Andy Davey is the PCO Artist of the Month for August 2008.

Bloghorn asked him how he makes his cartoons.

I draw with small pieces of broken china, dug up from the garden, while listening to Bach fugues on the wireless. Well, that’s not strictly true. I use pen and ink too … in fact, almost anything which will make a wet and awkward mark really (excluding live crocodiles).

I have tried computers, but I’ve reverted to the wet sensuous stuff – lovely large sheets of fat white watercolour paper, ink as black as jet, the rich wonderful unpredictable colours of Messrs Windsor and Newton, toothbrushes, nibs, blots, smells and mess – it’s wonderful. I’ve been working larger and larger lately – untroubled by the trivial annoyances of deadlines … or payment. I love the free sweep of a nib across virgin Imperial sized paper. It’s a bugger to scan though, even with an A3 scanner. I’m sure I’m going the wrong way here – everybody tells me the way forward is digital, digital, digital – including you, Mr Bloghorn – but you’re all wrong, I tell you – do you see? – Wrong! Ha ha ha (at this point, Mr Davey was heavily sedated under restraint).

Bloghorn says click D for Davey

It’s British cartoon talent

To many people, one drawing can look much like another, but to a professional practitioner of the art, little could be further from the truth.

The simple dictionary definition of drawing* is the art of representing by line, but behind this statement the variety can seem infinite.

Expression and communication in drawn line and the way it is used to make a joke or a point is the unique thing in developing an original, visual sense of humour. And that goes towards making the cartoonist.

The picture here shows a small variety of the lines which are used to make jokes. You can find all of them – and their creators – in our PCO cartoon portfolios.

The curve of different PCO cartoonists from procartoonists.org
Click to enlarge the picture.

* Concise Oxford Dictionary.
British cartoon talent

Bloghorn noticed yesterday that artist David Hockney has donated his largest ever painting to the Tate Britain museum in London. The enormous picture is called “Bigger Trees Near Warter” and he’s made a pun in the title. It’s a play on words with a small village in East Yorkshire. This art behaviour is bit like that made, day-to-day, by cartoonists.

Some of our own oversized art talents will be big boarding at the Shrewsbury cartoon festival in a couple of weeks time. The picture here should help explain exactly what they will be doing and Bloghorn will be publishing the full list of the participating PCO cartoonists soon.

Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival Big Boards

British cartoon talent

Shrewsbury International Cartoon Festival 18th-20th April 2008. The cartoon is courtesy of Dave Brown, who has a one-man show at the event. If you can’t see anything very helpful immediately above this text – click here and download a free Flash player for your PC. If it’s still not working for you, try using an internet browser that isn’t Microsoft Explorer This link is handy for a different, and often better, choice
British cartoon talent

“But is it Art?” by PCOer Nathan Ariss – another contribution to Bloghorn’s sneak preview of a major exhibition which opens in less than a month’s time and is part of this year’s Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival.
In other news, PCOer Clive Collins, a previous cartoonist of the month here, alerts us to a one-off event at the Barbican centre in central London where former Punch cartoonist and Oscar winner Bruce Petty is showing his film called Global Haywire. Clive describes Australian Bruce’s work as in the “zany, big explosive cartoons vein”. Sounds good to us. You can find out more about Petty’s film here.

British cartoon talent

Submitted work for the ‘But is it art?’ exhibition at this year’s Shrewsbury Festival. Caricature of former PM Anthony (Tony) Blair by PCOer Adrian Teal.
British cartoon talent

More from our sneak preview of the “But is it Art?” exhibition which will be one of the highlights at this spring’s Shrewsbury International Cartoon Festival. PCOer Steve Bright made this piece. Click on the Shrewsbury link under this text for more…

British cartoon talent

A sneak preview of more ‘Art’ from the upcoming Shrewsbury International Cartoon Festival. This piece is by PCOer Wilbur Dawbarn.
British cartoon talent

Foghorn, the full colour magazine of the Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation is in production right now and is due to land on the desks of some lucky art buyers soon. This all new exciting flood-proof issue will include articles from PCOers Martin Honeysett, Martin Rowson, Roger Penwill and Pete Dredge alongside the usual top jokes and regular features. This edition’s cover cartoon is by Mr Ross Thomson – click T for Thomson.
21st January 2008
British cartoon talent

Bloghorn defies anyone to argue convincingly that the entries for the ‘art’ slot in Trafalgar Square from both Tracey Emin and Yinka Shonibare aren’t really cartoons on a grand scale. This link to the shortlisted lineup comes courtesy of The Guardian newspaper.
8th January 2007
British cartoon talent