Fan art

[Digifiend]

That's a fantastic idea Harry. So good in fact, that I think the NHS should use that concept nationally. It would really make a difference to awareness of diabetes.

[WizzKid97]

That's a fantastic idea Harry. So good in fact, that I think the NHS should use that concept nationally. It would really make a difference to awareness of diabetes.

Thank you very much James, very kind of you.

[stevezodiac]

I've had my first professional cartoon published in the latest Weekly News. I'm not as chuffed as I should be as I sent 15 cartoons all of similar quality but only one was used. The Deputy Editor did say that it was usual to only pick one or two from each batch received so maybe I should have sent two smaller batches. Looking at the published cartoon it's obvious that, if I continue, I should use a thicker pen line as it looks a bit anaemic against those above it. Its the bottom one signed with my arrow signature which I've used since my days as a mod in the late 70s. I have some more ideas but am a bit loathe to put in the effort if the majority will be rejected. The problem is there are no other outlets for gag cartoons. Private Eye prefers current affairs based subjects and Viz is all strips.

[philcom55]

Well done Steve!

For what it's worth I quite like the thin line technique.

- Phil Rushton

[stevezodiac]

I did photocopy them at 50% to see what they would look like at printed size and they seemed ok. I remember when the Mirror and the Sun had cartoon sets each day "Laughter" and "Sun Fun" respectively. It puzzles me why they dropped them.

[Lew Stringer]

Congratulations Steve! Good gag, - and in the same set as Sax too (one of my favourites).

I think the Mirror and Sun dropped gag cartoons because of the usual reason of budget cuts. Also, the public simply aren't as interested in them as they used to be, which is why there's nothing around like the Weekend Book of Jokes or Laugh Magazine etc any more.

[stevezodiac]

Yes Sax has been around since about the late 60s as has Earl who is still going strong. I think Rex is still having cartoons published in the Weekly News. Wing seems to have the most number of hits and I think that is because of the comedy look of his characters which make you smile just from looking at them. It was one of Sax's that made me laugh out loud this week - here it is:

[Peter Gray]

Well done Steve..

[philcom55]

To be honest I hadn't noticed that the market for traditional gag cartoons had dried up so completely. When one considers how many outlets there were in the !950s and 1960s it's quite astonishing; I can only assume their place has now been taken by cute and accident-prone kittens on sites like You-Tube.

Maybe now would be a good time to start a special thread devoted to the many cartoonists who earned a living over the years in this rapidly vanishing field (especially as a good number of them worked for weekly comics as well).

- Phil Rushton

[stevezodiac]

Yes I'm just selling some copies of the TV Times from 1960 on ebay and they contain cartoons by Artie Jackson who later worked for the Power Comics. Dicky Howlett and Styx also worked in both mediums.

[Niblet]

The problem is there are no other outlets for gag cartoons. Private Eye prefers current affairs based subjects and Viz is all strips.

How about The Oldie? I haven't bought a copy for a long time but it looks like they still publish gag cartoons.

http://www.theoldie.co.uk/

[stevezodiac]

Thanks for that suggestion, I'll have a look tomorrow when I'm in Tescos.

[WizzKid97]

Here's some Dandy Fan-Art I did while on holiday in South Africa.

http://wizzkid97.deviantart.com/art/MEG ... -279319387

(Sorry, file's too big - will edit later)

I hope you like it!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Glad to hear you have attained much-deserved immortality, Steve!

[Digifiend]

Here's some Dandy Fan-Art I did while on holiday in South Africa.

http://wizzkid97.deviantart.com/art/MEG ... -279319387

(Sorry, file's too big - will edit later)

I hope you like it!

Poor Dragon, getting graffitied by Brian Damage. That's good artwork, the majority of the characters look exactly like they do in the comic.