Ern Shaw Exhibition Ferens Art Gallery Hull Saturday 19th June-Sunday 10th October 2010

A quote by Ern Shaw from his book ‘How to become a successful Cartoonist’
"A sense of humour is a valuable asset, both in the case of an individual and a nation. Seeing the funny side, helps to develop our sense of proportion, minimise our troubles and may even change apparent causes of irritation into amusing episodes.”

After researching this very talented artists work for over 3 years I am delighted that the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull will be holding an exhibition of Ern Shaw's work in June this year.
Come and see examples of Ern Shaw’s work drawn from the 1920’s-1980’s. If you are a Hull City Football Club supporter do not miss the opportunity to see a selection of football cartoons drawn by Ern Shaw.

Cartoonist Patrick Blower will be holding workshops from 11.00am-3.00pm during the exhibition launch day on Saturday 19th June so come and see a professional cartoonist at work demonstrating modern day computer drawing equipment. It is also an opportunity for you to have a go too and join in other fun activities.

The exhibition will then continue for another 16 weeks and closes on Sunday 10th October.

I would like to thank everyone who has helped me in my research. I have met and spoken to to a variety of people which has made my research a very enjoyable experience.

For further information concerning the Ern Shaw Exhibition, please click here.

Modern computer drawing equipment today
In the 1980’s, new drawing technology using computers was being developed in Japan. In 1983, the first graphics tablet and cordless pen was launched into the market by the Japanese company Wacom.
Historically, the pen and paintbrush have been the most familiar tools used by man as a means of communication and expression – it is therefore quite natural that in the age of computers, the pen should be rediscovered. Wacom focused on developing and promoting the pen as a means to facilitate creativity in graphics.

What is the Graphics Tablet and Pen?
The Graphics Tablet is a computer device that allows artists, graphic designers, architects, and cartoonists, to hand-draw images and graphics, similar to the way images are drawn with a pencil/pen and paper. It consists of a flat surface upon which the user draws an image using a cordless pen. The image is then displayed on the computer monitor.
Today Wacom has established itself as the leader in the world market for pen tablets and pioneers in the development of the pen as a computer input device. Since the early days in the 1980’s Wacom has continued to develop a wide range of powerful graphics programmes. Today graphics professionals can produce conventional drawings on the computer using the tablets drawing and writing tools – from the paintbrush to the pen and pencil, crayon to charcoal and image editing tools.

The Cartoon in advertising

Quote by Ern Shaw’s book ‘ How to become a successful Cartoonist’

“Advertising presents almost unlimited scope for the artist who can emphasize the selling points of an advertisement in humorous pictorial form. Of course, it is not every commodity which lends itself to humorous treatment. In some instances its employment would be in rank bad taste and ‘good taste’ is one of the very first essentials in advertising”

“I did a series of advertisements for a Broadcast Relay Service, which was really ‘Radio on tap’ so to speak. Subscribers merely moved a switch and the programme flowed out of their loud speaker. I was asked to design a series of humorous cartoons which emphasized the fact that a subscriber could be so charmed with the excellence of the reception that he or she might forget an important appointment. In designing this class of advertisement, do not let your sketch occupy a larger proportion of the available space than is absolutely sufficient to catch the eye and convey your message. Room must be allowed for a number of lines of ‘copy’ as well as for the name of the commodity advertised.”

Using cartoon characters in advertising today

Harassed parents out shopping with their offspring may notice a distinct pattern to the products that children drag down from the shelves. The chances are that their choices will have nothing to do with the flavour, say, of a can of soup - or the exact specifications of a toy car. It's more likely that the kids are responding simply because the product is being sold by one of their favourite cartoon characters.

Companies selling breakfast cereals, crisps and sweets are some of the heaviest users of branded cartoon characters. Using cartoons to sell games and toys also remains as popular as ever. Through these characters advertisers can communicate the 'fun' elements of their products to kids. The advertisers know that children will recognise the character and start to pester their parents for the product.

Ern Shaw's Greeting Card Designs

Ern Shaw and Hull City Football Club (also known as the Tigers)

The club was founded in Hull 1904 and played for the first three years at the Boulevard Rugby League ground. They eventually moved to the ground of Hull Cricket Club before moving to Boothferry Park.
Ern Shaw would pop into the Press-box among the sports writers for the home games at Boothferry Park and sit unobtrusively at the back of the box, turning out his cartoon masterpieces with consummate ease and the minimum of fuss.
Ern Shaw had a long association with the club and his earliest cartoons of two rather cuddly tigers in bow ties adorned the cover of the club’s match programme from 1913 to 1927.

He produced cartoons for the club’s programme and his cartoons also appeared in the ‘Tiger Mag’, a postwar magazine for the city fans. The ‘Tiger Mag’ was popular because it coincided with one of the most successful times in the club’s history-when they gained promotion as Third Division North Champions under Raich Carter’s management in 1948-49.

The club now plays their games at the 25,000 capacity Kingston Communications Stadium which they moved to in 2002 on the site of the former Cricket Club.
They traditionally play in black and amber, often with a striped shirt design, hence their nickname the ‘Tigers’
After a successful 2007/ 2008 season, they were promoted to the Premier League for the first time in their history via a 1-0 playoff win over Bristol City with a Dean Windass winning volley, under the management of Phil Brown and chairmanship of Paul Duffen.

Ern Shaw's first exhibition

Ern Shaw’s first exhibition was held with Harry H. Rodmell the marine artist from Hull in 1929 at the City Hall Art Gallery in Hull. Rodmell was a friend of Ern Shaw's and he mainly concentrated on marine subjects such as: posters for shipping companies, booklets, etchings, and line drawings of ships.


The title of the exhibition was 'Exhibition of Ships and Humour'.
The exhibition included a selection of Ern Shaw's cartoons and illustrations and Harry Rodmell's posters and sketches. The black and white brochure produced for the exhibition consisted of caricatures of Ern Shaw and Harry Rodmell.

Cartoons-What are they?

The dictionary describes a cartoon as a “sketch or drawing, usually humorous” which symbolizes or satirizes some action. However, cartooning is so much more than just drawing.

Cartooning is a way of describing the world in a simple form with few words. A cartoon can be simple or complex, and can be drawn in almost any style; but it’s not an exact duplication of reality. It’s a representation of the artist’s perceptions of the world, and every person sees the same thing differently.
Through cartoons, a cartoonist can tell a joke, a story or make a particular point, and it can be done much more quickly and interesting than through words alone.

Cartoonists are solitary performers. They invent jokes in solitude and then their cartoons are seen by millions of readers. When a comedian tells a joke he hears the response from the audience but a cartoonist will never hear it.

Cartoonists get messages across quickly and simply. They illustrate, educate, advise and sell but above all they make people laugh.