Ed Emberley’s drawing instruction books were probably more familiar to US kids but it’s great to see a renewed interest in them lately. It’s a shame no Irish libraries seem to have copies, but they’re still available pretty cheap to buy. His book ‘Make a World’ in particular has had a lasting influence and is the subject of a soon to be released film documentary.

Mail Me Art is run by Darren Di Lieto, the founder and co-editor of the illustration news portal the Little Chimp Society. Mail Me Art culminated in the publication of the book Mail Me Art: Going Postal with the World’s Best Illustrators and Designers and an exhibition, held in London during 2009. The deadline for the second Mail Me Art Project is 31st January 2010. Submission guide here.

Last week in San Francisco McSweeney’s launched Panorama, a ’21st century newspaper prototype, complete with investigative reporting, comics and sports coverage’. An interesting experiment given the alleged decline of newspapers. And choc full of illustration talent. Here’s an interesting radio interview with the Publisher Oscar Villalon and Dave Eggers on the project. Here’s a Flickr set of pics by Steve Rhodes. The Newspaper itself can be ordered here. Photo: Steve Rhodes.

John Paul Thurlow has created an interesting ongoing series of drawings of his magazine collection. You can check them all out on Flickr, or his blog. Here’s an interview on It’s Nice That with JP.

The super productive Eboy have teamed up with Amnesty to create this incredible poster based on Amnesty’s Poverty is Modern campaign. As usual there’s a bazillion things going on anough to keep you coming back to it over and over. For a very reasonable €22.

CR Blog writes on a new book Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration launching this week. It features illustrations that bring to life a variety of yet-to-be-implemented contraptions and technologies that could provide renewable energy in the future. The book is available to order here.

This new Picture Book Writing & Illustration course is a ‘relaxed’ course,  suitable for aspiring, beginner or emerging children’s writers, and those with a love of children’s literature, and enthusiasm to learn more. Some basic drawing skills and ability with at least one colour medium is required. Taught by Adrienne Geoghegan this course will be run from the Garden Art Room in the Carmelite Centre, Aungier Street, Dublin 2. Read here for full course info.

The Comic Cast will be hosting a new Irish comic-book art exhibition called  ‘Just What I Always Wanted’ with original artworks by some of Ireland’s finest comic artists including Bob Byrne, Declan Shalvey, Gerry Hunt, Katie Blackwood, Phil Barrett, Chris Judge, Paddy Lynch, Cathal Duggan and Stephen Mooney.

The exhibition will be on display in Twisted Pepper from Dec 1st – Dec 12th

All pieces will auctioned off on Ebay, with ALL proceeds going towards Crumlin & Temple St Children’s hospital.

Check out the ace poster by Phil Barrett.

Eye magazine interviews Joe Sacco about his new book Footnotes in Gaza. Guy Shield’s Marriage Proposal By Illustration. Norman Rockwell: The Photographs Behind the Art. Latest issue of Varoom Magazine. Chris Haughton prints on canvas.ie.

Illustrator PJ Lynch will give a lecture entitled Illustration: The Cinderella Art-form at The National Print Museum in Dublin, on Thursday 3rd December 2009 at 7.30pm. Admission is free.

He will discuss how in the area of children’s books, authors are generally, and thoughtlessly privileged over illustrators. And how in the visual arts arena, illustration is very often categorized as being at best, a lesser, junior art-form, and, at worst some sort of low brow craft, tainted by commercial motivations. Lynch asks if the boundaries between disciplines are breaking down, and whether contemporary illustrators can rise above the limits imposed by tired old definitions.