Sketchbook November 2008

Hi there,
While I compile all the info on the Illustrating Illustration exhibition and the Rhyme Rag Launch, I leave you with some excerpts from my sketchbook this month. You have pieces inspired in gigs I've been to, people I've seen or illustrators I admire.








Hope you like them

3epkano's Pandora's Box

This is the poster for next 3epkano's gig in Kilkenny. This time they are not only putting music to a fantastic silent film; but they are also giving a full day workshop. For more info and bookings contact the Arts Office.

Sketchbook October 2008 (3)

And this is the last one of the October ones.
Hope you enjoy them.

Sketchbook October 2008 (2)

As promised a second batch of the sketches of that book completed in October.
Sorry It took so long.

Enjoy

Sketchbook October (1)

Last Ocotober I've ceompleted a full sketchbook. That had never happened before. Sketchbooks usually take me months to get completed. Here you have a selection of images from them.
Enjoy!

Obama

After the US elections, the guys of Scamp.ie came up with the idea of doing a quick sketch of it.



The one you see here is my entry. Click here to see all other entries

Happy Halloween

Hi there,
I think this is the first time I ever celebrate Halloween. I was asked to do a quick sketch for www.scamp.ie (click to see other entries too) and that's what you can see here. I will also be djing in the best party venue in Inistioge... just follow the noise!

Rhyme Rag Issue#4

Now!
This is the cover for this year's Rhyme Rag. Thanks a bunch to BRENB for the help with the textures!
The illustration is completely done in Painter with a tiny bit of retouching in Photoshop. I didn't even do a sketch in paper. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted, started on a blank file in Painter, sketching with the pencils tools. when I was totally happy with the composition I started collecting all the images (fountain pen, wings, splatters...) and then started drawing with the scraperboard tool.

The launch of the Rhyme Rag is next Wednesday 15th November in the Arts Office Kilkenny County Council. It is always a great night and the buzz is unbelievable so please make the effort to come!

Sketchbook October 2008

While I am working frantically on the Rhyme Rag I leave you with a few images of one of my current stechbooks.
Hope you like them.

1994: Los Patéticos

I had to start an illustration today that reminded me of an old job I did ages ago... I tried to find it without joy. Instead I came across this I did back in 94. A couple of years before I became friends with computers (I had one at that stage but I hated it.)

Rhyme Rag 2008

Rhyme Rag 2008 is here! At the moment I am still developing it, but you'll be glad to know it is very well advanced.
This year I've opted for the even more complicated task of creating a full page comic with each one of the poems.
You can see here one of the panels of a beautiful poem called Morphine by Sorcha Reilly.

Adapting the poems to the comic format has been the most difficult job so far; as I didn't want to take a literal approach. I have reinterpreted the poems in a comic narrative context. This means I've used the images for some of the actions of the poems and the words for some others. While trying to keep the musicality and pace intrinsic to the poem... In other words, I am exhausted!


This week I should be posting much more stuff on the Rhyme Rag, so keep tuned!

Woodstock Explorer Pack

They are here now. The Woodstock Explorer Pack is being distributed among children visiting the Woodstock Gardens now (I'm not too sure what's the criteria as the print run was quite small.)

Hope you like it.

"Sorry I can't take your call but I'm off saving the World" Anthology for sale now!

The Comic Book Anthology "Sorry I can't take your call but I'm off saving the wrold" is available for sale in www.goalanthology.com It is fantastically edited and produced by Cliodhna Lyons, it has some great comics in there... and it is for a damn good cause, so what are you waiting for?

September

While we get ready to open the Illustrating Illustration Exhibition in Spain there are lots of things happening here: The Woodstock Explorer Pack is finished and produced; so is the new Barnstorm production (poster below)




and, waiting for final approval, next year's poster for the Fresh Film Festival (detail of one of the images at the top of this post).

Hope you enjoy them

Sketchbook November 2007-September 2008

You've seen some of the spreads already. This is the full sketchbook which was completed while on holidays in Armona, Portugal. Hope you enjoy it.

The Sailor with the Pipe image is by Chris Judge.

8x8 Auction for 5-6 Women's Art Project

The 5-6 Women's Art Project is organising an auction that will take place in 7 Bridgewater House, Dean St. Kilkenny next Thursday from 6pm to 9pm.
These are the pieces I've produced although I think I am only allowed one.
Hope you like them.

SLANT Exhibition in Scamp

SLANT, the IGI exhibition in Ormeau Baths, Belfast is reviewed today in Scamp. Check it out. Some of the work is just amazing. Click here

Final Characters for Greenhome.ie

These are the final characters for Greenhome.ie
You can see (compare with previous post) how tight the fairy was when the first draft was presented. The Vampire was there from the beginning too. But he needed more variations till it got to a point where the customer was happy.

The monster in that other post never made it to the final stage.

WoodStock Illustrations

This is one of the illustrations I've done for a very nice project based in the Woodstock Gardens in Inistioge. I'll post the full product once it comes back form the printers.

I spent hours looking at Milton Caniff's comics. That guy is a genius using a brush!

Hope you like it

Some Old Character Drawings

These are a few characters I designed last year for a Film Festival Poster. None of them were used. I've just found them when I was archiving the latest illustrations I am doing. Which I hope to be posting soon.
I thought it might be interesting to show illustrations before they are treated in the computer. In this case all of them are inked very clean using a Hunt102 nib and indian ink.
It was one of the first times I used photographic reference. It would have been really difficult to get all the details of the clothes in my head. I used a magazine on Japanese Teenage Culture.

Hope you like them.

More Sketchbook

A few more images from my sketchbook. Hope you like them.

Characters for Greenhome.ie

I am currently developing a few characters for the greenhome.ie programme. They are work in progress. Please enjoy them!

2008 Kilkenny Arts Festival TV Ad

This is the TV ad that ran on national TV for a week in July.

Enjoy it!

"Sorry I can't take your call, I'm off saving the World" Anthology

This week, I've finished a one page comic for a Charity Comics Anthology put together by Cliodhna at Ztoical (www.ztoical.com) 

It's been great to go back to inking pages the old way. I have the feeling this year is going to be full of comics... Really exciting stuff!

Here you have one of the panels of that page (my personal favourite). Hope you enjoy it.