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reflection

Chronology of a front page illustration

July 25, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday July 25, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Saturday July 25, 2015 Chronology of a front page illustration The illustration on today's front page of the Hamilton Spectator began mid-week with a vision explained to me by Saturday editor Cheryl Stepan as an illustration to promote a fireworks display marking the end to the 2015 Pan Am Games. Art Director, John Bullock, further envisioned the fireworks being let off by Pachi, the Pan Am mascot from a barge in Hamilton Harbour. The shape of the illustration was measured out which resembled a big letter T allowing for text on either side of the rocket smoke streams. A difference of opinion emerged on what to do with the background. I insisted on a black sky background, and John argued that it would be too difficult to read white text on black especially on newsprint. To me there was no sense putting fireworks on a white background. So when I finished drawing the firework bursts and rocket lighting Pachi on the barge I supplied a version with a white sky and another with a grey gradient transitioning from white to black. Side by side it made better sense to editors to go with the black sky version, and working with it John came up with the idea to lay the entire masthead atop the fireworks and voila, the resulting A1 illustration. cover art, illustration, cartooning, fireworks, Pan Am Games, Pachi, barge, reflection

The illustration on today’s front page of the Hamilton Spectator began mid-week with a vision explained to me by Saturday editor Cheryl Stepan as a graphic to promote a fireworks display marking the end to the 2015 Pan Am Games. Art Director, John Bullock, further envisioned the fireworks being let off by Pachi, the Pan Am mascot from a barge in Hamilton Harbour. The shape of the illustration was measured out which resembled a big letter T allowing for text on either side of the rocket smoke streams. A difference of opinion emerged on what to do with the background. 2015-07-25whitesky-coverI insisted on a black sky background, and John argued that it would be too difficult to read white text on black especially on newsprint. To me there was no sense putting fireworks on a white background. So when I finished drawing the firework bursts and rocket lighting Pachi on the barge I supplied a version with a white sky and another with a grey gradient transitioning from white to black. Side by side it made better sense to editors to go with the black sky version, and working with it John came up with the idea to lay the entire masthead atop the fireworks and voila, the resulting A1 illustration.

CAN_HS


LETTER

Spectator front page (July 25)

Graeme Mackay’s front page illustration was ingenious!

As a longtime subscriber to The Hamilton Spectator, I daily look for his brilliance in depicting current news, whether political or social. With keen insight and imagination, he often weaves humour with reality.

TO2015’s mascot, PACHI, is so lovable, one of the best ever in Olympic or Pan American Games. Daily, this spirited raccoon greets me as I open my refrigerator door.

And to include him with the spectacular fireworks accompanied by Boris Brott’s orchestra – how wonderful. Kudos to Graeme Mackay and Boris Brott, both local professionals.

Merle Baird-Kerr, Burlington

Posted in: Cartooning Tagged: barge, cartooning, cover art, fireworks, Illustration, letter, Pachi, Pan Am Games, reflection

Thursday June 18, 2015

June 17, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Thursday June 18, 2015 Five ACTION officers charged in fake ticket probe Five Hamilton police officers are facing criminal charges for allegedly writing 32 falsified tickets as members of the high-profile ACTION unit. It's alleged the tickets named 18 people who had no idea they were victims. The five are among seven members of the former ACTION Team One who were arrested Tuesday. They had been relegated to administrative duties amid a nearly nine-month long internal investigation. All seven have now been suspended with pay and could still face Police Services Act disciplinary charges, which are being investigated by a separate group of officers. At a news conference announcing the charges Tuesday night, police Chief Glenn De Caire said the service took the investigation very seriously and he's confident detectives have looked at all of the evidence. "We have followed the evidence and we have followed the law," he said. The investigation began after a Hamilton police officer found provincial offence notice books in a box destined for the shredder on Sept. 30, 2014. The booklets had the fill-out paper that is supposed to go to the offender still attached. It's alleged the officers made up the tickets, submitting them in court and for police statistics. It's also believed many of the victims were known vulnerable people the ACTION officers came across downtown. De Caire said police have met with some of the victims and all 32 tickets will be withdrawn. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5679224-five-action-officers-charged-in-fake-ticket-probe/ Police, Hamilton, tickets, corruption, thugs, bully, brutality, mirror, image, reflection

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday June 18, 2015

Five ACTION officers charged in fake ticket probe

Five Hamilton police officers are facing criminal charges for allegedly writing 32 falsified tickets as members of the high-profile ACTION unit.

It’s alleged the tickets named 18 people who had no idea they were victims.

The five are among seven members of the former ACTION Team One who were arrested Tuesday. They had been relegated to administrative duties amid a nearly nine-month long internal investigation.

All seven have now been suspended with pay and could still face Police Services Act disciplinary charges, which are being investigated by a separate group of officers.

At a news conference announcing the charges Tuesday night, police Chief Glenn De Caire said the service took the investigation very seriously and he’s confident detectives have looked at all of the evidence.

“We have followed the evidence and we have followed the law,” he said.

The investigation began after a Hamilton police officer found provincial offence notice books in a box destined for the shredder on Sept. 30, 2014. The booklets had the fill-out paper that is supposed to go to the offender still attached.

It’s alleged the officers made up the tickets, submitting them in court and for police statistics. It’s also believed many of the victims were known vulnerable people the ACTION officers came across downtown.

De Caire said police have met with some of the victims and all 32 tickets will be withdrawn. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)


Letter to the editor, June 22, 2015 – Cartoon was vilifying, premature

I found the editorial cartoon in the June 18 Spectator that portrayed police officers in a mirror under the word “thugs” to be demeaning, vilifying and certainly premature in its treatment of police.

While our local police service has suffered the slings and arrows recently afforded it by having several members charged with criminal offences it is important to recognize that the vast majority of our serving officers are in fact providing service to the public in a manner that is adequate, just and compassionate.

The officers charged with transgressions will have their day in court. If guilt is assessed against each, then the cartoon might have modest merit.

For the present, it does nothing to restore what a few officers have tarnished and in point of fact helps to erode public trust even further.

It suggests in a very graphic way that all police are thugs. I am sure, the artist and The Spectator did not really wish to convey such a message.

Policing is difficult enough without outside assistance which goes a great distance toward making daily work more difficult by exacerbating an already poor situation.

To blindly follow recent U.S. knee jerk response to perceived and alleged wrongdoing by police is dangerous and hurtful.

We can not condone what is alleged to have happened.

However, one truth is real. Thugs are thugs and these officers are innocent until proven guilty. The checks and balances built into our system of justice will win out at the end of the day.

Our serving officers still deserve public and media support and assistance for the good work they do on a daily basis.

Dan Welsh, Mount Hope

Posted in: Hamilton Tagged: brutality, bully, corruption, Feedback, Hamilton, image, mirror, police, reflection, thugs, tickets

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Please note…

This website contains satirical commentaries of current events going back several decades. Some readers may not share this sense of humour nor the opinions expressed by the artist. To understand editorial cartoons it is important to understand their effectiveness as a counterweight to power. It is presumed readers approach satire with a broad minded foundation and healthy knowledge of objective facts of the subjects depicted.

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