They ARE Really Nice Shoes

So apparently Blogger has changed the editing format since I last updated. Seems unncessary, but then again I was never a diehard blogger so I can't really comment.

Anyway the end of the college year has come to an end. Luckily I found myself a job - not a glamorous or art-related one, but a job nonetheles. And I have several projects to work on to keep me going for a while (commissions, comics, collabs, yaddayadda), which I'll talk about at a later stage.

Here's a few bits I did in various themed sketchbooks that went around the class as per an assignment. They were mostly pretty fun to do, and I always loved working alongside others under a set theme and comparing the results.

 The Adventures of Aqua Cat

 Precious Things

Monsters vs Aliens

Letters We Like

 Fears and Phobias

Exquisite Corpse

 

Portraits - Self or Other

The Air-Tight Life-Drawing Room of Ballyfermot and other stories

Hooray for yet another two-month gap between posts! Time flies by when you're pissing it out the window...

Here's a series of life drawing studies I did last week in college. We had to select an artist of our choice and basically work as closely to their style as possible. I chose comics maestro Joe Kubert (Sgt. Rock, Hawkman, Tor and a billion other great comics), whose draughtsmanship I hold in the highest regard. These were done with indian ink and a sable brush (that I unfortunately lost just today, shee-it);



I was disheartened to hear that the great Jean 'Moebius' Giraud has passed away on Saturday. I have greatly admired the talent and visual scope he brought to comics since I discovered him several years ago, and have even wrote an essay or two on him. It's a real bummer to see someone who was still knocking out work at his age leave us, but I had read he was ill as of late so I only hope his passing was quick and peaceful.

RIP, Le Dieu de Bande-Dessinée~

I'm a real artist!

Been a bit quiet lately due to college deadlines, health reasons and Christmassy stuff, but let's cut to the chase and get back on track.

Here's a series of images I did recently based on the story of Pinocchio for a college project we're tackling at the moment, where we have to interpret one of three classic tales (Wizard of Oz, Little Red Riding Hood and Pinocchio), design three characters from it and illustrate two full pages based on original passages;


Pinocchio in a surreal and warped village, kinda drawing on Shaun Tan's stuff a bit here.


His father and creator Gipetto, complete with weird gadgets and a backpack thingamajig.

Aaaand finally, one of the two assasins (the fox and cat in disguise) that mug Pinocchio on his way back home.

Nothing much else to report, other than I might be drawing a script for a future Longstone Comics anthology if I have the time. 2D Derry comics festival dates have been announced too, hopefully might make it down for the first time this year.
Also, I bought a snazzy Sgt. Rock print by Brian Bolland, I'll post pics when it comes in the post.

Til next time...

War - Huh!

If you know me personally or have followed my blog for a while you'll probably know that I love drawing war scenarios. A lot. That kinda happens when you grow up on Commando comics and plastic toy guns! So here's a few bits and bobs;


This first piece is just a quick sketch of a US Marine trying to get a good angle on a German tank. I haven't done the proper research here as any war-enthusiast will probably tell you, the tank for example is just a wild stab in the dark at what I remember Panzers to look like.


The second pic is yet another of my fanwank ideas - a Sgt. Rock serial set in Nam, only it'd star the son of the original Frank Rock (and father of the Rock character in DC's ongoing Men of War). Obligatory 'captured by VCs and beaten to within an inch of his life during interrogation' scene, of course.


And finally for tonight, the third thing is conceptual sketch of two of the characters for a short WWII comic I'm working on with my good pal Santiago (this one won't take a year, promise!).

Thass all folks!

Sandles Breaking Puddles

Some Usagi Yojimbo fanart, which I started reading over the summer. Amazing that Sakai continues to put out stories 200 issues and 20 years on! Some of the best cartooning in the biz to be found in those books.

Oh yeah I got into Illustration anyway, althought that was three weeks ago so it's old news now. But at least I'm not repeating, or worse yet - doing nothing at all. The folks that make up our rather large class are swell people and a handful of them can be found linked under on the right-side of my blog under 'Cool Arty Irish Folks'. Check em out!

Considering going to Thought Bubble this year, stellar lineup and t'would be my first proper comic convention but it all comes down to the eternal problem of NOT HAVING ANY FUCKING MONEY. I'm trying to sell a few trinkets though, and am pretty certain I've landed myself a student grant. Here's hoping it comes before November...

Parisian Shenanigans

Fanart request from /co/ featuring the main two characters from the upcoming French animated film Un Monstre A Paris - which looks lovely by the way (CHECK IT OUT!).

Still no word back on whether I've definitely got a place in Illustration, and the woman I'm supposed to contact about it hasn't picked up the phone in my several attempts over the past few days. Getting pretty pissed off now, considering the registration date's next Tuesday.
We'll see how it goes...

Ornery' Ol' Cuss

Palmiotti and Gray's Jonah Hex ended recently after seventy issues, quite an accomplishment for a Western comic in this day and age of superheroes! Can't wait for All-Star Western...