Chris Madden Cartoons

A searchable archive for licensing

Environment illustration – the Earth slipping through an hourglass

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Environment cartoon - Hourglass Earth

An environmental cartoon showing the Earth slipping through an hourglass like grains of sand

The earth is pouring through the hourglass like sand, showing that time is running out for the world as we know it, as a result of anthropogenic environmental degradation.
The metaphor of the hourglass is especially relevant to the over use of the earth’s natural resources such as minerals and fossil fuels that are obtained by mining, as it is these minerals that are slipping through the hourglass

An illustration about climate change, global warming, resource depletion and mineral use.
The image was first drawn in 1991

See an alternative version of this cartoon

Cartoon reference number: a467

Environment cartoon – environmental forecasting

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globe falling in rubbish bin cartoon

Environment cartoon – environmental forecasting

A cartoon showing the earth or globe dropping off its mount and falling into a rubbish bin.
The globe is in the office of an organisation called “The Institute of Environmental Forecasting” (a fictitious organisation as far as I know)

This is a cartoon about predictions of the future of the world as a result of man-made or anthropogenic environmental changes such as global warming, climate change, resource depletion, species extinction, human population increase – the list goes on!

Cartoon reference number: a464

Pollution cartoon – the earth choking to death on car exhaust fumes

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Toxic car exhaust fumes - cartoon

Atmospheric pollution cartoon

A cartoon showing the earth or globe inside a car, with a tube connecting the car’s exhaust pipe to the inside of the car. The implication of the cartoon is that the earth is committing suicide by poisoning itself on vehicle exhaust fumes.
The wider implication of the image is that the world is suffocating due to the effects of multiple toxic emissions, pollutants and contaminants that are a by-product of the modern industrial society

Cartoon reference number: a463

Global warming cartoon

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Global warming thermometer cartoon

Environment cartoon
Climate change cartoon

An illustration showing the earth or globe as the bulb of a thermometer that is measuring the temperature rise caused by anthropogenic global warming.
The liquid in the thermometer is bursting out of the top, signifying the possible calamitous and disastrous outcome of global warming

Cartoon reference number: a462

Wind turbine cartoon

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wind turbines cartoon - blot on the landscape compared to motorway?

Wind power cartoon
Are wind turbines a blot on the landscape?

A motorist on a crowded motorway complaining that wind turbines are eyesores.
A cartoon about renewable energy, electricity generation, road policy, sustainable development and sustainability.

Cartoon reference number: env052a
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Impulse buyer cartoon – how to stop impulse buying

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Impulse buy cartoon

Impulse buying cartoon

A cartoon showing an impulse buyer impulsively purchasing a self-help book about how to stop impulse buying

A cartoon about consumerism, the consumer society, self-help books, impulsive personality types, spending, consumption, marketing, the book trade, shopping

Cartoon reference number: a461

Insecticide cartoon. Polluting the planet with pesticides

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insecticide cartoon

Insecticide cartoon
Polluting the planet with pesticides

A cartoon showing an insect being sprayed with insecticide.
The insect is a beetle with the pattern on its shell being a map of the earth

The cartoon illustrates the concept of the global impact of the use of toxic chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides and insecticides.
It reflects the ideas in such books as Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
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: a460

Seal hunters cartoon

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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

Anthropocene cartoon – mass extinction events

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iridium layer anthropocene cartoon

Anthropocene cartoon
Is the human race heading for a mass extinction event?

A cartoon showing geological rock strata and fossils, including the iridium layer that appeared at the time of the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.

The rock strata also include a layer of manufactured waste that is directly above the layer of rock that contains fossils of humans

The implication is that while the event that created the iridium layer destroyed the dinosaurs, the event that created the layer of anthropogenic waste destroyed the human race.
The current geological era or epoch is sometimes referred to as the anthropocene, as the major influence on the environment is the human race.
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: a458

Non-recyclable packaging cartoon. Fast food carton cartoon

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Polystyrene packed earth burger cartoon

Non-recyclable packaging cartoon
Burger carton cartoon, where the burger bun represents the earth

A cartoon dealing with the problem of non-recyclable waste as illustrated by a polystyrene fast food carton

The burger bun has a pattern on it that resembles a map or globe, signifying the global environmental problem of waste management, pollution and pollutants
Cartoon reference number: a457
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Recycling cartoon. Woman putting man in recycling bin

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man in recycling bin cartoon

Recycling waste cartoon
Woman putting man in recycling bin

A cartoon showing a woman thinking of putting her partner or husband into the recycling waste. He is standing idly thinking of sport while she is busy doing the household chores (in this case doing the recycling by visiting the local recycling centre).

As well as being about recycling and sustainability the cartoon is about gender differences, couple incompatibility, partner resentment

Cartoon reference number: a456

Roadkill cartoon. Roadside wildlife guidebook cartoon.

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Roadside wildlife roadkill 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
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Save the smallpox virus cartoon – save the whale cartoon

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smallpox virus cartoon

Fish stock depletion cartoon

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

The cartoon draws attention to the concept of ‘poster species’, or animal species that are used for campaigning purposes for environmental issues. (This cartoon isn’t a criticism of this tendency, which is a natural human tendency due to our evolutionary responses to the natural world.)
A cartoon about animal rights, speciesism.

Cartoon reference number: a453

Fish stock depletion cartoon. Over fishing cartoon

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world map - fish pond - cartoon

Fish stock depletion cartoon
Over fishing cartoon

Cartoon of a man fishing in a pond, and complaining that there aren’t any fish left to fish.
The pond is in the form of a map of the world

The pond in the cartoon is a metaphor for the oceans of the world.
The concept is that people have in the past (and even today) thought of the earth’s oceans as being almost endless and full of unlimited supplies of fish. While in fact the oceans are relatively small, especially when the rising human population puts so much pressure on the fish stocks
Cartoon reference number: a452
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Big game hunters cartoon – hunting endangered species

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big game hunters hunting butterfly cartoon

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

Ship of Fools cartoon – the earth heading for disaster

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globe - Ship of Fools cartoon

Ship of Fools illustration

Is the earth, and the human race, heading for disaster (because people seem to be only capable of short term planning)?

An environmental cartoon showing the earth as a ship, represented by half a globe, with people on the deck enjoying themselves, oblivious of the fact that they are steering the world towards catastophe

The illustration shows the world’s population as the passengers and crew of the Ship of Fools (or the fools on the ship)

First version drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: a449

Landfill cartoon – waste management cartoon

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quarry - landfill cartoon

Landfill cartoon
Waste management cartoon

Environment cartoon showing waste being dumped as landfill in a disused quarry

One of the businessmen is saying “The indigenous inhabitants of this land had a wise saying: ‘Every time you take something from the Earth you must give something back’.”
The joke in the cartoon is about the way in which some modern capitalist companies affect an ecological ethic, often shown by folksy slogans on product packaging
A cartoon about consumer waste, waste management and disposal, recycling, rubbish disposal.

First version drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: a447

Save the smallpox virus – cartoon

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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

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Why there are no unicorns - Noah ark cartoon

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

Bottled water cartoon – and the developing world water supply

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Water carrier - desert and bottle - cartoon

Water supply cartoon – bottled water

An illustration commenting on the difference between the water supply in the developing world and the water supply in the developed world.
A comparison between lifestyles in the first world and the third world
The cartoon points out the huge distances over which bottled water is transported

A image shows a developing world woman carrying water on her head for a long distance, compared to a plastic bottle of water
Cartoon reference number: a443

Endangered species cartoon – mammoth extinction

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Why the mammoth died out cartoon

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

Global warming cartoons – global warming benefitting industry

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Environment cartoons

Environment cartoon – global warming and consumerism.

An environmental cartoon showing executives in a firm that manufactures refrigerators discussing global warming.
They are saying that the more the world warms up, the more people will want to buy fridges

An illustration of the truth behind the expression It’s an ill wind that blows nobody good, and the way that capitalism can benefit from adversity.
The point of this cartoon is that to some extent the creators of global warming will benefit from it.
Maybe they even sponsor climate change denial research!

Original version drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: a441

Tree of life cartoon – man shooting wildlife in the tree of life

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tree of life cartoon - shooting

Man shooting animals and birds in the tree of life – cartoon

An illustration showing the tree of life, with a man standing on an uppermost branch killing all of the wildlife in the tree.
The bones of the creatures are scattered under the tree

This drawing was created with dip pen and ink on paper and then scanned into the computer. Colour washes and other modifications were added digitallly

Drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: a439

Cartoon – questioning whether wind turbines are a blot on the landscape

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windmill/wind turbine blot on landscape illustration

A windmill/wind turbine – blot on landscape

A cartoon about the debate about wind power, and the argument that wind turbines are a blot on the landscape and a blight on the countryside

The cartoon uses the comparison between modern wind turbines and ‘picturesque’ Dutch windmills (or strictly speaking, wind powered pumps) to question whether wind turbines are a blot on the landscape.

The illustration is in a style that resembles a 17th century Dutch landscape painting, as a way to imply that people’s attitudes don’t change.
A cartoon about nimbys, nimbyism, alternative technology, sustainable energy, green power, environmentalism, natural energy

Cartoon reference number: a430
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Green vote cartoon

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green vote cartoon

An illustration or cartoon about the green vote

A cartoon about the vote for environmental political parties and parties that have an environmental agenda

The cartoon shows a leaf from a tree falling into a ballot box, representing the green vote.

An illustration about democracy, the green movement, the green party, elections, ballots, ballot boxes.

Cartoon reference number: a406

Mushroom illustration – toadstool illustration – fungi

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mushroom illustration - chris madden

A drawing of a mushroom
Fungus illustration
Toadstool sketch

A drawing of a toadstool, mushroom or similar fungus, inspired by a walk in the park in autumn

The fungus in this drawing is a purely impressionistic one, made up on my sketch pad in my studio. It is meant to give the feel for the fungus rather than being a scientific representation of one

A drawing about autumn, fungi, mushrooms, toadstools.
A digital painting of fungus.

Cartoon reference number: a400

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