Don’t forget the Summer Edition event is happening this weekend, 11am – 5pm this Saturday 4th July in Filmbase on Curved Street, Temple Bar, Dublin. It’s got free entry and will be jam-packed with the best of independent publishing from Ireland and abroad – artist’s books, comics and zines. There are readings and workshops which are all free and you can sign up to on the day – there’s an excellent pop-up book workshop by Maeve Clancy and Cliodhna Lyons is doing a cool monoprint workshop as well as readings by Boris Belony and Eccentric City Newspaper’s Harry Palmer.

Steve Simpson is the latest illustrator to be featured on the iPhone app, opps! He joins Jon Burgerman, Wilmer Murillo & Allan Sanders amongst others. Opps! brings a classic game with a new twist to your iPhone and iPod Touch. In this digital and accelerometer-based game you control 3, 6 or 9 spheres at a time. opps! it’s fast, fun and very realistic!

In this months contribution, Brian Fitzgerald takes us on a fanciful tale of high jinx with some wonderful wild-west illustration and storytelling. Thanks Brian (more…)

German based design portal Zeixs have recently released a fancy deck of cards containing 52 aces individually designed by 52 international designers and illustrators. Limited to 999 packs. Nice box.

In case you missed it the New York Times reported last week that Google recently asked dozens of illustrators to provide artwork ’skins’ for its new Chrome browser – for free. Well-known illustrators who were invited, like Gary Taxali, Melinda Beck (above), and Joe Ciardiello, all turned Google down. The article makes a good point that while professional illustrators do understand the balance between pro-bono work and commercial, Google should surely be able to offer up a few sheckles for their efforts.

Axel Scheffler, illustrator of Julia Donaldson’s Gruffalo books, describes how he came up with the look of the much-loved children’s character in a video posted on the Guardians site.

To Celebrate Faber & Faber’s 80th year of publishing they have issued 6 wonderfully illustrated books of selected poems by T. S. Eliot, W. H. Auden, John Betjeman, Ted Hughes, W.B. Yeats & Sylvia Plath.
Designer: Miriam Rosenbloom. Illustrators: T. S. Eliot (Clare Curtis), W. H. Auden (Paul Catherall), John Betjeman (Joe McLaren), Ted Hughes (Mark Hearld), W. B. Yeats (Nick Morley), Sylvia Plath (Peter Lawrence).
Thanks to Scalder for the link

The Comic Cast – Ireland’s #1 Comic Book Podcast - is one year old and to celebrate they’re throwing a birthday party and you’re invited! Amongst a varied musical lineup is a DJ set by Chris Judge!

And it wouldn’t be a birthday party without presents, so Philip Barrett & Liam Geraghty (the creators of Gazebo) have gotten together to make an all-new comic that’ll be given out free on the night! (until we run out of em’ that is!)

Visuals on the night will be made up of sketches, artwork and animation from Irelands finest comic artists.

Admission is FREE before 11pm and 5 squids after. You would cry to if it happened to you!

So come on down to:

The Twisted Pepper,
Middle Abbey Street
Friday, July 17, 2009
9PM- 2:00AM

Scamp contributor, Steve Simpson has been selected for the 18th Applied Arts Photography & Illustration Awards. The illustration, Fifteen, is featured in the current 2009 Photography & Illustration Awards Annual and will be showcased at their year-end exhibit.

Carlow’s Eigse festival is up and running for 2009 with a fantastic programme that runs from the 13th – 21st of June. St. Patrick’s college is host to a wonderful collection of new works by artists from many different backgrounds. This year includes a space dedicated to exhibiting illustration for the first time. Four illustrators were asked to exhibit including, Alan Clarke, Derry Dillon, Chris Judge and Stephen Ledwidge. Well worth a look if you are in the area.

(more…)