[This post is mainly written so that when people ask me things I have something to point them to.]

Why I’m not taking on freelance cartoon commissions

1) Nearly all of my time is taken up with ongoing work. I’m now doing two days a week in London in an ‘acting web editor’ role for the Church Times, and the rest of my time is spent on paid blogging, doing my regular cartoons for publications, admin, you name it.

2) I’m really not that good at them. By that I mean that commissions take me a huge amount of time, far more than I could ever charge for, and cause a lot of stress, far more than it would be acceptable to publicly moan about.

3) My best work happens when I’m free to choose the subject, captions and pictures. Ideally it is best if I have some knowledge of the topic in question. Recently I’ve had commissions where none of these have been the case, and they haven’t worked terribly well. I don’t like doing work that I do not think is really good.

In future I might go back do doing freelance work, but for now this is the situation. I do have one or two jobs still to finish, but these will be the last. I’m hoping that you’ll see the results in terms of more and better cartoons done just for the fun of it, better blogging, better filing of pieces of paper into numerical order, etc etc.

ENDS

(No idea what the point of ‘ENDS’ is. Just seen other people do it.)

Posted by Dave at 7:42 am on June 24, 2010 and filed under Blogging, CartoonChurch progress, Cartooning.

3 Comments

It is of course a little early to be thinking about 2011, but for any extremely well-organised shoppers I am pleased to be able to announce that my 2011 ‘Dave Walker Guide to the Church’ calendar is now available. Well, at least one shop (Church House Bookshop) has it, which must mean it can now be obtained.

About the calendar. The theme is ‘Church HQ’, and is a depiction of what the church (I’ll leave you to decide which one) would look like if it had all of its functions organised centrally. So we have, for instance, the Kneeler Approval Department, the Sermon Illustration Lending Library, the National Flower Rota, and so on and so forth. There are 12 cartoons, cunningly arranged one per month, all of them new and unique to this calendar.

As I said a month or two ago, drawing this thing nearly killed me, and at the time I said, with all sincerity, ‘never again’. I shall probably change my mind, but we shall see. That said I think it is one of my favourite sets of cartoons from the various things I’ve done, which sounds rather like a desperate ‘please buy this’ kind of a plea, even if it isn’t intended to.

The style of the cartoons is a bit different to usual, in that they are all complete individual scenes rather than a mixture of formats. I’ve taken some inspiration from the work of one of my favourite humorous illustrators from the last century, William Heath Robinson. Not so much in terms of contraptions or inventions (though there might be one or two) or even the humour necessarily, but more the way the scenes are laid out. Not that my draughtsmanship comes even close to matching his.

I like to think that there are not too many ‘in jokes’ in this calendar and that someone unfamiliar with church would still appreciate it, but perhaps I’m not the person to make that judgement. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it when the time comes for thinking about such things.

Places you can find the calendar:

• The publisher’s website, Canterbury Press
• Church House Bookshop
• Your local Christian bookshop (you might have to place an order)
• Amazon UK (not available at time of writing) or search on Amazon in your own country.

[Aside: Yes, I know, the sidebars are way out of date as they still show this year's calendar. Will update shortly.]

[Aside 2: Please forgive the 'teapots' mockup of this cover that appears on the various shopping sites owing to my slowness in getting artwork to people. The one above is the actual cover.]

Posted by Dave at 8:51 am on June 10, 2010 and filed under Cartooning, Cartoons, My books.

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I’m pleased to be able to announce that a third book of my diagrams has just been published. It is called ‘The Exciting World of Churchgoing’.

The book contains 90 cartoons from my Church Times ‘Guide to the Church’ series, and costs £6.99. The publisher is Canterbury Press – their page about the book is here: Dave Walker – The Exciting World of Churchgoing. There are also webpages on Church House Bookshop, Waterstones and Amazon. You can of course be able to buy it from a local Christian bookshop. If you wanted to ask them to stock it that would of course be marvellous.

Click here to see all of my cartoon books and calendars.

Posted by Dave at 12:49 pm on May 19, 2010 and filed under Books, CartoonChurch progress, Cartooning, My books.

6 Comments

It has been far too long since the last update here hasn’t it? I’m now at Spring Harvest in Skegness, as you may have seen from the Church Times Blog where I’m doing some drawing and typing updates.

So, what have I been up to? Well, in the last few weeks every hour of every day (more or less) has been taken up completing my 2011 calendar. Here’s a tiny preview, which will probably make very little sense out of context:

I have to say that this calendar has been more effort than any of the others, but is the one I am most pleased with. I’d almost go as far as to say it could be the best set of diagrams I’ve ever done, but that might sound rather big-headed.

More information will be appearing at some point before too long. The calendar will be published by Canterbury Press in July – the official page is here – that isn’t the actual cover, they just have to put something there whilst waiting me to get my act together.

I’ll be back on this blog properly next week, when there should be some updates to the site and things like that. In the meantime please forgive a lack of response to e-mails and suchlike as I am busy being an enthusiastic Christian etc.

Posted by Dave at 12:54 pm on April 14, 2010 and filed under CartoonChurch progress, Cartooning, Cartoons.

2 Comments

This is a blog post about my cartoon in today’s Church Times. Unfortunately it would be unfair of me to post it here given that the Church Times have paid me to draw it and so it is right that they have exclusive first use of it. The link is here, but it is subscriber only, and I’m aware that the extract above will be too small to see as it is long and thin. Apologies, therefore, to those for whom this post will be meaningless.

This isn’t an apology (which was what I originally entitled it), more of an explanation. I felt in hindsight, having submitted the cartoon, that some clergy might feel that I am getting at them and criticising of the organising of lots of Lenten things. This was not my intention. The cartoon is perhaps saying something about the vast range of Lent resources and activities that are available – are there too many? But in truth the cartoon is probably more about how someone like me, whose job it is to think about Christianity all day every day, keeps their belief alive. The danger is that one becomes overwhelmed by worthy activities and spiritual messages. The suggestion is that, for me, the best Lenten fast is possibly to fast from Lent itself.

I don’t know, what do you think?

Posted by Dave at 10:48 am on February 26, 2010 and filed under Cartooning, Church, Religion, Spirituality.

12 Comments

The Digital Economy Bill is currently making its way through the UK legislative processes (official Parliament site). Photographers are up in arms about it. See for example these sites:

• British Journal of Photography: Digital Economy Bill still a threat to photographers
• Copyright Action: The Digital Economy Bill : what’s yours is ours

In summary, it seems that anyone will be able to use someone else’s work for free if they have tried and failed to find the original creator of the work. The main people to lose out, according to these sites, will be (1) amateur photographers, because their (usually unwatermarked) images will often be effectively usable for free, and (2) professional photographers, because there will be many more avenues to find free work.

On the websites I’ve linked to the ‘orphan works’ in question are photographs, but I imagine the same principles would apply to cartoons. I’m wondering, therefore, how this will affect cartoonists. In my own case many of the cartoons I post online have a website address included, but some of my work appears without a signature / web address, as that is included in the publication itself in some other way – in a heading or text attribution for instance. And what would happen if the work has a signature, but the person wanting to use the cartoon is still unable to trace the artist? I know of cartoonists who have had their work pinched by other people and later discovered it in use elsewhere, but this legislation would seem to add legitimacy to such occurrences.

I am, as you know, fairly laid back about personal reuse of my work on blogs if certain basic conditions are adhered to. I do, unfortunately, fairly regularly come across my work posted online without the website owner having applied the basic courtesy of posting a link to my site as I request on my (probably inadequate) copyright information page. Of course the reuse of cartoons by commercial organisations on websites or in print is another thing altogether.

I’m wondering whether writing a strongly worded letter or creating a small-to-medium-sized fuss might be in order. I’d be pleased to hear from anyone who has looked into this in greater depth and open to ideas as to the appropriate action to be taken. Perhaps cartoonists are already doing something about this, but if so a quick search didn’t reveal any such initiatives.

Posted by Dave at 12:17 pm on February 19, 2010 and filed under Cartooning, Politics.

1 Comment

Thanks to Al Cutting (of General Synod blog fame) for this picture of a cartoonist grinning inanely. This is a highly illegal picture – photos may not be taken from the press gallery, and grinning inanely is frowned upon.

Things to note in picture: Small laptop with enough battery life for a day’s Church Times Blog updating, sheet of paper with cartoon ideas, and yellow sheet (at a jaunty angle) telling me what the debate is about. Oh, and the bath plug chain lanyard. Also the bishop not facing the front. Things you can’t see: Illegal cup of coffee, illegal chocolate chip cookie imported from the press room, stain on clothing from trying to eat chocolate chip cookie without being noted by the officials.

Whilst I’m here, a General Synod cartoon of mine is now on the Guardian’s Comment is Free site. It is my one from the Church Times this time two years ago.

Posted by Dave at 3:08 pm on February 12, 2010 and filed under Cartooning, Church Times blog.

6 Comments

I’m pleased to be able to announce the Dave Walker / CartoonChurch app, enabling you to look at my cartoons on the iPhone and iPod Touch. If that link doesn’t work type ‘CartoonChurch’ or ‘Dave Walker’ into the search box on iTunes and you’ll find it. The app is free, and there are no advertisements. It was originally going to be called ‘CartoonChurch’, but that word is too long to fit under an iPhone icon so it shows up on the screen as ‘DaveWalker’. it is compatible with iPhone and iPod touch (2nd generation) and requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later if that means anything to you.

So, what is on this app? Essentially it is the latest updates from five of my various projects, namely:

1. The 10 latest posts from this blog
2. The 10 latest CartoonChurch.com cartoons
3. The 10 latest We Blog Cartoons cartoons
4. The 10 latest Dullest blog in the world entries
5. And, just to fill up the space, my latest Twitter posts (I’d say about 10). How interesting.

Good things about the app: I’m generally really pleased with the way the cartoons display. You can resize them, but if you tilt the screen 90 degrees into a landscape view you generally don’t have to. You can look at the sites in your browser, e-mail cartoons or post them to Twitter by clicking the icon in the top right hand corner. All marvellous innovations. When looking at an individual cartoon the up/down buttons make moving on to the next one really easy. Touch the screen to make the navigation bar at the top appear and disappear.
Not quite so good: There is an occasional bug when using the app in landscape mode and using the back button – it sometimes remains at the wrong width. If at any point you’re not getting the full width turning the app back into portrait mode and then back again into landscape always rectifies it. Clicking one of the other five categories sometimes does.

So, how did this app-making business come about? Well, I tend not to like to write about electronic purchases too often as it makes me sound rather materialistic (which I am, but no-one must know), but since Christmas we’ve been rather getting into the world of the iPod Touch. In the New Year a couple of well-known blogs (Seth Godin and Guy Kawasaki) were offering special codes for discounted apps on AppMakr, so I thought I’d give it a go.

The process has not been without considerable complications – if anyone else is interested in making an app via this route please ask me and I will share some of the pitfalls in another post. I also have a discount code (not as good as the one I used I’m afraid) to post, but I think I should write more before posting it so you know what you’re letting yourselves in for. [Update: Have noticed that the code I was sent yesterday expired at the end of January. have asked for another. Will write more about the process of making the app later this afternoon.]

In the meantime I hope those of you with the technology to do so enjoy the app. If you like it and felt like rating it favourably and/or writing a review that would of course help me. Apologies to those without iPhones or iPods – this is, I’m sure, a deeply irritating blog post.

Update: There is a FAQ page here: Dave Walker / CartoonChurch iPhone app

Below: Page in iTunes.

Posted by Dave at 1:57 pm on February 4, 2010 and filed under CartoonChurch progress, Cartooning, Technical.

7 Comments

I’m pleased to be able to announce that a new cartoon series, ‘The Dave Walker Guide to Youth Work’ will be appearing every month in Youthwork Magazine, starting with the January issue, available in December. I’m very excited about this, not last because it is only the second publication that my work is appearing in on a regular ‘every single issue’ kind of basis.

People who notice these sorts of things might notice that I’ve recently done a few cartoons for Youthwork the Conference and also some (about this time last year) for the National Charter for Youthworkers (example above). The series will be a bit like my ‘Guide to the Church’ ones, except about youth work, hence the name.

With this in mind I am desperately in need of cartoon ideas. I will therefore being going to Youthwork the Conference in the fair town of Eastbourne the weekend after next, (I’ll be there Saturday 21st / Sunday 22nd November), to loiter and hopefully talk to some youth workers to find out what they do these days. If you are going to the conference I will buy you a coffee or a small fruit juice if you will talk to me about such things. And indeed, it would be great to meet anyone else who is there, cartoon ideas or not. If you’re going do get in touch.

Just for information: I’m not stopping any of the things I currently do (except possibly being grumpy at cats who get in my way around the house and drivers who don’t indicate).

Posted by Dave at 4:27 pm on November 12, 2009 and filed under CartoonChurch progress, Cartooning, Cartoons.

4 Comments

I have used my electric computer scanner and pasted together a copy of my Baptist Times interview in an adequate but not particularly professional way. This readable version is here (large jpeg image file, 800 or so kb, click again on downloaded image to enlarge, click back button to get back here).

Those who just want the general gist without the words can look at this picture:

As you can see I look like a model for a clothing catalogue. Actually that is my day job, but I have kept it quiet for fear of reprisals.

Thanks to Graham for sending the newspaper so promptly.

Posted by Dave at 11:00 pm on March 18, 2009 and filed under Cartooning, Interviews.

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A month or so ago I was interviewed by the Baptist Times. The article appears in the latest edition, published last Thursday.

I haven’t read the interview, so I don’t know what I said. It was a very enjoyable interview, so I might have relaxed too much and said something outrageous. The issue of the paper itself is here where the front cover can be seen and a thumbnail of the article page (right). It can be ascertained that I am pictured in front of a wall on which I have drawn a large cartoon, and I am scratching my chin or adjusting my collar. The Baptist Times website is here. I recommend it for Baptist news.

I’ll hopefully be sent a copy at some point, but if any Baptists reading have an unwanted one lying around then let me know. If you need it to line the cat tray I can send you a copy of the Basildon Recorder in exchange. If I get a chance I’ll buy the paper of course, but Christian bookshops have largely abandoned South East Essex meaning a trip into central London to find one. I’m unlikely to do so before Friday, by which time it will be last week’s news.

Update: Someone has kindly offered to send me the paper, so I’m no longer in need of one. Thanks for various offers.

Posted by Dave at 9:29 pm on March 16, 2009 and filed under Cartooning, Interviews.

2 Comments

A small announcement of interest to those who use the Facebook internet website: CartoonChurch.com now has a ‘page’. If you need to find it in a hurry just remember this address: http://www.facebook.com/pages/CartoonChurchcom/134147785593

I posted it today as Facebook has redesigned its homepage, although not everyone can see it yet. For various uninteresting technical reasons launching a Facebook page is now a worthwhile thing for someone with a website a bit like this to do, so I have done it.

I have added some cartoons to the page, but at the moment there is nothing on there that you will not find here, although clicking through the cartoons on Facebook is a bit quicker than on this site, especially if you are good with a mouse.

I will perhaps add some exclusive content to the Facebook page to make it really exciting. Perhaps an unseen-until-now photograph taken in my office. Maybe of my pencil case or something like that. The possibilities are endless.

Posted by Dave at 10:27 pm on March 12, 2009 and filed under Cartooning, Technical.

2 Comments