I am not sure how to explain the idea behind this showcase of IGI (Illustrators Guild of Ireland) members talent. Let’s just say we love drawing all kinds of people… no matter what breed.
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Creative Review recently announced that they will be launching an Illustration Annual in July which follows on from their successful run of Photography Annuals. They are currently open to submissions and deadline is March 21st. Skip over to their website for more details.

You’ve got a very important date! Prepare to fall down the rabbit hole as Barry’s Tea hosts 3 ultimate Mad Hatter tea parties and screenings of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland around the country in Dublin, Galway and Cork. Complete with brimming cups of Barry’s Tea and prizes for best hat, Wonderland fans will get an early glimpse of all the magic before the film hits cinemas on March 5th.

For more information check out:
www.aliceinwonderlandthemovie.ie,

Scamp.ie has 4 tickets to the Dublin screening in DUBLIN’s  Cineworld – Thurs, March 4th to giveaway to the lucky readers who can fill in the blank in this sentence -

From Walt Disney Pictures and visionary director Tim Burton comes an epic 3D fantasy adventure ALICE IN _______, a magical and imaginative twist on one of the most beloved stories of all time.

Send answers to Here! or enter your answer and details in the comment section below by Friday February 26th at 12:00pm if you would like to be in with a chance to attend this special sneak preview.

Seats at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party will be distributed at random and winners will be notified on Friday February 26th at 5:00pm.

www.facebook.com/barrystea,
www.barrystea.ie

Good Luck!

This week was the easiest yet – I was going to talk Raymond Briggs. But the Guardian have done all the reading for me with an amazing retrospective of Michael Foreman’s work – from his first book, The General, through some of his better (and lesser) known titles – Foreman has managed to create 300 titles for both adults and children.

Outside of The General and a few (2) other picturebooks – I’m not too familiar with Foreman’s work.

The Guardian feature makes for an excellent introduction:

Pictures offer a way of looking at and interpreting the text from a different angle. What you do is provide an image that makes the book work better rather than necessarily illuminating the text. – Michael Foreman

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I’m no expert and open to any/all recommendations – I’d love to find books that I’ve never come across – so if you have a suggestion, send it on.

As a contributor to the Picture Book Report project Sam Bosma is busy illustrating The Hobbit. Check out his progress on his blog, including his working process.

For his final year project Philadelphia illustration student Jim Tierney created new covers for the Jules Verne series; featured on Faceout Books.

Illustrators Guild of Ireland (IGI) Member Joven Kerekes documents his recent trip through Valantines’ Day.
Featuring blue highlighter, pink highlighter, ball point pen marks, and a bit of paint.

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It has been a long time since I’ve read a book by Judith Kerr. At least it was until last week.

There is a classic simplisity and unartistic element to her books, that help create their own memorable characteristic and style. I had forgotten how deceptively simple Kerr’s illustration is – from Mog (and the range of supporting cast) to the untiger-like tiger:

Look at the tiger who came to tea – it’s not really a tiger at all. Quentin Blake would have made it much funnier and Michael Foreman would have drawn it better. – Judith Kerr

It’s no surprise that Judith’s work is still popular. It owes nothing to the vagaries of style or fashion. Her warmth and humanity are timeless. – Michael Foreman

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I’m no expert and open to any/all recommendations – I’d love to find books that I’ve never come across – so if you have a suggestion, send it on.

Above is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the 3D illustrated book Here Comes the Garbage Barge! by Red Nose Studio. You can find more process images on their blog.

Where do you work and what does it look like?

I work here at home, at Seapoint, in this comfortable little room. Unfortunately despite my attraction for minimalism the room now is full of too many anomalous objects and other unnecessary things.

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