I Made 20 Cartoons In Hope To Make People Laugh Or Smile

When I was a teen, I stopped drawing and became interested in making short films, but still loved reading cartoons. When I left high school, I studied a bachelor of Film & TV, later working in television, first as a creative trainee, then for ‘Funniest Home Videos.’ In my mid twenties, I became ill with ME/CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) and had to move back to the small town I grew up in to be looked after by my parents. ME/CFS is a complex debilitating medical condition. I was bedbound and housebound for about 12 years. I was unable to watch TV, listen to music, or do the simplest of tasks. The only thing I was able to do was look at simple pictures with few words, and voice ideas into a voice recorder.

During this time, I started dreaming about being a cartoonist. My mum started buying me lots of cartoon books. I still have an ever-growing collection today. I voiced thousands of cartoon ideas, some which made no sense, while others I’ve turned into cartoons when I was able to draw again. It was years before I was well enough to draw again. To start with, I was only able to draw simple stick figures, then eventually more complex single-panel cartoons, which you see here.

I collected John Callaghan cartoon books, and realized he also had a disability. Despite his profound disability, he became quite an influential cartoonist. Extremely funny.

Inspired and determined by Callaghan’s story, I started creating my own cartoons about the absurdities of life.

I find inspiration from many different cartoonists, from Gary Larson, to New Yorker cartoonists to many Australian creators, like Michael Leunig, Andrew Weldon, and Oslo Davis.

I draw all my cartoons now, pen on paper. I use pigment ink on 300gsm card stock, then greyscale alcohol markers to shade and colour in. I use the computer to scan the cartoons and affinity photo to do touch-ups. I then take the image into my iPad to do the final touches in the app ‘Procreate.’ I’m not able to use the iPad for long as I get headaches and nausea. Unfortunately, my ME/CFS still affects me. I try to draw about two cartoons a week.

For me, coming up with the idea is very important. As Bob Mancoff, former editor of the New Yorker, says, “it’s not the ink, it’s the think.” A cartoon is like a single frame of a film, it has to tell a story in one image. I’ve always loved brainstorming ideas. I often use mind mapping, and see if anything pops out at me. Other times a conversation with a friend sparks an idea or looking at other cartoons might inspire new material.

Hopefully, I make people laugh or smile with my cartoons. I share my cartoons on all social media platforms. Thanks for reading.