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.

Comments Off

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

I’ve been having some good ‘Anglican goings-on’ times at General Synod in London over the last couple of days. I’ve been blogging and posting a few cartoons on my Church Times blog and Twittering every now and then. Hopefully a couple more cartoons will follow tomorrow.

Do say hello if you’re there and see me around. I can be contacted via the usual mobile number or CartoonChurch number, 07806 334077.

Posted by Dave at 11:12 pm on February 11, 2009 and filed under Anglican goings-on, Cartooning, Cartoons.

2 Comments

Canterbury Press have the 2009 Dave Walker calendar on sale for £3.

Owing to incompetence I have a small stock of them left over myself, so here’s a little competition: I’ll send 5 2009 calendars to the 5 people who post the best ideas for next year’s (2010) calendar in the comments section of this blog post today. Competition closes at midnight tonight UK time. I’ll send prizes anywhere in the world.

Last year’s was ‘things to take to church’, the year before was ‘things to do in your church’. I haven’t got any ideas for next year’s yet, and the deadline is looming really rather rapidly.

Disclaimers: If you post an idea I might use it without giving you any money or much in the way of thanks. I might also not use ideas even if they are good. No cash alternative to the prize, though I can send you an envelope with some of the contents of my recycling box if you’d prefer. I might change the rules if I feel like it.

Posted by Dave at 1:51 pm on February 5, 2009 and filed under Cartooning, Quizzes and competitions.

55 Comments

A couple of my cartoons have been posted on the Church Times site today:

From today’s Church Times newspaper (and available to non-subscribers on this occasion only): Church House: A brief glimpse into the inner workings

And, from today’s Church Times blog, drawn in the office around lunchtime: How personal disorganisation is splitting the Anglican Church

Posted by Dave at 5:53 pm on January 30, 2009 and filed under Cartooning, Church, Church Times blog.

Comments Off

This afternoon I made myself a cartoonchurch eBay account so that I can start to think about selling these canvasses. However, I decided to start off with something a bit smaller and more manageable, so I’m now selling some signed copies of my books. My brand new shiny eBay account is here: cartoonchurch (0).

Now, I don’t really intend to make a long term thing of selling my books on eBay, as (a) I’d like to support local bookshops and (b) I’m too lazy to keep going to the post office. However, I do have a reasonable amount of stock that I need to shift, so I may well add some more if it works and people buy them.

I’d wanted to sell the books with a ‘buy it now’, but apparently I need to have more of a feedback score than my current ‘0′ before I’m allowed to be let loose on the ‘buy it now’ button. So the books are being sold as an auction, starting at 99p and hopefully ending up not too far from the £5.99 mark.

I might add more books, so please don’t bid huge amounts (not that you were planning to, I know) for a rare signed copy, because If I sell more they will become rather less rare. I will sign them saying anything you want (within reason) – so an ideal opportunity to pick up a unique(ish) Christmas present.

As an aside: I do have a personal eBay account, so the whole business is not entirely new to me. But my score on my personal account is (2) meaning that I am still really a novice. I’ll write about the not-terribly-but-a-little-bit-exciting story of my (2) purchases another day.

So… anyone like a book?

Update (Saturday midday): Have added another 5 ‘Dave Walker Guide to the Church’ books. These are a 3 day listing again, so will end midday on Tuesday if my calculations are correct.

Posted by Dave at 10:04 pm on December 11, 2008 and filed under Books, Cartooning.

10 Comments