Cartoons and caricatures by Mark O'Brien
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I started drawing not long after I was born, in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1961. 

My mother tells me I decided to be a cartoonist about five years later. A combination of Asterix books, Mad and Viz magazines focused my mind as I grew up. I first drew my Monsta character at high school, where I was deciding between art and business degrees. I graduated from Waikato University with a Bachelor of Management Studies, followed by two (very) short careers in economics and then marketing. Having learned all I needed to know about 9-5 jobs, in 1984 I started working for myself -  selling Monsta cartoons on t-shirts at Victoria Park Market in Auckland.

I sold a lot more Monsta merchandise through Monsta mail marketing in the late 1980's. In the early nineties, I drew a daily Monsta strip that appeared in the Auckland Star for a couple of years and cartooned live on on TV3's Early Bird Show.  Part of my Auckland Star strip was a series of cartoons of the yachts from the Whitbread Round the World Race as they sailed into Auckland in 1990.
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In 1993 I was appointed as the official race cartoonist for the Whitbread Race. I followed the fleet around the world, drawing a series of race cartoons for Whitbread and TVNZ . For the 1997/98 race, I joined the Swedish Match team as their team cartoonist.
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In 1999, back home in Auckland the America's Cup arrived in town and I watched the teams sail by as I drew commissions for the teams, sponsors, newspapers and magazines.  Around this time I switched from drawing with pen and paper to the screens of tablet computers. I now use a  Wacom mobliestudio pro, to go with my trusty Cintiq 24HD. 

In 2003, I drew another America's Cup series in Auckland, got married and moved cities. In 2007 I was Luna Rossa's team cartoonist, based in Valencia, Spain, then drew for Alinghi  from 2008 - 2010 as they battled Oracle in the courts and on the water. In San Francisco in 2013  I drew a daily cartoon of that fun filled series of races.  I await with keen interest to see what happens next...
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I've drawn for other events including Formula 1 cartoons for Ferrari,  the Volvo Ocean Race,  and Hamilton Island Race Week. I've been commissioned to draw boats by ISAF,  Maersk and Wild Oats, and a wide range of cartoons, characters and caricatures by a long list of local and international clients.

My other specialty is live drawing, where I work on a tablet computer creating caricatures or other images that are projected live so everyone can watch as the picture comes to life. I also offer 'graphic facilitation' for businesses. This service creates a visual image of training or workshop seminars which can be a powerful way to help participants to absorb and retain verbal content. If you can make someone laugh, you know you've made them think.

These days, in between travel, I am based in Wellington, New Zealand on our beautiful southern coast. Here I am playing with the neighbours...
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                                                                                    email me or phone 0800666782 for a quote or if you have any questions
New Zealand cartoonist Mark O'Brien draws cartoons, characters and caricatures for gifts, media, conferences and events   
 all contents copyright  1984 - 2019 Mark O'Brien Ltd
  • home
  • LIVE
    • live at events
    • graphic facilitation
    • conferences >
      • ascilite conference
    • CARtoons
  • characters
    • birds
    • animals
    • NZ trees
    • creatures
  • caricatures
    • groups
    • PETS
    • business/logos
  • cartoons
    • illustrations >
      • Ferrari
      • disaster
    • christmas cards
    • training
    • murals
    • MONSTA strips
    • Draw a MONSTA!
  • sailing
    • Sailing
    • America's Cup 2013
    • America's Cup 2010
    • America's Cup 2007
    • America's Cup 2000
    • America's Cup 2003
    • America's Cup 1995
  • feedback
    • from clients...
    • press
  • about me
    • drawing techniques
    • contact >
      • email me
  • FAQs
    • caricature prices
    • live prices