About a decade ago, Will McPhail was just an ordinary zoology student. Now, he's regularly drawing for the world-famous The New Yorker magazine. How does one make such a change in their lives? Well, McPhail admitted to "doodling lecturers" when he was supposed to be learning. And even though he did graduate, it was enough to pursue a cartoonist's career.
So, instead of continuing to study the animal kingdom, he chose to immerse himself in the wildlife of Edinburgh's coffee shops and libraries. There, he analyzed peoples' social behavior, turning his findings into clever and funny comics.
McPhail is now expected to have between 8 and 10 ideas per week for The New Yorker cartoons, a popular American magazine established 94 years ago. "The best I can do is to find an area that I want to do a cartoon drawing on and accept the stage - then hope that my sense of humor moonwalks on to that stage," the artist told the BBC.
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"I don’t really have any artistic qualifications," McPhail told Bored Panda. "In fact, I actually studied zoology at university. Because when you ask a seventeen-year-old what they want to do with their life, they always make the correct decision. Thirty grand and four years of my life is a small price to pay for the three armadillo facts that I now know. I’ve had creative ideas and did drawings all my life, though. Or at least as long as I’ve known about pencils."
This is my favourite Will McPhail cartoon. Susan and I definately share a sense of humour
OhFor, it seems to me that Susan did not find it humorous at all.
Load More Replies...He/she is right. God, I hate pranksters! I mean, one or two pranks a year is ok but not not daily or weekly. The worst part is if it's someone from the family and/or someone you live with.
Yes, those pranksters don't know when to stop. And boy, they get pissed when got to taste their own medicine.
Load More Replies...when I was visiting a friend's house back in France, I would always try to catch all the reptiles they had in their garden, but every single time their tail would snap off, and it was so frustrating!
Precisely so. One can replace lost money or lost property, but can't repossess the trustworthiness.
The artist mostly draws single-panels because he's usually drawing cartoons for The New Yorker, which are classically a single-panel deal. "The weekly submission of cartoons to the magazine is really the only structure I have in my life and every career opportunity that I’ve been given has been directly because of my work being seen in The New Yorker. So I owe them pretty much everything! Armadillos always give birth to four identical quadruplets," he explained.
Despite having a career that allows him to live and work anywhere in the world, Will made up his mind to remain in Scotland even after his cool drawings blew up on the international scene.
"Scotland's got some kind of draw on me," he explained. "There's something about Scotland that just draws creative people and I've definitely felt that."
One of the reasons behind this choice is the abundance of inspiration he finds in the country. "It's my job to capture all different walks of life, the idiosyncrasies of life, and Edinburgh and Scotland have got a plethora of different classes and niches of people."
"There's all sorts of fascinating social avenues you can go down and find people from all backgrounds. It's super inspirational when it comes to coming up with drawing ideas."
We might invent a lot of our problems, but McPhail never usually tries to trivialize those problems in his cartoons. "I’m usually on the side of the character with the problem because it’s invariably based on my problems! I just think that desperation and panic is very funny. Armadillos are one of the few animals that can contract leprosy."
Also, he blames the pressure he felt at a young age to find a "realistic" career path and is happy he chose to deviate from it. "I realized I didn't need permission to be creative."
Having experienced it firsthand, Will encourages others to follow their dream careers as well. "Education is a good thing - but I think a lot of the time, people feel like they need some sort of academic permission to be creative, and you don't, you can just do it."
Will we be up past our real bedtimes arguing the distinction between gender (social and personal identity and role) and "gender" (sometimes used to identify male, female , ie biological sex)?
I remember making the kid's face when I was little—a LOT! As for the arguments in this thread, there's much research happening on brain chemistry and endocrinology, on people who have XXY and other types of chromosomes, etc. Scientists are studying this, and a spectrum apparently does exist: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sex-redefined-the-idea-of-2-sexes-is-overly-simplistic1/
This is correct for most people, but, crucially, it is NOT correct for all people. Reality is much, much more complicated than we usually believe it to be. "...worldwide, up to 1.7% of people have intersex traits, roughly the same proportion of the population who have red hair" https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/02/male-and-female-what-is-it-like-to-be-intersex
Load More Replies...A lot of people seem to exist in their society without questioning it and don't examine how everything they do is a construct of said society. Language is a construct, cities are a construct, religion, law, social interactions and yes, gender, among many other things. If you stop politicizing it it truly isn't that remarkable or difficult to see. Sex is different than gender. Again, an unremarkable and easily tangible thing too understand.
Isn't the purpose to allow for multiple interpretations?
Load More Replies...I looked at all the the guys and interpreted this one in more of a "when a woman says 'no, it is an answer...not an obstacle" I suppose it can be seen in other ways tho.
I pretty much identity with the guy chilling on the right of the O.
More people need this! "NO" is an answer, and "STOP" is an order.
I know this is about assault, but I'm reminded of when I had a summer fundraising job. I was 18. At training, we got a sheaf of papers that were "objection responses", all to get around someone telling us no. We were monitored, also, so we couldn't just take the L and move on to the next call without trying 3 of the responses. We had to assess their no so we could use the right ones. I had a call, that when I tried to get around the first no, the guy screamed at me for almost 3 minutes about "No means NO the first time!" and that if we ever called him again, the charity would be lucky to get any donation from him. He used harsher language. The guy was a donor who usually gave a good amount of money to the charity, but they wanted him to increase his donation, hence my call. If I had hung up on him, I would've gotten in trouble. I learned that no is definitely a full answer. I only lasted 5 weeks. At least I was off to uni that autumn, so not much harm done financially for me.
There are charities which do not appreciate generous donors. I don't blame him to get irritated.
Load More Replies...I needed to hear this after my mom told me no to a perfectly reasonable thing. What is that reasonable thing you ask? Well, I want to hang out with some friends to play D&D. Our group includes two guys. I can't join in because of that. I don't understand why this crusty old, primitive, ancient, mentality still exists, that girls and boys can't hang out together
I want to send this to all of my friends, because they watch me do stuff like this all the time. (with proper pants, I will add)
I guess I don’t get it. And why is she walking around in her underwear?
So many people are guilty of this and in all areas.... work, home, play. Nobody knows how to listen
The poor trees will stop laughing when people come with saws...... so sad they often do.
It could actually be helpful to distract yourself from what is going on inside by doing something You can control
If you're able to distract yourself from your anxiety it can be immensely helpful.
Load More Replies...so... during the hard forced breathing, put a harmonica in front of that .. i am not sure, that "music" would be very calming
Too big houses suck. Just imagine your clan mansion. Probably you shat yourself before making it from the veranda, over the floors, down the stairs, to the left-wing bathroom.
A bathroom in every room, landing, and hallway. Dream big, Hans!
Load More Replies...If you hate cleaning don't get a mansion unless you're planning to get maids
Load More Replies...You don't have to afford to dream. *I* don't own a house, but I can dream...and I want #3, complete with private bathrooms attached to every bedroom , plus, and a round-the-clock maid service. They can't tax our dreams yet.
Load More Replies...The bigger the house, the more junk you accumulate and the more to clean. No thanks, I'm happy with my small house.
Heh. I've always wanted example #3. I've always figured if I could afford the house I could afford the cleaning staff to go with it.
A tiny little house is enough. Just enough room for me and my dog. Less time for cleaning. Fewer furnishing and no space for useless things. 😊
I don't think this one's true -- I could "afford" (i..e. qualify to buy and make the payments on) a house much larger and more opulent than the small condo I live in now -- but why would I? More space means more to heat, more to clean, more to fill with expensive furnishings, etc.
I have about 50 roos living on my farm, I cannot believe how big some joeys who are still being carried about by Mummy
I understand that a lot of grown children move home because of lack of jobs in a bad economy. I haven't experienced it but I know it happens.
Finalizing a divorce you've been fighting for for months/years is one of the best feelings ever!
Amen! We weren't well off by any means (my ex made $7.50 an hour to my 56k a year and honestly thought I was going to quit my job so I could stay home and have babies. Huh, news to me - we wouldn't have been able to afford rent, let alone diapers). He dragged it out for almost 7 years. I kicked him out shortly before our FIRST anniversary & he seriously thought he was going to get alimony/maintenance. Why? Because you got to live "indoors" while we were married? Biggest mistake of my life.
Load More Replies...Love this one. I thought the line would be this is the outfit I get my dissertation in but still live it
So how many of them never cheated etc etc? You're assuming it's all woman's fault when the divorce is happening?
Load More Replies...I didn't have any money when he cheated and left me! Now I have the $$$$$$ and he has the wifey he cheated with who won't work in a pie factory! So check yourself because you probably did some stupid sxxt you deserved!! FYI...success is the best revenge!
Load More Replies...Sometimes you’re the statue, other days you are the pidgeon
Load More Replies...Ha! This is so true. I had a panel of men interview me for an engineering job. I got the job, didn't take it. I could tell what equality meant at that workplace
This picture is wrong. That face can only be made after the bra comes off. My jug jailer is off before I close my front door!
I came to say the same thing! The bra should be on the floor next to her!
Load More Replies...All good but the bra would be the first thing to go, not the shirt!!
The only unrealistic thing about this picture is that she's still wearing a bra.
Hans you can’t say but if she doesn’t want dinner bro
Load More Replies..."I'm not...but", "I'm sorry, but", "I hate to ask...but", lies, lies, and more lies. If you add 'but' onto the front of any sentence, you negate everything that went before the 'but'.
also “no offense, but-“ like sorry but is whatever ur about to say supposed to offend me? XDD
Load More Replies...The entitlement platter from which his "but" with be served.
Load More Replies...He's not racist, but always generalize even if he doesn't mean it. That's usually the issue they have when they continue that sentence.
My worst nightmare! Made all the more real by knowing there is a mouse hanging out on my kitchen!
I'd have a different problem. I think mice and rats are cute, but it would still be a very, very bad idea to try and catch them with my hands...
Load More Replies...This is hilarious! Two points of view...the mouse's and the humans.
He'd get a rude shock from me. If the cat didn't get 'im, I chase them with containers to catch them.
Happy to read that I'm not alone in thinking so!
Load More Replies...This would be me. Can also hardly resist calling the sniffing dogs at airport "good boy / girl".
Just whatever you do, don't touch them. But I can't resist talking to them either.
Load More Replies...and the police officer is eiter eating her finger or whatever drug is in there
The drug dog at the border alerted on my breath. (I was on a restricted schedule medication at the time.) So I hugged him, ruffled his ears, told him how wonderful he was, and showed the pill bottle to his handler. (He had his front paws on my chest--I was standing--at the time.)
Love the female cop tasting to make sure it's cocaine, heroin, or whatever.
At a small, mostly empty airport once, I admired the drug-sniffing dog, and asked the officer if I could touch him. He said, "I wouldn't." 'Nuff said! LOL!
Reminds me of a tale I was told of someone at my workplace, who, after coming home from a run took off his sweaty clothes in the laundry to go straight in the wash. He then proceeded to walk naked through the part of the house in which his wife was engaging in an international video conference call . . .
I don't like that it's considered rude to forget people's names. I'm so bad at remembering names! It's not my fault, I do try!
Even when I was young, I had a hard time remembering names. Now that I’m older, add in some minor hearing problems (a good example is having trouble zeroing in on one voice when the room has s****y acoustics or is simply loud and crowded). So, because I don’t always even catch their name, I wholeheartedly appreciate someone who will repeat it at least a couple times to reinforce it for people like me.
I have the opposite problem. Having Prosopagnosia (face blindness), I always remember names.
I usually remind people or just re-introduce myself. No need to "subtly work it into the conversation" IMO
Let this comic empower people when they are ignored or feel forgotten.
(happend some years agon when i was in my 20s) once when i changed clothes in front of my mum, she said "oh look, the moon is rising" while pointing at my belly... yeah thanks mum. i know i'm fat and pale :D
Did they ever find your mum's body, or are you answering from prison?
Load More Replies...Mainly their purpose is to distract the audience so they don't notice what the magician is really doing... but yeah, that's usually done by going "look, she's sexy!"
Load More Replies...that is a funny way of showing what a lot of people do and that is just sad
Went to the Magic Castle a magic nerds dream only women there were servers or in shiny must shave for outfits as "sexy" talented lamps
It's unfortunate, that many women transform themselves into sexualized props.
Agreed. Now the feminists want to take a woman's right to choose for herself away.
Load More Replies...Ha this reminds me of my job... as an engineer. Doesn't matter where I work, some creep thinks that I dress up to go to work to be asked out on a date.
The real question... What was she thinking about while zoning out??👀👀 ^O^^O^ :-\
nowadays they just try to brainwash you to think your office is your home and co-worker is your family to try to make you give more effort to work...
they do this by saying "team" a lot. We are not a team. We are a collection of people that coincedentally work in the same location and just want to collect a paycheck and talk to as few people as possible so we can get back in our pj's once we get home.
Load More Replies...I worked from home mostly, but had to be in the office on Mondays. I took the bus to the trolley station to get home. Missing the bus meant either walking a mile & a half or waiting another 30 minutes. Without fail, my employer would start an "Oh, hey can you" conversation 5 minutes before I needed to walk out the door. I finally just told him he'd have to shoot me an email & I'd deal with it the next day. The look on his face was priceless. What part of "no matter what time I catch the train, it still takes me 2 hours to get home from here" do you not understand, you f*****g jackass.
... but it never goes the other way round. They play generous if you travel through your entire country once a week, you can't leave your home alone just because of work, and every few months within this, something will be f'ed up by the train company, so you are late - and they accept you not being there in core time without purpose or ability to do anything about it - and that is exactly all you get. They accept you hassles you have to endure because you work for them. And feel generous about it.
That's got to be one of the lousiest jobs! They get all the 'But I'm *special!*' idiots screaming at them.
Actually it's worse. And if that is coming up into the stomach, this person reallllly needs to see a doctor
Load More Replies...Your majesty, just go jump off the roof. The 'feathers' on your royal cape are sure to make you fly.
Hans! She doesn’t have clothes in the bushes :O
Load More Replies...My wife and I are the same size. We share concert and sports shirts. She likes that men's clothes are thicker and last longer so we always buy two men's XL.
I've got a photograph of my wife I took in 1984 when we were dating. I was standing behind her and she's in front of the bathroom mirror, getting ready for work, just wearing panties and one of my well-worn, long-sleeve, Wrangler denim work shirts. One of my favorite photos. I miss her more than anything.
If that shirt belongs to the guy in the bed, then his clothes are way too tight.
I have 2 cats and a king bed, why am I always trapped and the void ignored??!!
when I'm sleeping in the same bed as my dad in hotels we fight in the middle of the night for the sheets, so I wrap most of it around my foot so he can't take it back!
are we ignoring the fact that the demon kind of looks like arin hanson?
That's really true. Subways are nasty nasty places. I have seen lots of stuff, like people urinating on those columns and it grosses me out. I get it that a lot of people go through subways but we can still clean it up. This also shows how people don't really take responsibility, she wants the subway to be clean but she does nothing about it
It's a known stereotype that women can't open jars by themselves.
Load More Replies...I HAVE NEVER EVER EVER EVER ASKED A GUY TO HELP ME OPEN A JAR! I ASK MY MOM!!!!! OR MY FRIENDS!! THAT ARE GIRLS!!! -,_-
Excess baggage. He can’t get over her and carries her with him everywhere he goes.
Makes much more sense now. T h a n k y o u (P.S. I dont know why they gave you negative \__(-,_-)__/
Load More Replies...hehe cause female mantises bite off the males head when they are done mating
She sees a dog --- it's cute--- she'll be late for work - lol
Load More Replies...I laughed at your comment too hard. So funny. Yet im still immature
Load More Replies...What a b******t. Usually it's women who want to get married, to the disadvantage of men.
Everyone radiates heat, so she can't be with anyone right now
Load More Replies...He is wearing a shirt with the nipple area cut off? hahaha, is this a reference to something?
I think it is a reference to S/M dungeons. My interpretation is that she's asking him to pull because she's a masochist ;)
Load More Replies...I feel ya sister. My sweet husband does everything right but sing. Luckily, out son's got a better knack for holding a tune.
The cat is being used as the witness and is pointing at the person who committed the crime.
Load More Replies...Maybe once people buy a notepad, they don't read real paper books anymore. They just download some books and read it on the notepad. I'm not sure either
Load More Replies...This is missing the caption. It should say "son, your dad and I are divorcing"
The man lookes like the bowler hat guy from meet the robinsons!
Santa Claus, is that you ? What you have for me? What should I do with a wall?
Agree. They're "just" cartoons, but I aspire to that level of drawing realistically.
Load More Replies...I like the general observation ones, but the progressive virtue signalling ones were cringey. I don't think they got him laid.
Load More Replies...Agree. They're "just" cartoons, but I aspire to that level of drawing realistically.
Load More Replies...I like the general observation ones, but the progressive virtue signalling ones were cringey. I don't think they got him laid.
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