Cartoonist of the Month

Here's part 3 of my stint as Artist of the Month on Bloghorn. In this post I offer some tips to would-be cartoonists.

I didn't include my No.1 tip which is 'don't drop your Wacom pen down the loo'

Bloghorn is the digital cartoon blog of the Professional Cartoonists' Organisation and well worth a regular visit for cartooning articles, interviews and news.

Look out for more of my posts throughout November.

Thank Dai It's Friday

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Strip 2881 from 16 Nov 2007. Today is Children in Need, so here's one from 2 years ago. I think Pudsey is really milking his eye injury now - he's had that bandage on for decades. Probably doesn't want to scupper his disability benefit.

**** A Never Say Dai Collection ****

You can order the book via Lulu.com or for a signed copy (for only £6.49 including postage) go directly to www.neversaydai.co.uk (Due to Lulu's currently high postage costs, you'll also save a few quid going to my site!)

Strange Looking Bloke Wednesday

Here's another sketch done in front of the telly while I was watching The Wire. Shading added in Photoshop.

It's my attempt at a character that appears from Series 3 on, named Thomas Carcetti and played by Irish actor Aiden Gillen. I thought his American accent was very convincing... certainly fooled me!

Foghorn Magazine

Just a quick reminder that you can read back issues of Foghorn magazine online at http://issuu.com/bloghorn

It's chock full of great cartoons and articles. Plus more great cartoons.

A six-issue subscription to the printed version of Foghorn is available for £30. For more info, email foghorn@procartoonists.org

Bloghorn Artist of the Month Part 2

Here's part 2 of my stint as Artist of the Month on Bloghorn. In this post I talk briefly about how I produce my cartoons.

Bloghorn is the digital cartoon blog of the Professional Cartoonists' Organisation and well worth a regular visit for cartooning articles, interviews and news.

Look out for more of my posts throughout November.

Thank Dai It's Friday

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Strip 3161 from 10 Oct 2008. I suspect if for some strange reason I was left in charge of videoing a football match, I'd be doing this. I'm not remotely interested in birds either, but given the choice, the chaffinch wins....

**** A Never Say Dai Collection ****

You can order the book via Lulu.com or for a signed copy (for only £6.49 including postage) go directly to www.neversaydai.co.uk (Due to Lulu's currently high postage costs, you'll also save a few quid going to my site!)

Strange Looking Bloke Wednesday

Here's today's Bloke. I've no idea what's happening here - is he dancing around or backing away in abject horror from something? Maybe he's watching the latest X factor episode and doing both. Don't get me started on Jedward...

Done on a bit of cardboard with a sharpie and a noodling of white pencil.

Never Say Dai Book Review

My caricaturist mate Steve Hearn has kindly reviewed my 'Never say Dai' and '101 Gag Cartoons' books over on his blog, Pencil Dreams.

I'm honoured to receive the full 5 Steve rating, so that's really made my day.


Thanks for the kind words Steve and I definitely owe you a pint or two!

Yes, yet another shameless plug!

You can order the book via Lulu.com or for a signed copy (for only £6.49 including postage) go directly to www.neversaydai.co.uk (Due to Lulu's currently high postage costs, you'll also save a few quid going to my site!)

Thank Dai It's Early Saturday Morning.

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Whoops, managed to miss posting this on the usual Friday! Sorry - normal service will be resumed next week.

Here's today's strip, No. 3101 from 1 Aug 2008. It's a daft one, but there's always room for a bit of daft in the world.

**** A Never Say Dai Collection ****

You can order the book via Lulu.com or for a signed copy (for only £6.49 including postage) go directly to www.neversaydai.co.uk (Due to Lulu's currently high postage costs, you'll also save a few quid going to my site!)

Bloghorn Artist of the Month

I'm Artist of the Month on Bloghorn.

Bloghorn is the digital cartoon blog of the Professional Cartoonists' Organisation and well worth a regular visit for cartooning articles, interviews and news.

Look out for more of my posts throughout November.

Would you Adam and Eve it?

I was walking back from Tesco's this afternoon. The wind was blowing quite fiercely and a leaf decided to land slap bang on the front of my nether regions. It proceeded to stay there for about 10 seconds until I realised and suddenly whipped it off.

I'd like to apologise to anyone who saw me during the whole sorry incident and thought I was a lunatic and/or off to some bizarre Garden of Eden fancy dress party.

Stupid leaf....

Witney Weekender

No Sleep til Witney!

The CCGB organised a cartoonists weekend away a while back. I've been meaning to post a few pics and cartoons so here they are.

The weekend was in Witney, near Oxford and included a trip to Wychwood Brewery.

Unfortunately I only took 2 photo's during the whole weekend, and they're pretty bland:

Here's a pic of something that I must have considered fascinating.

Here's a pic of some yeast overflowing. Don't panic, this is quite normal.

Fortunately there were plenty of other cameras present during the weekend:

(Photo: Clive Goddard)

That's me in the strange hat surrounded by my cartoon mates during the beer tasting. I'm not much of a drinker these days, but they were very generous with the measures and it seemed rude to refuse...

This was also the time to see the 'Are you a Goblin' cartoon competition winners. All the participants drew cartoons on the witchy/goblin theme, with first prize going to Noel Ford.
Here's my entries, all with a 'witchy' flavour ...




After the brewery trip, we took a walk around Witney and found the museum...

(Photo: Clive Goddard)
A picture of me trying the latest Wacom Graphics Tablet.

In the evening, there was a meal and we had a bit of a musical jam, featuring piano, loads of guitars, egg shakers, a ukulele and a kazoo. It was noisy but extremely fun with plenty of cartooning also going on all night, as can be seen by Clive Goddard's picture of me and bandmates!

(Photo:Clive Goddard)
Noel, Bren and me wondering if we're all playing the same song.

(Photo:Shug)
This is me strumming a guitar while the room turns excessively red.

(Cartoon: Clive Goddard)
Thanks Clive, a stunning likeness!

An excellent weekend was had by all. The end.

Strange Looking Bloke Wednesday

Here's today's bloke, featuring Ant or Dec* from Ant and Dec. Just a sketch done in Photoshop.

Here's my impersonation of him too...


*Funniest bit in Love Actually - "Yes I have, Ant or Dec"

Thank Dai It's Friday

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Strip 1232 from July 2001 (ish?). I've been to Llanfair PG (to use one of it's abbreviations) and it's a bit bigger than I've made out here! Still , don't let facts get in the way of a joke.

To learn how to pronounce the whole name, go here

**** A Never Say Dai Collection ****

You can order the book via Lulu.com or for a signed copy (for only £6.49 including postage) go directly to www.neversaydai.co.uk (Due to Lulu's currently high postage costs, you'll also save a few quid going to my site!)

Cartoonists vs Eggheads

Tonight's Eggheads featured a group of my friends from the Professional Cartoonists' Organisation. To see how they did, head over to the BBC's iPlayer here

Be warned it was an extremely tense game. I managed to chew my fingernails so much, I went next door to borrow another cupful.

Strange Looking Bloke Wednesday

Today is Strange Looking Hokey Cokey Blokey Wednesday. Don't ask me why. I don't make the rules.

Thank Dai It's Friday

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Strip 3319, from April 2009. I assume this would result in a punch on the nose, so I've never tried it.

**** A Never Say Dai Collection ****

You can order the book via Lulu.com or for a signed copy (for only £6.49 including postage) go directly to www.neversaydai.co.uk (Due to Lulu's currently high postage costs, you'll also save a few quid going to my site!)

Strange Looking Bloke Wednesday

It's multiple Blokes today, featuring a page from my 'sitting in fromt of the telly, doodling' sketchbook. I'll hazard a guess that I attempted to draw Tony Soprano, Junior Soprano and Nicholas Cage with varying success. No idea who the moustachioed person is, or the robot-thing at the top of the page! Suggestions on a postcard.

More Foghorn goodness

Issue 40 of Foghorn magazine is available to view online here http://issuu.com/bloghorn
It's chock full of great cartoons and articles. I would say that though, since I help put it together...

Go read it!

A six-issue subscription to the printed version of Foghorn is available for £30. For more info, email foghorn@procartoonists.org

Thank Dai It's Friday

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Here is strip 2652 from Feb 2007. Drug raids were in the local news at the time, with quite a few cannabis factories being uncovered in Newport. I suggested in another strip that they were only doing it to help us win that years 'Wales in Bloom' competition. We won, so it obviously worked.

**** A Never Say Dai Collection ****

You can order the book via Lulu.com or for a signed copy (for only £6.49 including postage) go directly to www.neversaydai.co.uk (Due to Lulu's currently high postage costs, you'll also save a few quid going to my site!)

Strange Looking Bloke Wednesday

Here's this week's Bloke.

Having scaled Mount Fourfingers, Sir Ranulph Crampon planted his flag and gave the thumbs up.

True Story!

Thank Dai It's Friday

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This is strip No2851, dated 12 Oct 2007.
I never know how to program the timer on my central heating - luckily my wife knows what buttons need pressing. I suspect if it ever broke, I'd just put a jumper on and hope for the best.

**** A Never Say Dai Collection ****

You can order the book via Lulu.com or for a signed copy (for only £6.49 including postage) go directly to www.neversaydai.co.uk (Due to Lulu's currently high postage costs, you'll also save a few quid going to my site!)

Strange Looking Bloke Wednesday

I've got a touch of flu. Bleh. Here's a bloke with a touch of flu too. That is all.

Thank Dai It's Friday

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Here's a strip (No.3341) from May 2009. People often ask "Where DO you get your ideas". Well, in the case of this strip, it was probably a bit windy the day I was thinking up ideas. A little insight there into the creative process. Hope you're suitably awed.

I do like a good Polar Bear gag... in fact I think I copied the bear from one of my other gags.

"I'm just saying, the ice caps are melting and your
hobby isn't particularly helping matters..."

Yes, looks like I did! Busted!

**** A Never Say Dai Collection ****

You can order the book via Lulu.com or for a signed copy (for only £6.49 including postage) go directly to www.neversaydai.co.uk (Due to Lulu's currently high postage costs, you'll also save a few quid going to my site!)

Strange Looking Bloke Wednesday

Two for the price of one this week, as we have a couple of guest blokes from Cathy Simpson.

The images are cropped from a set of 'A Christmas Carol' illustrations Cathy did when she was still in college, and feature Scrooge and Marley's Ghost.

Thanks Cathy!

Lookalikes

Here's an odd post. Following the examples of caricatures I've received over the years, I thought I'd post this example of someone who's actually gone the whole hog and decided to look exactly like me.
This cutting was taken from a Bass Guitar mag quite a few years ago - a friend thrust it in my hand, wondering when I had grown my hair long and started playing the saxophone (or 2 sax's according to the pic). The answer was of course, never.

Wonder if he's the Bizarro Tim? Wait, perhaps I'm the Bizarro Tim....

Thank Dai It's Friday

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Friday is Dai day! The day you Dai! Hmm, that doesn't sound too positive does it? I'll rethink the slogans.

This is strip 3020, from 29 April 2009. Not based on real life at all. Nope. Not at all. Excuse me while I go for another nap.

**** A Never Say Dai Collection ****

You can order the book via Lulu.com or for a signed copy (for only £6.49 including postage) go directly to www.neversaydai.co.uk (Due to Lulu's currently high postage costs, you'll also save a few quid going to my site!)

Strange Looking Bloke Wednesday

SLB Wednesday gets a bit personal today!

Here's a few caricatures of me done by my fellow cartooning friends and colleagues. I'm told I have a great face to caricature which actually translates as 'don't go entering any beauty contests'. I've been drawn at various cartooning events here and abroad and it's always fascinating to see what different artists focus on.

Here's one from Ayr Cartoon Festival, 2001. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of the artist, but this is one of my favourites. A few lines and he captures my sleepy look perfectly.


Below is a quick sketch drawn on a tablecloth from the pen of Steve Bright. That's me on the piano end, next to Roger Penwill and Noel Ford, as we perform as Beard at the 2007 Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival.



Stu Szymanksi drew the one below at the same event. Stu now works on special effects and makeup, having perfected the art of drawing hideous creatures. Hah.


Here's yet another one from the same event, drawn by Hunt Emerson.



Below is a Rog Bowles from 2004's Big Grin in Nottingham. Free Grolsch bottle in hand too...



Here's another magnificent Steve Bright production from 2008, featuring my wife Nikki in the background, performing her favourite karaoke number....



Lastly, here's another Stu Szymanski from 2000 or 2001 perhaps. Ger Whyman and myself are featured, strumming some guitars with gusto, while I appear to aim for some painfully high note.


That's a few caricatures from the last decade. If I find any more while sorting out my filing cabinets I'll post them in a future SLB Wednesday.

Cheers!

Ukulele Advice

A word of warning to all Ukulele players. Too much of this:

(Click image for larger version)

May lead to a bit of this:

That is all. Thank You.

Thank Dai It's Friday

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Here's a more recent strip (No3312) from 7 April 2009. Behold my standard 'troubled youth' design - cap and hoodie. Cartoon clichés ahoy!

**** A Never Say Dai Collection ****

You can order the book via Lulu.com or for a signed copy (for only £6.49 including postage) go directly to www.neversaydai.co.uk (Due to Lulu's currently high postage costs, you'll also save a few quid going to my site!)

Strange Looking Bloke Wednesday

This bloke is a result of working on a calendar of horse themed gags. I was just doodling different scenarios and this was an image I never quite worked into a finished gag. Done with the usual brushpen and a slap of Photoshop grey. Actually, he looks a bit tall for a jockey.

His mood: Move it! Moooooove it!