Hugglemonster Monster Maker

Have you played the Hugglemonster Monster Maker yet over on Disney Junior Canada? Let me know what you think!

Making Monsters Move...

Fantastic interview over on the OFFSET blog today with Norton Virgien director of Henry Hugglemonster.

Hugglemonster Giveaway

It's today Henry Hugglemonster official Launch day! I feel like a nervous parent sending my monster out into the world!

To celebrate the launch of Henry Hugglemonster today on Disney Junior I have 5 signed copies of my book 'I'm a Happy Hugglewug' to give away on my new Niamh Sharkey Illustration Facebook page.  Winners will be announced on Monday 11th February. Good luck everyone!

Have a Happy Hugglemonster Day!

Henry Hugglemonster

One week to go to the official launch of Henry Hugglemonster on Disney Junior UK. We are going to have a Huggleparty at Brown Bag Films with some monster munch to celebrate!

Henry Hugglemonster sneak peek on Disney Junior UK!

It's been a long journey from sketch to screen... but today, at last there's a sneak peek of Henry Hugglemonster at 5.50pm on Disney Junior.  It has been wonderful working and collaborating with Disney, Norton Virgien (Director) and Sascha Paladino (Story Editor) and the ROARSOME team at Brown Bag Films in Dublin to bring Henry Hugglemonster to life. The love, care and unbelievable creativity they have all brought to the project blows me away every day. I just can't wait for children all over the world to meet Henry and his Hugglemonster family!

I was really over the moon to have Brenda Blethyn, Brian Blessed and Geri Halliwell join the cast of Henry Hugglemonster too.

  Brenda Blethyn stars as Ernestine Enormomonster

Brian Blessed as Eduardo Enormomonster

Geri Halliwell stars as Isabella Roarson

Say hello to Henry Hugglemonster!

There will be a sneaky peek of Henry Hugglemonster this Friday 25th of January on Disney Junior UK at 5.50pm. The show launches on February 8th at 5:50pm. Come say hi this Wednesday on the Disney Junior Facebook Page from 1.30-2pm. I'll be doodling live and chatting about how I made Henry Hugglemonster with Disney and the amazing Brown Bag Films!

Huggletastic Holidays!

Hope you all had really Huggletastic holidays? It's going to be a busy few months; there's a sneaky peek of my show that I've been making with Brown Bag Films, Henry Hugglemonster in January on Disney Junior. Henry Hugglemonster officially launches in February, I will post up dates as soon as I can.

Some great Laureate events lining up for 2013; I will be touring with Pictiúr an exhibition of Irish Picture Book Art throughout Europe and I'm also really excited about appearing at Offset 2013 in April.  In meanwhile I'd love to wish you all a Happy New Year!

Attack of the 50ft Laureate!

Last night our Laureate's Christmas video was beamed onto Bolands Mills, Dublin...
Many thanks to the awesome Mags Walsh and Eamon Nolan for pulling this off!

A Very Merry Book Loving Christmas to you all!

Leaves Festival

Here's some photos of the Monster Doodle form The Leaves Festival last Friday. The Monster Doodle is now hanging in Abbeyleix Library. 

Monster Illustrations at The Ark

As part of Telling Tall and Tiny Tales at The Ark, Dublin and as the Children's Laureate I was given a free reign at a GIGANTIC ILLUSTRATION WORKSHOP aided and abetted my three illustrators friends: Steve Simpson, Marie Louise Fitzpatrick and Michael Emberley to help create Monster pictures with children last weekend. 

We used huge rolls of canvas and acrylics to create huge panels that will be made into a giant picture book. The theme was Leggit! We created various creatures including hedgehogs, fish, Skeleton Detectives and Chesseburger eating robots legging it after each other.

Amazing creativity burst forth. I particularly loved the brainstorming session with Steve and the 10-12 year olds... And the limited palette of Ikea really suited the robot piece! 

Hamburg Workshops!

I am just back from three days of doodle and painting workshops in the The International School in Hamburg.  I really had the most fantastic welcome and was given free reign. I worked with Children from 3-8 years and was astounded at the amazing work they produced.

Here's the monster recipe I used...

 Add lots of 3 years olds and a blank canvas...

 Choosing Colours! 

 Making circles!

Orange handprints!

 Painting Summer Hugglemonster in the Roaring Forest...

Hugglemonster Flowers!

Hugglemonster Roar! 

The teachers were SO enthusiastic and hugely encouraging to the children and to me also. I was given complete freedom and wonderful art materials...  Huge thank you to Joanna Mc Donagh who invited me to her wonderful school. I also did some fantastic Monster doodles on huge rolls of Fabriano paper with the 5-8 years olds which was immediately hung in the entrance hall as a celebration of Book Week...

 Monster banner in the entrance hall!

 
Henry Hugglemonster Art all over the walls!

Hamburg hugglemonster

 I was very, very sad to say goodbye! 

Interactive Monster Doodle

Yesterday I launched The Children's Books festival with an interactive Live Streamed Monster Doodle event in Tallaght Library. I gave a workshop with tiny children as young as four and we connected to 9 schools across Ireland in a Google+ Hangout. The Monster Doodle was also live streamed on You Tube so other schools could follow us too. We all made Monster art with Oil pastels on huge rolls of Fabriano paper that took over the library! The doodles were fantastic. Go have a look at Mrs Bells Class Blog to see how her class got on...Doodletastic! 

Happy Niamh at the Monster Doodle! 

 10m Giant roll of paper at Tallaght Library

 Monster Doodles 

Monster Doodles 

 Google Hangout 

Cabra Library's Doodle

Huge thank you to the team at Children's Books Ireland, Bord Gais Energy Book Club for their support, Tallaght Library for setting it up and all especially to the children who Monster Doodled with me on Google!  

I was on the One O'Clock News...

reading The Ravenous Beast! I was delighted to help launch the Eason's Get Into Reading campaign, which aims to spread the gift of reading to children and adults alike. The Easons survey showed that over 18% of Irish parents never read to their children. I pledged my support and feel that Reading aloud with your children is a joy not a duty. Make up funny voices, pore over small details in the pictures, or for longer books, read a chapter each night, have fun! The Irish nation really cares about reading and books, we need to be active in sharing our love of books with the next generation.

Every Saturday during the summer Eason's will be hosting a Get Into Reading event where children's books are read out loud at the same time across the country, starting with The Ravenous Beast this Saturday.  You can sign up and promise to read to your children here.

Myself and Cathy Kelly even got to tell the world all about it on the One O'Clock News!