Karl Jeffery

Hi, I’m Karl.

I’m a cartoonist and illustrator. I have a habit of drinking too much tea. I’m also a self-confessed overthinker, which is why I took up meditation. I now face the inner battle about being Zen, or eating cake.

I spend a lot of time alone with my thoughts, making funny little drawings about life, especially the bits that make it surreal or a struggle. 

I know from experience that life can sometimes feel overwhelming and heavy, a bit like carrying a sofa upstairs on your own. That’s why I turn all the stuff that makes us feel stressed, worried or sad into something more uplifting. My hope is that you’ll leave feeling a little lighter than when you arrived.

I started drawing when I was 5 years old. Back then it was mostly dinosaurs and stick figures. 

I earned my artistic licence at secondary school by drawing cartoons of the teachers. I earned pocket money by selling them to other kids. I got to spend a lot of quality time with the teachers too (aka 'detention').

I began working as a freelance cartoonist and illustrator in the 1990s. My work appeared in magazines, on Christmas cards, online, and inside a few books which I happily returned to the library before their due date. 

I’ve had a some interesting creative jobs over the years, including working as a radio presenter and producer, plus 20 years as a professional ventriloquist where I wrote, produced and performed hundreds of magical puppet shows all over the UK. I guess you could say I spent a third of my life talking to my hand for a living. 

I also trained to become a meditation teacher. It was while teaching meditation at Sunderland University that the students awarded me with my honorary spiritual title, ‘The Angry Buddha.’

That was where I discovered creativity, cartooning, humour and meditation all share one thing in common. The can all help to enrich our lives and benefit our wellbeing, physically, mentally, and emotionally. The challenges and struggles of everyday life can be transformed into something more manageable. When life feel less heavy, we feel better, and we can relax and enjoy it more.

I’ve also worked for the NHS as a health care advisor, independently as a holistic therapist, and a meditation teacher . . .  but this isn’t my CV and I suspect your eyes are already glazing over.

At the age of 45, I graduated from Sunderland University with 4 things:

• a First Class Honours Degree in Fine Art (BA)
• a Foundation Degree in Applied Fine Art Practice
• the ability to draw a talking slug
• a student debt that triples every time I blink

I’ve shaken hands with Ant and Dec, discussed magic with Stephen Mulhern, appeared on a TV quiz show called Win My Wage, given Lisa Mitchell a lift home after she performed at a gig in a laundrette, and got buzzed off Britain’s Got Talent in under two minutes. Amanda Holden didn’t like me. Simon was actually nice. Piers Morgan just stared at his phone.

I have a deep love for cartooning. It actually helped save my life. But we’ll save that story for another day. Anyway, that’s quite enough about me. Get a cuppa, and some biscuits and take a look around.  I’ll let my creative work speak for itself from now on.