Speech for Project about Cartoons

In 1843 the word 'cartoon' was introduced into the English Language as a humorous drawing. A good caricature, like every work of art, is more true to life than reality itself.

The Australian Cartoonist’s Association is the world's oldest cartoonist organisation. In 1924, a group of cartoonists met in a room in the Royal Arcade in Sydney, called the Australian Black and White Artists' Club. In 2000 they changed its name to the Australian Cartoonists' Association. Inkspot is the name of their official journal and they have a section for kids on their website.

Since I could draw, I have been doing cartoons. At the beginning of March last year I started publishing my work once a week onto the internet. You can see my project on my website.

Every week a website called Illustration Friday emailed one different word to illustrators and artists around the world and they would draw their interpretation of the word. Most of my work was illustration only but when I became more confident I began to include words which made cartoons.

One of my supporters on my website is Ian Thomas who does lots of reviews and interviews for the journal called Inkspot. He also draws lots of comics. The girls might know Rock N Roll Fairies in the magazine called Total Girl. The boys might know the manga series called Oztaku. Manga is a Japanese style comic but Ian is Australian.

This year I have been putting poetry to drawings after seeing the work of an English artist called Modroom. I interviewed him for my project. His advice to young artists experimenting with drawings and poetry or pursuing creative goals is:

*Develop some skill with hand/ eye co-ordination.
*Try to change what is accepted as normal and put something of yourself into it.
*Don't forget your audience; try not to lose them.
*Experiment with different media and expand.
*Be an individual and have fun.
*Keep healthy, drink plenty of liquids and try to be nice to people and animals and plants.

Show project and read poem …