Cartoons to the rescue!

Cartoons can be used to lift any subject matter that is complex, serious, dry or any of the above. Here is a selection of recent cartoons from business publications that cover insurance, law, technology, corporate finance, waste management and the health service.

Click here to find out how you can commission me to draw cartoons

And here's an excerpt from some live drawing during a talk at a business conference. The subject here was cyber-security, another potentially tricky one ...

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Micro cartoon exhibition at micropub

Pic: Brian Green

I have an exhibition of cartoon prints, which runs throughout July, at the Four Candles in Broadstairs, Britain's smallest brewpub.

Rather conveniently, the micropub (they're very small but big in Kent) is at the end of my street, so it's easy for me to drop off framed prints that have sold and oh go on then I might as well have a quick one while I'm here.

This is not the first time I've worked with the Four Candles. I designed a label for the beer Voter's Choice, during the snap general election of 2017, and I drew a large cartoon board describing the brewing process when the pub first started making its own beer in 2015, which is still on display alongside the casks.

It's not cartooning but I even drew a new version of the pub sign when the old one became too weather-beaten. This was created digitally (there is literally no need for me to be up this ladder, pic by Brian Green again) so when it fades or wears out a new one can be printed. 

Sales of prints in the micro exhibition have been good and I've managed to raise a few quid for Macmillan Cancer Support, which the pub regularly supports.

Unsurprisingly, this major cultural event made it to the Thanet Extra (below, click to enlarge) and the Isle of Thanet News.

Click here to buy Royston's cartoon books

Surprise role as wedding cartoonist

Recently I did day of live drawing at a wedding held at the Turner Contemporary gallery in Margate. Between the ceremony and afternoon drinks the guests had a chance to view the works on display, which allowed for a few art-based jokes (above).

This was not the typical kind of job cartoonists do at weddings (i.e. live caricatures). Instead I drew a series of cartoons telling the story of the day -- much as I would do at conferences and workshops -- from the arrival of guests, through the ceremony and afternoon reception and up to the first dance in the evening.

Here are a couple of excerpts. Each page was drawn with a cartoon frame, to go with the gallery location, and I used yellow and grey, the wedding colours, so they fitted right in.

The cartoons got a great reaction (even the magician was impressed and he does magic) and certainly added something a little bit different to the day. A fun job.

Click here to buy Royston's cartoon book

The Four Candles Guide to Brewing

This was a fun commission. Mike Beaumont, landlord of the Four Candles micropub here in Broadstairs, which is my local, asked me to come up with a large cartoon poster on the brewing process.

It was drawn to mark the fact that the pub recently started making its own beer on the premises and is now officially Britain's smallest brewpub.

The idea was to show how ale is made -- where and when the hops and barley are added, timings, temperatures etc -- in a humorous way, while including daft comments from many of the regulars. I am a regular in the pub, so I know you get a lot of daft comments in there!

Here's some detail from the board:

Once finished, we had it printed on a 107cm by 193cm Foamex board and laminated, because it has been placed by the stillage, where all the casks go, so it's sure to get splashed a lot.

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