Character for The Wren

My design for a character for Jason Connor's The Wren.  She's either a Mab or a Meabh, what do you think?

Underwater again

This is a sketch I did a little while ago. Notice any recurring themes? 

Stephen Working

It's nice to be back at my desk after the forced hiatus, and here's a sketch of my view from said desk. Stephen working away with my lectern in front of him, he's either drawing Die Hard: Year One or doing his sketch for Eclectic Micks, maybe I'll take a peak and check, I don't think he noticed me sketching.

Sketches

I wasn't going to write anything here because I'm tired, so very tired. I've had two late nights and too much pizza.

I've completed a new painting and once we get the big scanner up and running I may scan it and even post it here. I also have photos of the studio, which I may post too. I have great plans. Anyway tired, mucho tiredo.

IKEA and Starbucks? Screw small business!

Here's a little sketch from a few days ago, done while sitting in the local Starbucks. There was a market set up just outside with plenty of opportunities to sketch people.

I went to IKEA again on Wednesday and bought the legs for my desk and a few dribs and drabs that took me about an hour and a half to pick up because of the size of the shop. My Dad and I were waiting in the van minding the dog, while my Mum and brother were inside having a look round, when an alarm went off, this big loud voice announcing that there was a technical fault with the shop. I couldn't help but think of Gremlins 2: "Fire, man's oldest enemy...". As it turned out it was a faulty fire alarm, but maybe because we're Irish or just plain paranoid our first though was BOMB ALERT!!

Anyhoo, the studio's looking great now, we have our two desks pushed up against each other and can walk all the way around them and everything's white like a rapper's crib.

We Have Moved

We moved about a week ago and we've been without the internet until now. Still trying to get a few things in order (mostly my head).

Here's an old rough for a sample illustration for ASBO Fairy Tales, I recently finished illustrating its sequel Robin the Hoodie.

Mermaid

Here's another old sketch, made with heavy use of a tortillon. There's a version which had had some colour PhotoShoped over it which I'll dig out.

Rainbow Pencils and Harry Clarke

I went to see the Harry Clarke exhibition in the National Gallery on Thursday and while I was waiting to meet my Mum and brother I bought a rainbow pencil in the gift shop. I used to hate rainbow pencils when I was a kid, but I was looking to try them again recently. There were several different colour variations and this was the last one with the CMY primary colours. It's a lot of fun to sketch with, I don't know if I'd use it for a finished picture, but I am thinking about it.

The Harry Clarke illustrations are amazing and so detailed. The lines are so skinny, I've inked lines ten times the size of his and been worried about them dropping out in print. He took seven days to complete one piece, I have to say I wish I had a deadline that would allow me to put that much into an illustration.

Faces

You know you're busy when going to the loo counts as a holiday. I'm just working away as usual, but I will be taking half a day off soon to go see Star Trek (punches air).

The first of the sketches above are cartoonyified self portraits, not very much like me, but that wasn't the aim. The second one was a little acrylic sketch I did on some left over paper from my current illustration work. I had to order the paper in specially for this project. I'll post some of the highlights of these illustrations after they've been published, for now they will remain a tantalising mystery.

Nude 2

Here are some sketches from facing pages of my sketchbook.

I went to Cirque du Soleil last Sunday with my family. Needless to say it was spectacular. We were very near the front, so it was pretty intense.

Afterwards we went to Leon, a French bistro, where as well as my own meal I finished off the 3/4 of the large steak sandwiches my parents left on their plates. 'I want to go to there' (again).

Some bloke

I've been posting a lot of pencil sketches of late and I've got some inked sketches I'd really like to post next time. I've been trying out my Deleter nibs, I really like the G nib, the line quality isn't so far removed from my pencil work.

Sketch of a lady

Happy Paddy's Day! This lady is just a sketch done on scalubrious* cartridge paper.

*Turns out this isn't a real word just something my parents used to say a lot. I had a devil of a time trying to find the correct spelling. From context I believe it mean luxurious, typically, but not exclusively in reference to food. Of course I'm being sarcastic the paper is like KVI brand.

Fork it over!

I now have a nice relaxing schedule, comparatively so, so I have time to do things like blog and sketch and blog those sketches. Here's a sketch I did on the back of a bright yellow folder. 

The last thing I was working on is to be shown in Bologna to buyers, so I might not be going to the Bologna Book Fair, but my work is.

Sketches

Some more sketches from my Moleskine. My personal favorite is in the bottom right hand corner.

More Sketchy-Wetchys

Life Drawing

It's been 8 years since I last did life drawing. I wish I hadn't left it so long, not because I'm unhappy with the results, but it was so enjoyable to do, I've been missing out all this time.

More sketches

I have some life drawing to post and I will when they're scanned. But these puppies were ready to go:

More from the Moleskine

I've been super busy the last month and I was ill too, but finally I have a little free time to blog and stuff.

Here are some Cthulhu-esq sketches I drew on my birthday with my new 0.7 mechanical pencil. It's a pentel graphgear and it's really snazzy. I love drawing with 0.7's, you can get a lot of line variation out of them.

Flying Monkey

The Wizard of Oz was on twice over the Christmas break and I found those flying monkeys rather charming.