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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK

How to be a cartoonist, with the Guardian’s Steve Bell

Steve Bell 'Border Force, Level's up!' cartoon 2021
Copyright Steve Bell 2021/All Rights Reserved Illustration: Steve Bell/The Guardian

The brilliance of a cartoon is that it can capture a complex issue, political argument or historical era in a single frame. Because of this, inspiration can be found virtually anywhere: from watching PMQs and reading the news, to attending a rally.

In this masterclass with Steve Bell, professional cartoonist of 45 years, you will learn the fundamentals of becoming a cartoonist – and how to make a living from it. Steve – whose political caricatures include Theresa May as a clown-cum-zombie and George W Bush as a chimpanzee – will draw on his experiences of drawing cartoons for the Guardian to provide insight into how you might build your own career in cartooning.

You will learn about the importance of finding the right idea and what to do with it, how to figure what you want to say (and how), and why deadlines – and having something to show for your work – can be one of the most rewarding things about being a cartoonist.

You will also have the opportunity to participate in a live drawing exercise with Steve, and with ongoing Q&A throughout this interactive workshop, you will gain insight into the nuts and bolts of a career in cartooning.

This course is for …

  • Anyone with an interest in political cartoons

  • Those who would like to make a career in cartooning

Course content

  • What makes a ‘good’ cartoon?

  • Tips on getting started, from sourcing ideas to preparing your materials

  • What do you want to say, and how can you say it?

  • The importance of deadlines

  • An interactive drawing exercise

  • Q&A

Tutor profile

Steve Bell
Steve Bell Photograph: Steve Bell

Steve Bell has been drawing cartoons and comics since early childhood, and for a living since 1977. From 1981 to 2021 he wrote and drew over 8,000 If … strips daily in the Guaridan, and from 1990 to the present day has drawn large format political cartoons. His work has been described in the House of Lords as “an almost obscene series of caricatures” and the Sunday Times has called him “the finest cartoonist we have”. He has created many memorable images of British prime ministers, including Margaret Thatcher’s mad left eye, John Major with his underwear worn outside his trousers and Theresa May as an evil clown-cum-zombie. He currently draws Boris Johnson as a gigantic arse beneath a mop of white-blonde hair. His work has been published all over the world, he’s had 30 books of his work published since Maggie’s Farm in 1981, and has won many awards. Steve’s work has been exhibited in many countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, the USA and Australia. He was a Hood Fellow at the University of Auckland in 2017, and he has been awarded honorary degrees by the universities of Teesside, Sussex, Loughborough, Leeds and Brighton.

Details

Date: Wednesday 20 July 2022
Time: 6.30pm-8.30pm BST
Price: £49 (plus £2.83 booking fee)

This masterclass is available globally. If you are joining us from outside the United Kingdom, please use this time zone converter to check your local live streaming time.

6.30pm BST | 7.30pm CEST | 10.30am PDT | 1.30pm EDT

You will be sent a link to the webinar 24 hours and 2 hours before the start time of 6.30pm (BST).

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Information on Guardian Masterclasses

To contact us, click here. Terms and conditions can be found here.

By enrolling on this masterclass, you’re helping to support the Guardian, and this allows us to keep our quality reporting open to all.

All Guardian Masterclasses are fully accessible - but please contact us if you have any queries or concerns.

Returns policy

Once a purchase is complete we will not be able to refund you where you do not attend or if you cancel your event booking. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.

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