Artist Profile: Mike Webb

A childhood passion for cartoons has given artist Mike Webb a rich and varied career as an artist

They say a good teacher can change your life. Diss-based artist Mike Webb would certainly agree. He credits his high school art teacher with setting him on his path as an artist. ‘I’d always loved drawing,’ says Mike. ‘As a young child, I’d sit and copy Disney cartoons. At Diss Secondary Modern School for Boys, my art teacher - Leslie Norman- took me under his wing. Mr Norman even managed to get me out of the lessons I didn’t like so I could sit in the store room and draw,’ laughs Mike. ‘He gave me lots of useful tips and, most importantly, the time to develop my skills.’ Mike’s teacher even got him his first paid commission when he was just 13. ‘It was for a Turkey breeders magazine,’ recalls Mike. ‘I had to do a series of eight large black and white illustrations of different breeds of turkey to decorate the hall where they were having a ball. Afterwards, they were reproduced in the magazine. I couldn’t believe it when they actually paid me for my work.’ It was this experience that made Mike realise that there was a possibility he could make a career from his drawing. Mike decided against art school as the syllabus didn’t cover his true passions - cartoons. Instead, he took a job at a local silk screen printing business where he learned about poster design and lettering, both of which proved invaluable later in life. Further jobs across Norfolk and Suffolk in both silk screen printing and designs for decorative mirrors helped Mike hone his considerable talent for cartoons. Alongside this work, Mike began to also explore painting more traditional watercolours. ’By now, I’d decided to go self-employed as I’d realised I really could make a living as an artist which was a great feeling,’ says Mike. Living in a rural location, Mike took to painting scenes of country life. ‘I love the countryside but also made sure to include something man-made in my paintings,’ says Mike. But for residents of Mike’s home town of Diss, Norfolk it is his skills as a cartoonist that truly set him apart. Next year will be the fiftieth anniversary of Mike’s regular weekly Mere Quacks cartoon in the town’s Diss Express newspaper. ‘I did my first one back in 1973,’ recalls Mike. ‘Back then, the Diss Express had just gone tabloid and they wanted a regular cartoon each week,’ says Mike. ‘I was asked to come up with something relevant to Diss and I decided to feature the ducks that are a permanent fixture about the town. It was really tricky as I had to come up with a pun each week too. That was the hardest part!’ Mike never dreamed, fifty years later, that he’d still be producing the cartoon each week.

‘I thought it might last a couple of months at most,’ says Mike. ‘It really is unbelievable. The characters really seem to resonate with local people. Most of the characters are ducks but I have added the odd human character in there too. We had a local traffic warden in Diss called George Wass and I’ve included him before which he loved. I also included ‘Sheriff’ Bunny Patterson based on another character in town. The man himself would often complain if it had been a while since I’d put him in!’ Diss is also home to Mike’s regular biennial exhibition at The Corn Hall. ‘I’ve been exhibiting once every two years at The Corn Hall since 2003,’ says Mike. ‘It’s a great venue.’ To purchase any of the paintings in this feature please call Mike on 01379 644390.