Animals (wild or pets)

Ethical investment illustration

An illustration or cartoon about ethical investment.

The illustration shows a person putting a coin with a map of the world on it into a piggy bank.

The piggy bank symbolises investment and the coin symbolises the world.

Drawn: July 2022

Cartoon reference number: a952
Dog and ball

An environmental illustration or cartoon showing a dog chasing a ball.

The ball is the earth as a globe.

The intension of the illustration is to draw a link between pet ownership and the environment. It was originally drawn for a booklet about how to look after your pet in an environmentally responsible way.

Drawn: July 2022

Cartoon reference number: a950
Marine waste cartoon

A cartoon about marine pollution showing a hermit crab using an old tin can instead of a shell

The cartoon could be interpreted as showing wildlife desperately trying to adapt to a changed ecosystem.
A cartoon about waste recycling, household waste, wildlife in danger.

See an alternative version of this cartoon here.

Cartoon reference number: env094c
Hunting endangered species cartoon

Hunting wildlife to the verge of extinction cartoon.

A cartoon showing hunters hunting a species to the verge of extinction.

A cartoon about endangered species

Drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: env085
Art in the environment cartoon

A modern art sculpture set in a natural setting.

The cartoon shows a modern art sculpture, similar to the work of Barbara Hepworth or Henry Moore, set in the environment. A bird is nesting in the hole in the sculpture.

The sculpture is titled Art in Nature.
.
Cartoon drawn: 2019

Cartoon reference number: art021

This cartoon features in my book of cartoons about art.
See the book here.
Genetically modified pigs will fly

Genetically modified pigs will fly – cartoon.

A cartoon about genetic modification.

This is an example of my cartoon strip published in Chemistry World, the magazine of the Royal Society of Chemistry, round 2014 – 2015.

Cartoon reference number: a721
Save the dolphins cartoon

Cartoon showing a campaigner for protecting dolphins being disappointed to discover that dolphins aren’t vegetarian.

.
A cartoon about the concept that some animal lovers prefer animals that are thought of as nice, cute, gentle etc (which interestingly extends to pet cats, which I frequently see tormenting and killing wildlife)..

The idea refers to some extent to the ‘natural fallacy’, which states that nature is inherently good.

Original version drawn: 1990

Cartoon reference number: a685
Anthropomorphism

A joke about anthropomorphic animals

Anthropomorphism is defined as the giving of human characteristics to animals and other non-human entities.

The humour is in the fact that the rhino reading a book is an anthropomorphic animal, and is reading a book about anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is the projection of human characteristics onto animals

Cartoon drawn: 2012

Cartoon reference number: a326b
Illustration – how to recognise an African elephant

African elephant cartoon

You can tell the difference between African elephants and Indian elephants by their different ears

This illustration shows the larger ear of the African elephant in the shape of a map of Africa

This illustration would be a good illustration for an educational publication or similar

Ref: a637
A butterfly with talons – illustration

A butterfly with hawk talons

An illustration of a butterfly that has talons, turning it into a predator

A surreal digital image of a hybrid butterfly/hawk.
Some of the tension in the image comes from the fact that butterflies are perceived as being benign (which they are, being primarily nectar feeders), while birds of prey are perceived as being powerful and aggressive.

Ref a629
Professor Brian Cox cartoon – we are stardust

Professor Brian Cox cartoon
We are made of stardust

A humorous comment about the fact that all of the elements apart from hydrogen and helium were created inside stars – so everything is made of stardust, including the less pleasant things

The joke here is that when the tv astronomer Professor Brian Cox says that everything is made of stardust he really lays it on thick in a way that many people, especially women, find very attractive. So here the woman is actually saying that she finds Brian Cox attractive, and it even affects her attitude to slugs

See my book on the nature of the universe

Cartoon drawn: 2011

Cartoon reference number: a586
Cartoon – creatures from earth that look like aliens

From my selection of science fiction cartoons
Creatures from earth that look like aliens from another planet

A cartoon showing that life on earth is as weird as extraterrestrial life

This cartoon was drawn many years ago, but is relevant today due to the BBC series Alien Nation, about the bizarre and otherworldly appearance of insects. Fish look pretty weird too don’t you think?

Cartoon reference number: a560
Cartoon – homeopathy for animals

Homeopathy cartoon.
Using homeopathy on animals.

The cartoon shows a giraffe being treated with a homeopathic medicine for a bad neck

A cartoon about alternative medicine.
Practitioners of homeopathy and believers in homeopathic remedies often cite the fact that homeopathy seems to work on animals as proof that it works, as animals can’t be influenced by the placebo effect. It’s my opinion that homeopathy seems to work on animals due to a statistical phenomenon known as ‘regression to the mean’, or in other words, they were quite ill and were probably about to get better anyway (or die).

Cartoon reference number: a546
Lemmings cartoon – the possible consequence of following an authority figure

Lemmings cartoon – the possible consequence of following an authority figure

A cartoon showing lemmings jumping off a cliff

One of the lemmings is warning against following a leader – “Never trust an authority figure – and definitely don’t follow one.”
This isn’t a cartoon warning about all authority figures, or all forms of following – after all, we need a bit of respect in our society. It’s a cartoon about blind allegiance and where it can take you, especially when the person who is being followed has his head turned by power

Cartoon reference number: a536
Tufted duck illustration

Tufted duck illustration
Stylised illustration of a tufted duck

An ornithological illustration of a tufted duck (Aythya fuligula)

This design was inspired by the tufted ducks in my local pond in their breeding plumage – specifically the bright yellow eye against the black plumage of the head.

Cartoon reference number: a506
Animal trap and animal intelligence – cartoon

A hunter trapping animals cartoon

Showing a hunter and a trap or snare set to capture a wild animal.

The trap which is baited with food, and a monkey is approaching it with a hook and line to get the food without setting off the trap.
However, the trap is a sham or decoy trap, and the monkey is trapped in another, real trap

A cartoon about hunting, hunters, trapping, trappers, animal intelligence, intelligent apes, snares, clever animals

Cartoon reference number: a470
Endangered species cartoon – the fur trade

An environmental cartoon about the fur trade and fur coats

A cartoon of an affluent fashionable woman buying a fur coat. The shop sign above the coat reads “Rare furs”
The shop assistant is saying “And getting rarer by the day, madam!”

The message of the cartoon is that some people are totally intellectually divorced or disconnected from the environmental and ecological impact of their actions, with economic and other factors such as social status taking precedence over environmental factors.
In this case the woman and the man are only interested in the status of the fur coat as a fashion item and as a status symbol – to the point that they are actually pleased that they are contributing to the endangered species status of the animal that provided the fur for the coat, as the rarer the animal the more valuable the coat becomes – an economic argument (of very dubious merit) rather than an ecological one

Cartoon reference number: a468
Seal hunters cartoon

Seal hunters cartoon
Fur trappers

A cartoon showing hunters making a hole in the sea ice in order to trap seals.
Meanwhile, a hole is being cut round the trappers.

A cartoon about the fur trade, trapping, seal hunting
An earlier version of this cartoon appeared in my book of environmental cartoons, When Humans Roamed the Earth, published by Earthscan/WWF in 1991

Cartoon reference number: a459
Roadkill cartoon. Roadside wildlife guidebook cartoon.

Roadkill cartoon
Roadside wildlife identification guidebook cartoon.

A cartoon showing a nature guide book for identifying roadside wildlife, in which the images of the wildlife are all squashed by car tyres or are bird strikes

A cartoon about wildlife destruction on roads due to impacts with vehicles.
Animals and birds as victims of vehicle impact

Cartoon reference number: a455
Big game hunters cartoon – hunting endangered species

Endangered species cartoon

Cartoon of big game hunters shooting a butterfly because other species of animal are going extinct due to human pressure and lack of conservation measures

A humorous illustration about endangered species, conservation, species extinction, extinct species
An previous version of this cartoon was published in my environmental cartoon book, When Humans Roamed the Earth, published by WWF/Earthscan

Cartoon reference number: a451
Panda cartoon – endangered species

Protected species cartoon

Environmental cartoon showing pandas breaking into a shop that sells bamboo furniture

Part of the joke here is that pandas are usually depicted as cute and cuddly rather than villainous

A joke about anthropomorphic pandas, pandas as baddies or villains, endangered species

Drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: a448
Save the smallpox virus – cartoon

Save the smallpox virus – cartoon

A parody on “Save the Whale” T-shirts and other T-shirts with slogans or messages on them
It’s also a cartoon about our attitudes to different species of animal, and which ones we feel moved to want to save (usually cute, cuddly, furry ones).

It’s also about animal rights, and where they should stop.

First version drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: a446
Noah’s ark cartoon – why there are no unicorns

Noah’s ark with unicorns cartoon

Why the unicorns didn’t get into Noah’s ark

A comic illustration showing animals going into Noah’s ark, with men dressing up as pantomime horses in order to be stowaways on the ark, after having tied up the unicorns
The image is about mythological creatures, species extinction, extinct animals, endangered species.
Original version drawn: 2001

Cartoon reference number: un444
Endangered species cartoon – mammoth extinction

Extinction cartoon – the mammoth
Endangered species cartoon

An environmental cartoon about conservation and how animal species become extinct due to human exploitation and pressure

In the image a mammoth’s foot has been turned into a wastepaper bin in an office used by a caveman, in a similar way that elephant’s feet were turned into furniture before the implications of such practices were appreciated

Part of the joke here is the anachronism of having a prehistoric caveman sitting at an office desk.

Drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: a442
Badger badge art – badger illustration

An illustration of a badger, designed for badger badges

A badger drawing or painting, drawn specifically for badges about badgers.
This image was drawn due to the fact that at the moment there’s a debate in the UK about culling badgers in an attempt to stop the spread of bovine tb

This badger badge design is drawn/painted in a graphic style, as badgers lend themselves very well to a graphic art treatment, being so black and white as they are

Cartoon reference number: a413
Badger design – another image from a series of badgers

An illustration of a badger

A badger drawing or painting.
This image was drawn due to the fact that at the moment there’s a debate in the UK about culling badgers in an attempt to stop the spread of bovine tb

This badger is drawn/painted in a graphic style, as badgers lend themselves very well to a graphic art treatment, being so black and white as they are

Cartoon reference number: a412
Badger artwork

An illustration of a badger

A badger drawing or painting, drawn due to the fact that in the UK at the moment there’s a debate about whether it’s a good idea or not to cull badgers in an attempt to stop the spread of bovine tb

This badger is drawn/painted in a graphic style, as badgers are lend themselves to a graphic art treatment, being so black and white as they are

Cartoon reference number: a410
Badger illustration

An illustration of a badger

Badger drawing or painting

A deliberately distorted image of a badger. The graphic art approach to this image of a badger is because the shape and markings of badgers lend themselves to the graphic style. It would look good as a wood block print or similar craft image .
This drawing was created due to the current debate about culling badgers to try to stop bovine tb.

Cartoon reference number: a409
African elephant logo

African elephant logo

A logo about African wildlife, featuring an African elephant with a map of Africa as its ear

This illustration may make a suitable logo for a wildlife organisation or environmental campaign group campaigning against the killing of elephants for the ivory trade.
A logo on the theme of “Save the African elephant”

Ref a638
halloween lanterns in garden to scare cats – cartoon

Autumn gardening cartoon – halloween cartoon

Cartoon showing a gardener painting halloween lantern faces onto his prize pumpkins.

He is painting the halloween faces onto the pumpkins in an attempt to scare cats away so that they don’t damage his garden (such as by using his freshly dug seed beds as a cat toilet).

Cartoon reference number: a272

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Animals (wild or pets)

An illustration or cartoon about ethical investment.

The illustration shows a person putting a coin with a map of the world on it into a piggy bank.

The piggy bank symbolises investment and the coin symbolises the world.

Drawn: July 2022

Cartoon reference number: a952

An environmental illustration or cartoon showing a dog chasing a ball.

The ball is the earth as a globe.

The intension of the illustration is to draw a link between pet ownership and the environment. It was originally drawn for a booklet about how to look after your pet in an environmentally responsible way.

Drawn: July 2022

Cartoon reference number: a950

A cartoon about marine pollution showing a hermit crab using an old tin can instead of a shell

The cartoon could be interpreted as showing wildlife desperately trying to adapt to a changed ecosystem. A cartoon about waste recycling, household waste, wildlife in danger.

See an alternative version of this cartoon here.

Cartoon reference number: env094c

Hunting wildlife to the verge of extinction cartoon.

A cartoon showing hunters hunting a species to the verge of extinction.

A cartoon about endangered species

Drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: env085

A modern art sculpture set in a natural setting.

The cartoon shows a modern art sculpture, similar to the work of Barbara Hepworth or Henry Moore, set in the environment. A bird is nesting in the hole in the sculpture.

The sculpture is titled Art in Nature. . Cartoon drawn: 2019

Cartoon reference number: art021

This cartoon features in my book of cartoons about art. See the book here.

Genetically modified pigs will fly – cartoon.

A cartoon about genetic modification.

This is an example of my cartoon strip published in Chemistry World, the magazine of the Royal Society of Chemistry, round 2014 – 2015.

Cartoon reference number: a721

Cartoon showing a campaigner for protecting dolphins being disappointed to discover that dolphins aren’t vegetarian.

. A cartoon about the concept that some animal lovers prefer animals that are thought of as nice, cute, gentle etc (which interestingly extends to pet cats, which I frequently see tormenting and killing wildlife)..

The idea refers to some extent to the ‘natural fallacy’, which states that nature is inherently good.

Original version drawn: 1990

Cartoon reference number: a685

A joke about anthropomorphic animals

Anthropomorphism is defined as the giving of human characteristics to animals and other non-human entities.

The humour is in the fact that the rhino reading a book is an anthropomorphic animal, and is reading a book about anthropomorphism Anthropomorphism is the projection of human characteristics onto animals

Cartoon drawn: 2012

Cartoon reference number: a326b

African elephant cartoon

You can tell the difference between African elephants and Indian elephants by their different ears

This illustration shows the larger ear of the African elephant in the shape of a map of Africa

A butterfly with hawk talons

An illustration of a butterfly that has talons, turning it into a predator

A surreal digital image of a hybrid butterfly/hawk. Some of the tension in the image comes from the fact that butterflies are perceived as being benign (which they are, being primarily nectar feeders), while birds of prey are perceived as being powerful and aggressive.

Professor Brian Cox cartoon We are made of stardust

A humorous comment about the fact that all of the elements apart from hydrogen and helium were created inside stars – so everything is made of stardust, including the less pleasant things

See my book on the nature of the universe

Cartoon drawn: 2011

Cartoon reference number: a586

From my selection of science fiction cartoons Creatures from earth that look like aliens from another planet

A cartoon showing that life on earth is as weird as extraterrestrial life

Cartoon reference number: a560

Homeopathy cartoon. Using homeopathy on animals.

The cartoon shows a giraffe being treated with a homeopathic medicine for a bad neck

Cartoon reference number: a546

Lemmings cartoon – the possible consequence of following an authority figure

A cartoon showing lemmings jumping off a cliff

Cartoon reference number: a536

Tufted duck illustration Stylised illustration of a tufted duck

An ornithological illustration of a tufted duck (Aythya fuligula)

This design was inspired by the tufted ducks in my local pond in their breeding plumage – specifically the bright yellow eye against the black plumage of the head.

Cartoon reference number: a506

A hunter trapping animals cartoon

Showing a hunter and a trap or snare set to capture a wild animal.

Cartoon reference number: a470

An environmental cartoon about the fur trade and fur coats

A cartoon of an affluent fashionable woman buying a fur coat. The shop sign above the coat reads “Rare furs” The shop assistant is saying “And getting rarer by the day, madam!”

Cartoon reference number: a468

Seal hunters cartoon Fur trappers

A cartoon showing hunters making a hole in the sea ice in order to trap seals. Meanwhile, a hole is being cut round the trappers.

Cartoon reference number: a459

Roadkill cartoon Roadside wildlife identification guidebook cartoon.

A cartoon showing a nature guide book for identifying roadside wildlife, in which the images of the wildlife are all squashed by car tyres or are bird strikes

A cartoon about wildlife destruction on roads due to impacts with vehicles. Animals and birds as victims of vehicle impact

Cartoon reference number: a455

Endangered species cartoon

Cartoon of big game hunters shooting a butterfly because other species of animal are going extinct due to human pressure and lack of conservation measures

Cartoon reference number: a451

Protected species cartoon

The cartoon could be interpreted as showing wildlife desperately trying to adapt to a changed ecosystem.
A cartoon about waste recycling, household waste, wildlife in danger.

The sculpture is titled Art in Nature.
.
Cartoon drawn: 2019

This cartoon features in my book of cartoons about art.
See the book here.

.
A cartoon about the concept that some animal lovers prefer animals that are thought of as nice, cute, gentle etc (which interestingly extends to pet cats, which I frequently see tormenting and killing wildlife)..

The humour is in the fact that the rhino reading a book is an anthropomorphic animal, and is reading a book about anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is the projection of human characteristics onto animals

A surreal digital image of a hybrid butterfly/hawk.
Some of the tension in the image comes from the fact that butterflies are perceived as being benign (which they are, being primarily nectar feeders), while birds of prey are perceived as being powerful and aggressive.

Professor Brian Cox cartoon
We are made of stardust

From my selection of science fiction cartoons
Creatures from earth that look like aliens from another planet

Homeopathy cartoon.
Using homeopathy on animals.

Tufted duck illustration
Stylised illustration of a tufted duck

A cartoon of an affluent fashionable woman buying a fur coat. The shop sign above the coat reads “Rare furs”
The shop assistant is saying “And getting rarer by the day, madam!”

Seal hunters cartoon
Fur trappers

A cartoon showing hunters making a hole in the sea ice in order to trap seals.
Meanwhile, a hole is being cut round the trappers.

Roadkill cartoon
Roadside wildlife identification guidebook cartoon.

A cartoon about wildlife destruction on roads due to impacts with vehicles.
Animals and birds as victims of vehicle impact

A parody on “Save the Whale” T-shirts and other T-shirts with slogans or messages on them
It’s also a cartoon about our attitudes to different species of animal, and which ones we feel moved to want to save (usually cute, cuddly, furry ones).

Extinction cartoon – the mammoth
Endangered species cartoon

A badger drawing or painting, drawn specifically for badges about badgers.
This image was drawn due to the fact that at the moment there’s a debate in the UK about culling badgers in an attempt to stop the spread of bovine tb

A badger drawing or painting.
This image was drawn due to the fact that at the moment there’s a debate in the UK about culling badgers in an attempt to stop the spread of bovine tb

This illustration may make a suitable logo for a wildlife organisation or environmental campaign group campaigning against the killing of elephants for the ivory trade.
A logo on the theme of “Save the African elephant”