Spot cartoons: This was where I really cut my teeth and learned my trade, getting experience in working fast but with quality. After selling my first spot cartoon to Bella magazine I quickly progressed to being a regular contributor in other publications and newspapers like the Daily & Sunday Mirror, the Sun, News of the World, the People, Titbits, Best, TV Quick, Weekly News & the Cartoonist (now defunct). I also had a European agent who sold hundreds of my cartoons around the world through his European Press Features Syndicate. From here I went into feature cartoons.
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| Photo by Karen Jones |
Feature Panel Cartoons: By this I mean the big cartoon like Giles or Mac. These I did for the local daily and weekly publications like Blackpool Evening Gazette, Norwich Evening News, Kent Today, Northampton Chronicle, Brecon & Radnor Express, Burnley Chronicle, Mid Wales Journal, the South Shropshire Journal and the Doncaster Free Press. I also syndicated a daily political pocket cartoon to Brighton Argus, Derby Evening Telegraph, Portsmouth Evening News & the Worcester Evening News.
In-between these jobs I also drew and produced work for many other companies and organisations, producing anything from a simple line drawing to six episodes of storybook illustrations for TV. Some of these clients are as follows: BBC Children’s TV (Six shows titled Maxwell Zammer) Daily Mirror (I wrote a daily comic strip called Girl Chat) NHS Health Promotion Trusts (nationwide) Hanson White (Greeting card publishers) Ogilvy & Mather (Advertising for Euro Tunnel) 20th Century Fox (Cartoon strip advertising for their movie ‘the 3 Amigos’).
Comic Books: I was asked, around 10 years ago by the editor of the Dandy (the world’s longest running comic) to illustrate the top iconoclastic character, Beryl the Peril. From there I went on to produce many other stars in the fun size comics, annuals and summer specials. Around 7 years ago I was asked to co-create a new character that, after his first 6 months became, and has remained one of the top character in the comic. His name was Ollie Fliptrik and he’s still running.
Later, a European publisher invited me to produce two book collections of my own cartoons and two years later I’d secured a contract to write and illustrate 3 graphic novels called Brabbles and Boggitt; tales about a ridiculously over confident yellow mouse and a doom and gloom curmudgeon of a caterpillar for the European children’s market; the first was published in May 2005 the second was released in March 2006. The third was scheduled for early 2007
I’ve also completed a 42 page graphic novel about the inhabitants of a medieval castle. It sell mainly through the gift shop market of the UK's Castle and Historical monuments. I've also sold them direct to the public and get emails from readers around the world, eagerly anticipating the next books production. From this I'm looking to produce a new comic which I'll sell through the craft fairs I exhibit on and the schools I teach at.
But most recently I've been working on the net; building up a readership for my cartoons with my first foray into web comics called Out to Lunch which is a regularly updated single panel feature on the silly side of life. I also do another blog called Sleepy Hamlet which is a vehicle for my short stories and is set in a ficticious English country village full of eccentric nut jobs. All good fun and worth the visit so please follow the link.
