More CAT awards…

Lord Baker and me (Photo: David Hartley)

It was a superb evening as usual, with the added excitement this year of picking up an award!
The Saatchi Political Award for Political Cartoonist of the Year.
It’s a peculiar feeling to receive that kind of honour in front of so many terrific cartoonists, most of whom would have had every right to stand up and shout: “WHAT?! HIM?”
Fortunately they all waited until I was out of earshot, so it was all very civilized.

An essential part of the evening is the fundraising for the Cartoon Museum. When presenting the award for Joke Cartooning, director Mike Leigh heaped praise on the work the small team at the Museum does, and quite rightly so! It is a terrific place which deserves to be supported in any way possible. For most of us on the night it means happily paying ten quid to pop a balloon or to be photographed sticking our heads through a humongous Dave Brown paining of an executioner holding the head of Gordon Brown (See below). For those with rather more impressive bank balances, it means paying £3200 for a Matt cartoon.

Other memorable moments included a simply hilarious speech by the old gag master Barry Cryer. Madness singer Suggs throwing Ollie Preston’s rather too heavy looking pen into the crowd after a mock auction, and Martin Rowson’s annual rant about the need to find young new cartooning talent so that we can break their fingers.

Black tie events are a rarity for most cartoonists, and most would probably say mercifully so. However, this annual chance to dress up in ill-fitting hired fineries is terrific fun.

For more on the awards, read Christian Adam’s blog and PCO’s Bloghorn.

Excellent Dave Brown cartoon…

…in the Indy today. A frighteningly apt picture.

Superb cartoon…

…by Dave Brown in the Indy today.
Very effective!

Dave Brown article…

Good to see on their front page today, how much the Indy appreciates their eminent, and supremely hard working cartoonist Dave Brown.

Inside Dave writes about his Rouges’ Gallery work, which he recently has compiled into a book.
I couldn’t make it to the launch, and therefore haven’t seen this particular collection, but if the one from two years ago is anything to go by, this too surely is a must-have.
As with the previous book, there’s an exhibition showing the original art work, at the Political Cartoon Gallery in Store Street, London.

Good cartoons on a Wednesday…

There are some excellent ones in the papers today, about Peter “The Rt Hon Lord of Hartlepool and Foy: First Secretary of State, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and Lord President of the Council” Mandelson’s Cabinet of minions.
His Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, features in most of the cartoons.

Peter Brookes focuses on Mandy aka Blofeld. A somewhat overused simile perhaps, but in this case it seems entirely appropriate – and funny!

I particularly like Dave Brown’s cartoon in the Indy.
Garland in the Telegraph has essentially done the same idea, but with his customary literary/historical reference.

Steve Bell goes for the puerile approach – with great effect.

Good times…

Gord in the USA: A Cartoon round-up…

…of the Thursday ones!

Most have unsurprisingly gone for Gordon’s speech to Congress.
Dave Brown has a rather nice one in the Indy. Funny idea, but I’m almost more impressed with how Dave has painted the marble in the background! Excellent.

Peter Brookes’ cartoon in The Times is visually wonderful and full of great contrasts both in the idea and the execution.

The funniest one on in my view, is Steve Bell’s cartoon in the Guardian.
That lion, just like his superhero version of Gordon, not only looks, but really feels like the man you see and read about. The fact that he’s able to convey that, is probably Steve’s greatest strength.
Also – going back to the cartoon – because most readers will have seen pictures of Gordon in Congress both in the paper and on TV, cartoonists have to come up with something striking in order to get some sort of visual impact that gets people’s attention. Steve’s surreal approach achieves that.
His marble looks more like a contained thunderstorm though…
Then again, it goes with the rest of the idea.

Andy Davey in The Sun has not gone for an image of Gordon in Congress, but of Obama and Brown meeting the photographers. A nice visual throwback to the pictures of Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt outside the White House during the war.

Garland in the Telegraph has drawn a picture of Gordon as a dog.
Obama’s dog.
Anyway…

Paul Thomas in the Daily Express focus his attention ITV cutbacks.

Two lovely cartoons…

Dave Brown in today’s Indy…
A classic way to build a joke, but no less funny because of it.

Steve Bell’s cartoon in the Guardian is terrific.
The visual is so fantastic it actually doesn’t need the words somehow.
In fact, Brown’s superhero outfit could probably carry the cartoon on its own. Just look at the shoes!

Lovely.

British Press Awards nominations…

The ones nominated for Cartoonist of the Year are:

Chris Riddell, Observer
David Brown, The Independent
Matt Pritchett, Daily Telegraph
Michael Heath, Mail on Sunday
Peter Schrank, Independent on Sunday
Stanley McMurtry, Daily Mail
Steve Bell, The Guardian

Discuss!

Taking Liberties…

Superb cartoon by Dave Brown in today’s Indy.

Beautiful Brown Cartoon…

Dave Brown that is.
And his Van Gogh pastiche.