The annual Children’s Books Ireland Conference takes place from 24th-25th May in Dublin. This year’s sessions will examine on the issue of voices in children’s books. Speakers include the UK illustrator Polly Dunbar. You can read more information on the conference here.
Illustrator and IGI member Fintan Taite has sent us another great Step by Step. This one is an editorial illustration for You And Your Money Magazine. (more…)
I’m a big fan of Jim Flora’s (1914-1998) excellent jazz and classical album covers of the 50s and 60s. He was also famed for his editorial and children’s books. But, until recently I hadn’t realised he also enjoyed painting ships. Check out this great collection of maritime paintings, there’s also a very insightful interview with the great man.
Well if catching a glimpse of Carla Bruni walking down the Champs-Élysées wasn’t reason enough to move to France then get a load of this.
PEUR[S] DU NOIR (FEAR[S] OF THE DARK) is a new animated film by cartoonists and artists Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre di Sciullo, Jerry Kramsky, Lorenzo Mattotti, Richard McGuire, Michel Pirus and Romain Slocombe. The trailer is incredible. Check out the website for a synopsis and for stills.
Vive la France!
Preventative Maintenance Monthly doesn’t exactly sound like the kind of title that would make you rush out to read it, but hey, through the wonders of illustration…. and now Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries have just posted full copies (145 regular issues; 5 special issues and 14 index issues) of the Army publication illustrated by Will Eisner from 1951 to 1972. During WW2 Eisner worked for the Pentagon, producing educational comics “whose mixture of hard facts with entertaining cartooning made them memorable and effective”. Browse the full magazines here.
This madcap timelapse video is by Chad Pugh for the login screen at Vimeo. It is built up of over many month’s screenshot’s as the illustration progressed. Makes you wonder whether there will eventually be a time machine (or extended history/command z) for design and illustration work much as there is for OS X backup, to recapture those wrong turns stretching right back to the very start of a project…including meetings with clients.
Kevin Cornell, who has been doing lovely spot illustrations on A List Apart for many years has put up a good set of tips and advise for those considering entering the world of illustration, including getting screwed “..damn, I should have charged more, or damn, I shouldn’t have sold off those rights. Or perhaps even… damn, this guy hasn’t paid me and I can’t find him, or damn, these guys are using my art without permission and without paying me. You will get screwed. But don’t let the fear of that keep you from trying.”
Irish illustrator, Johnny McMonagle, has a great little step-by step on his blog, showing the creation of this years Cat Laughs Comedy Festival brochure cover from initial rough right through to finished artwork. Thanks for sharing Johnny, nice job!
SCAMP’s roving reporter, Mario Sughi, gives us his unique take on the latest life drawing exhibition curated by IGI veteran, Brian Gallagher.
Lucien Freud once explained the reasons for his work to Robert Hughes in these terms: to try to capture with the brushes the reality of the person who lies naked in front of me, by looking right at him or her without hiding myself (like a photographer would do behind a camera), and so to establish a tension between the painter and the portrayed person.
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Ballyfermot College of Further Education, well known for its Animation programme, has now got approval to run a Higher National Diploma in Illustration! It’s a two year diploma and the only course in Ireland where up and coming illustrators can study fine art illustration without having to go the ‘Vis Com’ route. Margaret Anne Suggs is heading up the course and classes are starting in September.
Margaret told SCAMP, “We are committed to training up illustrators in a fine art, and hand-craft-skills tradition, so the students should really stand out from the typical ‘try illustrating even though you’re in a graphic design programme’ students.”
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