The Cartoonists I gain inspiration from- Check them out! These are the
gods of the very small, socially introverted yet artistically
extroverted world of UK political satire. There are a plethora of
incredible cartoonists out there. Here are a few I admire and have met.
Martin Rowson Madness
I've spoken with the inimitable
Martin Rowson
on numerous occasions and found it to be illuminating. The man speaks in
a Johnsonian manner without the waffle, and also espouses entirely
different views to Alexander Boris de Pfeffel. The use of symbolism is
really important to Rowson. The dark fairytale nature, better defined as
carnivalesque is prevalent in Rowson's work and the harking back to the
origins of the cartoon in a Gillrayesque fashion creates a style that is
entirely alternative to other cartoonists.
What About Ella Baron?
I first spoke to
Ella Baron
merely by chance as I bumped into her on the way back from an event at
the Cartoon Museum. It was just on the bus and I got speaking to her
about the evening I had had and slowly joined the dots through chatting
to her. The modesty of cartoonists is what I love on the whole. It is
not a world for pomposity, that being left for the politicians. Baron's
work strikes a different tone to Rowson's being more about the Fairy
Tale than the Carnivalesque but in a characteristically Grimm with more
glam style. But there's also others in the cartooning world...
And my pal Tom Johnston
Tom Johnston
is a great cartoonist who works with The Guardian as well as
independently making brilliantly mischievous looking depictions of our
politicians.
Lorna Miller- My Mentor
Lorna Miller
is an awesome cartoonist, friend and mentor based in Edinburgh, Scotland
and she is prolific in both The Morning Star and The Guardian. The
cartooning community is a small one and she has been very helpful and
supportive in the process of trying to get my work published proper.