Just had an amazing time up in London for the Cartoonists’ Club of Great Britain’s 50th Birthday Bash in the company of fellow cartoonists, their partners and individuals closely associated with the art of cartooning. The club had hired the same pub, now re-named The Witness Box, that the inaugural meeting took place in 50 years ago on the 1st April. It sits just off of Fleet Street and was the natural destination for thirsty cartoonists working in the surrounding area at a time when much of the nation’s print output was emanating from a stone’s throw away.

Today Fleet Street is a very different place, and thanks to the digital revolution cartoonists are able to work pretty much where they please, so 2010’s membership is spread far and wide. That said, many were able to make the trip in and enjoy the fun, filling the Witness Box. We had a comedian, Geoff Whiting (and a brave man to stand-up and do a set in front of so many gag cartoonists), a huge prize draw of cartoon-related material, delicious grub, the most spectacular cake in the shape of the club badge, and were well looked after by Pam and her staff. Shame we can’t have another 50th party next year, really.

Recently I’ve been spending one lunchtime a week working with boys from a local infant school to help encourage their writing skills. On average, boys at this age are not as forward as girls at either reading or writing, so the initiative the school developed was to whet the boys’ appetites and ignite that creative spark. The first session involved me discussing how I go about writing, and the sorts of things they should be looking to add to their stories to make them interesting and exciting. They were encouraged to note down their ideas and thoughts in a rough drafts book, and soon everything from cowardly dragons to heroic ghosts were appearing on the pages. Initially the boys found it hard to break away from the ‘good’ ideas of those around them, so there was a degree of imitation through enthusiasm, but as the weeks have passed the boys have become more focused on their own tales and each have developed imaginative and rounded stories. One more session to go before Easter, so I’m looking forward to the results!

2010's Longdown Activity Farm Leaflet

I’m fortunate enough to get some pretty fun and interesting jobs come my way, and one of the most enjoyable recently has been completely redesigning Longdown Activity Farm’s tourism leaflet. Longdown Activity Farm is a superb hands-on experience in the New Forest, hugely popular with families and schools. Much of its appeal is due to the passionate enthusiasm of its owners and their understanding of why children simply love farm animals. To illustrate this, I proposed populating the leaflet with friendly animal cartoons, lots of colour and vibrancy, and an illustrated map to tie everything together. Traditionally the farm features two local children on the cover, but getting them to sit comfortably and pose with one of the farm’s animals was always a tricky proposition, so this was overcome by sitting them amongst a group shot of cartoon animals. I’m hugely pleased with the results, and I’m happy to report Longdown are too!

Fairisle Infants are on the edge of Southampton and comprise a lively and creative bunch of children and staff. The school were keen that I spend time with every class and had devised a timetable of half an hour slots for Years 1 and 2 and 15 minutes for Year R. Although this is a relatively tight timeframe, it allows for a punchier visit and (I hope) leaves the children keen to try out some creative writing or drawing of their own. I received some lovely praise from the children for the quick drawings of creatures made up of animals they called out, but the gem was a Year R boy who insisted I shook his hand and then said, “Now go home and practice so you can come back and draw us a rabbit tomorrow.” Brilliant.

Just spent the day with a local school, Wildground Infants, a short distance from where I used to live. Did a mixture of activities with the children including reading stories, talking about my artwork and stories, drawing Beaulieu the Hedgehog and Emery the Woodmouse, and creating new versions of the Litterbug. Some very talented artists and bright sparks, and a simply brilliant session with the Year R children. Thanks for having me, Wildground.

Me at Wildground Infants (I'm the one on the left). Photo © Southern Daily Echo