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“My Sole Aim Is To Make People Laugh”: 35 Sarcasm-Filled Comics And Illustrations By Cartoonist Steve Nelson
Interview With ArtistFunny comics are a sure way to brighten someone’s day, and that's exactly what comedy writer and illustrator Steve Nelson does! Steve’s comics might look rather simple at first glance, but they uncover much more than that at a closer look. In fact, Nelson's work is known for sarcasm and deadpan humor, and perhaps that’s why he has gained recognition all over social media so rapidly.
Comics such as “The Roofs of Egypt”, “Careful with voodoo maps”, and others have accumulated millions of likes on social media platforms such as Instagram. With that being said, Nelson’s work has been previously featured on Bored Panda, and you can find some of the artist’s own posts by clicking here, here, here, here, and here!
More info: Instagram | snelse.co.uk | twitter.com | Facebook
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Bored Panda also reached out to Steve with some questions! First, we asked the artist if there were any series of works we should be looking forward to, and here's what Nelson revealed to us, "Right now I am currently in the middle of doing cartoons for the Confused.com ads which are appearing weekly on the front of various newspapers across the UK (Metro, Evening Standard and Sunday Times). You can see them on my website here. I also have greeting cards coming out in shops across the UK, made by the lovely people at Woodmansterne. Other projects are TBA!"
We also asked Steve, if perhaps he had a favorite comic of his, and he was quick to share his thoughts! "My favorite comic would have to be the pyramids one, where the Egyptian has confused the building instructions. It’s probably also my most popular one!"
Artists are always looking for ways to improve or perhaps even try something new, we asked Nelson if he had a specific art genre he'd love to try.
"I always toy with doing animation, but it’s very time-consuming and admittedly quite boring! I’ve done a couple of very simple ones and it’s really cool to see it all moving at the end, but man... it takes so long! Otherwise, for now, I’m just very happy with doing illustrations and cartoons."
Speaking of art, we were wondering if Steve had any tips to share with those of you who might be just starting out in the field.
"Oh God… From my zero education in art/comics/cartoons I can only speak from my experience. And it might be super unhelpful! I came into it from a comedy writing background so I’ve been writing jokes for over 10 years. That helped massively, I think, because being a good writer outweighs drawing ability when it comes to funny comics. Actually, being bad at drawing can often make the comics funnier. I used to draw more crudely but the neat-freak part of my brain wouldn’t allow it to carry on so I had to balance that out. I still wrestle with it! So, anyway, learn to write jokes and that’s 90% of it. While doing that, just draw a lot - that’s how you'll develop your unique style. It can take years and years and, if you’re like me, you’ll never be quite happy with it! But it’s really important to have a unique style so you stand out. Ideally, you want people to know it’s your work at one glance."
When we look at a piece of art, what happens is that we usually perceive some sort of emotion, whether it's positive or negative is entirely up to us, but in the end, the artist still has achieved a certain goal - a reaction. We asked Nelson to share with us what he'd like for people to take away when looking at his comics.
"My sole aim is to make people laugh. Preferably out loud while they’re in a public setting. Or in an inappropriate setting, that would be even better."
Me too! My boyfriend is the opposite, he only drinks sparkling water. He also prefers hard water over soft since it has more flavour. So weird!
Load More Replies...Sparkling water is an abomination to society. Whoever thought of it shall be put to death.
Taurine. I love sparkling water but actively avoid the ones with taurine because of the bitterness.
Load More Replies...As much as I hate sparkling water I still drink them even though its painful but it's always good to drink them early just in case of emergencies where the restaurant only has sparkling water or you and your friend plan a hiking trip and he is on water duty and doesn't know the difference between sparkling water from water so he gets the sparkling water twelve bottles of sparkling water but good news you have become immune to sparkling water because of all that practice.
Those who don't like sparkling water have never gone beyond Lacroix.
I think it's funny so many people like soda yet hate sparkling water. I find sparkling water refreshing and I don't have to worry about it eating away at my teeth
I took care of a little boy years ago. I put some in his bottle to see his reaction. He said; Yuck!! Threw the bottle down so hard, it shot out if his bottle, and hit the ceiling! I couldn't be mad, I just laughed my a$$ off!
Drink your own urine Dude... It's been filtered and you can give a sparkle w/sand!!!-- Said advertising....
I Can't Believe So Many People On Here Also Hate Sparkling Water!! I've Never Liked It!! Ever Since I First Tried It As A Child. I've Tried Different Ones And Can Never Get Pass The Second Sip!! I Hate The Taste!! It's Like Tasteless Soda Or Even Worse, Alka Seltzer Medicine!! 🤢🤢
I feel the very same way. I'd rather guide me Dad into me Mum than drink sparkling water.
For some people, art is not only a hobby, but something way more, and it seems that Steve certainly has his own goals he wants (or hopes) to accomplish when it comes to his comics.
"Someone laughing at my cartoon during a funeral is what I’m learning from my answer above."
Most creators tend to receive some type of comments about their work pretty much every day, but sometimes some of them stand out more so than others.
"My brother-in-law commented on one of my posts pretending to be offended by it. He was making fun of trolls who have made similar outlandish comments in the past on my other cartoons. The cartoon he commented on then went viral and I pinned his comment to the top. Nearly everyone took his comment seriously and he got torrential abuse thrown his way - some were even DMing it to him! Ha ha. I should point out that he found this all hilarious. I offered to unpin it and wind everyone in, but he said no and had fun with it all. Nutter."
Lastly, we were curious to find out if Steve had any other hobbies besides making art.
"Not a lot, to be honest! I spend most of my time writing and drawing. Otherwise, I’m reading, watching TV, or going out to watch live music. Love indie music. While I’m here everyone should be listening to my favorite indie band Nature TV. I do the designs for all their merch and a lot of their posters and social media stuff. They’re unsigned so you should go throw them your support!"
Can everyone stop to look at what they’ve all painted, I mean banana and apple have gone basic but the other two?! 😳
They usually name diseases after the doctor that discovers them though.
For anyone who can’t figure it out, that bird is giant and bird is rooster another name for a rooster is??? (For anyone who doesn’t know another name for a rooster is a c**k)
Time for the Care Bear Healthcare Stare! (In the US will only cost $184,000.)
Omg there's a movie where they baked the cake with a girl in it.. I wanna say it was one of the Addams family movies 🤔
Well, at least it wasn't someone trying to make deep statements on humanity which mostly just amount to "we spend too much time on our phones" or something.
I hate all those over time top statement comics. Statements are not funny.
Load More Replies...These are brilliant, wicked sense of humour, well worth reading :)
I giggled. I guffawed. I snorted (with laughter). I appreciate Nelson's humor, warped though it may be. I guess I'm warped, too!
Well, at least it wasn't someone trying to make deep statements on humanity which mostly just amount to "we spend too much time on our phones" or something.
I hate all those over time top statement comics. Statements are not funny.
Load More Replies...These are brilliant, wicked sense of humour, well worth reading :)
I giggled. I guffawed. I snorted (with laughter). I appreciate Nelson's humor, warped though it may be. I guess I'm warped, too!