Illustrators illustrate

Yes, it came as a shock to me too!


I first realized it when reading Laini Taylors blog…and she mentioned the day when it finally hit her that”writer’s write”.
That to be a writer she would actually have to sit down and start writing, seriously.
Not just doodle a bit when the dishes have been done, you’ve taken a nap, are not hungry, there’s nothing on TV and the muse is kissing you (dare I say a rare concurrence of events).

With that in mind and with others voices I’ve heard, telling me that it takes 3 – 5 years of seriously working, every day, to see an improvement in your skills I hereby launch * taadaaaaaa *: the 1 colour illustration in 1 month project!

The most scary thing for me still is to have to do an illustration twice – shriiieeek!!! – this obviously stems from having limited time (i.e. having a day job) and the time consuming way of working I love (lots of details etc).

I had to trash my last attempt of working in colour, sniff sniff, but it really was terrible! Colour is waaaay less forgiving than black and white. So here I go again!

I will take a picture of my current illustration every day and finish it in 30 days! Ha!
That should leave me with a finished picture book dummy AND a nice portfolio of work to take to the Bologna Children’s Book fair in 2012.
And not to forget, a new habit of working EVERY day!

Visioning 2011

I meant to post this at the beginning of January but with moving to a new place and settling in I got a bit delayed…
Here are my intentions for 2011, inspired by the wonderful Jamie Ridler!
They are little collages of what is important to me this year and what I want to focus on.

It would be fun to take pictures of throughout the year and then do a post at year end with the vision cards and actual happenings beside them. * make mental note *

Grimms Tales: Hans my hedgehog

This was one of my favourite fairy tales growing up.
A poor, childless couple wishes for a child of their own: “And if it was a hedgehog, “ , be careful what you wish for!
A baby boy is born but he is a hedgehog from the waist up!
Poor Hans, hated and abandoned by his father who can’t even look at him without thinking: “if he would but die”.

Grimms Tales: Snowwhite and Rosered

Winters Sleep

My slowest work (so far)...beneath the forest floor

Three Wishes

Scenes from my first Dummy book - thanks to Adrienne Geoghegan's Illustration classes

Slow Art

Slow down
Saving time is not the answer
Have you ever wondered where all that saved time goes?
You should read “Momo” by Michael Ende on that question.

A friend of mine recently commented: “I think you should go the opposite way with your drawings, instead of trying to be faster and simpler – slow down even more, take your time and go deeper with it”
Lets see how that will work in real live, eh?

So here I am SLOWLY working away on my blogs title illustration. In colour! Shock horror!

I had an inkling of my disposition when I attended a portfolio preparation class and the teacher told me to speed up, look at modern art and that the days of the old masters where over and I should live in the here and now.
I was offended.
Surely there should be room for me in this world as well?
What was the rush?
And why so narrow minded?

I would like to be able to say that I had a cup of tea and just got on with it.
After a leisurely walk, that is. But alas, no, it just made me think there was no space for my long way of doing things, which is: slow!
I must speed up! Faster! Easier! Lighter! I must change my style!
I glanced at the other students, all fresh from doing their leaving cert and geared up to go to Art College.
I couldn’t do it.
My mad this-is-the-last-chance-to-go-to-Art-College-feeling disappeared.
I took my slim portfolio and left.

Fast forward nearly 6 years.

Oh dear, have I been doodling my time away?

I better get going!