Travel Sketchbook New York and Virginia May 2011

Over the last couple of years I've tried to keep sketchbooks whenever I travel and more often than not I'm too lazy or having too much fun to be bleedin' drawing pictures, so more often than not I come home with a few half assed doodles and they end up in a drawer. Other times I get into the rhythm of it and can't stop.

I'm just back from a really fun holiday in Americky visiting my sister, brother-n-law and brand new niece baby Maeve in Virginia as well as a week in New York where I couldn't stop drawing the amazing characaters wandering the around the area we stayed in.

Here's a selection from various sketchbooks and scraps of paper I made during the trip.

I enjoyed it so much this time that now I just want to hop on a train around Europe and draw for months like Steve Doogan did though!

Click the 'Read More' link for all the sketches

Reminder about CBI conference this Weekend!

Just a quick reminder about the session I'm involved in this weekend with some pals.

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I'm honoured to be have been invited to be a guest speaker at this years Children's Books Ireland conference along side some of Ireland's most talented illustrators and writers. It takes place on the 21st-22nd May in the National Library, Dublin. I am also very chuffed that they used The Beast for the cover of their programme and posters.

This is the event I'll be taking part in so I have to get my thinking cap on:

Sunday 21st, 2.45 Picture-book Inspiration 4x4 with Emma Byrne, Chris Haughton, Chris Judge & Steve Simpson
Take four of Irelands most talented picture-book designers and illustrators then challenge then to talk about their four favourite designers and illustrators. The catch? They have only two minutes per artist to make their case!  

Click here to find out more about the fantastic event.

Easons session this Thursday

Really looking forward to the 'Illustrators Evening Event' this Thursday in Easons on O'Connell street Dublin which I'm delighted to have been invited to take part in with David Melling ('Don’t Worry Douglas'), Chris Haughton (A Bit Lost’ which just won the 2010 Bisto award! Well done Chris) and Niamh Sharkey (‘On The Road With Mavis & Marge’)

We'll be drawing pictures, talking about how we got into the childrens book industry and signing books.

Details of how to get tickets here.

The Lonely Beast Short Film!

Myself and photgrapher Cliona O'Flaherty finally filmed, edited and uploaded The Lonely Beast short film we've been threatening to make in the last few months. We would love to hear your feedback!

Click through to YouTube to see a big fancy HD version.

Credits:
Directed by: Chris Judge and Cliona O'Flaherty
Photography: Cliona O'Flaherty
Costume: Renate Henschke
Music: 'Up to You' by David Kitt
Editor: Andy Barry
Music edit: Simon Judge

Thanks a billion to:
Photographer Cliona O'Flaherty for doing a beautiful job shooting it.
Renate Henschke for making such an amazing costume.
David Kitt for letting us use 'Up to you' which totally made it.
Andy Barry for editing and grading and making it look fancy.
Simon Judge for music edit.

Animation Test!

Annoyingly Blogger won't let me embed the video so click here to see HD version on Vimeo!

For a long time I've been wanting to try some stop animation and finally got around to my first tentative steps with photographer Cliona O'Flaherty. We used Dragon Stop Motion which is an amazing application and I can already see the huge potential with it the more we play around with it.

This first test is a simple enough affair but good lord I couldn't believe how much pre production was involved as well as how time consuming it would be!

The idea was to showcase a cross section of characters and artwork I've been working on over the last year or two so I had a bunch of them printed on heavy textured stock and cut each one out with a scalpel over a number of days (aaaagh!). I then stuck tooth picks and skewers to various elements and built the little set.

We tried an initial test of the whole thing at home but the lighting was too inconsistent so we moved the whole thing to Cliona's studio in South Studios using different light sources and it worked much better.

After about 6 hours of construction and photography we finally wrapped it and sent the files to ace editor Andrew Barry who assembled and graded it and made it all look pretty and cohesive. I was so chuffed that The Vinny Club let us use the amazing song 'It's not you it OF' from the album Rocky IV Reckyrd. Check out the whole song and indeed the album, if you're a child of the 80's and loved video games it'll knock your socks off.

So anyway, have a look at all 35 seconds that took weeks to make.

Can't wait to make more animations!

Design Of The Times

Ace designer Claire O'Regan has recently launched a new online magazine/blog called Design Of The Times dedicated and inspired by all things design in both Ireland and worldwide. The site itself is beautifully designed and so far the content is excellant. I'll be checking in everyday for a read during my elvensessses.

Claire kindly did an interview with me which just went live today whereby I rattled on about all thing illustrations.

Have a look here.

Pivot Dublin

Pivot Dublin have just submitted Dublin’s bid for World Design Capital 2014 and I was delighted to be asked to contribute to create one of several covers that is being used on the document.

My submission is based on the new building on Dame Street (about which there is NOTHING on the internet anywhere, I think it might not even be there) next to City Hall.

Since I moved into my new studio on dame Street this building (with no name)  has been the main view from my window and at first I really didn't like it, (along with lots of other people it seems) but have since grown a soft spot for it namely because it looks like a big friendly robot. So hence my addition of the robot face. This represents the good parts of Dublin in hibernation while we wade through the recession for the next few years.

If anyone involved in the creation of this mysterious building (with no DOOR either) please consider adding this face to the building I think it would be lovely!

You can see lots of lovely covers by some of Ireland's leading creatives here.

Did I mention that there is nothing about this building on the internet?

Absolut Round One

Myself, Mark Wickham and Fergal Brennan are doing 7 nights of 'Unflattering Portraits' in conjunction with Absolut Vodka's 'Absolut You' nights (and the handsome lads from Synth Eastwood) over the next few weeks. Myself and Mark completed our first round of abuse on unsuspeting members of the public last Saturday night in the Chocolate Bar in the Pod.

We set up outside on a big old barrel and spent 3 hours drawing portraits of customers, taking into account their worst features and expanding on them. Sounds cruel but between us and the audience I haven't experienced as much tears of laughter while drawing in I don't know how long. Fair play to the poor subjects we were drawing they pushed us to make them worse!

I've uploaded a set on my Flickr account so check it if you have a moment.

I'll upload them as we go. We'll be in Cork, Sligo and Kilkenny over the next few weeks as well as other dates in Dublin so drop in and get yours done if your brave enough. All for free and packaged in a nice tube!

Comic Cast!

I recently did an interview with Liam from the Comic Cast about The Lonely Beast book which is one of the features in this months episodes. If you haven't heard the Comic Cast or indeed are not even into comics I urge you to listen to this podcast on a regular basis. It's just brilliant.

The Beast on Titan!

 

I spent last Monday night searching the skies for Saturn with my telescope and finally found it, tiny but crystal clear, hanging in the sky looking very lonely and quiet. I managed to take a blurry photo of it but you can definitely make out the rings. I posted it on Facebook and my brother Andrew managed to clean up the photo enough to reveal Saturns biggest moon Titan to the left. If Saturn looked that cold and lonely in space, what the hell is Titan like?

Based on those fantastic Sci-Fi paintings from the 50's and 60's, I decided to transplant The Beast to this lonely rock miles from Earth. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to explore it's surface.

I also got some nice pics of the Moon too...

The painting is for my contribution to the annual United Arts Club illustration exhibition which opens tomorrow evening in Dublin and is curated by illustrator Brian Gallagher.

Venue:
United Arts Club
3 Upper Fitzwilliam Street Dublin 2

Date: 24th march 2011

Time: 7pm.

Children's Books Ireland Conference 2011!

I'm honoured to be have been invited to be a guest speaker at this years Children's Books Ireland conference along side some of Ireland's most talented illustrators and writers. It takes place on the 21st-22nd May in the National Library, Dublin. I am also very chuffed that they used The Beast for the cover of their programme and posters.

This is the event I'll be taking part in so I have to get my thinking cap on:

2.45 Picture-book Inspiration 4x4 with Emma Byrne, Chris Haughton, Chris Judge & Steve Simpson
Take four of Irelands most talented picture-book designers and illustrators then challenge then to talk about their four favourite designers and illustrators. The catch? They have only two minutes per artist to make their case!  

Click here to find out more about the fantastic event.

GRAPHICS UNLEASHED Tonight!

 

Poster for exhibition by Alan Clarke.

BLUELEAF GALLERY

 An exhibition of graphic and illustrative work by:
Alan Clarke, Brian Coldrick, Cathy Dineen, Brian Fitzgerald,
Brian Gallagher, Una Gildea, Chris Judge, Joven Kerekes,
Emmet Mullins, Padhraig Nolan, Ray Sell, Steve Simpson

The reception will be held
Wednesday, 16 March 6.00pm-7.30pm
at BlueLeaf Gallery Project Space
7 Sir John Rogersons Quay, Dublin 2
(building backs onto Windmill Lane; three blocks west of Samuel Beckett Bridge)

The exhibition opens for viewing Tuesday, 15 March
and will continue until Friday, 25 March
Viewing hours:
Weekdays: 11:30am-6:30pm
(Closed: St. Patricks Day 17 March; Sat & Sun)

New Prints!

I have just added some new prints to my shop including some prints of images from The Lonely Beast book. Drop in and have a look if you have a moment.

First Known Footage of The Beast!

New Shop!

I've just uploaded my brand new shop. There's a selection of prints for sale and I'll be adding four more next week as well as other fun stuff in the coming weeks. Signed copies of The Lonely Beast book are also for sale.

All with free shipping!

Click here to visit the shop