• You recently shared a selection of character pieces based on Scottish pipers. They really were excellent. Can you relate the story behind them?

Thank you. About 10 years ago, I was contacted by this chap who published a weekly Scottish themed newspaper, aimed at ex-pats in America. He wanted me to do cartoons of the top ten pipers in Scotland. I completed the first set of ten and we were moving on to Highland Game athletes when he went bankrupt and did a runner. At last I got paid for the first ten…

• You’ve produced a few animated pieces too. Was that a steep learning curve? Do you have any recommendations to other cartoonists of where they should start when it comes to animation?

I’d done a couple of those whiteboard videos the old fashioned way by having someone actually film over my shoulder as I drew. And then I discovered the Videoscribe software which produces the same effect from your vector drawings. That took bit of learning  but once you crack it, it produces great results. The really difficult bit is when you have to time them around voiceovers and background music, These days I use Explaindio which is great for producing “Captain Pugwash” style animations. It’s something I’d like to develop - I managed to incorporate a proper animated walking cycle character into one of my videos and I’ve been wanting to explore the animation capabilities of Procreate and Krita. 

• How does that sort of work compare to your explainer videos? Are they produced in a similar way?

Yes, I use exactly the same software. All that changes is that as well as cartoons, i can incorporate photography, video clips and “serious” illustration.

• This year saw the release of Nettie In Cyberland. Can you tell us what it’s about and how you came to be involved?

About ten years ago I was contacted by a consultant in computer cybersecurity. She was interested in having cartoons done that she could incorporate into her presentations, especially for those she did abroad to non-English speakers. The first batch were well received and she came back for more and over the years has become one of my best and favourite clients. She has written several books in which I wasn’t involved and a few years ago she asked if I would be interested in illustrating a children’s book she had in mind. The main character is a girl called Nettie who falls into her tablet into Cyberland where she meets her robot chum Webby. There are nasty creatures in dark woods and lots of bunnies. It’s targeted at three to five year olds and aims to teach children about the dangers on the internet. 

• Of all the types of cartooning you do, is there one that your particularly enjoy over the others, and if so, why?

Not especially, though I wish I could develop a looser drawing style. I’ve tried to be versatile and developed different styles depending on the job but I can’t seem to crack the loose style of a Matt, or Nige. I’ll keep working on it though.

• What would be your most satisfying cartoon job, and, if there is one, the one you’d rather forget?

Probably the Nettie book. I created the visuals of all the characters, did all the drawings and had a hand in smoothing out some of the plot points. I do cartoon portraits for presentations, but I work on these from photographs in my office and can take my time over them. I decided to have a go at live caricaturing at weddings and corporate events but I found myself getting so wound up and nervous for days before each event and the pressure to produce a recognisable drawing in five minutes got to me, I did a several hundred drawings over the years and had two people refuse them. Guess which are the ones I remember? My hat is off to all live caricaturists and those who do things like visual recordings, I’ll stick to being a backroom boy.

• Any hiccups along the way?”.

Four years ago  I was diagnosed with a liver disease called ascites. The main effect is fluid retention which meant that my stomach swelled up because I wasn’t peeing liquid away efficiently and I ended up having to go into hospital every two weeks to have a needle stuck my side to drain off the liquid. My personal best was 11 litres in one afternoon. The disease also affected my muscles and I was quite literally wasting away. This resulted in having to have a liver transplant two and a half years ago. I was told that if I didn’t have the transplant I wasn’t going to around much longer so you can understand why I’m a big NHS booster.As you might imagine, the days off work  draining and the recovery period after the transplant had a quite serious effect on earning and it’s only recently that we’ve started getting back on trac. Covid 19 hasn’t helped…. I’m about 90% recovered - I have to follow certain rules- no salt, no alcohol, no runny cheese or ice from ice making machines… stuff like that.  But it’s better than the alternative.

Likes/dislikes about the job?

I like it when you pull off just the right combination of drawing and caption or you produce just the right image from a clients verbal description. I like Happy Clients. Happy Clients meant payments.

I dislike the “cartoonophobic snobbery” some people have which means that they won’t even contemplate using a cartoon in a job when that job just screams out for it. Before Lockdown I used to do networking events and, when I introduced myself as a cartoonist, most wanted to hear more but there are other whose eyes suddenly glaze over and they’re immediately looking over your shoulder for someone more interesting to talk to. I also dislike how easy it is for people to pirate your work these days - the “if it’s online, it’s mine!” brigade. I’ve had several cartoons of mine pirated many times and I even discovered a complete web page in Russian featuring my cartoons. Happily I now use a service called PIXSY who chase up pirated works and, better still, get money for you from the pirates!

A favourite cartooning memory?

Forty years ago, as a young whippersnapper, I entered a cartoon in the CCGB “Cartoon of the Year” comp and somehow got into the finalists. I ended up going down to London to a ceremony in The Savoy and was totally gobsmacked when I won. “Best Unpublished cartoon of the Year 1981” is probably one of the strangest titles ever, but it’s mine, all mine! I still have the award sitting on my desk. Mind you, it’s been all downhill since then…

• Do you have any other creative ambitions for the months and years ahead?

Next year I will have been involved in graphics in one form or another for fifty years and I keep thinking  it may be time to take things a bit easier. On the other other hand, I may be getting ancient outside, but internally I’m twelve. I hope I have a few years left yet.

Quick Questions

• Last book read - One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde

• When cartooning, what do you listen to? -  Radio 2 till Steve Wright comes on, then I switch to a jazz station or CDs.

• Favourite cartoonist - For funny stuff Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes) or Jim Borgman (ZITZ). For comics Gil Kane and Phil Winslade

• Tea or coffee? - Coffee and lots of it

• Last TV series you enjoyed - Fort Salem

• Favourite movie- The Princess Bride

• Your signature dish - Cheese on toast

• If you were given £50 you had to spend straight away, what would you buy - Split between books, comics and DVDs