You've got to start somewhere...

McTodd Animates! has spawned! Mainly to prevent the aforementioned companion blog from clogging up with non-animation posts...

Since I was a nipper, I've been fascinated by the art of caricature. At school, I used to draw little caricatures of schoolfriends, teachers, famous people off the telly and the like. My interest was further boosted by the advent of the ITV series Spitting Image, brainchild of the great caricature sculptors Luck & Flaw (Peter Fluck and Roger Law).

Unfortunately, I can't really draw for toffee but, at the risk of sounding arrogant, I do have some ability at Making Stuff, whether scale models, simple gadgets or - latterly - small sculptures. In fact, it was just before Spitting Image appeared that I first had a go at sculpting clay caricatures, under the influence of Luck & Flaw's occasional magazine covers which featured stunning tableaux depicting (in)famous politicians sculpted in plasticine. However, I only made a few and abandoned the whole thing until now, over twenty-five years later.

Hence this blog, which will feature my efforts at creating caricatures of famous people sculpted in clay...