Just the one thanks!

Click image to enlarge

I occasionally take part in a weekly competition on a cartoonists' forum - the aim is to produce a cartoon on that week's given subject or set caption. One particular week I provided the caption "Just the one, thanks" and I thought it would be fun to show my final cartoon and the rough ideas that I didn't go with for a variety of reasons (taste, decency, not being funny, & having already been done by another entrant)

I really don't have anyone to blame except myself when it comes to the last reason. I hadn't bothered to think of anything during the week, assuming I'd get it sorted on the Saturday morning (I quite like a looming deadline to focus the mind :) Unfortunately I'd forgotten we were going out for the day, so was reduced to scribbling thumbnail sketches on some tiny bits of scrap paper while out and about. Joy!

Here's the first idea - had to draw it up so I could just get the pub/drink ideas out of the way.

Pub fun

That one seemed way too obvious so I drew a few more ideas - mum gives birth to quintuplets, dad only wants one... 

Multiple birth

Flip the sketch around  - I  thought about only having one unicorn on the ark...

Unicorn scribble

Another doodle - old couple sharing some drugs. Strung out gran offers needle while grandad hits the bong. (apologies for no doubt incorrect drug terms)

Drugged up

By this point I'd decided I liked the 'mum gives birth' gag and decided I'd draw that up when I got back home early evening. Didn't like the 'ark' or 'drugs' gags enough to draw them up.

Unfortunately I made the mistake of checking the competition on my phone to see what had been posted so far. Lots of great stuff including a terrific 'mum gives birth' gag. If I'd already drawn it up and was at home I'd have posted it. Seemed daft to now go home that evening and draw pretty much exactly the same gag, so I drew some more ideas.

This Easter Island idea I quite liked but thought it was perhaps a bit too strange...

Easter Island

And doodling snowmen I came up with this...

Carrot naughtiness

I liked the image but didn't think having a child add the extra carrot would be suitable. Another quick look at the competiton revealed a snowman cartoon was already entered (very good it was too), so I decided to not bother with my dubious doodle. Phew!

Here's the last sketch I did and ultimately drew up... (I rescued it from the bin to scan for the blog)

Harold!

My wife Nikki disliked my idea so much, she ended up drawing her own entry to see if she could beat me. Such devotion! Here's Nikki's entry which is very accomplished I reckon (drat!) She's convinced that's the spitting image of Nick Clegg and will definitely enter it in any future caricature competitions.

Nikki's entry

I didn't win the competition that week (quite rightly - the other entries, especially the top three, were uniformly excellent), but got a few votes. With hindsight should I have chosen a different gag to draw up? Perhaps, but if I'd pontificated any longer, I'd still be here scribbling ideas! Anyway, there's always another competition the following week... hope to see you take part!

You can see the whole competition thread here, including the controversial 'captiongate' scandal that rocked the very foundations of cartooning. It's ok, everyone hugged at the end.