Happy new Year
Happy New year! May next year be as eventful as this one and you get all that you deserve (you never know, someone might treat you to one of my cartoon books!). See you all again next year, with a slightly different format ...
Echo-sketch
Merry Christmas folks. I'm off to see what Santa has left under the tree for me. It might be a new computer (fingers crossed) or it might be the usual socks, an orange and a bag of nuts!
Wheelchair user?!
Some people just don't get it do they. I use a wheelchair when I need to, and when I don't, I don't - if you see what I mean?! I've lost count of the number of times I've revisited a venue to be told 'I thought you were in a wheelchair?!' 'Yes, I was, the last time I visited. But I'm OK today and don't need it'. This is usually followed by a suspicious look! It's the same with blue badges. I use mine when I need to, and when I don't need to, I park in a 'normal' space. Simple enough I would have thought?! Anyway, this cartoon is based on this situation and the possible follow-on.
Thursday 20th December 2007
OK. Enough of that. Here's another cartoon taking a light hearted look at the progress that's been made in the name of Disability in the UK - or not, as it happens! I've produced many variations on this theme over the years and am really looking forward to the time that I can create something that gives the reverse message - OK, and pigs might fly!
Wednesday, December 19th 2007
You'll find the following cartoon on the science blog that has been started on this web site. Our Editor Colin asked me for a contribution and this was it. It's quite an interesting blog to read if you get the time with contributions coming in from academic crips and scientists alike. It'll be worth watching as things develope in this area.
Tuesday, December 18th 2007
I rarely get feedback from those organisations that I target in some of my work, such as the Arts Council. However, the other day I did recieve an email from a woman who claimed to work at the said organisation. She accused me of having a biased outlook and that I only ever created cartoons that looked at the negative side of issues. I couldn't really argue with her, as this is what I do. This following cartoon is therefore dedicated to Joan (as she signed herself).
Thursday, December 13th 2007
Sorry about this following one folks. I can hear the groans from here, especially from our Editor! Well, there is a lot of it going around isn't there?! I actually had to amend this cartoon as when I first created it the bug was quite horrific and I didn't want to be accused of frightening the children or those of you with a sensitive disposition!
Clocking out
This idea came after watching a market stall holder doing his patter with a tray of watches. I asked him if he had any that had more than 24 hours on their face? I won't tell you his reply - no sense of humour some people! Anyway, this cartoon came out of the incident.
Bloody computers!
Bloody computer! It's now decided that it doesn't recognise another bit of the software that I use to produce my cartoons for the web. Although not having resorted to throwing it out of the window, I'm coming pretty close!
Legless
And OK. I know that the octopus one isn't festive, but it made me chuckle, and I drew it! I think I may have got the idea from the American Disabled cartoonist Callahan who drew a cartoon of an alien with one of it's three legs missing, begging in a wheelchair as other three legged aliens walked by. Still, I'm sure that he's got some ideas from me!
Snowman
This next snowman one got included in a batch of equality cartoons I produced for a trainer oop North.
Singing for the disabled
As Christmas draws closer and this old laptop of mine gradually gives up more of the ghost, I thought I'd amuse you with some of the cartoons I've been creating with a festive theme. Most of these are being used on cards and newsletters around the Disabled community, so keep your eyes open.
I based this cartoon on an experience one of my Disabled mates in the UK related to me the other week. We'll call him Ben. He described having to struggle to the door after hearing the bell go and having only just got into the loo for some much needed relief! The bell push was repeatedly pressed despite his shouting out that he was on his way and it didn't stop until he pulled the door open.
'Good evening sir' said a man with his back to him and his arms raised ready to conduct a group of carol singers, 'We're collecting for charity. What carol would you like us to sing?' Ben, always at the cutting edge of equality, asked the first thing that came into his mind 'What charity?!' The man turned, and looked into the space where he expected Ben's head to be. 'The Disabled' he replied. Then dropped his gaze down to Ben sitting in his wheelchair. 'Oh!' was all he could utter. 'Oh indeed mate!'.
Hoops!
I’ve created several cartoons around this theme over the past several months or so, and this idea came to me as I was looking at some old sketches I’d done of crips having to jump through the proverbial hoops in order to get anywhere. Even though I say so myself, I think the use of the Olympic hoops in this context says it all at the moment!
Incidentally, I’ve now got six new e-books up on the Crippen web site as well as a cartoon calendar. The books cover everything from the Social Model to sex (thought that would get your attention!). Let me know what you think if you decide to indulge yourselves.
Billions!
As I mentioned earlier in this blog and also in a couple of my cartoon e-books, funding within the UK is continuing to be sucked into a huge void labelled ‘The 2012 Olympic games’. At the time of writing the bill for this has risen to a spectacular £9 billion from its original estimate of £2.5 billion. It’s also likely to go even higher as we now discover that the Government may have overestimated the money (by £1 billion) it can get for land it plans to sell off after 2012.
We know that this has had a knock on effect with funding that would normally go to disability arts, for example, and that most of this spending will go towards supporting a belief structure that encourages the worship of the body perfect. Of course there’ll be the ‘Special Olympics’, but let’s not kid ourselves that this isn’t anything more than a token attempt at inclusion for the Disabled members of society (if in fact we wanted to take part in this gratuatus display of patronisation by the non-disabled organisors).