Laundry Show

If you missed the show of the year last night the Chief in charge of the night, Steve Doogan has posted up a video on You Tube. It was an amazing night and I was delighted to be involved. Orla Roche got the golden peg for the shows favourite, go go Orla!

Here's my piece its called 'Little Devil Inside.' Let me know what you think?
I have fine art prints available.

Tomorrow morning the amazing OFFSET 2010 starts, I just can't wait. Great write up in The Irish Times yesterday.

I'll be soaking up creativity all weekend, like a sponge.

I am thrilled to be taking part too. Myself, Chris Haughton and Mags Walsh from Children's Books Ireland are doing a panel talk at 12pm on Sunday 3rd Oct called 'Getting your book from idea to publication'

The details are here.

"The city’s pretty gritty for an itty-bitty pretty girl.'

Singers-songwriters-actors Bret McKenzie and Jermaine Clement are genius. The Flight of the Conchords turned up on an Episode of The Simpsons this week, the episode was dubbed "Elementary School Musical," where The Conchords advise Lisa Simpson to follow her dramatic dreams.

Love the line when Jermaine whispers to a cow, 'I give art like you give milk.'
Cow- 'But they can't bottle your genius.'

Laundry Show Tomorrow Night!

As part of Offset 2010, 70 of Ireland’s leading illustrators, designers and photographers converge on South Studios tomorrow night to air their dirty laundry in public.

Throwing a spotlight on all things murky, expect guilty secrets, fetishes, embarrassments and one or two skeletons to fall out of cupboards at this one-night-only show.

Wednesday, 29th September / One night only. South Studios, New Row South, Blackpitts, Dublin 2. Open to all.

Sneaky preview over on my facebook page here.

Open Studio

Wowsers! My Studio was open to the public by webcam last Friday night. The technology worked, hurray! Children tuned in virtually from Sligo, Belfast and Dublin.

I really enjoyed it. There was a lot of behind the scenes practicing in the week leading up to it. I showed the Ravenous Beast DVD live on air, showed some slides, my notebooks and sneaky doodles. Viewers got to see around my studio and then I did a live chicken drawing session, as you do! The hardest part was as I could not see the audience, so it wasn't a two way thing. But the feedback and drawings were brillo. After I was finished I could just relax and enjoy Marie Louise and Annie's session.

Here are a few pictures that the kids drew after following my step by step live drawing of Marge the chicken! Fantastic!

Culture Night Tonight

It's tonight, it's tonight!

Visit my Open Studio tonight!

Marie Louise Fitzpatrick and Annie West will be showing you around their studios too. It's at 7pm tonight for Dublin's Culture Night.

Connect from Sligo Library, National Library of Ireland, Dublin or University of Ulster, Belfast.

Thanks to David Maybury for the excellent picture above. Love the Beast's hat!

More info on Scamp and CBI.

See you online at seven.

Busy week!

This is such a mad busy week...

I was delighted be to be asked by Suzanne Yarker to choose my ‘Ten Favourite Things’ for the Evening Herald, to be published next Tuesday. But the photographer is coming out in two hours and I am up to my eyes finishing off artwork that's for the IGI Laundry exhibition that was due in last Monday.

Tomorrow I'll be on LM-FM tomorrow at 2pm. Talking to Gerry Kelly on The Late Lunch Show. Tune in for some book talk and free giveaways!

Tomorrow night I'll be part of the opening night at Soundwaves Festival a Music and Arts festival that I've been helping organise in Skerries. There is going to be a Night Parade followed by fireworks down at the harbour.

Friday Night is Open Studio at 7pm.

Saturday, I have a stall at the Soundwaves Street party. If you want original facepaint art by local author and illustrator... me! Do come along its from 2-5pm.
I have a wonderful character from my new Book, On The Road for you to meet!

Phew.. see you all during the week at some event!

Open Studio

Do you want to know what goes into making a picture book, where I get my ideas from or simply have a nose around my studio to see how messy I am?

Here's your chance...

This Friday night as part of Culture Night you'll have a chance to see me potter about in my attic. I'll be showing roughs, dummy books, and how I make a book step by step. You'll also have a chance to read and doodle along with me, and l'll answer all your questions.

You can also take a peek inside Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick's and Annie West's studio.

Broadcast from The National Library in Dublin, Sligo Library and in the University of Ulster in Belfast this Friday from 7-9pm.

Huge thanks to Children’s Books Ireland, Temple Bar Cultural Trust,Young at Art, the National Youth Council of Ireland and the Department of Tourism,
Culture and Sport for coming up with this great idea.

The Ravenous Beast DVD

The Ravenous Beast comes now with a free DVD. Check it out! Let me know what you think?

Thelma and Moo-ise

My new Book has been set free it is now truly ON THE ROAD….

I’m like a big kid when I have a new book out, ooh spotty endpapers! Ooh lovely paper…ooh look at this…It’s in a shop!

The team at Walker Books have done a wonderful job on the book. Especially my designer, Deirdre McDermott, my editors Penny and David. Thanks guys!

This idea was hatched in Skerries; I had been painting some giant murals in my daughter’s school. They were based around two characters Rocket dog and Space Chicken.

Above is a photo of one of the murals, when I painted the two characters on the moon, silhouetted against the night sky it really struck a chord with me.

At the time I had also been watching Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Chicken Run campaign on TV. Hugh was on a mission to convert the chicken eating public to a free-range future. Good idea Hugh.

I thought what if I had two characters a cow and a chicken whom take the idea of Free Range to its very limits.When I started to doodle Mavis and Marge turned up on the page. Marge is named after my Dad’s sister who is ‘smarter than the average chicken.’

Mavis is well…just Mavis.

And two years after painting the mural, Mavis and Marge get their debut in the real world. I threw in bit of Huck Finn and a dash of Kerouac for the under fours. It’s my homage to Thelma and Moo-ise…

New work up on Scamp this week

New work by myself and fellow Illustrator Guild of Ireland friends over on The Scamp Blog.

Monster Lunch Booked Out!

The Monster Book Lunch is totally booked out for this weekend's Mountain to Sea Festival.

But there is still plenty of mayhem happening on Sunday 12th... Monsters are going to take over the County Hall in Dunlaoghaire and we need help. Turn up at 12.30!