Michael is originally from England and now lives in Pattaya. Although many may not recognize his name, most will recognize his initials, MJB, as they appear on the cartoons about living or visiting Thailand that he draws for the Pattaya Mail.
Cartoonist Mike Baird said he got his start at a young age. He said his older brother did drawings and he took some to school and showed his classmates. His classmates liked them so much, they wanted to buy them. So, Michael took them back home, drew copies, and brought them back to school for sale.
Michael said he first got started in his art by using the scraperboard, which he explained was using a solid black ink on top of white chalk board and then you scratch out the black ink to make a drawing. Subsequently, he got into using paints. All of this was done as a hobby.
He got into it as a vocation when he went to work for a company that did large outdoor advertising displays.
As time went on, he learned various techniques from other artists employed by the company. Early in his career, he traveled extensively as a touch up artist. Since the displays used oil paint, the panels often stuck together. When they were put up for display, they were smudged and needed to be touched up.
At one point, he said his company became aware of a company in Barcelona, Spain, that was doing excellent displays using air brush painting. He was sent to Barcelona to look at how they were doing it and brought the technique back for use by his company. He said it was hard to believe that one could do such quality work using an air brush. Some of his air brush art-work was a sixty by fifteen foot display.
Michael commented that he had always been impressed by the art work of Norman Rockwell and started making copies of his work. This led to a side career as a copyist; not only of works by Rockwell, but other famous artists as well. He said he became one of England’s top copy artists painting murals, portraits, landscapes, and masterpieces. He said he got into doing murals by happenstance. One day he was driving when a Rolls Royce flashed its lights at him. The man in the Rolls then asked him if he could paint a mural in his bedroom - Michael’s picture of the mural hand painted onto wardrobe doors was quite stunning.
However, Michael said that he did his first cartoon after retiring to Thailand. He said he was approached by a magazine publisher and asked to draw some cartoons. His first efforts were in black and white. Over time, he improved his drawings and started doing them in color. These cartoons most often reflect life in Thailand - the humorous side of it. Michael said most of his inspiration comes just from sitting and watching what goes on around him.
Michael says that moving to Thailand was the best thing he ever did.
To contact Mike - please
E-Mail him at amuzingthaicartoons@yahoo.com
Mike`s
ONLINE Shop is NOW OPEN.
This is a COPY I painted in oils of The Village Wedding.
This is My Copy of The Scots Greys - Painted in Oils 8x4 foot.
This is a Mural I painted in Oils onto a fitted Wardrobe.
This is an AIRBRUSH painting I did on P.V.C. of MARGO HEMMINGWAY for a BABE Perfume.
This is a 60x15 foot P.V.C. AIRBRUSH illuminated display I painted for 3Ms in America years ago,
This is my P.V.C. Airbrush Painting I did on the Freeway in the U.S.A.
Airbrush P.V.C. 6 foot Display I Painted.
My Copy of Norman Rockwells " The Boxer". (In Oils)
Another Handpainted Display I did for Chesterfield 50x10
A 10x5 foot Mural I painted in my Mums front room . She went away for the weekend and I had it finished when she arrived home Sunday evening. ( She was Shocked as she wasn't expecting it- She loved it every day )
This is another Mural I painted for my Girlfriends Sister Jane in Somerset - It`s still there 30 years later.
My Copy of " Rorks Drift " 8x4 in Oils.
This one makes a change - It was painted by a Singapore Artist in Watercolours - I painted it in oils 8x5 foot.
My Teacher was Harold Hitchcock - and this was one of his Paintings I copied 6x3 foot.
A nice study I copied in Oils.
This is a Norman Rockwell copy I did many years ago - as you can see. I gave it away to a Friend who did me a great favor.
This is a Painting I did in the Norman Rockwell Style of Father Ray Brenon of The Pattaya Orphanage. It`s still hanging in the Dining Room for all the Kids to see.
This was my first Painting in Oils
This Handpainted P.V.C.Display pushed me up the ranks to being the TOP OUTDOOR ADVERTISING ARTIST for 20 Years.
I could go on FOREVER with Tons of my Paintings but I don't want to bore you all.
Please go to my SECOND PAGE and see My Life - as I gave up Painting and took up Cartooning.
Many Many People thought I was MAD to pack it all in - but it was nice to do things out of my head - without copying.
Then see my Franchise Page and My Norman Rockwell Collection.
And I do enjoy making people LAUGH...and I do enjoy being a bit controversial ....
Plus I enjoyed all those Old Seaside Postcards we all looked at Many Years Ago - and I wanted to keep it alive as I hate these P.C. People who are taking the FUN OUT OF LIFE. 🙂
AMUZINGTHAICARTOONS.COM is now MIKEBAIRDCARTOONIST.SIMPLESITE.COM
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