Matt Buck's Hack Cartoons

Hello Gorehub kind of you to visit.
This was an interesting one to do as I 'lost' the caricatre halfway through, that means I think the simple black and white is better than the colour version.

Matt Buck’s animated drawings

In the spirit of the marvellous hypertext video, which you can find below, comes this. Hat-tip to Mindy McAdams but the creative kudos belongs to Michael Wesch.

26th October 2007

Matt Buck’s animated drawings

Alan Pearce and Clare Christian have collaborated on a marvellous book for this Christmas*. Anybody who feels the world is going to ruin because of political correctness ought to really enjoy it. I'd like to embarrass Clare now by posting a link to the evidence of her as the Young Publisher of the Year. Here it is. I should also hat-tip Jim Banting, Clare Weber and Liam Relph who helped make the whole thing look just lovely.
25th October 2007

* Caution. I illustrated it and provided the silly drawing for the cover.

Matt Buck’s animated drawings

Cash for honours - we discover how much co-operation John Yates and the Met Police received from the very prominent people who were under investigation for the sale of national honours and titles. Published above and here. 24th October 2007
Matt Buck’s animated drawings

UPDATE: Tom Bower has a review on The Guardian today which gives an overview of the whole affair and its key players.

This is excellent news. Hello again Ian.
23rd October 2007
Matt Buck’s animated drawings

The Economist takes a long view of the story and why it still matters. It is well worth a read. This weekend's PR spin was about Rock Chairman, Matt Ridley, (a former Economist employee) not receiving any payoff as he leaves his job. But there was also another little story, about the small matter of another £3bn loan from the Bank of England to prop up the ailing institution. Total Rock borrowing from the Bank of England (the taxpapyer, if you like) is now believed to be in the region of £16bn. If you believe what Hemscott are reporting, Northern Rock's funding problems remain acute.

Matt Buck’s animated drawings

And it's not just on his trousers...
Fat boy's become a trendsetter.

Link from Chicken Yogurt - 22nd October 2007

Matt Buck’s animated drawings

This is old news, but still good news. A hat-tip to Mr Quittner, wherever you are today...
25th October 2007

Matt Buck’s animated drawings

The problems with making jokes post below, touches on another interesting post from Virtual Economics in which Seamus McCauley talks about the increasing fusion between factual and opinion-based news coverage. This is very interesting to someone like me because essentially it's what visual satirists do; try to reveal truths, or opinions, through analogy, visual symbolism and jokes.

Seamus uses a lovely phrase in his piece - the genuine value of satirical news reporting - and goes on to talk about how one of the major problems that today's conventional journalists are finding, is that the predominant industry business models no longer support what it is, journalists do. In this context he argues, the value of satire, goes up.

'The gap between news and news satire gets ever smaller, and it seems our understanding of current affairs is all the richer for it.'

Sincere hat-tip to Mr McCauley

Matt Buck’s animated drawings

A sweet spot from D-Notice

Matt Buck’s animated drawings

There was a report out on Monday that reconfirmed the problems which many people in many areas of the country have in finding state-sponsored dental care. Published above and here.
Hack animated drawings

Liberal Democrat leader Ming Campbell's has finally discovered the knack of making a speech that other people will listen to - just three weeks too late. Animation made for Channel 4 News
15th October 2007

Hack animated drawings

The Conservative party have lost a battle to keep an £8.3m bequest by a man whose son described him as delusional.
Drugs mogul Branislav Kostic, who died in 2005, wrote his will in the 1980s after saying Margaret Thatcher would save the world from "satanic monsters".
But his only son Zoran, 50, contested the bequest at the High Court, saying his father was "deluded and insane" and he was entitled to the entire estate.
The Conservatives say they have not touched the money.
Handing down his judgement, Mr Justice Henderson, said Mr Kostic would not have left the money to the Tories if he had been "of sound mind".

:-)

Some stories are perfect, even without a drawing

Matt Buck’s animated drawings

Al is officially commended for his efforts to help save the planet. He might get an opportunity to finish off Hillary Clinton, as a fringe benefit, too. This would be a result for him, if you believe the stories about their previous relationship when they were last together in the White House...
Drawn 12th October 2007

More Animated Drawings

The government in trouble - and because of Mr Brown.
Animated drawings

It's been an awful week for the Prime Minister, as I hope you can see here.
10th October 2007
Hack animated drawings

This terrific photograph of Margaret Thatcher by Roger Bamber* is a part of an excellent show on political imagery at the Design and Copyright Society in London. I have some still and animated work in the show. The Kowalsky gallery is at 33 Great Sutton Street, London and the show is on until the end of January. Full details are on the gallery page at their website.

* Maggie Gets Her Hands Dirty, May 1983 by Roger Bamber.© Roger Bamber 2007.

Interestingly, the photo never saw the light of day after Roger took it, as Mrs T was running in the 1983 election campaign at the time, and the image of her holding a pile of crap was thought too unfortunate to be publishable. In case anyone was in any doubt, spin, clearly, did not begin in 1997.

While we are talking exhibitions, I'm also going to be at the annual Big Draw in Covent Garden this weekend, on October 13th and 14th. There is a massive amount of drawing and joke related activity going on, over both days, do come along and enjoy yourselves.

Matt Buck’s animated drawings

I have every confidence that this new cartoon strip, made by Lou McKeever and Chichi Parrish, is going to be just fantastic. And probably also, just a bit, rude. Rather wonderfully named, do watch out for Fanny by Gaslight.
Both of these cartoonists are also appearing at the Big Draw in London's Covent Garden, this weekend, don't miss them and it.
(The image republished by permission of Lou McKeever and Chichi Parrish.)
Lou
Chichi
Me

The implications of the Usmanov-Schillings affair continue to rumble around the world. The latest spot is in The International Herald Tribune, which quotes Tim Ireland approvingly I think.

Matt Buck’s animated drawings

This picture of a journalism college class from the University of Missouri is sort of wonderful and sort of terrifying, all at the same time. It's certainly a testament to the power of effective brand marketing. A hat-tip to the Silicon Valley Sleuth.

Matt Buck’s animated drawings

David Cameron's speech to the Conservative Party Conference on 3rd October 2007 - somewhat reduced. Published here and by Channel 4 News. You can watch Gordon Brown's effort in Bournemouth and Ming Campbell in Brighton here.

A short and pithy point on the eternal, will-he-won't-he speculation. And a hat-tip to Paul Linford.

Kudos to Mike Power for this video celebration of an ongoing dissent. If you need information on exactly what this is all about, please read this and this.

UPDATED:041007 Worth reading this from Tim Ireland on Mr Usmanov's response to all the bad publicity.

UPDATED UPDATE: 061007
Further news from Tim Ireland and some pleasing candour from the News Editor of the Financial Times.

It's a big week for David Cameron...and below is a preparatory sketch for the leader's speech animation I will be doing for Channel 4 this week.

You can see Ming Campbell and Gordon Brown at these links.

There are several events I am exhibiting at coming up in the next few weeks. First up is Politics Pays Back, which opens on Wednesday 3rd October at the Kowalsky Gallery in central London. This is organised by the Design and Artists Copyright Society and I have some original artwork and news and political animations on show. The show runs until Jan 31st 2008.


This drawing isn't on show, but it might be called the artist in preparation...can you see the fear?

And on the weekend of October 13th and 14th, I shall be taking part in the annual Big Draw. This year's London launch, is in Covent Garden market and the theme is High Life-Low Life. There's a link here to last year's excitments (thanks for reminding me Clare.) If the track record of the event is anything to go by, it should be a great, fun weekend. Please come along and watch the Battle of the Cartoonists on Sunday afternoon.

Lastly, I also have to give a talk to a room of sixth formers at a school in Cambridge about what it is I do for a living. Of all these upcoming events, this is the one that scares the pants off me the quickest...

This link is absolutely required reading. It is especially important if you are in any doubt as to why all this fuss about Alisher Usmanov, his lawyers and a lot of citizens who make blogs, matters. The drawing is subtitled - Avoiding an Usmanov. There is a smaller version below here too, both of these, you are welcome to use if you are blogging about Usmanov and Schillings and would like to use images.

Boris Johnson has been adopted as the official Conservative candidate for the next London mayoral election. Taking the liberty of speaking for my professional colleagues, I think I can say, we are all delighted - a walking caricature does make life easier.

UPDATE:
There’s a fascinating little piece of first-hand knowledge about Boris and one of his contemporaries here, courtesy of Adrian Monck.

Some unfairly restricted bloggers, are back, here. Well done to all concerned and watch that space...
UPDATED:
A look at the broader issues, courtesy of Mick Fealty at the Telegraph's new politics blog, Brassneck. Oddly, enough, it does seem to be the week for new political launches, there's another newcomer here at Westmonster. Nice name - reminds me of this marvellous piece of art and identity...

Gordon Brown was long on Britishness and morality and short on the object of everyone's obsession this week - when will he try his luck in an general election. The speech was a bit reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher's attempts to wrap herself in the flag. Published above and here, at Channel 4 News.
You can see Lib Dem leader, Ming Campbell's speech - Reduced, here.

UPDATED:
There's a nice simple piece of interactive reporting here from the Telegraph

Coming soon...

Disturbing developments over at Bloggerheads, where Tim Ireland's blog is "off-air" - forced out of business thanks to the bullying of an Uzbek billionaire and his lawyers.

Liberal Democrat leader Ming Campbell made his set piece conference speech today and the Channel 4 News team and I have tried to analyse it. There's also an excellent verbal round-up of what he said in Factcheck. Published above and here.

'Tis the season for seaside drawings and laughing at Ming Campbell. Image drawn for the Local Government Association.

It's very busy this week, but I shall have something to show for it soon...

In the meantime, you might want to keep an eye on National Service, a public-spirited digital service from Tim Ireland, Justin McKeating and Clive Summerfield. If previous form is anything to go by, it won't be dull and it will be, in National Power’s, Peter Purves-ese, EN-lightening...

The former Chairman of the US Federal Reserve Bank, Alan Greenspan, for 18 years probably the second most-powerful man on the planet,* admits what the whole world knew to be true. The invasion of Iraq was really about control of oil supplies.
Link from The Times.

* after Dick Cheney.

I never feel like I need an excuse to watch this fantastic piece of visual story-telling again...kudos to the director, Professor Wesch

A recent commission.

Google recently signed business deals with four major providers of information to newspapers all around the globe.

This has, potentially, very major implications for all existing print media. The news gathered at source does not have to go through the existing media structures to get to market (the readers). Why would anyone bother to read a paper when you can get the unfiltered content direct from your contact with a search engine?

Hat-tip to Matthew Ingram who writes about it here

A hat-tip to Roy Greenslade

Who'd be a four-star American general asked to lay the political groundwork for a PR face-saving back on the homefront? Published above and here.

There are some enlightening statistics about the war in Iraq, four years after the invasion and toppling of Saddam Hussein, here.

It's the Dunkirk spirit which gets us through... published here and here.

It is a busy time of year for political cartoonists and a lot of old rhetoric is about to get recycled. A commissioned drawing for the Local Government Association.

A sign of the times.

A commissioned illustration for Eurobusiness magazine.

Here is a simple and creative piece of thinking about interactive journalism. Hat tip to the Olympian newspaper which is based in Washington State on the north west coast of the US, I think.

Published here and below.


...most definitely gawn but not forgot...

An amazing piece of technology which seems to have rather large implications for the way we use images in the digital world. I predict there will be plenty of reporting ethical issues to come with some of later features this video reveals too. A hat-tip to Shane Richmond at The Telegraph for a fine find.

A short nugget of information from Mr Chicken Yogurt which relates to the cartoon below. This image was drawn for No2id.



When you visit the link, you will discover a story from The Independent, about record-keeping and its problems. It is the simple observation that humans are not very good at keeping them. Then let yourself think about the scale of the task which the government is setting for itself in recording intimate details for all of us who live and move in and out of the UK. Remember too, the problems the government had when attempting to record a single simple fact, exactly who lived where, for the Community Charge (or Poll Tax.) Then see the record keeping disaster which is heading our way if the ID card project goes ahead. And bad records mean legal and administrative mistakes about you and me.

Tired of the bad weather and fancy a summer abroad? Published here and below

A new political magazine cover image. Of course, a lot of these things actually missed their targets...but it only took one.

Exciting news (for me), I've cracked the long-running Britblog roundup, which you can read here. Many thanks to Matt Wardman.

A recent commissioned drawing for the Times Educational Supplement about the inspection regime for higher education teaching.

Drawn about the threat of the Heathrow climate camp eco-warriors (well, it's sort of a threat...more of a mild dissent really.It's published here - and below.

The World of Hack, or, megalomania beckons, as my significant other calls it.

Time to think about leaving the country.



Image drawn for No2ID

Anybody who makes editorial or commercial content knows innovation is hard to do.

It's time-consuming, usually unpaid and even when complete as a product, is often still difficult to bring to market.

But of course, it is also essential to the economic and creative survival of the people making it.

Neil McIntosh explains the paradox and its importance nicely here by examining a couple of high-profile attempts at innovation from the world of journalism.

The contrast between Neil's stories about two institutional views of innovation and my own experience as a sole practitioner might make a whole new series of posts...but maybe not today...

Poor bloody cows.

This new political animation is published here.

My colleague, Morten, also has some more interesting news on developments in America.

Here's the latest 3D animation from Kevin 'Kal' Kallaugher. KAL formerly of the Baltimore Sun, whom I wrote about here, back in April. It's interesting to see how far he has pushed his new methods.

To be honest, I'm not a big fan at present, as I think it loses the bite of what he can deliver as shown, here and here, but that's probably just bitterness talking. At least, he is trying to do something new with the artform.
(A hat-tip to friend and former colleague, journalist James Watson for the link)

UPDATE: Re doing new things with the artform or here, below. Our former prime Minister, Tony Blair has been made a Peace Envoy to the middle east. This after all we have learned about his role in the invasion of Iraq! the annopuncement coincided with the tenth anniversary of Diana, Princess of Wales.


UPDATE:

There's a reaction to Kal's work by The Times's Morten Morland here . Morten makes a good point that the animated drawing above, is still, clearly a portfolio piece and isn't yet, a proper, functioning, animated cartoon. There isn't much evidence of Kal'ism, or his opinions in it yet. It's simply a drawing of Bush doing daft physical things - or prat gags as I know them.

Morten puts it better than me;

Despite the fact that it’s a promo piece however, the self-importance that is such a prominent feature in this, and of much of what the KAL animation team has published to date, is becoming somewhat tedious.

Our national flag carrier airline, British Airways (or BA, as it calls itself now) has been fined for manipulating the price of transatlantic air tickets.



Foolishly, it had trusted that its partner in crime, Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic, wouldn't snitch to the US regulators about the price-fixing cartel they were running. But Beardie's chaps squealed and now BA are facing some very hefty fines.

Amazingly, Virgin got let off for telling... and there are some very unhappy customers of both companies around now.

Free market economics, my arse, to paraphrase someone intelligent.

Channel 4 News

Several examples of 'snap' from the newspaper cartoonists this morning after the death of film director Ingmar Bergman and the visit of Gordon Brown to George Bush at Camp David. (What a sentence that is, when you reread it.)

Peter Brookes of The Times has this - and so does Jas, who is covering for Nick Garland at the Telegraph.

Dave Brown in the Indy has more of a gag treatment for the same image - and it's the one that made me laugh.

Steve Bell's done a variation on the theme. His drawing of Brown is particularly lovely, with his head in his hands and I bet it is too.

If you read nothing else today, read this.

Courtesy of the well-informed Rod McKie. Having read his post, I like to think that a good idea will survive the end of the person who had it.

In the list of the-gone-someplace-else that Rod has compiled, I have a particular fondness for Doug Marlette, an American editorial cartoonist, who had bags of attitude and which fuelled his powerful, provocative and well-informed drawings.

In Doug's own words, 'If Elvis had drawn, he would have drawn cartoons.'

This morning, the media coverage has reached Oxford. I wonder how the recently flooded people of North Hull, Rotherham, Barnsley, Sheffield, South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire generally are feeling.

This drawing is for Tribune.

After the deluge, me. And some facts from the Channel 4 web site.

Here is a brilliant piece of interactivity from graphics journalist Paddy Allen.

And, if you wondered what the political and economic effect of the floods was going to be, here are two You Tube videos of the Vodafone Headquarters near Newbury. They are clearly, going to be out of commission for a while.

As Paddy's graphic explains, the water is heading downstream from Wiltshire and the headwaters of the Thames towards major cities like Oxford and Reading.
The Guardian are also reporting that the nuclear weapons establishment at Burghfield in Berkshire is already affected by the flooding.

Courtesy of photo-journalist Sean Smith and The Guardian. As a short analysis of why nobody wins a war, this is hard to beat.

This weekend's publishing event. There is some interesting detail on the economics of the Potter phenomenon here, courtesy of Danuta Kean.

Dr David Kelly was found dead on this day in 2003. This cartoon never saw the light of publication at that time.

How could anyone miss the retired John Prescott when Boris Johnson is still so much a part of our public life? The efforts made by our finest cartoonists today, in honour of Bonking Boris's intended run for Mayor of London, shows the esteem in which this dangerously wily creature is viewed.

Peter Brookes in The Times - Steve Bell in The Guardian and Dave Brown in the Indy

And on something completely different, a hat tip to Nick Garland at the Telegraph for a nice joke - click the picture link under comment too see it.

Anything that helps you get the idea down clearly is attractive to someone who draws

Published here - and below. A 'green' jet plane was launched on the world this week.

Gordon Brown's highly trailed use of cabinet government appears highly selective already - Britain's first supercasino in Manchester is apparently doomed.

Published here.

Drawing porn.

Now this, promises to be terrific - although a bit irritating if you shelled out for a book copy of his complete drawings ...

A drawing about the use of increasing use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) inside the NHS.

An elegant piece of interactive content from the Guardian. The prologue of the Tour de France in a beautifully car-less and sunny London was fantastic too.

Joel Mishon, owner of Cartoonstock, has kindly made a thoughtful contribution to the long-running debate about syndicates and stock artwork. His comment, (which is No.9, No 9...) is well worth a read.

And it was good to be told we were having a balanced debate. Cheers Joel.

This week's animated news cartoon for Channel Four News - living in the age of terror.

We've tried to do a contemplative piece about some of the things, apart from human lives, we are all busy trying to protect...

Published here.

Chichi Parrish has a beautiful joke about the new smoking ban here. Double-click on the image at the other end for a good view.

An interesting week for people who enjoy drawing and jokes because of two excellent exhibitions which are due to open.

The first, on Thursday, is a huge Heath Robinson show at the Cartoon Museum on Little Russell Street, near to the British Museum. Robinson is most famous for his quirky mechanical contraption jokes and this will be a very popular show.

And on Friday, the irrepressible Tim Benson launches Iraq in cartoons. This show will be packed with the best of editorial talent in the country, including Tanya Tier - a highly talented and hardworking satirist who organised the recent Birds of War show.

Courtesy of Rod McKie's blog, comes sad news of Bud Handelsmann's death. He was a fine and funny US cartoonist. Rod has posted some excellent examples of his work from Freaky Fables, a long-running and excellent set of parodies of well-known tales and myths. It's well-worth a look. And a laugh is a great way to remember someone.