Holly was the most peculiar of Creatures....

At the last minute (12th Dec) I decided to make my own Christmas Cards to get myself in the mood for the season. The result is a little character I created called 'Holly' (original...it being Christmas and all.....) :S

I began by experimenting with the traditional 'Christmas Colours' Red and Green (Turquoise to be exact....well it is THE COLOUR OF 2009, according to CREATIVE REVIEW) but in the end I opted for brighter shades of pink and orange for my designs, just to stay away from the look of your conventional Christmas card.

The result is nothing special, just a quirky little card that I can send to loved ones this Christmas (if they are printed in time) :O

Anyway, below are some of the colour/layout experiments and also the finished two designs, enjoy and Seasons Greetings!! ><

Buisness Cards

PUBLISHED ILLUSTRATOR....moi?

YES, YES I AM!!! :) Got the finished product today, the book I illustrated over the past few months. Feels great to see my work in an actual publication and knowing that other people are going to see and appreciate my efforts. Just wish I could read it, but unfortunately I never paid much (any) attention in Irish Speaking class in High School, i was too busy drawing! :)

Anyway, here are some (dodgey) shots of the book, (my camera is broke, got sand in it - long story) hence these low quality snaps from my phone. Have also included a selection of the 13 illustrations I created for you to have a gander at.


Thats all for now!

o, and today I learned that the Gaelic work for 'illustrator' is Learaidi! :D (can't say it tho)

Oooo I forgot about these...

Whilst tiding my room (which only happens once in a very blue moon) I cam across a really old sketch book from about 4years ago, forgot all about this wee gem. Decided to put some of my favs from this sketch book on here. They are no master pieces, just me experimenting with different media. Hope you like :)

I want to be paid to draw nice pictures :) ......

.......so I have had to apply to some Illustration agencies, there are loads out there, but I whittled it down to the top 10 I would LOVE to be represented by and sent off my submissions today!! :D

Each agency received 10 promo postcards featuring some of my favorite work. I know my chances are slim, but hey, it will be great for agencies like these to even get a glance at my work! :)

Here are some snappies of the envelopes I made and sent the postcards in, I made little stickers for the addresses and also added a lil' (sneaky) sticker of my blog address on the back of each envelope..... (just in case the postie' delivering them is bored and sees the addy and then checks out my blog.......it could happen...right?)

Neway...have a wee look!

FIRST PUBLISHED WORK

As I reported in a previous blog, I was recently commissioned to illustrate a book of the story of St.Ignatius of Loyola. I have completed this project and and the book is currently being published (excited face)

I thoroughly enjoyed working on this project, I used alot of mixed media to create the images. i cut into the paper, used cardboard, fabric and fine pen. I'm really pleased with the final outcome, I tried to make the illustrations a bit more modern and playful that what you would usually see in a religious story book, and this is something the client loved.

Anyway, here is one of the illustrations from this project, it features the main man himself Ignatius standing on a mountain, setting out as a pilgrim.

When I get the finished product in my hands, i may just have to come on here and shout about it....until then.

:)

CREDIT CRUNCH.....sad face

Like the majority of graduating students 09' i haven't walked straight from the graduation ceremony down a magic path into the job of my dreams (if only) No, instead the current climate means very few design jobs are out there.... :(


So, as I currently try to establish myself as a freelance illustrator (one published job under my belt...snaps for me! :D) I have had to take any job available to keep the funds coming in.....roll on (drum roll).....my exciting new career in..a call center......ahem for a phone company which i shall not mention the name of out of respect, but lets call him say....V Fone for the purposes of this blog :)

Yes, we all have to do things we would rather not in life and this is one of those times for me :( However a plus is that it is providing funds for me to print promotional material to send to those GODLY *illustration agencies* that I want to represent me!

So, anyway, cut a long story short......what does an aspiring illustrator do when in training 5 long, boring days a week for such a job....he DRAWS of course. The file paper and black bic pen got me through many a dark day in that training room, no matter how down I am, a pen and piece of paper always seems to cheer me up.

Heres some sketches from within that lovely room.
:)

FREELANCE thats not 'FREE'

Just got my first Freelance Illustration job that i'm actually going to get paid for....imagine that, getting paid!! :)

All jokeing aside, I have been commisoned to create 12 illustrations for a book telling the story of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The story is being translated into Gaelic and published as a book.

I am excited to be working on a freelance job so soon after finishing University, considering I only graduated on wedensday past. I am hopeful that this will lead to more work! Feels great to actually be getting paid to do the thing I love most, good times!! :)

ALICE

A selection of illustrations I created for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glassas for one of my final year projects. The examples show my take on the characters Alice, The Cheshire Cat and Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. I wanted to make the illustrations a more modern and contemporary take on the traditional stories.

I decided to give 'Alice' brown hair with a frindge, apposed to the iconic blonde Alice character we are all familiar with. My reasoning being that the little girl Lewis Caroll based the character Alice on had dark brown hair with a frindge.

Kleenex & YCN Competition

Brief: To design a range on on pack graphics for pocket packs aimed at Females 16-24. Here is a visual of how my finished graphics would look in situ.

Guardian

Illustrations created in first semester of final year. Images to promote guardian.com. Intended to put a comic twist on current news stories, to provoke a giggle and to make a younger generation log onto the site and discuss and comment on the news. Not my best work, but thought i'd post anyway!

I THINK, THEREFORE......

....I am single.

Illustrations created for a competition set by Kleenex & YCN, to produce a series of on pack graphics for pocket pack tissues aimed at females aged 16-24. My illustrations were based on humors quotes about or by women. This is my personal favourite from the set.

IT'S BRITNEY BITCH

In anticipation of going to see Mrs Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous on her CIRCUS tour next week I have done a little illustration of Britney herself in her ringleader costume from the tour. The piece is mixed media, with pen, thread, paper and the odd wee bit of computer tweaking. Can't wait for the show, one week to go!!! :D

POKER FACE

......I was bored!

ALICE WALLPAPER

This piece got quite a lot of positive feedback at my degree show, so I have decided to showcase it on here. It was part of a project to re illustrate Lewis Carroll's popular classics Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. This repetitive pattern was designed for the interior of the books. A number of people have inquired about getting this design printed as wallpaper. :) This has given me a taste for designing repetitive patterns and I am going to experiment more in this area!

WHO HAS A BACHELOR OF DESIGN!?...

I DO!!! Finally finished my course in Design for Visual Communication and came out with a 2-1, over the moon! I now have a Degree, whoop! Now that I have some spare time I have decided to set up this little blog to showcase my illustrations, never had time to do it during Uni, but have no excuses now! :D