Illustrators Ireland member Adrienne Geoghegan tells us about the next run of her illustration book camp for all visual artists.
A lot of artists are disgruntled about a lack of time for their personal projects and development. They want and need to get off their habitual thread-mill…. but how you ask? In this illustration boot-camp participants will take a leap into a lively and productive atmosphere with like-minded people. With a little encouragement, and some coercion, I, and (hopefully your colleagues!) will sway you into acting upon your ideas. If what you have to say is banal or washed out, you will hopefully become more discerning, and decide what you want to develop further. Understanding the importance of the creative process is not theoretical, but hugely personal and experiential. Making time to create new work beyond the commercial sphere can, and will, feed back into a more rewarding (and lucrative!) career. Course description: (more…)

The National Gallery is running a short illustration course for teenagers, put together by this year’s participants on their Transition Year Programme and inspired by the current exhibition of Harry Clarke’s illustrations. Participants will get to work with professional illustrators to develop their skills of storytelling through art, looking at sequential drawing, storyboarding, comic books, graphic novels and other illustrative styles. They will also visit the Print Room in the Gallery to see examples of illustrations in the national collection that are rarely on display, as well as visiting the Harry Clarke exhibition. There are 2 courses for age groups 11-14 & 15-18.
They are currently running a competition for a free place on both courses, more information on the courses and how to enter on nationalgallery.ie

Apologies for the lateness in getting this up, today (Friday 29 th May) is the your last chance to see this exhibition
Walking down to the Civic Offices this week is well worth the trip all the way to Wood Quay. In the sunny atrium, you’ll find a cracker of an exhibition. Ink Asylum is a show of first year student work from the Higher National Diploma in Illustration at Ballyfermot College of Further Education.
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Illustrators Ireland member Adrienne Geoghegan tells us about her new enterprise, an illustration book camp for all visual artists.
A lot of artists are disgruntled about a lack of time for their personal projects and development. They want and need to get off their habitual thread-mill…. but how you ask? In this illustration boot-camp participants will take a leap into a lively and productive atmosphere with like-minded people. With a little encouragement, and some coercion, I, and (hopefully your colleagues!) will sway you into acting upon your ideas. If what you have to say is banal or washed out, you will hopefully become more discerning, and decide what you want to develop further. Understanding the importance of the creative process is not theoretical, but hugely personal and experiential. Making time to create new work beyond the commercial sphere can, and will, feed back into a more rewarding (and lucrative!) career. Course description: (more…)

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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