Matt Buck's Hack Cartoons

Cartoonist Dave Brown, of the Independent, is very good today (June 3rd 2008).

Matt Buck’s animated drawings

What cartoonist Dave Brown says here. There's also a short clip of one of mine for Channel 4 from last October at the time of the royal visit of King Abdullah to the UK.


Matt Buck’s animated drawings

"The rise of blogging and opinion outside of the mainstream has caused newspapers a problem, because quite often these blogs are more interesting than the editorials in the newspapers."
Former editor of the Sunday Times, Andrew Neill to the House of Lords Communications Committee. Quote via Journalism.co.uk

More cheerfully, The Independent newspaper has relaunched, at long last, its website, In doing so, it has finally recognised the genius of its regular editorial cartoonist, Dave Brown. He has a proper cartoon gallery full of marvellous stuff, right at the top of opinion. The joke for December the 24th is a particular treat.
23rd January 2008

Matt Buck’s animated drawings

The cartoon awards season results can be found at my colleague Morten's blog - and congratulations are due him, Dave Brown, Steve Bell and Martin Rowson. The event speech was given by former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer Ken (Kenneth) Clarke. He made a good speech, as you might expect from a professional speech maker, but he also said at least one incredibly silly thing. I paraphrase him here, but the gist of it was, who'd want to look at cartoons on the internet?

Sketchbook caricature of Ken (Kenneth) Clarke - Conservative MP - and guest at the Political Cartoon Awards

I understand why he did this, to connect precisely with what he judged to be his audience, largely middle class, middle-aged, or, elderly and largely suspicious of technology. It worked for him, he got a laugh.

But this, to me, is a classic piece of ostrich-ism and is pointlessly damaging to those of us who have to go out and make a living as professional commercial artists, today, in the ugly here and now. One of my colleagues told me not to get cross about it, to which I can only say bollocks, if we can't be bothered about how we are going to make a living through our skill at drawing then we won't survive as a form of either art or journalism.

Clarke's joke smacks of 'if I don't look I won't have to see what is changing around me.' This is probably because he (and many others) do not understand the digital world and have no interest in learning about it. I thought this was a sad and silly attitude to perpetuate among other people who love cartoons and drawing as a useful form of human communication.

The digital world may not be easy to understand but it offers opportunity to commercial artists in a way that the old print world, and its surviving fans, would be daft to ignore.


Matt Buck’s animated drawings

Nick Garland in the Telegraph is very good today - simple and on the money. Peter Brookes in the Times goes for a more complex analogy - new film out - and it is, as ever, nicely done. Dave Brown in the Indy goes for a body shot and The Guardian in the absense of Bell and Rowson doesn't do too well at all. My own work for Channel 4 News should be live soon. The iniquities of finding a home in a media outlet means that my colleague, Morland doesn't have a slot this morning (well, that I know about), This should stop immediately, because his work deserves to be measured in the same league as all these fine journalists above.
Matt Buck’s animated drawing

...for my colleague Dave Brown's art exhibition which is still on at the Political Cartoon Gallery in central London.

It's a fantastic and large display of wit and technical skill in mashing up (I think that's the vogue'ish term) classic paintings and current political comment.

Absolutely, don't miss it. It's on until the end of June - or, if you cannot make it, at least,buy the book!. I have.

Hat-tip to Dave and Tim Benson who runs a fantastic gallery, which is always worth a visit.