An amazing achievement by Leicester City!

This cartoon was drawn at the time of Leicester City’s unforgettable Premier League title win in 2016. 

It shows a police constable gazing upwards, with the caption: “I DON’T CARE IF YOU ARE A LEICESTER CITY FAN – YOU CAN COME DOWN OFF THAT CLOUD RIGHT NOW!”

The humour plays on the phrase “walking on cloud nine,” capturing just how euphoric Leicester supporters felt during that incredible season. 

Their triumph, against all odds, was so astonishing that fans were often said to be floating in disbelief – and this cartoon takes that idea quite literally.

It remains one of those sporting moments that still makes people smile, whether they support Leicester or not. 

The cartoon is a light-hearted reminder of the joy and disbelief that surrounded one of football’s greatest underdog stories.

See my Gallery of football-themed gift items to buy online >>

Sleepy Village Cartoon...

This cartoon takes a playful look at rural life and the way it is often perceived by outsiders. 

The drawing shows a rambler, map in hand, speaking to a local villager – a bearded character leaning casually on a wall in a small country village. 

The caption reads: “Arr, it do be a sleepy little village – but the pub disco didn’t kick out til 4.”

The humour lies in the clash of expectations. To the visitor, the village may seem quiet, traditional, and untouched by modernity. 

Yet the villager’s words reveal a hidden side of rural life – one that involves late-night revelry and a pub disco running until the early hours. 

The cartoon plays on the contrast between the image of the countryside as sleepy and uneventful, and the reality that it can be just as lively (and noisy) as any town when the occasion arises.

This gentle exaggeration adds charm to the scene, reminding us that villages aren’t always quite what they seem from the outside. 

It’s a light-hearted observation of how stereotypes and reality can amusingly collide.

To see more of my cartoons, please visit www.nigelsutherland.co.uk

Make Sure your Dating Request is Legible!

This cartoon is set in a dating agency and plays on the comic potential of misunderstandings. 

A woman is shown voicing her frustration to the manager, saying: “No, I actually requested a ‘sporty’ type!” 

Standing beside her is her date – a man whose face is covered in spots, clearly not the athletic partner she was hoping to meet.

The humour lies in the wordplay between “sporty” and “spotty,” two terms that sound almost identical but mean very different things. 

Instead of being paired with someone athletic and energetic, the woman has been matched with someone whose defining feature is his spotty complexion – a far cry from her expectations.

Cartoons like this shine a light on the small misunderstandings of everyday life, especially in contexts like dating where expectations and reality don’t always match up. 

By exaggerating the miscommunication, the drawing creates a light-hearted take on the sometimes tricky world of finding the perfect partner.

View a selection of business cards online that use my cartoons >>

For more of my work, please visit www.nigelsutherland.co.uk

Promising the earth...

This cartoon shows a husband standing in his sitting room, while his wife stands behind him, chatting with a female friend. 

The caption reads: “Promising the earth, and getting an allotment are not the same thing.”

The humour comes from the clever play on the familiar idiom “promising the earth,” which refers to making grand or unrealistic promises. 

The punchline contrasts this with the idea of “getting an allotment” – a small plot of land for gardening – highlighting the gap between the husband’s lofty promises and the modest reality.

Cartoons like this find humour in everyday domestic situations, using wordplay and contrast to gently poke fun at human expectations and disappointments.

Church themed cartoons on items to buy online >>

See more of my cartoons at www.nigelsutherland.co.uk

Crossword Compilers Meeting...

If you’ve just landed on this page, welcome. I’ve been working as a cartoonist and graphic designer for many years, with cartoons published in a variety of places over that time.

This blog is a way for me to revisit some of those earlier cartoons, share the ideas behind them, and show how they can still be used today - whether as standalone humour or adapted onto personalised items and gifts. 

In this Blog, you’ll find a selection of cartoons from my archive, along with a bit of background and context behind each one.

The cartoon featured here shows a man carrying a newspaper, about to enter a door labeled “Crossword Compilers Private Meeting.” 

The wording of the sign is cleverly arranged to resemble a crossword layout, which is the focus of the joke.

The humour comes from the visual play on words: the sign itself looks like a crossword puzzle, making it immediately clear that the meeting is for people who create them. 

It’s a subtle twist that rewards careful observation and wordplay, typical of lighthearted, intellectual humour.

Cartoons like this work by combining familiar settings – in this case, a private meeting – with visual puns, letting the audience spot the joke and enjoy the idea behind the concept.

View my selection of Jigsaw Puzzles to buy online >>

If you’ve enjoyed this cartoon, you might also like a couple of others from my collection – perhaps “Don’t Confuse Your Internet Search with Research” or the cheeky “A Totally Useless Little Man”. There’s plenty more cartoon humour waiting on my blog!

See more of my cartoons at www.nigelsutherland.co.uk

Dog bite cartoon...

This cartoon plays on the familiar idiom, “his bark is worse than his bite.” 

In the image, a dog is literally biting a man’s leg, while his friend comments that the dog’s “bark is even worse.”

The humour comes from the visual twist on a well-known phrase, turning the metaphor into a literal and exaggerated situation. 

The cartoon captures the irony of language and the comic timing of the friend’s remark, highlighting the dog’s troublesome behaviour in a playful way.

Cartoons like this work by taking common sayings and showing them in unexpected, literal contexts, making us see everyday expressions in a new and amusing light.

If my latest cartoon raised a smile, you might like to continue the fun with “Drink to Forget” or perhaps the quirky “The Optician Didn’t Expect This Result”. More laughs await on my blog!

See my gallery of personalised Pet Bowls available online >>

See more of my cartoons at www.nigelsutherland.co.uk

Football Club Toilets...

This cartoon of mine depicts a humorous scene at a football stadium. 

A person dressed as a club mascot, wearing a football shirt with the number 9, is entering a toilet labeled “CLUB MASCOTS.” 

Nearby are the usual “GENTS” and “LADIES” toilets, while a football fan with a scarf looks on.

The humour comes from the idea that mascots, with their unique roles and oversized costumes, might need their own dedicated facilities. 

Soccer theme Gallery of items I have designed...

It’s a playful exaggeration of the behind-the-scenes realities of football, turning a mundane setting into a comic moment.

Cartoons like this work by taking familiar situations – in this case, a stadium toilet – and adding a quirky twist that catches the viewer off guard.

See more of my cartoons at www.nigelsutherland.co.uk

Football - Assistant Referee Cartoon...

This cartoon depicts a scene at a football match where two St John Ambulance personnel are attending to an injured assistant referee on the field.

An observing fan remarks: “THAT FORWARD'S GOING TO BE IN AN AWFUL LOT OF TROUBLE ONCE THE ASSISTANT REFEREE'S HAD HIS FLAG REMOVED.”

The humour comes from the fan’s interpretation of the situation: the unlikely injury is serious enough that the assistant-referee might need the flag removed from an orifice, and implying that the forward who caused the incident is in for a heavy punishment. 

Cartoons like this thrive on visual storytelling and witty captions, capturing the intensity and occasional absurdity of sports scenarios in a single frame.

Football-themed gift wristwatches I have designed >>

See more of my cartoons at www.nigelsutherland.co.uk

"Loose Chippings" - Not Seen as a Warning...

This single-panel cartoon pokes fun at a classic case of misunderstanding road signs. 

A car with two passengers drives past a sign reading “LOOSE CHIPPINGS,” and the caption reads: “THEY CERTAINLY HAVE SOME PRETTY QUAINT PLACE NAMES IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD.”

The humour comes from the driver mistaking a standard road warning – indicating loose gravel – for the name of a charming rural village. 

It’s a playful example of literal interpretation, showing how everyday signs can be misread in amusing ways.

Cartoons like this work because they take small, relatable situations and exaggerate the misunderstanding just enough to be instantly funny, without being mean-spirited.

See more of my cartoons at www.nigelsutherland.co.uk

Reading in the Library. A cartoon from my archives...

This cartoon, set in a library, plays on the double meanings of “short stories” and “tall stories.”

One character holds a book labeled “SHORT STORIES,” which is physically short in height, while another stands beside a towering stack of books labeled “TALL STORIES.”

The humour comes from the clever visual twist: literary terms turned into literal objects. It’s a playful way of showing how language can be interpreted in more than one way, turning a simple idea into a whimsical scene.

Cartoons like this rely on observation and wordplay, inviting viewers to spot the joke while appreciating the small details. The contrast between the tiny book and the enormous stack of “tall stories” makes the scene instantly amusing.

You can see a gallery of items I have created which use this, and other book-themed cartoons HERE...

See more of my cartoons at www.nigelsutherland.co.uk