Arctic Circle Cartoons » cartoons

Genetically Modified Cartoons II

admin — Wed, 11 May 2011 21:41:22 +0000

I learnt about genetic engineering of organisms in university and it seemed like an answer to so many problems – increasing food yield and pest resistance, cleaning up oil spills and other pollution, medical therapies…. I’m not opposed to it in principal, but I’m opposed to the way it is viciously guarded by some of its patent holders (Monsanto springs to mind).

It is fair that companies who have invested millions in developing GMOs should reap the benefits, but I wish they would be more sensitive about it. Suing small-holding farmers for having GMO canola plants from seeds that have blown onto their land and forcing them to destroy all the seed they have been saving (as generations of farmers used to do) is criminal and threatens our food security (diversity of seed stock is key).

A previous comic strip series on genetic engineering is here.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Cartoons

admin — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 00:10:58 +0000

I was happy to get an email from my syndicate in August

In observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we would like to color the Sunday funnies pink! We feel this will send a great message of compassion around a subject close to many of our lives.

I had already coloured and sent the strip for today, so here are both versions:

The pink version of today's Arctic Circle strip

The original Arctic Circle cartoon for 10/10/10

Tim Burton the Cartoonist

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:09:02 +0000

The Tim Burton Exhibition at the ACMI

I never really thought of Tim Burton, the film director, as a cartoonist, but the guy definitely shows the symptoms in his ACMI exhibition. Masses of drawings, a vivid imagination and the desire to tell a story, even in just one panel. You couldn’t take photos, so I had fun trying to sketch some of what I saw.

This started as a sketch on a doodle pad and then became one of his more effective acrylic paintings

There were a lot of fantastic creatures

NB. The exhibition was packed. Even first thing on a Wednesday, a couple of weeks after the exhibition had opened. Despite a $19 entrance fee. This would be unheard of for a cartoonist’s exhibition. Just goes to show that moving pictures are the way to go…

Keeping Chickens Cartoon Series

admin — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 07:29:06 +0000

Keeping chickens is all the rage in urban gardens. It was recently approved in New York City and I guess that’s fine, provided people don’t keep roosters and everything is well-fenced. We lived next to a woman with chickens in New Zealand and the roosters would get us up waaaaaay before dawn, plus the chickens came into our garden and pecked through our veggies like feathered monsters.

Gordo juggles as Oscar does his research

Eggs must lay still for the last 3 days when incubating

chicks imprint on a substitute parent

The chicks aren't too happy with the planned roost

Ed helps out with the chicks

The chicks lost most of their Big Bird imprinting

Wheeler Centre Day of Comics

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 05:33:54 +0000

I went to the Wheeler Centre for the first time at the weekend and met some great cartoonists (badly sketched here).

doodle from a wheeler comic panel

It was cool to talk to Andrew Weldon (and his wife), who cartoons for the Sunday Age

A Weldon clipping I have on my wall

and Dylan Horrocks, who is a well-known Kiwi graphic novelist (I’m really getting into Hicksville).

Hicksville by Dylan Horrocks

You know you’ve been away too long when…

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 02:06:32 +0000

You get commissioned by an old UK client to draw some cartoons about farm bugs and you draw Australian…

I nearly sent this rough off before realising I'd drawn an Australian farmer

spot the difference

Aussie Farmer

I wonder if the client will ask for a flat cap

The tunnel under Flinders Street is bloody brilliant

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:53:31 +0000

Update 11th Feb: And it flooded today but people kept walking through

The tunnel from Flinders Street Station, Platform 1 has always enthralled me. First of all, it pops out by the waffle stand in Degraves Street, like some glorious secret passageway. Second, it has just sprouted a new coffee shop, which I will try, when I have my keepcup with me, as I didn’t want to take a disposable cup.

the underground coffee shop

Third, it has eclectic exhibitions put on by the platform artists group. The last was on the station itself, but the current is on zines – hurrah!!

Part of the exhibition on zine production

The exhibition helped me find the work of Pat Grant. Is this guy in the ACA? I hope so....

NB.There is a fab little zine store in the subterranean arcade and leafing through its contents is like being in a real life version of the internet, with crazy juxtapositions, useful info and a lot of random stuff.