can see them, at the
Royal Academy, London,
until June 10, as part of a
show entitled The
Unknown Monet.
The exhibition is the
first devoted to Monet’s
drawings and pastels. It
offers a ground-breaking
exploration of the role of
draughtsmanship
throughout the artist’s
long career, overturning
the conventional notion
that Monet painted his
impressions of nature
directly onto the canvas.
 Royal Academy of
Arts, Piccadilly,
London.
Tel: 020-7300 8000
Open: Sat-Thu 10am6pm, Fri 10am-10pm
Lookalike: Have any other readers noticed the similarity between
CCGB stalwart Mike Turner and a painting of a golfer spotted by a
bunch of tipsy cartoonists in the Bruce Arms pub in Masham? Are
they perhapshrellated ?.. whose round is it ..?
O. P. Q. Lear
Mike Turner
Golfer
14
Matters Arising: The club has
approved the CCGB exhibition being
shown at The Weston Arts Festival in
September, although there were
questions on how much we should
charge for providing workshops.
Treasurer’s Report: Anne Boyd
reported that the bank had returned
some members’ cheques. She
gained permission from the committee to draft a form to be sent out
requesting they reissue the cheques.
Correspondence: Two letters
received from “teen-agers” asking
how to become cartoonists. After
various comments ranging from “It’s
in the blood” to “Join a life class”, it
was decided to advise them to pop
along to the Cartoon Museum.
Jester: Another reminder of AGM
time to appear in the April Jester.
Members’ Directory to be sent out
with The Jester, prior to the AGM.
Website: Jed Pascoe reported quite
a lot of “phishing” and “spam”
infiltrating the site, but he was managing to control it. Neil Dishington
recalled having spam fritters during
WWII, and a certain Mrs Robinson
loitering outside the barracks of 101
American Airborne Div, in the hope
of scrounging the odd can. He also
recollected a POW camp nearby,
where the German and Italian
inmates, made little wooden toys,
unlike their allied counterparts, who
were busy forming escape committees, vaulting over wooden horses ...
[Ed’s note: Jed Stone’s “creative
writing” minutes edited at this point
for length] ... it was round about now
that our normally steadfast Chairman, buried his head in his hands
and claimed he was “Losing the will
to live”. Meeting wrapped 7.45pm
THE JESTER ISSUE 396 – APRIL 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
A word from the Editor
During the Gathering of the Flock,
I made the mistake of mentioning
that I had seen the terminally un-hip
Geordie folk-rock band Lindisfarne
at Masham Town Hall in 1986.
This confession provoked much
mirth and mockery and led to the
cartoon on the right from the restless
pen of Tim Harries. Eagle-eyed readers will spot that the flute and onelegged pose is more reminiscent of
fellow beardy 1970s folkies Jethro
Tull. That band did come up in conversation during the Saturday afternoon pub crawl that several of us
embarked on (yes, we visited every
pub in Masham – all three of them!)
so poor Tim must have got confused.
As for seeing Lindisfarne, what can
I say? I was a young, impressionable
teenager, led astray by folkies. Actually, Masham’s reputation as Town of
Beer had a lot to do with it. And in
my defence, I also saw the slightly
hipper Smiths in the same summer ...
Which reminds me, what’s with the
hair in this cartoon, Tim? I wouldn’t
normally consider the un-quiffing of
my hair to be a subject worth recording in The Jester, but as it seemed to
be a popular subject on the cartoon-
Jesterquiz
solution
IS THE 12th OF
EVERY MONTH
Contributions via email:
jester_magazine@yahoo.co.uk
Contributions via post:
The Jester
c/o Royston Robertson
20 Upton Road
Broadstairs
Kent CT10 2AS
Tel: 01843-871 241
ists’ message
board at
Masham (see
right) I may put
the “quiff or no
quiff?” matter to
a public vote.
Details of the
premium-rate
phoneline will
be in the next
Jester ...
All articles and cartoons
welcomed (especially for the
front and back covers)
Royston Robertson
101 Uses for
The Jester
Number: 5
“Go on then,
make me
laugh!”
Email submissions are
preferred, as then images
and text do not need to be
scanned – but snail mail is
still acceptable. Images sent
by email must be a resolution
of 300dpi, and in the JPEG
format – no Tiffs, Gifs etc.
REMINDER: the next two
club meetings are ...
April 3 (The AGM, to be
held during the day.
Caricature
by Rex
Juriansz
It’s Bill Ritchie!
THE DEADLINE
A jester
Membership enquiries to: Jed Pascoe (Membership Secretary),
4 Osprey Close, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 1TW.
Tel: 01767-682 882. Email: mail@jedpas.co.uk
Subscription enquiries to: Anne Boyd (Treasurer), 7 Gambetta
Street, Battersea, London, SW8 3TS. Tel: 020-7720 1884.
Email anneboyd@tunamoon.demon.co.uk
Website enquiries to: Ian Ellery, 25 Nelson Road, Hastings TN34
BRX. Tel: 01424-718 209. Email: ian@toondesign.biz
15
Committee 1pm,
Members 2pm)
May 1 (Regular club
meeting time i.e. Committee
5.30pm, Members 7pm)
Both at The Cartoonist pub,
Shoe Lane, London.
THE JESTER ISSUE 396 – APRIL 2007
CCGB ONLINE: WWW.CCGB.ORG.UK
16