Cartooning by John M. Byrne, 2008
John M. Byrne, not to be confused with the Canadian comics artist John Byrne or the English comics artist John M. Burns, is a writer, cartoonist, performer and broadcaster from Dublin. (The middle initial (for Michael) is generally only used for North American work to avoid confusion as referenced above, the artist mainly using 'John Byrne' as his name in Ireland, UK and Europe. He has occasionally been references by fansites dedicated to the Canadian artist, where he has been dubbed 'EuroJohnByrne'.
While still at NCAD in Dublin, Byrne was one of the artists who produced Tara, one of the first independently produced Comic Book annuals for the Irish market, heavily influenced by American publications such as Mad and Not Brand Ecch. He started his career in Irish publications such as The Phoenix, Woman's Way and the Irish Daily Star in the late 80s and early 90s for whom he produced The Green Army, an Andy Capp style strip about the adventures of two Irish fans during the glory days of the Charlton Era. He moved to Britain in 1992 where his cartoons featured regularly in a wide range of newspapers and magazines, ranging from Christian Herald, Private Eye, the BBC’s in-house magazine Ariel, The Spectator, The Bookseller and many other industry and trade magazines. His ‘live cartoons’ show - a combination of stand up comedy, art class and audience participation - has been performed at festivals, schools and libraries and at corporate events all over the UK. He has also demonstrated cartooning on TV for the BBC, Nickelodeon and Channel 5.
He has written joke books, children's books, and books on professional creative development, including Drawing Cartoons that Sell, Learn to Draw Cartoons, Learn to Draw Comics, and Cartooning: The Best One-Stop Guide to Drawing Cartoons, Caricatures, Comic Strips, and Manga, as well as A Dancer's Guide to Getting Work and A Singer's Guide to Getting Work. While he still teaches Cartooning among several other courses for the London Art College online school, the major part of his work currently is in teaching and coaching of artists both visual and performing, and writing. He has taught creative skills at third level and adult educational institutions, including the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and The National Museum of Cartoon Art, and does private coaching work in the creative professions. He writes the "Careers Clinic" advice column for The Stage newspaper and website.
For a time in the 1980s he was Communications Officer for UNICEF in Malawi.
