Bernard Dowd is a cartoonist, caricaturist and maker of short comic animations. From Thurles, Co. Tipperary he studied Art at the Limerick School of Art during the 1980's and later moved to Co Clare where he now lives and works. As well as working in illustration and graphic design he has put together 3 books of humourous drawings and cartoons. He submits cartoons on a regular basis to local and regional newspapers and magazines. He works mostly with coloured pens and ink and still prefers to sketch up his ideas and cartoons with good old fashioned 4b pencil and rubber. Lately he has entered the world of the computer (eMac and iMac) and photoshop and websites and animation software. And he now feels exactly like that great English comic artist and draughtsman W. Heath Robinson(1872-1944) who became fascinated with drawing absurd mechanical cog-wheeled contraptions and ingenious labour saving devices that were held together with bits of old string !!