Chris Madden Cartoons

A searchable archive for licensing

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A tribute to William Heath Robinson

October 13, 2016 by chrismadden

Tribute to William Heath Robinson cartoon

Heath Robinson style cartoon - detail

Detail

This cartoon was drawn as a tribute to William Heath Robinson on the occasion of the opening of the new Heath Robinson Museum in Pinner (where Heath Robinson lived).

This cartoon shows a Heath Robinson style contraption and is captioned “A contraption for capturing unusually shaped clouds”.

Cartoon reference number: a749

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Filed Under: DIY, MORE

Weird illustration of a person with a padlock as a head – and the key as a pet

November 1, 2014 by chrismadden

Surreal cartoon of a person with a padlock as a head and a key as a pet

Bizarre illustration of a padlock as a person’s head

A bizarre or surrealist image showing a person with a padlock as a head – and with the padlock’s key on a lead like a pet dog.
The image was created with no specific meaning, although it’s probably an unconscious metaphor for something as it gives the impression of aspiring to be psychologically meaningful.

Perhaps it’s meant to refer in some ways to psychology or psychological processes, the workings of the mind, the conceptualisation of ideas and such like. Perhaps it’s about the way that people become locked into particular patterns of thought and behaviour (while possessing the key to their release).
A cartoon about cognition, thought processes, psychiatry, the mind.
I think it owes a debt to surrealist art, with a touch of Rene Magritte or salvador Dali in there

Date created: 2013
Cartoon reference number: a602

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Filed Under: MORE, Philosophy Cartoons, Therapy

A hammer nailed down by nails

September 9, 2014 by chrismadden

Conceptual illustration. A hammer nailed down

Conceptual political illustration or cartoon
A hammer nailed down. Did the nails nail down the hammer to stop the hammer hitting nails?

Cartoon about overthrowing tyranny
The hammer is a metaphor for a tyrant (perhaps), or at least an oppressive force or feared presence.
The hammer seems to have been attacked by nails, perhaps because hammers normally ‘attack’ (or at least hit) nails.
Are the nails there to stop the hammer hitting more nails and thus committing more violence?
Or was the hammer nailled down by another hammer?
The hammer is leaking blood in a rather surreal and gruesome way

A cartoon about violent revenge, surrealism, dada, tools, crime, motives

Cartoon drawn: 2011
Cartoon reference number: ham710

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Anthropology cartoon

August 31, 2014 by chrismadden

anthropology cartoon

Cartoon – anthropologists discover “the tribe that hides from man”

Jungle explorers discovering a lost tribe

The lost tribe is selling souvenirs with messages such as
“I’ve visited the tribe that hides from man!”
Cartoon drawn: 2013
Cartoon reference number: a636

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Copyright illustration – Mickey Mouse

June 18, 2014 by chrismadden

copyright cartoon illustration

A cartoon about copyright

A stylised Mickey Mouse symbolising the concept of copyright

Walt Disney, the creator of Mickey Mouse, was famously very enthusiastic in controlling the unauthorised use of his cartoon characters. I’m in favour of such control myself, especially when characters are appropriated for financial gain. However representations of famous cartoon characters (or any other images) in order to make a comment is a legitimate use of an image – as here!

This illustration featured in an exhibition in the Cob Gallery, London, titled Pastiche, Parody and Piracy (June/July 2014).

Ref: a660

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Philosophy cartoon – the human condition

February 23, 2014 by chrismadden

Philosophy - the human condition cartoon

Philosophy cartoon
A signpost to doom

Cartoon. A signpost pointing to negative conditions of the human psyche in all directions (sadness, misery etc). The sign on the top of the signpost indicates where the signpost is right now – boredom.
The people standing beneath the sign decide to stay where they are.

They’d rather be bored than risk experiencing something more negative.
Notice that the signpost has no positive directions on it. This doesn’t mean that there are none – but that to the people beneath the sign see it that way.
A cartoon about motivation, outlook, pessimist, pessimists, optimism (or the lack of it), mindsets, melancholia, negativity, inertia, the human condition.
Cartoon reference number: a101

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Filed Under: MORE, Philosophy Cartoons, Religion/Spirituality, Therapy

Egypt crisis cartoon – burning pyramid

December 15, 2013 by chrismadden

Egypt - pyramid burning

The crisis in Egypt depicted as a pyramid on fire

An image showing one of the pyramids of Egypt in flames, as a symbol of the unrest and turmoil caused by the current conflict between the Egyptian army and the Muslim Brotherhood (in August 2013). The cartoon was drawn in June 2012 in anticipation of future conflict.

A burning pyramid as a metaphor for civil and religious unrest in Egypt.
Ref a624

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Filed Under: MORE, Politics

Altruism cartoon

May 14, 2013 by chrismadden

altruism cartoon 

Altruism cartoon

An illustration depicting altruistic behavior

 

The cartoon shows a person spanning a chasm or abyss, acting as a bridge with other people walking across.
The benefits of altruism are sometimes debated in evolutionary terms, sometimes arguing that altruism evolved because the good of the group is more important than the good of the individual. Altruism may also be seen as a form of display, where the altruistic individual is displaying his or her positive qualities to others, thus improving social status.
The illustration could also be interpreted as depicting exploitation, depending on context
Cartoon created: 2010
Cartoon reference number: a616

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Filed Under: MORE, Other science cartoons, Philosophy Cartoons

Rainbow coming out of an anglepoise table lamp

April 21, 2013 by chrismadden

rainbow coming out of anglepoise light

Rainbow flowing out of an anglepoise light

An illustration of a rainbow radiating from a table lamp and splashing into droplets where it hits the surface of the table

The design shows the colours of the spectrum coming out of a lamp
Date created: 2013
Cartoon reference number: a596

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Illustration – people using mobile devices oblivious to their surroundings

April 4, 2013 by chrismadden

spring blossom ignored by phone users - cartoon

An illustration about the tunnel vision of cell phone users
People using mobile devices being oblivious to what’s around them

A cartoon showing people using mobile phones or other portable electronic devices, totally ignoring the world around them

The cartoon shows a spring blossom tree in full bloom, with people staring at their phones instead of at the tree.

This is a variation on the idea that mobile phone users bump into people and objects because they aren’t watching where they are going, as they are too engrossed in their phones

First published in Private Eye magazine
Date drawn: 2006
Cartoon reference number: a592

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Filed Under: Computers and phones, MORE, Social issues

Copyright infringement or copyright violation cartoon

April 3, 2013 by chrismadden

Copyright infringement cartoon or copyright violation cartoon

Copyright violation or copyright infringement cartoon

A strip about the illegal sharing of copyrighted images on the internet and intellectual property rights theft

Illegal file sharing also affects music, photographs, written articles and others (as well as cartoons)
Cartoon reference number: a589

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Filed Under: Computers and phones, MORE

Yes or No? Being pulled in opposite directions – illustration

March 14, 2013 by chrismadden

Yes and No pulling in opposite directions

Yes or No – which will win in a tug-of-war?

A cartoon illustrating the idea of being pulled in two directions at once, or of indecision.

A conceptual illustration that might be about voting, a yes and no vote in an election, indecisive behaviour, being pulled in several directions, opposites pulling in opposite directions, weighing up an argument, forming opinions, decisiveness
Cartoon reference number: a587

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Filed Under: MORE, Philosophy Cartoons, Therapy

Optical illusion – the Adelson checkerboard shadow illusion

March 4, 2013 by chrismadden

Optical illusion - the Adelson checker shadow illusion

The Adelson checkerboard shadow optical illusion.
Which mouse is standing on the darker square – answer, neither!

The checker shadow illusion is associated with the work of Edward H. Adelson

This is how the illusion works.
An object (the elephant) on a checkerboard casts a shadow on the board.
The parts of the board in the shadow are darker than the parts of the board that aren’t.
The human brain knows that the squares on the board are all same – either white or dark gray, so it compensates for the darkening effect of the shadow, making the white squares that are in the shadow seem lighter than they really are (which can be as dark as the dark gray squares, as here).
The second image shows the mice holding a uniformly gray strip across the checkerboard to allow the tones of the squares to be compared
Date drawn: 2013
Cartoon reference number: a581

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Optical illusion – the Adelson checker shadow illusion

March 4, 2013 by chrismadden

Optical illusion - the checkerboard shadow illusion

Checkerboard shadow optical illusion.
In the top photograph, which square is darker – 1 or 2?
Answer: neither, they are the same. This is shown in the second figure, where a uniform gray strip crosses the image to show comparisons in tone between different squares.
This image is a photograph – the illusion works with the real objects, an apple on a checkerboard, and is not affected or caused by the fact that this is a two dimensional image

The checker shadow illusion is associated with the work of Edward H. Adelson

This is how the illusion works.
An object on a checkerboard casts a shadow on the board.
The parts of the board in the shadow are darker than the parts of the board that aren’t.
The human brain knows that the squares on the board are all same – either white or dark gray, so it compensates for the darkening effect of the shadow, making the white squares that are in the shadow seem lighter than they really are (which, if you get the light levels right, can be as dark as the dark gray squares).
Reference number: a580

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Optical illusion due to the direction of light – are these shapes indented or sticking out?

March 4, 2013 by chrismadden

Optical illusion due to light direction - interpeting optical illusions

Optical illusions
How we interprete form in two dimensional images
An optical illusion due to the direction of light
How light direction affects how we interpret shapes and form

Are these shapes indented or sticking out?

This is a photograph of the word ‘post’ on the side of a British post box (the red pillar box).
Viewed upside down the word looks as though it is indented. The right way up it appears to stand out (which it does).
Why is this?
It’s because in normal everyday circumstances light tends to come from above (such as from the sun in the sky), so that’s where we assume light is coming from unless there is obvious evidence to the contrary. In the upside down version the light is interpreted to come from above, so the shadows and highlights are interpreted in this light
Reference number: a579

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Horsemeat cartoon

March 2, 2013 by chrismadden

horsemeat cartoon - beefburgers may contain traces of horse

Horsemeat cartoon

A cartoon about the horse meat scandal, where horse meat was substituted for beef in ready meals and beefburgers

Cartoon reference number: a553

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Sundial cartoon. A sundial is a solar powered clock

February 21, 2013 by chrismadden

sundial cartoon

Sundial cartoon. A sundial is a solar powered clock

In the cartoon a person is looking at a sundial and is saying “It’s incredible that all those years ago they’d developed solar-powered clocks.”
The cartoon illustrated how in the modern world we assume everything has to be powered by a relatively modern form of power, such as electricity in the form of batteries or mains electricity. In the past everything was powered by “sustainable” or “natural” resources, such as solar power, the wind or water.

A cartoon about the history of clocks, horology
Cartoon reference number: a544

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

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Filed Under: Energy fuel power, Garden design, GARDENING, MORE

Car rear window sticker cartoon: “If you can read this you’re too close”

February 21, 2013 by chrismadden

car rear window sticker cartoon

Car rear window sticker cartoon of the “Keep your distance” type

Based on the window sticker “If you can read this you’re too close”, this one reads “If you can read this you’re too close – if you can’t read this you need an eye test.”

An illustration dealing with the subject of the safe distance between cars, driving safety, rules of the road, transport, road safety.
Cartoon reference number: a543

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The standard railway gauge is based on the width of horses – cartoon

February 21, 2013 by chrismadden

railway gauge size horse cartoon

The standard railway gauge is based on the width of horses – cartoon

The distance between the tracks of a railway – the gauge – was based on the width between the wheels of horse drawn carriages. The width of horse drawn carriages was determined by the width of horses (or rather of two horses side by side).

The illustration shows pioneer railway engineers in the Isambard Kingdom Brunel mould measuring the width of a horse in order to determine the measurement for the railway gauge.
A cartoon about transport infrastructure, the history of railways, the industrial revolution
Cartoon reference number: a542

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Queue at patent office cartoon

February 21, 2013 by chrismadden

patent queue cartoon

Queue at patent office cartoon

A cartoon showing a queue of people outside a patent office, each holding an invention that needs patenting.
One of the people in the queue is saying “[I’ve got] an invention that’ll make queueing a thing of the past.”
Invention that help to get rid of queues include the internet and the telephone.

The cartoon is about inventors and inventions, patenting and copyright, intellectual rights, technological progress.
Cartoon reference number: a541

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Easter Island statue – a cartoon about hubris and the degradation of the natural world

February 20, 2013 by chrismadden

easter island statue hubris cartoon

Easter Island statue – a cartoon about hubris

A cartoon showing Easter Islanders erecting a statue

There is a theory that the community on Easter Island went into decline when the Easter Islanders, the Rapa Nui, cut down all of the trees on the island while putting all of their efforts into erecting their famous statues, or moai.
With no trees left, life became unsustainable.

The cartoon can be seen as an argument for rewilding, the system by which degraded ecosystems can be returned to functioning systems by the reintroduction (either deliberately or by benign neglect) of native species.
An illustration about the hubris of power. It brings to mind Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Original cartoon drawn: 2012

Cartoon reference number: a537

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Filed Under: Deforestation, ENVIRONMENT, MORE Tagged With: rewilding

League tables cartoon

February 20, 2013 by chrismadden

league table cartoon

League tables cartoon
A government department creating a league table of league tables

A cartoon about society’s obsession with league tables.

League tables exist in education, with school league tables, hospitals and more
Cartoon reference number: a532

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Filed Under: Education, Health, MORE, Politics

The law of unintended consequences – cartoon

February 20, 2013 by chrismadden

unintended consequences cartoon

A cartoon about the law of unintended consequences

The image shows an inventor worrying about the possible consequences once his invention is unleashed on the world. His invention is the paperclip.

An illustration about the dilemma faced by inventors or scientists who are developing new technologies – what use will people put them to?
Cartoon reference number: a529

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Filed Under: MORE, SCIENCE

Horse meat scandal cartoon

February 11, 2013 by chrismadden

horse meat scandal cartoon

Horse meat cartoon
Cartoon about horse meat found in beef products, ready meals and convenience foods

A cartoon about the scandal of horse meat being found in ready meals and beef products. Some convenience meals have been found to contain 100% horse meat

An inquiry is to be set up to investigate the horse meat scandal.
There is suspicion that organised crime or criminal activity is involved.
Cartoon reference number: a509

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Horsemeat cartoon

February 10, 2013 by chrismadden

horse meat scandal cartoon

Horse meat cartoon

A cartoon about the scandal of horsemeat being found in convenience meals and beef products such as beef burgers and lasagne.

An inquiry is to be set up to investigate the horse meat scandal.
There is suspicion that organised crime or criminal activity is involved,
A cartoon about food safety and adulterated food products.
Cartoon reference number: a508

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Horse meat cartoon. Horsemeat found in beef products

February 8, 2013 by chrismadden

Horse meat used in beef products - horsemeat cartoon

Horse meat cartoon
Horse meat in beef products cartoon

A cartoon about the scandal of horse meat being found in beef products such as beef burgers and lasagne.
The product Findus beef lasagne was found to contain 100% horse meat – in other words, no beef.

A cartoon about food standards, food safety, adulterated food products.
Cartoon reference number: a507

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Quotation: the person who is certain he is right is certain to be wrong

January 17, 2013 by chrismadden

The person who is certain he is right is certain to be wrong

Quotation: the person who is certain he is right is certain to be wrong

Famous quotations

A typographical design that could be used as a poster, postcard, t-shirt design or mug design.
This quote was made by me. I think it’s original, although it sounds a bit like the famous quotes that you can read in lists of famous quotes, so maybe I read it somewhere.
Cartoon reference number: a512

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Typography – reflective thinking

January 17, 2013 by chrismadden

Typography - reflective thinking

Typography – reflective thinking

Typographic design using reflected lettering to convey the meaning of the words

Reflected words. These could be a book title, a magazine or newspaper headline or the typography in an advertisement
Cartoon reference number: a511

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Cartoon about Utopia

January 16, 2013 by chrismadden

utopia by-laws - cartoon

Welcome to Utopia – cartoon
You are now entering Utopia – please abide by these by-laws

A cartoon illustrating the idea that utopian societies can only exist if they are repressive or prescriptive to some degree (probably a necessary degree to be honest).

The list of by-laws that have to be enforced in Utopia show that it’s maybe impossible for people to act unselfishly without a degree of coercion. A cartoon about politics, philosophy.
Cartoon reference number: a500

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The trouble with Utopia – cartoon

January 16, 2013 by chrismadden

utopia surveillance camera - cartoon

The down side of Utopia
Utopia monitored by surveillance camera

A cartoon illustrating the idea that utopian societies can only exist if they are repressive to some degree (probably a necessary degree to be honest, judging by the nature of human nature).

Cartoon reference number: a499

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Filed Under: MORE, Philosophy Cartoons, Politics

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