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! 

Irish writers in Cologne!

Just back from an really amazing week in Cologne celebrating Irish Children's Literature.  Every year the city focuses on a different country and invites their most well known Children's writers and Illustrators along to celebrate books, visit schools and have an exhibition of their artwork.  I was lucky enough to be invited along with 10 other authors and illustrators, that included PJ Lynch, John Boyne and Malachy Doyle. It was the most wonderful experience I have EVER had as an author and illustrator in my career.  We were treated like royalty! 

I travelled with Siobhan Parkinson and our host Uschi made us feel so welcome. It was thanks to her enthusiasm (infectious!) and her wonderful team of helpers and translators that made the week so memorable. My highlights included dancing to the Irish/German traditional band at my exhibition opening, trying to understand German all week, meeting Daniel Mulhall the Irish Ambassador who travelled down from Berlin especially to meet us, being mesmirized by Branar's Children of Lir, and drawing Hugglewugs with the school children of Cologne!  A link to the website especially made for our visit is here. 

 Me and my translator Maike! 

Me in action..

Signing doodles!

Another highlight was a chance meeting with Dayve Stewart Sax player who kindly serenaded Two Irish Laureates on the Cologne Street! 

Exhibition At The Ark!

Explore the curious and creative world of books at the fantastic Picture Book Exhibition, it's 

on at The Ark for the month of April called Telling Tale and Tiny Tales.  

There's some fantastic Picture Book illustrations there including Marie Louise Fitzpatrick, Oliver Jeffers and myself. 

You can see behind the scenes of what goes into making a picture book including rough doodles, original concept artwork and a teeny tiny dummy book from The Ravenous Beast. It is open every weekend! For booking contact The Ark on 6707788.

 Original art from The Ravenous Beast

  Original art from The Ravenous Beast

original concept and doodles 

Mini dummy and roughs...

Eve Mc Quillan enjoys the show...

Dalkey Book Festival

Before I forget I will be doing a workshop at the Dalkey Book Festival this Sunday at 11am. I'm afraid that it's booked out but I will be around after my event at Photogenic @ 11.45 if you want to meet me and get books doodled on! The line up is amazing now we just need some sunshine.

Bridge Street Books

I had a wonderful day yesterday at the fabulous Bridge Street Books.

Thanks to the hard work of Hilary and Joanna who made it such a memorable day. Hilary and Joanna were wearing Hugglewug and Mavis and Marge T-shirts that they made. And Maisy Mouse was there all day too. I loved getting a cuddly Maisy hug. I never knew that she has a spiky tickly nose!

The bookstore was packed full of so many little people we had to do two sessions. They were super and did amazing drawings of little aliens, cows and chickens! Mavis and Marge loved coming to Wicklow. Thank you for such a lovely warm welcome Bridge Street Books!

Book Festival Fever!

Oh today is so, so rainy in Dublin. Yesterday was blue skies all the way. Today it is like a shock to the system. I love autumn but the wooly scarf wearing running through leaves autumn. Not the rainy, or the cold damp kind. But sure to cheer myself up I spent my tea cuppa time this morning reading the FREE Bookfest catalogue.

October is Bookfest in Ireland and there are great things going on around the country. Check out Children's Books Ireland for events in your locality. I will be appearing in Lucan, Balbriggan and Baldoyle Libraries for starters!

CBI has also set up an online home Write Stuff for the CBI author residences to showcase the work of the children participating in the workshops. Which is brilliant!

So as I listen to the rain pelting on the window of my attic I have to smile as I try to remember where are my wellies!

Holmpatrick National School

I have been working with 5th and 6th Class in Holmpatrick National School painting a large canvas for part of the Skerries Soundwaves Arts Festival which launches tonight in Skerries, Co. Dublin. The canvas will be on display in the sailing club tonight for the launch.

The class were amazing to work with: we had a really tight deadline, first we brain stormed and came up with the ideas last Friday. Then everyone drew out thumbnail drawings of key words and ideas. We all had an open discussion of the best ideas, then I drew up the shortlisted designs on the board.

The theme was Making Waves and you can see how imaginatively it was handled. There's a scuba diving dog being chased by a lobster, even the sun is made out of music notes! They worked together as a team, all taking different parts of the piece to work on. There was plenty of glitter glue, I really think they did an amazing job and I had a brilliant time too!

If you are in the area, come along tonight for the launch and the fireworks at 8.30pm.

West Cork Literary Festival

I had an amazing few days down in Bantry a few weeks ago. There was an exhibition of original artwork from The Ravenous Beast on display in Bantry Library as part of The West Cork Literary Festival. You can see myself and team Ravenous Beast in front of the artwork here. The children were amazing and made their own picture books based on The Ravenous Beast. We also drew a lot of Hugglewugs!

West Cork Literary Festival

If you are in the area drop into the West Cork Literary Festival its starts next Sunday the 5th July. I will be having an exhibition of original art from The Ravenous Beast in Bantry Library.

PJ Lynch, Annie Proulx, Francesca Simon of Horrid henry fame, Sarah Webb, Judi Curtain and Darren Shan to name but a few of the line upwill be there too. 

I will be running drawing workshops for 4-7 year olds in the Library on Monday 6th and Tuesday the 7th. See you there!  

I will be part of the Cinemagic Dublin festival starting on Wednesday. My workshops are on in the Burlington on Friday morning.

A Reminder!

Sorry I haven't had a chance to blog for a while!

This Saturday my publisher Walker Books in association with the Church of Ireland College of Education in Rathmines are presenting 'The Story in the Picture' on Sat 25th April in the College in Rathmines, 9.30am - 4.30pm.

Patrick Benson, Bruce Ingman and myself will be taking part. Whoo HOO!

Deirdre McDermott and Lizzie Spratt from Walker Books will tell all the secrets of Walker Books Design Department! Spilling the beans on how to make a picture book, and the nuts and bolts of making graphic novels.

Be there or be square!
email vcoghlan@cice.ie or phone 01 4970033 to get your place... Student discount too!

HAPPY WORLD BOOK DAY!

I had a great day in Sandford School in Ranelagh in Dublin today. It was back to back workshops with children from Junior Infants all the way up to 6th class. It was a great school and they nearly took to roof off the building roaring along with the Hugglewugs! It was very clear to see that this school really loved books! Thank you great day and all the amazing drawings!

Busy in Bangor

Some photos of the workshop from Saturday. Great Hugglewugs were drawn and decorated with sticky gooey glittery sparkles! Thank you to everyone one that came along. The Library in Bangor looks fantastic and it was great to meet Patrick Benson, Anita Jeram and Paul Howard who gave workshops too.
All the illustrators sat in down the back of the class when Patrick was giving his workshop! He talked about illustrating Roald Dahl's The Minpins. I loved the way he showed the kids everything from rough to thumbnail to finished art. He didn't seem at all precious about his artwork which was really refreshing. In fact he passed it about the class so you could have a really good look at it. So now I have a few new illustrating tricks! Thanks Patrick!

Drawing in Bangor

Just a quick reminder that I will be in Bangor Library tomorrow. My morning workshop is booked out but come along at lunch time as there is a bookshop run by Waterstones at the Library. Patrick Benson, Paul Howard, Anita Jeram and myself will be meeting people and signing books then :-)

Get Drawing!

I will be in Bangor Carnegie Library on 7th February along with Patrick Benson, Anita Jeram and Paul Howard doing free workshops. Please book in advance as spaces are limited and it will really be a fun day.

Winter Sun

All of a sudden it is real wintry, the light has changed to a grey white colour. I am much more relaxed this week after a mad October of visits and workshops, so it's great that I have some time back. Don't get me wrong I absolutely love reading and meeting kids they are after all why I write books. I always am blown away by the enthusiasm and the ease of the kids when I do a drawing workshop.
So I am getting back into my routine cup of tea, check messages and then sit down at desk to come up with ideas for my new book. I am also going to start doing some new work that I may exhibit in a little gallery in Skerries where I live for their Christmas show.

Easons are doing half price promotion on Cinderella for this week only, it's fantastic offer so if you haven't got a copy yet....

Mice and other stuff

A Cinderella review on Citv an interview in The Irish Word.
Tomorrow I will be in Drogheda as part of the Children's Leanbh Arts Festival.

This is the first morning that I'm off duty! I have been doing lots of Library visits as part of The Bookfest. Yesterday I was in Balbriggan and on Tuesday I was in Malahide. Top photo is from Slane Library fromlast week. Bottom photo is from Malahide after reading and drawing we sat down to watch The Ravenous Beast on DVD its an animation made by King Rollo Films.
I have also been designing the Trocaire Christmas Cards which I delivered on Monday so watch out for them I will post up the images soon.

Children's Drawings from Montolieu

Here are a few of the children's drawings of Hugglewugs from yesterday in the L'ecole Montolieu. I took pics of all the childrens' work so I will try to put them all up on a fliker so the children can all see their drawings. They were so small and they did such fantastic drawings!