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CARTOONS BY TOM GAULD
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Title: How to focus on writing your book There follow eleven tiny images telling a story. The captions read: Turn your devices off (a writer with a phone and laptop. The screens are dark). Put them in a drawer. Lock the drawer. Throw away the key. Leave the house. Do not look back. Keep to backroads and hedgerows. Feel your old life slip away. (the writer has shed his clothes) Sleep by day. Forage in the evening. Write by the light of the moon When you have a passable first draft, commit a minor crime and use your phone call to contact your agent. (the naked writer is in a prison holding a phone while an unamused police officer looks on).ALT
Panel One. Two figures walk up a hill in a park. One walks in front and the other is walking a dog Front "My new year's resolution is to stop lending books" Dog-walker "Really?" Panel Two. Front, becoming agitated "It's just not worth the risk: cracked spines! Bent corners! Torn pages! Grubby fingers! Crumbs! Baths! Burglars! Rats! Children!! I can't allow such precious artefacts to fall into the careless hands of clumsy philistines!" Panel Three. Dog-walker "And how do the other librarians feel about this?" Front "Less supportive Than I'd hoped."ALT
Night. The Department of Astrobiology building. One upper floor window is lit and a figure in it looks out and says "Dammit! Professor Monroe has all the luck!". In the car park outside, a second figure rises within a beam of light towards a flying saucer.ALT

The Shop and Art for Sale at my website are open again. These original drawings, prints, and many others are available now. www.tomgauld.com

Panel One. Two figures walk up a hill in a park. One walks in front and the other is walking a dog Front "My new year's resolution is to stop lending books" Dog-walker "Really?" Panel Two. Front, becoming agitated "It's just not worth the risk: cracked spines! Bent corners! Torn pages! Grubby fingers! Crumbs! Baths! Burglars! Rats! Children!! I can't allow such precious artefacts to fall into the careless hands of clumsy philistines!" Panel Three. Dog-walker "And how do the other librarians feel about this?" Front "Less supportive Than I'd hoped."ALT

My latest Guardian Books cartoon.

Night. The Department of Astrobiology building. One upper floor window is lit and a figure in it looks out and says "Dammit! Professor Monroe has all the luck!". In the car park outside, a second figure rises within a beam of light towards a flying saucer.ALT

A recent cartoon for New Scientist. To order my new book of science cartoons ‘Physics for Cats’, see here: www.tomgauld.com

Title: #BOOKCOPS Panel One: A uniformed officer approaches a man sittiong at at a bar, he is reading and has a glass of red wine: "Sir, I have reason to believe that you are engaged in "Performative reading" in a public space." Panel Two: "There's been a mistake, officer! I'm perusing the menu. I'm very indecisive!" says the man anxiously The officer says: "Perhaps I can assist, sir. I'm something of a "Foodie" myself." Panel Three: "No need. I've decided!" says the man looking terrified "Let me see that!" says ther officer as he grabs the menu. "As I suspected: 'Infinite Jest' Concealed inside a fake menu!" Panel Four: "It's a first offence, so I'm only going to shame you on social media." says the officer "Next time I'll throw the book at you!" The man sobs.ALT

My latest Guardian Books cartoon

Two scientist walk through a lab. One is saying: "I am a scientist, Martin. My observations must be meticulously documented, rigorously analysed and objectively verified. Haste is the enemy of wisdom!" The other asks: "But could you share a preliminary appraisal of your general thinking?" The first replies: "Well, if you insist on a crudely reductive answer, then, yes, I had a nice christmas."ALT

A back to work cartoon for New Scientist

Title: New year's resolution A man sits at a table with a coffee writing in a notebook: “This year i will devote myself completely to reading serious, improving literature, forsaking easy pleasures and tirelessly seeking out truth and profundity in the work of the greatest writers.” He looks at it Says: Hmm... then “Scratch Scratch Scratch scratch” scribbles out words until the text reads: “This year I will read for Fun”ALT

Happy New Year, everyone!

This is a Guardian Books cartoon from a few years ago.

The neuroscience laboratory is closed for the holidays, but a staff member is on hand to answer the Consciousness Hotline. Scientist on the phone in an otherwise deserted office: "So, to summarise: No, I can't say with complete certainty that you exist. But yes, you probably ought to go back to work after the holidays anyway."ALT

My cartoon for the latest New Scientist

The 27th of December... “I think Dad got too many books for christmas this year.” Says a daughter. “Don't worry, he'll get through them.” Says the mother, looking up from her book. “But until then..?” Asks the daughter. “He'll be fine on turkey sandwiches until he's reduced the front piles” The father is completely surrounded by high teetering walls of stacked books. He is reading within and the daughter has thrown a sandwich in to him.ALT

My latest Guardian Books Cartoon.

Image: diagram of a small bookshop packed with coloured dots representing people. The various colours represent the following groups: Contentedly browsing customer, Frazzled staff member, Can't find the book they want, Can't remember what they came for, Complete decision paralysis, In the queue to pay, Thinks they're in the queue but aren't, Dozed off in a comfy chair, Waiting to pounce on the comfy chair, Crying child, Crying adult, Vortex of discombobulated shoppers.ALT

“The last-minute christmas rush at the bookshop.” - my latest cartoon for Guardian Books.

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