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December 11th, 2008

Cartoon canvasses

cartoon canvasses

I have a number of the cartoon canvasses that I did for the Lambeth Conference sitting in my office. They are in the way. I have to dodge them in an awkward manner whenever I go from my computing and drawing area to my coffee-making, cat-feeding and procrastination areas, a journey that is undertaken frequently. Therefore I need to get rid of them.

The canvasses in question are some of the non Lambeth-specific cartoons – ‘Bishops meetings‘ and the Peace (pictured above), also How Christians can work together across the divide, Church Kitchen and the final panel of this cartoon, (‘Meanwhile, the vast majority…’).

I’d sell them on ebay, but my problem is knowing how to package them up and send them safely. They are 30 inches by 24 inches, or 762mm by 610mm in the metric. I’ve already had expressions of interest from overseas buyers (well.. one), but I fear the cost of packaging and sending safely might be prohibitive, if I can work out how to do it at all. I’ve done a search for cardboard boxes of the correct size, but no joy so far. Obviously people who could pick them up could pick them up (Near Basildon, 15 minutes from M25), but that would rule out most people who might be interested.

I do also have a lot of other blank canvasses, so might, if the interest is there, draw more cartoons on them in the future (it probably won’t happen before Christmas I’m afraid).

Any thoughts or expertise on the subject welcomed.

19 Comments »



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19 Responses to “Cartoon canvasses”


  1. Jason says:

    I’d sell them on Ebay (proceeds to charity). If you wrap them in bubble-wrap and then put a bit of cardboard each side in a kind of sandwich they should be OK. Finally encase in brown paper and Bob’s your mums brother.

    ‘Fragile’ stickers should finish the job off a treat.

    December 11th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
  2. phil goodacre says:

    when will they be going on ebay???

    December 11th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
  3. Jason says:

    Sorry, I had another thought. Whoever makes the canvases must box them!? Ask your supplier for a few empty boxes and the job’s a good ‘un!

    December 11th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
  4. Peter Kirk says:

    How about donating them to local churches, or perhaps the diocesan offices in Chelmsford? They would look good on the walls at the offices, if anyone dares put them up! Also a bit of free publicity for you. I would collect them to decorate my own church if I could get away with it (a printout of your church office cartoon graced our office door for several weeks), but I don’t think they would survive long.

    December 11th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
  5. Dave says:

    Thanks for thoughts and ideas so far. A few points:

    1) The canvasses were bought online and unfortunately a lot of the packaging was discarded at Lambeth – it got damp in the tent as so wasn’t worth keeping.

    2) Donating and/or selling the canvasses for charity: whilst I have donated quite a few of the Lambeth canvasses for charitable purposes I’d like to sell some as I do do this cartooning lark to make a living.

    3) Phil – as for timing – I’ll make a decision once I see what responses I get to this post and via e-mail etc.

    December 11th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
  6. Anne says:

    I suspect that bubble wrap and corrugated cardboard could be your friends here. Use the kind of cardboard that comes on rolls and is flexible. Bubble wrap first, make a sleeve to fit out of the cardboard, slip into the box, and fill up the spaces in the package with foam peanuts. It is perfectly OK to charge the buyer for this material. You can calculate your cost for the packaging and add it to the bottom line as “shipping and handling.” That’s entirely legitimate, and it’s an expense that people expect to pay in addition to their postage.

    December 11th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
  7. Aaron Orear says:

    As an international fan (Canada, while still under the good governance of Our Dread Lady Queen Elizabeth, second of that name, is nevertheless a long way for mailing) I would be happy to include shipping costs in the purchase of an original Walker.

    You may, however, be able to sell them on that sceptred isle and make pick-up part of the deal.

    Or make it a whole contest – win a Day with Dave or Cartoonist for a Day. Shadow Dave from daybreak to sunset! See how a cartoonist lives and works! See where he eats, hear what’s on his iPod! Help him think of something funny about kneelers or warden’s rods! And at the end of the day the lucky winners walk away with a canvas under their arm. My wife did something similar at the Toronto Zoo – Zookeeper for a Day, though she didn’t get to keep the rhino.

    December 11th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
  8. Rhys says:

    http://www.royalmail.com will help you calculate postage and insurance according to the size and destination and even let you pay for the postage online.
    A friendly art galloerry might advise you as to the best packaging materials bubblewrap – that sticky cardboard stuff etc.

    Don’t give the proceeds to charity – feed dave walker and his cats not others – we need Dave Walker Cartoons.

    http://www.redbubble.com might be another way of feeding dave walker and his cats

    December 11th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
  9. Dave says:

    I’m making progress. I really would like to make them available to international enthusiasts if at all possible.

    Boxes: I seem to have found a supplier: http://www.dcmk.co.uk/acatalog/Packaging.html

    UK postage: It appears that Royal Mail standard parcels will take them – not too expensive. It was the dimensions I was worried about.

    Overseas postage. This is where there is a problem. I’ve tried the DHL website, but it doesn’t seem to function – takes you round in circles or lands you on a ‘not found’ page. Goodness knows how they make any money. Royal Mail don’t seem to say maximum dimensions for sending things airmail – there must be a maximum. Will keep searching.

    Anne – I think you’re right – the bubble wrap / cardboard combo is the way to go.

    December 11th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
  10. Sarah B says:

    This is almost enough to make me want to actually do the ebay thing at last!

    How about contacting your license holders and asking if they would be interested in canvas size versions.

    I have a vision of Diocesan offices and Church halls bedecked with them for years to come!!

    Alternative to hand-drawing onto canvas is finding a printing company (like the one where my hubby used to work! www dot myphotoprint dot co dot uk – please be sure to check out the pic of their attractive offices) who can print at high quality directly onto canvas from the pc.

    December 11th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
  11. Anne says:

    Dave, DHL has been a casualty of the recent financial messes, and if they’re not completely gone, they’re close to it. In the U.S. that has left us basically with United Parcel Service (UPS), our own postal mail, and Federal Express. At this moment, I’m shipping my own items overseas and to Canada via postal mail. That works well. I didn’t use DHL very much. You might try UPS and FedEx, both of which are worldwide shippers.

    The only other possibly helpful observation I have is that if I were to ship to you in the UK, I would use postal mail Global Priority. When that shipment arrives in the UK, it would be picked up and handled by an outfit called ParcelForce. They would clear it through UK Customs and deliver it to you (usually by waking you up at 5 a.m.). I don’t know if they are part of your regular postal mail service or if they are some private entity under contract to the US postal service, but they do have a website and might be able to provide you with some more information. I think you can rule out DHL.

    December 11th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
  12. I am selling books on eBay » The Cartoon Blog by Dave Walker says:

    [...] Cartoon canvasses  10 Sarah B, Dave, Rhys, Aaron Orear, Anne, Dave [...] [...]

    December 11th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
  13. Dave says:

    Sarah, in the longer run contacting licence holders might be a thing I’d do – good idea.

    Anne, Thanks – this is useful information. I chose DHL to investigate because they were helpful last week when there was confusion over a package I was receiving. I’ll look into the others.

    Parcelforce is part of our Royal Mail – or at least connected somehow.

    December 11th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
  14. Rachel says:

    It might be worth you thinking up a price for a canvas version of “my favourite cartoon out of one of the books or calendars”. Some are particularly poignant or resonate with our foibles. I think you might get some orders….
    That way you could redraw a previous brilliant idea whilst waiting for the next one.

    December 11th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
  15. Sheena says:

    I’m with Rachel, Dave if you have the time. I love your work and would be thrilled to have one on my study wall. Would have to nail it securely though as I am not the only avid fan in my church. Do sell them on ebay, add the cost of bubble wrap etc to your pacakging costs and let us know when they go live – please?!

    December 12th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
  16. Mary says:

    We sold a supremely heavy architects drawing board on Ebay. Collection only. AND got a decent price for it. If people want it enough, they will travel! I’d travel to Basildon for one, assuming I could afford one…

    December 12th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
  17. Ann says:

    You might go to your local art gallery – they ship stuff all the time and may have the right material available for their cost. They and also tell you who they use for shipping and about overseas costs. I would sure like that Bishops at Lambeth one.

    December 12th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
  18. David Keen says:

    Or find a suitable Christian gathering, like Spring Harvest, and auction them off at the central coffee area. I bet you’d make a packet. Or the next Christian Resources Exhibition. Then whoever buys them has to sort out transport. The trouble is that cuts out the international market.

    Or bypass ebay completely and do it here: just give notice of when the auction will happen, a deadline, and invite bids through the comments channel.

    December 13th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
  19. Jeremy says:

    Cardboard’n'bubble wrap should be fine. If you really want to protect them then cut ridged foam (of the type someone on your local market will sell) is even better for the layer between card and canvas.

    For international customers leaving them to arrange collection is probably the best option for something that is rather specialist. Anyone who regularly buys items from the UK may well already have an account with one of the carriers, or with (for instance) a US shipping company that will contract with a UK company like Parcelforce or Tuffnells.

    Good luck!

    December 13th, 2008 at 6:17 pm