30 Minute Portrait #4

Number four in a series of something. Bored Blue Beatnik Girl.

Beasts V Dandelion

The Beasts love the taste of Dandelion stalks but are terrified of the floaty bits when they come loose. One of them inches closer as quietly as he can while the other waits anxiously...

Slant Exhibition in Ormeau Baths Gallery

The IGI was approached by the Ormeau Baths Gallery in Belfast to submit and idea for an exhibition to be held during the Summer. As promotions officer for the IGI I took on the role of organiser and began correspondence with Feargal O'Malley in the Gallery. Between myself, Padhraig and Steve we came up with the idea where each member of the Guild takes a favourite painting and reinterprets it in their own way and style. We got an amazing response with 18 brilliant unique pieces.

They're currently being framed and will be on show in the Ormeau Baths Gallery from 1st August - 27th September 2008. I highly recommend a look if you're up that way.

This is my effort. I always loved this painting by Picasso it always seemed so modern to me. Almost like a cover for a comic by comic artist Bill Sienkiewicz. I imagine Petrvs Manach to be this amazingly slick bar owner in Madrid in the 1920's so my interpretation is Barman Peter Murphy from Dublin in the 1980's.

30 Minute Portrait #3

Number three. Made while eating sandwich, drinking weak coffee for lunch.

Sunday Tribune

Great article by Patrick Freyne on the rise of journalistic comics in last Sunday's Tribune. Our Dystopia strip was printed alongside Josh Neufeld and the great Joe Sacco which was a great honour indeed.

Here's a link to the online article.

Winehouse

Drawn at 5am on the fence behind our tents in Glastonbury after we saw her box some guy in the face.

30 Minute Portrait #2

Number two in a series of 2 million.

Name: Mr. Fernandez?

Carlsberg Comedy Posters

Just started spotting the Carlsberg Comedy posters out and about. Saw one on the side of a bus but it was way too wet to be chasing it down the road.

30 Minute Portrait #1

This is the first of a series I'm going to try and do over the next while. The idea is to try to draw a quick portrait like this fellow in my notebook, scan it, colour it in Photoshop and upload it onto the blog all in 30 minutes. Drawing exercise you might call it.

I hope to do a few a week.

PRINT cover

When I was approached by PRINT magazine to be one of twelve European illustrators in the latest issue I jumped at the chance and couldn't believe my luck. Then the following week they asked me to do the cover which completely bowled me over! I worked in a panic, sending work back and forth to NY for two weeks, trying to capture the brief they sent but in the end it just didn't work. It was one of those really difficult briefs and it was only after I saw the cover they used that I understood what they were after which works really well. C'est la vie.

It was a great learning curve anyway and I produced lots of work I like during the process. Here are two of the more finished covers I worked on. I thought it would be nice to let them see the light of day here as I have no other home for them.

Illustrating de Soto

I recently worked on three editorial illustrations for the Junior Scholastic monthly magazine which is published in the US. Each illustration is based loosely on scenes from a short play about the life of the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto featured in the magazine.

I had heard of his name but didn't really know much about him. Very interesting character indeed. Check out this great painting, so much going on.

Denny 'Eat Healthy' press ads

This is a press campaign I worked on during the month with Mark Shanley in DDFHB for Denny's new 'Eat healthy' range. They wanted to keep the backgrounds simple which I'm always a big fan of so I'm really happy with how they turned out.

Thanks to Cliona for modelling for them, unfortunately she won't let me post the reference photos...

Dystopia Part 29

Next Months Dystopia in Totally Dublin.

Candy Karaoke Opens Tonight!

The fellows in Candy have just put up photos of all the framed artwork for Candy Karaoke on their Fickr photo stream. I highly recommend a visit. It opens tonight in Monster Truck at 7pm.

Here's my Teapot and....

The Teapot. Photographed by Cliona.