13.3.07

The modern morgue

It used to be recommended that cartoonists keep a morgue, that is a file of pictures and photos that you may need for reference in the future (as opposed to a cold storage room for dead bodies, that would be weird). I always had a problem with this because, well, where do you start? You could put aside a picture of a tractor but you may never need it. Then when you find you need a picture of a rickshaw you realise you neglected to put one in your morgue. So I was never very good at it.

But now the whole idea is redundant as we have the gift to cartoonists that is Google Image Search. Now you can get 100 rickshaws of all different types from many angles. Today I had to draw a cartoon involving peregrine falcons and a cathedral. I shudder to think how long that would have taken before Image Search. It probably would have involved a trip to the library. Or a bird sanctuary. So hats off to Google, on behalf of lazy cartoonists everywhere!