The international cartoonist at Gray’s

Learn more about Malcolm Mckie, Technical Services Officer at Gray’s School of Art. His work at Gray’s spans metalwork, woodwork, electronics, artificial intelligence and more. Aside from his day job though, Malcolm is a keen cartoonist.

His comedic and inventive drawings have led to two pieces of his work being recently published in The New Cartoonist, a new international magazine…

What do you do at Gray's?

I am a Technical Services Officer running the West workshop and helping students with stretcher construction, sculpture and large-scale fabrication. I run workshops for first and second year Fine Art students and give advice on how to progress with their projects.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I was always a huge fan of a cartoonist called Gary Larson, who was an American cartoonist. I like the simplicity of cartoons but also how it can evoke a strong message and simplify hugely complex issues. It can range from a simple line drawing to a complex illustration. The power in that it has over authority. How it can ridicule it.

Within a moment, politicians, multinationals and other forces of power are put in the spotlight.

What does it mean to have your work published in The New Cartoonist?

I have been cartooning for about five years trying to improve my skills to eventually get a submission into one of the main publications like Private eye or The Spectator.

The New Cartoonist is a recent publication created by some of the top cartoonists in the country. They are resident cartoonist for papers such as the Guardian and the Mirror newspapers. My cartoons are now displayed next to them. It just feels very surreal to look at my sketchbook then seeing it in publication next to professional cartoonists that I’ve been so envious of for so long.

How does your creative work help you in your job to support students at Gray's?

The biggest benefit of cartooning is it allows me to explain ideas more clearly to the students through my sketching. The memory muscle that you gain from drawing daily gives you a lot more confidence in expressing your ideas.

Anything else?

I usually keep my cartooning to myself, even not using my real name. I didn’t think I was good enough because I am self-taught.

I do need to get Kato Tarantino out there and promote him though - if I want to be famous! Visit @kato_tarantino on Instagram for more.