Hi There
This is a short biog' to introduce Dave Lupton, cartoonist, writer (and, let's face it, a damn fine looking fellow, and they say the camera never lies!) Just for your pleasure (well, actually, at his insistence!) we've included another photo of the man himself. Here he is with his dog Chip (... suppose that's so you could say he's got a Chip on his shoulder!)
Having played around the edges of professional cartooning for as long as he can remember (his mother always maintained that he'd grow out of it!) he eventually got down to some real work about 20 years ago.
All was going exceedingly well, with commissions for London Zoo (the creation of a cartoon spider called Webster used to great effect in their arachnophobia campaign), Greenpeace, Victim Support, and many one-off commissions for magazines, newspapers, etc., until fate decided to play a hand and involved him in a motoring accident (not his fault he hastens to add; some stupid driver having recently got back to the UK from France forgot what side of the road she was meant to be on!)
Crippen
Somewhat slowed down by having to use a wheelchair for a while (here he is putting his foot in it again), Dave found himself surrounded by ideas for cartooning based upon Disability and Disability issues. It wasn't long before the alter ego "Crippen" emerged and the rest, as they say, is history.
His new pen name of "Crippen" took off with a vengeance and within a few years he became the leading Disabled cartoonist in the UK, working for the most part on the political edge of Disability issues and rights, identifying the barriers that exist for Disabled people within our society whilst focusing on the humour (sometimes!) and the absurdity of many situations. Over the years Crippen has discovered that the cartoons can open many of the doors that are often closed to the more conventional ways of addressing disability issues - he does have a bit of a reputation for confronting and challenging in areas where others fear (though would dearly like) to tread!
His work within this field is legend; it has included commissions from the BBC and Channel 4, many Disability focused film and television companies, magazines and newspapers, and several leading mainstream newspaper publications, including the Guardian and the Yorkshire Evening Post. His work has been translated into other languages and has even found a home across the pond (and who said the Americans don't have a sense of humour?!). "Crippen" cartoons can also be seen adorning the walls of the offices of many leading political figures, including William Hague, David Blunkett and Tony Blair.
Dave was also the Chair of the National Union of Journalists Disabled Members Council for several years and has worked with many groups and organisations of Disabled people in both an advisory and artistic capacity. Some of his work as "Crippen" is currently available for viewing on the Disability Arts website, a project financed by the Arts Council of England.
Sox
Eventually finding his feet again (literally!) Dave once more ventured out into the wide world of mainstream cartooning and redeveloped his original alter ego "Sox". His work in this respect has been extremely varied and has involved producing cartoons for postcard manufacturers, producing training visuals for management consultancy firms, and travelling to the USA for a stint as cartoonist/training facilitator.
For the past three years or so he's been travelling around Europe with his partner Jeni and small dog, in their motorhome. However, due to the wonders of modern technology he's still been able to carry on producing cartoons and sending them back via the internet (and this is from a man who still needs his grand-daughter to show him how to set the video!). If you have a masochistic streak, you can read about their travels (and view some of Dave's work relating to same) on their web site www.rollingfruitbats.com - but don't say we didn't warn you!
