PJ Lynch Gallery

A Portrait Sketch of Aíne

2012-01-31T04:34:00.000-08:00

Here's a portrait study I did of our model Aíne in the life class recently.

Although sorely tempted, I held back from laying in the darker tones in her face, and adding detail in her eyes.
Again I was trying to stop myself from being too specific in my descriptiveness. Hopefully the result is a little more subtle and nuanced than it might have been.
You can see a bunch more of these portrait sketches on my Facebook page.

A Study of Declan Revisited

2012-01-30T02:24:00.000-08:00

The life painting I did of Declan recently was one that I nearly liked and I didn't quite know why. So I went back to it and did a bit more work simplifying the background and loosing a few edges.
I was fairly pleased with the result and then I happened to look at it without my glasses. (See my Photoshop approximation below)

It had a good deal of truth and accuracy in the tonal values and colouring that were obscured by the detail that I could see with my spex on.
This is something of the effect that I am trying to achieve when I use my big blender brush to soften the edges that I am so often inclined to over emphasize.
Being able to look at your work like this is probably the only advantage to being short-sighted.

Illustrators Ireland's Website Makeover

2012-01-27T02:28:00.000-08:00

Speaking of the IGI, the Illustrators Ireland website has had a very nice makeover courtesy of our web officer Stephen Synnott.
Great job Stephen.

The King of Ireland's Son in the United Arts Club

2012-01-27T02:04:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to Laureate na nÓg, Siobhán Parkinson who gave a wonderful speech at last night's launch of the IGI exhibition at the United Arts Club.
And hats off again to Brian Gallagher for putting the whole show together.

This illustration from The King of Ireland's Son by Brendan Behan is one of the two paintings that I have in the exhibition.
It's nice to have a picture from this book in the show, as Behan spent quite a bit of time in the bar of the United Arts Club himself.

IGI Exhibition at The United Arts Club.

2012-01-24T07:41:00.000-08:00

Thursday the 26th sees the opening of a show of original illustrations by myself and other members of the IGI.
There will be work there by Niamh Sharkey, Chris Judge, Adrienne Geoghegan, and many others.
We each submitted two pieces.
It's at the United Arts Club in Dublin at 8pm.
Come along if you are in the area.

Studies of Sean and Declan

2012-01-20T07:38:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of recent studies from the life room.
Each one measures 30 x 40 cm.
Sean above and Declan with the ponytail.
I've just come across this super drawing that one of my life room buddies, Conor Walton did of Declan on the same afternoon.
You can see a bunch of Conor's excellent life drawings on his facebook page.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey: The Musical

2012-01-17T09:46:00.000-08:00

Did I say there would be no more posts about Christmas?
Sorry, here is the last one, honestly.
Thanks to Marion for sending me this link to a video showing that there was a musical version of The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, at the Provision Theater, Chicago.

This is one of my paintings from the book
and below is a photo from a stage play of the book that showed somewhere in the USA last Christmas.

You'd think they would let me know about these things.
After all I have effectively done their costume, set design and art direction.

Some Sketches of Grace

2012-01-13T04:42:00.000-08:00

These are some recent studies I made of Grace.
Each one took one and a half to two hours.

Culture File Interview

2012-01-09T05:46:00.000-08:00

This is definitely my last post about Christmas till next December...I promise.
Here's a link to an interview I did with Regan Hutchins of Lyric FM's Culture File.
Regan and I had a nice chat about the Golden Age of Illustration, and about creating images for Dickens' spectres of Christmas Future.

A Portrait Sketch of Michael McWilliams

2012-01-04T05:19:00.000-08:00

It was nice to get into the studio and to get back into work after all of the Christmas festivities.
A long time drawing buddy, artist Michael McWilliams, modelled for one of my two hour portrait sketches.
I've long wanted to paint Michael for his characterful face and his striking colouring.
He was a great sitter too, and although I still have to sort out the lighting set-up in the studio, I was pretty pleased with the result.

Not Such A Cheery Christmas Illustration

2011-12-28T07:11:00.000-08:00

Here's another Christmassy job I did just before the holidays.
It was for the ISPCC and it was to appear with a text that had a fairly sinister subtext about violence against children.
My painting was to seem wholesome and festive but with a subtle aspect of menace.

A Little Christmas Window Movie

2011-12-24T05:17:00.000-08:00

Here is a little movie of me at work in the window of Hodges Figgis.
I have transferred this from FaceBook so I hope it will work here.
Happy Christmas everybody.

Happy Christmas!

2011-12-22T06:30:00.000-08:00

Here's a seasonal painting I did of Ireland's new President last week for the lovely folks at Public Communications Centre and which I think makes for a hopeful Christmas card for those of us living in Ireland.

Thank you all for visiting my blog in 2011
and may I wish all of you a very Happy Christmas and the best of luck in 2012
PJxxx

The Ghost of Christmas Present

2011-12-20T05:51:00.000-08:00

I have finally made up a pretty good digital approximation of my big painting of the Ghost of Christmas Present.
The problem was that I could only get my camera three and a half feet away from the canvas and so I had to make this image up from lots of smaller photos pasted together in Photoshop.

The painting in the window was a very strange project to take on, but I really enjoyed the process and I loved meeting all those nice people who stopped by to say hello.
Painting this scene from A Christmas Carol in public was a very good way of getting into the Christmas spirit, and in a purely practical sense, it is good to know that, when pressed, I can finish a seven foot oil painting in less than a week.

Oscar Wilde: Stories for Children

2011-12-16T07:33:00.000-08:00

It's nice to see "Oscar Wilde; Stories for Children" doing so well in the Irish Bestsellers.
Not bad for a book I illustrated twenty years ago.

Two Quick Studies from Life

2011-12-09T07:39:00.000-08:00

With one thing and another I have missed a lot of life drawing on Thursdays in the last month or so.
These two paintings are from the time I got to go in about two weeks ago.
I split my afternoon session between models, with an hour spent painting Meri and an hour and a half on Sean.

A Portrait of Richard

2011-12-06T06:29:00.000-08:00

It's a month since my friend Richard Hannaford died.
He was only forty nine.

I was honoured when Richard asked me to do a portrait of him during his final illness.
He wasn't looking too well and he asked me to work from photographs that his wife Norah had taken earlier.
Luckily they were terrific photos, and I was delighted that Richard and his family were really happy with the painting.
On Sunday we scattered his ashes in Phoenix Park near this beautiful old oak.
It was a very moving experience for all of us who were there.
Norah's brother Leo paid a very touching tribute to Richard.
You can read it here on Leo's blog.

Preparing A Large Canvas

2011-12-02T02:26:00.000-08:00

Here is a short film of me putting together the canvas for the Hodges Figgis job.
I hadn't made a canvas that big before and it very nearly didn't fit down the stairs from the studio.
I'll post some video of the painting process later.

The Ghost of Christmas Present: Nearly There

2011-11-29T02:55:00.000-08:00

MaryBrigid Turner bought me a coffee on Saturday afternoon when the picture was nearly finished, and we talked about the whole business of painting in public, the pros and cons. You can see the interview here at the Inís website
I reckon MB owed me the coffee as she was the one who dreamed up the whole idea of me as artist in residence in Hodges Figgis window.

The Ghost of Christmas Present: Help from the Punters

2011-11-28T03:44:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to a story on RTE's News2Day programme about the painting in Hodges Figgis window.
The kids were from Griffeen Valley Educate Together School, and they had some great ideas that I was able to include in the finished painting.
I finished up yesterday and the picture will stay in the window till Christmas.
It's strange that it is all done now.
I was getting quite used to always having an audience behind me.
It was the weirdest week ever, but I really enjoyed it, and I got a heck of a lot of work done.
Many thanks to Conor, MaryBrigid, Stephen, Liam and all at Hodges Figgis for their help and hospitality.

The Ghost of Christmas Present: In the Shop Window

2011-11-24T01:44:00.000-08:00

The first day working in Hodges Figgis window was certainly weird , but I got a bit done and all the people in the shop and those who stopped to watch were really nice.
If you come along, and I don't look round, please don't think I am being rude, it's just the only way I can get the work done.
Here's one of MaryBrigid Turner's photos.

The Ghost of Christmas Present: Blocking In

2011-11-23T01:38:00.000-08:00

I got a lot done on my Christmas painting yesterday, which is a good thing because I have no idea if the conditions in Hodges Figgis window will be conducive to doing decent work.
At least it's a nice typical Irish overcast day, so the lighting should be OK until 4.30 at least.
Anyway, we will be shipping the painting (very wet!) over in the next half an hour if we can get it down three sets of stairs here.
I’m looking forward to getting to work in a bookshop.

The Ghost of Christmas Present: The First Steps

2011-11-22T02:10:00.001-08:00

I got a good start on my big Christmas picture last night.
I got the whole thing scaled up on the 7’ by 4’ canvas, and I got a few hours of painting in.
It would be great if I could paint the whole thing in situ in Hodges Figgis bookshop, but there is going to be so much to do that I just have to get a start in the studio.
Also the light in the window is going to be very unpredictable and I will only have a four foot space to step back in, so I want to have my tonal values well established.
I am remembering too that the last picture I did of this size took four months and I am supposed to finish this one on Saturday.
Fingers crossed!

The Ghost of Christmas Present... in Dawson Street, Dublin 2

2011-11-21T05:19:00.000-08:00

Here's the rough I have created for the picture I will be painting "live" in the window of Hodges Figgis bookshop in Dublin.
I thought you might be interested to see how I have constructed this from a mixture of mostly drawn elements with a few Photoshop images dropped in.
So much for my idea to have a scene with large expanses of sky that I might be able to fill in quickly.
This is a pretty busy scene and the canvas is seven foot wide........I'm going to be very busy until the weekend.
If you have a copy of my version of A Christmas Carol, you will know that this picture is based on my illustration of the Ghost of Christmas Present.
I always loved the design for that spread but perhaps I painted it a bit too dark or the paper in the book is overly absorbent, but anyway, I was never entirely happy with how it printed.
So I'm taking this chance to have another go.

Congratulations to Chris Judge, winner of the Irish Children's Book Award.

2011-11-21T03:07:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to my pal, and studio neighbour, Chris Judge, whose wonderful first book "The Lonely Beast" was awarded the Irish Children's Book Award last Thursday evening.
I was delighted to be the guest presenter who announced his win.
The full ceremony will be shown on RTE TV next Thursday evening.
Very well done Chris!

Some Sketches from "A Christmas Carol"

2011-11-17T04:48:00.000-08:00

I've been looking through old studies from my version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol trying to get a suitable design for the seven foot painting I will be doing in Hodges Figgis window next week.

I find the drawings I do as studies have a freshness and immediacy that I can't often keep in the finished paintings.

I must do a book illustrated solely with drawings.

Artist in Residence in the Hodges Figgis Window

2011-11-16T03:08:00.000-08:00

This is me measuring up the window of Hodges Figgis bookstore here in Dublin.
Next week I will be installing myself in this very window as their first ever artist in residence.
I have been asked to paint a huge new painting illustrating a scene from A Christmas Carol from next Wednesday the 23rd until the 26th or 27th, and at some point we will auction the original painting for charity.

I love the idea of working under that kind of time pressure, but the public spectacle aspect of it all might be harder to deal with.

Many thanks to my pal Conor Hackett for setting up this novel event!
And David Maybury who made this great little video, will be keeping an eye on my progress.

PJ Lynch plotting his Hodges Figgis Window from David Maybury on Vimeo.

The Bord Gáis Irish Book Awards

2011-11-15T09:14:00.000-08:00

This Thursday I'll be dusting off the old tuxedo as I have been asked to present the Specsavers Irish Children's Book of the Year Awards at the Irish Book Awards Gala dinner in Dublin.
A few of my pals are shortlisted in various categories but I have no idea who has won any of the prizes. I will be as surprised as anyone when the envelopes get opened.
It will all be on the TV a week afterwards, so I'll hopefully be able to post a link.

A Fleeting Light Effect

2011-11-11T05:26:00.000-08:00

When I was working on this study of Niamh, a stray shaft of light found its way into the life room and irritatingly moved right onto the model's middle.
I was inclined to ignore it and concentrate on another area of the figure whilst waiting for the sun to go behind the clouds again, but then I thought I'd take up the challenge and try to paint it in.
It was a difficult effect to catch as the light was moving so fast, (it only lingered on Niamh's middle for about fifteen minutes as I remember) but in the end I think it made for a much more interesting painting.
It got me thinking of the problems that al fresco landscape painters must often come across. Maybe I'll give that a go next spring.

Ireland of the Welcomes Article

2011-11-10T02:35:00.000-08:00

Here is a nice feature that appears in this month's "Ireland of the Welcomes" magazine.

A Portrait Sketch of Giuseppe

2011-11-01T06:55:00.000-07:00

Giuseppe modelled for me for this portrait sketch. It took about two hours.
Notice how engaging the direct look from the subject is.
That look is something that is almost impossible to get in a life room situation, and it can be quite unnerving to paint it in a one to one sitting, but I think a portrait is generally the better for it.
We were both fairly pleased with the finished painting, but Guiseppe is a sensitive and gentle person, and I think he looks a bit hard in this one.
I will be doing a series of portrait sketches like this for practice over the coming weeks.
I have a number of sitters lined up, but if you are in the Dublin area and are interested in posing for me, drop me a line at info@pjlynchgallery.com

Sarah: Painted from Life Using The Zorn Palette

2011-10-28T03:00:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to pare down and simplify my life paintings in many ways such as the use of larger brushes and starker compositions, and more and more through the means of a limited palette.
The purpose of limiting the palette is for me mostly to do with attempting to achieve a harmonious colour scheme, where my mixed colours are all in the same family, rather than being taken straight from tubes where they might jar with each other.
This is to do with the inherent flavour of that each tube of paint has. And with developemnts in science there have been dozens of new colours created that we can choose from.
Some colours are acidy, some are are intense or full bodied (yes, it's a lot like discussing the taste of wine) but mixing them together can be artistically perilous unless you really know what you are doing.
I choose to work with only a few pigments so that I can concentrate on other elements of the picture.
Anders Zorn (1860 – 1920)was a tremendously vigorous and talented painter who is often compared to the great John Singer Sargent. Zorn was famous for using a very limited palette of white, black, yellow ochre and Cadmium Red. Obviously he used additional pigments when necessary, but I was interested to try a painting using the famous Zorn palette.
This sketch of Sarah is the first result.
I think I need a lot more practice with this palette, I particularly missed having Cerulean Blue to cool down some shadows in the flesh.

Rubén; A Portrait Sketch

2011-10-24T06:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a portrait sketch of Rubén that I did recently.
I was painting him life-size which I do fairly rarely, and Rubén's new number one buzz cut made it surprisingly difficult to establish the shape of his head, but I was fairly pleased with the result.

Two Faces of Sean

2011-10-21T03:58:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of recent life paintings of a new model named Sean.
After completing the three quarter length study above, I made this quick portrait sketch below.
I was struck by how different Sean looked from these different angles.
From the side he looks a wee bit pasty and out of condition , whilst from the front his face was square and rugged and he appeared to me like a beefy GI or a wrestling star.

Joanna: Progression of a Life Study

2011-10-14T06:03:00.000-07:00

In preparation for my talk at the RHA, I put together this series of shots showing the progression of a life painting of Joanna.
In terms of composition and resolution of the figure I think this is one of my most sucessful life paintings.

"Adventures in the Life Room"

2011-10-10T05:44:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday, 12th of October, I will be giving a talk at the RHA titled "Adventures in the Life Room", in which I will be discussing my passion for painting from the live model.
Alas I don't have too many adventures as racy as this book cover to relate, but hopefully it will still be be stimulating artistically.

The RHA Autumn series lectures are open to the public and will be held in the Friends Room of the RHA starting at 6pm on Wednesday evenings.
The lectures are free.
The RHA welcomes a suggested donation of €5 per lecture, which can be made to our donations box in the foyer.
Prior booking is not required for the lectures, early arrival is suggested to ensure your place.
If you require further information or have any questions about the lecture series, please contact the Academy Co-ordinator, Ciara Timlin, phone 01 6612558 or email ciara@rhagallery.ie

PJ in Westport

2011-10-10T04:05:00.000-07:00

I had a great time down in the West, as always.
Many thanks to everyone from Mayo libraries and Westport Arts Festival for the very warm welcome and great hospitality.
It was a thrill to see my poster up all around the town....they even had it on t-shirts.

Westport Arts Festival Poster

2011-10-05T05:37:00.000-07:00

Here is the vertical version of my poster for the 2011 Westport Arts Festival.
I am heading down to Mayo for a few library events as part of the nationwide Children’s Book Festival, and am looking forward to catching a few arty events in Westport while I'm down there.

The National Library of Ireland's Prints and Drawings Collection

2011-10-04T05:44:00.000-07:00

Someone contacted me recently about a picture that they had seen in the National Library of Ireland's Prints and Drawings Collection.
Under the directorship of the wonderful Dr Pat Donlon, the NLI acquired a large collection of my original work, which they have added to over the years. Pat was very keen to get hold of preliminary drawings and unused paintings from right at the start of my career.
The ink line drawing pictured here is from "WB Yeats: Fairy Tales of Ireland".

Sgraffito

2011-10-03T03:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot of me spouting off at Brian Gallagher's launch last week at the UAC.
That's Brian looking slightly concerned about what I might say about him.
Beside Brian is the Arts Club's Angel Loughrey.
You can see more shots from the opening by Mario Sughi here.

One of Brian's wonderful Sgraffito pictures was this drawing of Keshet.

I like to show the same model as interpreted by different artists when I can, so below is a shot of the painting I did of Keshet on the same day. Just behind my easel you can see yet another version by Eugene Conway.

Sgraffito- exhibition of work by Brian Gallagher

2011-09-27T02:28:00.000-07:00

This isn't one of my pictures....I only wish it was.
It's a scraperboard drawing by Brian Gallagher.
Brian has been a friend and colleague for several years, and his scraperboard illustration work is exceptional.

On Thursday evening I have the honour of opening Brian's new exhibition, Sgraffito, at 8pm at the UAC.
His drawings from his homeplace in Donegal have a moody intensity and a definitive sense of place that bring to mind Andrew Wyeth's portraits of farm buildings in Maine.

The show runs from Friday 30th September until 17th October 2011

Viewing Mon to Sat from 5.30pm

The United Arts Club
3 Upper Fitzwilliam St
Dublin 2

Culture Night in Dublin

2011-09-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

For Culture Night in Dublin this Friday, I will again be drawing portraits at the United Arts Club.
I'll be there from 7.30pm and the drawings are only 10 euro each.
Here’s one I did last year of the artist, Patrick Brocklebank.

Global Honour for Irish Examiner Ad

2011-09-19T01:26:00.000-07:00

A nice pat on the back for me and Chemistry for our Examiner Billboard Adverts.
Somehow they managed not to mention me in this article, but we illustrators get used to that kind of thing.
See also The Inspiration Room.

The View From My Studio Window

2011-09-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

It's funny the things you sometimes see just looking out of the studio window.
I was watching this man struggling with his bicycle, when......look what happened.

Illustrators’ Evening with Oliver Jeffers, Sarah McIntyre and Me!

2011-09-07T01:26:00.000-07:00

I will be taking part in an Illustrators’ Evening with Oliver Jeffers and Sarah McIntyre
Thursday, 08 September 2011 at 06:00 PM •
I am very much looking forward o seeing Oliver again, and to meeting Sarah for the first time.
Its happening at Eason’s Bookshop, O'Connell St. Dublin
Illustration! Q & A! Book Signing!
This is a ticketed event. Book in store or call Dublin 8583815

Still-life with Brushes

2011-09-06T01:29:00.000-07:00

Here's another still-life of some brushes in a pot with some linen draped around.
I'm trying to avoid overworking these by continuing to use brushes bigger than seems right for the job.
They are painted mostly with a square flat half inch brush and a two inch blending brush to soften the edges.
In fact I used brushes just like the two shorter ones shown in the pot.
I have also strictly limited my palette.

Still Life of Flowers in a Glass

2011-09-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted any still life paintings for a while.
Flowers and fruit didn't appeal to me as subject matter before but I've really been enjoying painting these white roses recently.
I've been trying to restrain myself from over painting the glass or vase, and then I've been having fun laying on the impasto paint representing the flowers.

Chippy the Chipmunk

2011-08-24T05:56:00.000-07:00

You might get a giggle out of this article that appeared in the Brighton and Hove Leader in 1989.
It was a true story too. A chipmunk just appeared in my kitchen one day.
Many thanks to my Mum for digging this one out.

A Desert Storm

2011-08-16T04:26:00.000-07:00

Here's another picture from the desert book I am illustrating.
I am trying to leave these paintings less finished than usual to hopefully achieve a more atmospheric result.

The Ballerina

2011-08-05T05:52:00.000-07:00

Following up on the last post, where I showed a picture in a "raw" state and then in a more finished state, here are two recent paintings of our ballerina Gia. She has the most wonderful poise and makes very elegant shapes.
I left both of these pictures with a view to doing a little more work on them.
I'll post the final results.

Studio Practice

2011-08-01T06:12:00.000-07:00

I don't often return to fiddle with paintings I have painted from life.
One of the best things about a life session is that it imposes a time restriction on you, and whatever you can do there in front of the model has a truth and honesty about it that is very apparent. Working up a picture afterwards can make it look slick and over-finished.
Sometimes though, I do make literal or mental notes to myself for bits of work that can be done later in the studio.
In this case I felt that the study of Grace was looking good, but because I had been working with a very restricted palette, the whole could do with a warm glaze or two.
So, when the study was dry I added Liquin glazes tinted with various reds, and browns. Needless to say, I fiddled about with the image, but in this case I think it served to make for a simpler, stronger image.

The Mysterious Traveller

2011-07-28T01:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a peak at one of the images from the book I am working on at the moment.
It is set in the mountains and deserts of north Africa.
I was thinking that this one has the potential to be a good cover image for the book.

RTE Radio Interview

2011-07-26T07:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to the interview I did last week with Richie Beirne of RTE's Arena programme.
I really enjoyed meeting Richie and I think it shows in the piece.

Two Studies of Giuseppe

2011-07-22T06:05:00.000-07:00

Here are two paintings I did of Giuseppe.
They are both of the same pose but seen from different angles, and in the second quicker study, I decided to try a grisaille in oils for the first time.
It's quite surprising to me how different in character the sitter appears in each picture.
The more sensitive, spiritual look in the first painting is certainly a truer reflection of Giuseppe's nature.

RTE Radio interview tonight

2011-07-19T07:40:00.000-07:00

The interview I did with Arena's Richie Beirne airs at 7.30 on RTE Radio 1 tonight.
If you are in Ireland you can listen on the radio, otherwise I will post a link in the next few days.
Richie and I had a great chat so hopefully it will make for an interesting segment of the programme.

Mervyn Peake, 1911-1968

2011-07-11T03:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday 9th July 2011, marked the hundredth anniversary of the birth of the great author and illustrator, Mervyn Peake.
If you are unfamiliar with Peake's work, there are some great publications and exhibitions happening now to coincide with his centenary.
And the BBC are doing a new Radio presentation of Gormenghast which you can listen to on the BBC iPlayer.
I was fascinated by Peake and Gormenghast since I was given a gift of the trilogy of books when I was a student. Years later, I was thrilled when I was selected by the Peake family to be the artist who would illustrate Boy in Darkness, a novella described as a "fragment from Gormenghast."
Below is my cover artwork for the book.

A Drawing of PJ by Conor Walton

2011-07-08T07:10:00.000-07:00

I was given the very kind gift of this drawing by one of my Thursday drawing buddies, Conor Walton.
And I was able to find the painting of Angelique that I was working on so intently when Conor drew me.
It's always an interesting comparison to look at how two artists tackle the same subject.
I must say I love the elegance and restraint in Conor's drawing.

Westport Arts Festival 2011 Poster

2011-07-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

Here is the poster I designed for the Westport Arts Festival 2011, which has just gone live on the festival's website.
I was trying to reference the mystic heritage of the region, and incorporating one of Westport's best known landmarks in a slightly irreverent way, I have St Patrick (atop the column) leading the dance on his fiddle.
I also designed a vertical version of the poster to be used as a flyer.

Sunday Times Article

2011-07-04T01:47:00.000-07:00

Here is the article that appeared in yesterday's Sunday Times Culture magazine.
I have kept the jpegs pretty big so you should be able to read the text.
Pavel's piece is a very good distillation of the long and pleasant discussion we had a week or two ago.
My authors will be intrigued by the sub editor's headline that says they get more money than I do.

The photo of me in my studio is by Fergal Philips.

Issa

2011-06-30T04:05:00.000-07:00

I was particularly pleased with this drawing for the main character, Issa, in the new book I am illustrating, as I made it without reference, and I think it is pretty convincing in the figure's anatomy and emotion.
I made a half-hearted effort to get models for this book, but I really wanted to do another book, like A Christmas Carol, that is drawn primarily from the imagination.

Hell on Earth in Tipperary

2011-06-24T02:25:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Steve Richardson for this in situ photo of my Hell on Earth poster advertising the Irish Examiner.
This one was in Tipperary.
I think the setting, on a shabby wall in a typical small Irish town is a particularly apposite for this image.
I can't help wondering what local folk on their way to mass might make of the poster.

A Lot of Heads at the RHA Summer Fête

2011-06-20T02:51:00.000-07:00

I had a great time drawing all afternoon at the RHA Summer Fete.
Una, Emily and I were joined on the day by another of the Thursday life artists, Dorothy Smith.
Most of our models were children, who sat very still for the fifteen or twenty minutes we needed, and we all managed to get some nice work done. Emily even did a lovely portrait of one of my own kids.
Although my young sitters were great, I was still very happy to get to draw a few adults too.
Angel (above), the Arts Convenor from the UAC, was just lovely to draw, and I was delighted to meet Eoghan Kerrigan (below), a young artist who I'm sure will have a great career in illustration or character design ahead of him.

Many thanks to Bernadette for her great photos of the day.

The RHA Summer Fête.

2011-06-17T06:24:00.000-07:00

I did a couple of quick portrait heads of our models at the life session yesterday.
This one shows Amanda, who had white dreadlocks when we met her last.
It was good practice for tomorrow when I will be drawing portraits at the RHA Summer Fête..
Thursday buddies Una Sealy ARHA and Emily Scott will also be on portrait-drawing duty.
It looks like it should be a fun event. Here's the blurb;

"Planning what to do this weekend? Don't worry about the weather and come and join us for our Summer Fête. (all indoors) this Saturday 18th, 3 - 7pm. A family fun day with music, face painting, childrens workshop, RHA cake stand and much more. Just €10 for adults & children go free. Please come along and support our Summer fundraiser."

Giuseppe Reclining

2011-06-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

I take photos at each break during life painting to show how my process works, but also so that I will have a record of when a picture was working best.
I have observed that I, like most of my Thursday drawing buddies, tend go past a stage when our pictures have a freshness and economy about them.
We have a good long session with one pose, and I think it's in an artist's nature to keep working on a piece as long as we have a model sitting in front of us, and of course we are always hoping to improve things.
The problem then is that all you can really do is to add more and more to the picture. More detail, more definition, more paint.
Having a record of the process is really useful so that you can tell at what point you should have left the painting alone, and then maybe next time you will recognize that point and leave off before the picture becomes laboured.

This series of pictures of a painting I did of Giuseppe illustrates the point well.
It seems to me that apart from a little work I did on the the face and body, there is nothing I added in the third, forth and fifth stages that helped the picture at all. In fact the solid green and blue areas detract quite a bit.

Two New Life Paintings

2011-06-08T06:02:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of recent life paintings of our new model, Grace.
She is a great model with a lovely timeless look about her.

Hell on Earth

2011-06-01T04:58:00.000-07:00

The folks at Chemistry asked me to do another poster advertising a forthcoming series of articles in the Irish Examiner newspaper on the clergy in Ireland to-day.
They wanted a picture that looked like an old master painting but with a crowd of people in modern dress who are about to burn a priest at the stake. The scroll was my idea. What a fun brief!
Unfortunately I had a really short time to create the picture, so I developed a technique that is half oil painting and half Photoshop. I was very pleased with the result, which should start appearing on poster sites in Ireland next week.
Many thanks to all my friends and relations who volunteered to model for the crowd, and especially to my pal Giuseppe who was perfect as the priest.

Ignis in 3D

2011-05-29T01:52:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to fellow Iggy, Phil McDarby, for telling me about this lovely 3d computerized rendering of my little dragon, Ignis (below) from the story by Gina Wilson.
The computer version is by Vlad Konstantinov, and I think he has done a wonderful job.
Now we just have to persuade Dreamworks or Disney to make the movie.

A Busy Week for Exhibitions

2011-05-27T04:17:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night was the opening of the RHA’s annual open submission show.
It was a great occasion and a lot of folks were very kind about the two pictures (above) that I have in the exhibition.

Wednesday saw the opening of the RUA’s War On Want Charity show at the Ormeau Baths gallery in Belfast. I have a picture (below) in that exhibition too, and I was delighted to hear from the organizers that it was the first to sell when the catalogues were sent out.

"No One But You"

2011-05-23T03:15:00.000-07:00

It's great having a Dublin city centre studio, and it's particularly buzzy during the week of official visits to Ireland by both Queen Elizabeth and President Obama.
The Queen's visit a few days ago was a major success, and today President Obama is making a speech down the road a bit in College Green. I don't think I'll be able to see him from my window but I will certainly be able to hear his speech. (They are testing out the PA system right now)
Obama is such an important figure in history, being the first African-Irish-American President, but he is also a hugely inspiring speaker, and I am really looking forward to hearing his speech later to-day.
I blogged before on how one of the pictures in "Lincoln and his Boys" by Rosemary Wells, was inspired by Obama's election, and likewise I was thinking about Obama when I created the image on the cover of my latest book "No One But You".
Written by Douglas Wood, "No One But You" was published in the US last Tuesday.

A New Life Model

2011-05-14T00:21:00.000-07:00

I've been really busy doing another poster job and so I couldn't make it in to my Thursday Life Drawing session. I was a bit annoyed because I heard there was going to be an unusual new model.

I must say I thought the artists would be lucky to get a few quick sketches of Toby the pony, but from the slideshow and the TV report (courtesy of Una Sealy and Brian Gallagher) it looks as if some great work was done.

Step by Step on the Boozy Irish Heroine

2011-05-10T06:02:00.000-07:00

I did a step-by-step on the process of creating the illustration for the Irish Examiner poster.
You can see it at the IGI's blog, Scamp.

Oh Well That’s Just Lovely, Isn’t It?

2011-05-09T01:59:00.000-07:00

Here's how the wide version of that poster looks in situ.
Thanks to Broadsheet for that. They have a few funny comments on it at their blog under the heading "Oh Well That’s Just Lovely, Isn’t It?".

Thanks to fellow IGI member Annie West for the heads up on this one.

My Boozy Celtic Heroine

2011-05-04T06:34:00.000-07:00

I don't do a lot of ad jobs, but I was attracted to the idea of this one.
Binge drinking is a huge problem in Ireland and still our pub culture seems to be one of the biggest draws we have as a tourist destination.
To advertise a series of articles addressing the issue that will run in The Irish Examiner from Friday, I was asked to provide an image of a Celtic heroine who has had a few too many.
There is a full page ad in the Examiner to-day.
I had a lot of fun doing the research and the painting, and with a really tight deadline it was a great change from my usual children's book work.

My Favourite Paint Brushes

2011-04-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

Imagine if the best paint brushes you could buy were also the cheapest you could buy.
It sounds too good to be true, but I haven't found any brushes that are better for a day's life painting than these cheapy ones from Create.
I originally started to use them because using Liquin tends to kill your brushes, and I wanted some that were cheap enough to chuck after one use. (Liquin is the fast-drying medium I use)
However I quickly came to appreciate their sharp edge and firmness. And I found that unlike a lot of more expensive, natural brushes, they really keep their shape after they have been used a few times.
I only use the three flats in the set, and they probably aren't really soft enough for glazing, but I would recommend them to anyone doing a painting session in the life room or an alla prima landscape.
I know this sounds like a really bad, blatant advertisement but I promise you it isn't.

This is a painting I did of Geraldine last Thursday afternoon.
You may notice also that I use the tear-off disposable paper palettes. Again this is because Liquin dries so quickly and so hard that it could easily ruin a nice wooden palette.
The brushes cost less than three Euro for a set of five.
Let me know what you think if you try them.

A Pencil Sketch of Desert Mountains

2011-04-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

I don't think that any of my pencil drawings have ever been published in a book, but hopefully the book that I'm working on now will have some.
I had a lot of fun drawing this picture of desert mountains this morning.

Caolán McKeating Lynch wins the Irish Dancing World Championships

2011-04-20T01:43:00.000-07:00

I usually stick to painting and illustration in my blog, but when your nephew wins the Irish Dancing World Championships for the second time you've got to brag a bit.
Many many congratulations to Caolán, seen here with his mum Fionnuala.
We are all very proud of you.

A Life Study of Joanna

2011-04-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

I like the composition of this life painting of Joanna.
I did it during the afternoon session last week, and I really enjoyed the more natural lighting arrangement we had without the hard edged shadows of the spotlights.

Three heads

2011-04-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

Here is a better scan of the portrait study I did of Amanda a few weeks ago.
The same day I did a study of Yuki.
Most of our models are white Europeans, so it made a lovely change to have an African girl and a Japanese boy on the same day.

The third picture here is a quick portrait study I did of Meri, one of our regular models who has now sadly gone back to Catalonia.

Emma Olympia

2011-04-07T05:04:00.000-07:00

We now have a second model called Emma, and a little while ago my drawing pal, Una Sealy, set her in the pose of Manet's Olympia. I was lucky to be right in front of the model and so got the perfect view.
I rarely return to work on life paintings but I think I may add a little choker and a few other references to the Manet picture.

Artists Hellbent with Drug-Fuelled Desire

2011-03-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

Here's an hilarious 1960s book cover posted by David Thorn Wenzel on FaceBook.
I thought that those of you who do a bit of life drawing might enjoy it.
I'm afraid I don't know the name of the illustrator who did the cover.

Portrait Study of Amanda in Four Stages

2011-03-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

When I first saw our new life model Amanda, I have to admit that whilst I was really keen to do a portrait study of her, I was quite daunted by the prospect of rendering her white dreadlocks in paint.
I considered just not tackling the dreads at all, but in the end I decided to knuckle down, look very hard at the subject, and paint away as usual.
This shows the two and a half hour painting process in four steps.
Amanda is a great model, and I was pretty pleased with the final result.

From "When Jessie Came Across the Sea"

2011-03-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

This is a big spread from When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest.
It was the first picture I did from that book, and I did it as a way of breaking myself into the project.
This was really going in the deep end, as this scene has so much detail and required a lot of research and working with models.
Often starting out on a new book I would tackle a spread that involves depicting the setting rather than close-up views of the characters. It means I can get some work under my belt, and so immerse myself deeper in the project before I start working with models.
I'm at that stage now with a book set in the desert in Africa, and I am enjoying drawing lots of landscapes with sand dunes and desert mountains. I'm even starting to enjoy drawing camels, which are among the goofiest looking creatures on God's earth.

Three Views of Stephanie

2011-03-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

Following my recent post showing a painting of Stephanie in which I mentioned James Hanley's recent exhibition in Dublin, I've put together three paintings of Stephanie done by different artists at one life session.
The first is by me, the middle one is by James, and the painting on the right is by another life painting friend, Comhghall (pronounced Cole) Casey.
There are lots of great things about painting in a group setting, one of the most intriguing is being able to see how other artists choose to approach almost exactly the same subject matter.

Happy St Patrick's Day to you all.

2011-03-16T23:31:00.000-07:00

Happy St Patrick's Day to you all.
My new studio has a great view of Dame Street in central Dublin and we brought a bunch of kids and a lot of sweeties in for a great day watching the parade.
As usual it was a wonderful, colourful event and this year it had a theme based on a "brilliant' short story by Roddy Doyle.
Here are a few pix of some of the paraders.
My favourite was Macnas's giant boy.

The Salmon Cariad

2011-03-09T09:10:00.000-08:00

This was from my very first book,"A Bag of Moonshine" by Alan Garner.
I was delighted to find that I still have the original painting.
Cariad is "sweetheart" in Welsh, and after a pretty unpromising start, when she tries to drown him, these two end up living happily ever after.

Lucifer; The Light Carrier

2011-03-07T03:08:00.000-08:00

When I was sharing a studio with a number of other illustrators some years ago we decided to produce a self promotional calendar.
I did this painting in response to the simple brief "Light" that we set for ourselves.
I found a print of it in my studio clear-out and enhanced the light effect in photoshop....the original was a bit lacklustre.
It's intriguing to me how Lucifer, the light carrier came to be one of the names associated with the Devil.
I was playing about a bit with preconceptions about light and dark, good and evil and even male and female in the image of an angel.

Life Study of Stephanie

2011-03-01T08:30:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted a life painting for a while.
Here's one of Stephanie that I did just before Christmas.
With one thing and another, I have missed a lot of the Thursday life sessions, but I had a good full day's painting yesterday and there was great craic later at my friend James Hanley's exhibition "One Day".
Below is James' painting of Aíne.
I love that little touch of red.

A Selection of Self Portraits

2011-02-28T07:20:00.000-08:00

Some of the old oil paintings I uncovered in the move were still wet to the touch, and of course they had bits of paper and fluff stuck to them.
I really hadn't a clue about the basics of oil painting back then. A wee bit of instruction during my college days might have been helpful, but I suppose pretty much all of my tutors used pen and ink or watercolour.
Here are a selection of self portraits in chronological sequence from the bottom up.
I still quite like some of the early ones. In fact the first one, done when I was eighteen, is the best of the lot.
Isn't that depressing?

Rough Sketch: Finished Piece

2011-02-28T06:38:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting back to normal after a few very hectic weeks of moving house and studio.
Here are a couple of images where I located the artwork and the original rough sketch. It always makes for an interesting comparison.
The picture above is from "The Names upon the Harp" by Marie Heaney, and the one below is a poster I did for Polka Children's Theatre.
"The Starlight Cloak" is a version of "Fair, Brown and Trembling", a kind of Irish "Cinderella".

The Caretaker

2011-02-20T04:05:00.000-08:00

There is a very good RTE radio documentary on tonight about how Dr David James systematically plundered the treasures of Dublin's Chester Beatty Library.
My old friend Pat Donlon played a large part in exposing the crime, and she features in the programme.
The equivocations of James' cronies are very enlightening.
Their idea seemed to be that somehow the quality of the Chester Beatty collection was wasted on Dublin's plebeians and that may have induced David James to want to sell select items to more appreciative buyers.
Didn't seem to occur to them that he might just be a greedy thief.
Well worth a listen.

A Changeling Baby

2011-01-31T01:44:00.001-08:00

I've been busy moving studio, and also moving house, so I have neglected the blog a bit. Sorry.
Here is another original I found during the moving process.

This picture illustrates a changeling story that was to be included in that anthology of Irish Fairy Tales that I was planning a number of years ago.
I have always though this to be a most sinister Irish tradition, and I am convinced that over the centuries the notion of a fairy being substituted for a healthy child was used as an excuse to do away with many sickly or malformed babies.
I can recommend a fascinating book by Angela Bourke called The Burning of Bridget Cleary for anyone with an interest in the subject.

For Every Child

2011-01-28T04:37:00.000-08:00

I was honoured to be invited to join an international selection of illustrators who were asked to convey in pictures the fundamental rights that should belong to all children of the world.
It was especially pleasing that my picture was chosen for the cover of the book.
Here is a scan of the original artwork, just rediscovered at the back of my studio shelves.

Life Room

2011-01-28T04:18:00.000-08:00

A few of my life paintings, including this one of Des, are in a group show opening tomorrow (Tuesday) night at the Bourn Vincent Gallery
Foundation Building, University of Limerick

The drawings and paintings in the show have been selected by Mick O'Dea and Donald Teskey from work produced by various artists at the Drawing Thursday Sessions in the Royal Hibernian School

The exhibition will be opened by Mick O'Dea RHA and Donald Teskey RHA
If you happen to be in the area, go along to the reception. It starts at 5.15pm but alas, I can't make it myself..... I'm still packing boxes.

The Princess and the Goblin

2011-01-28T04:08:00.000-08:00

Here are another couple of finds from the studio clear out.
I did these very early on in my career when I was in discussions with a London publisher about illustrating The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald.
MacDonald was a very interesting writer, and it's a bit of a shame that this was another project that never got beyond the drawing board.
I had fun with the Goblins though, and will certainly revisit them at some time.

The White Trout

2011-01-28T03:49:00.000-08:00

I'm in the process of packing up my studio for the move to my new space in central Dublin's Dame Street, just a stone's throw from Dublin Castle.
Over the years we all accumulate a lot of surplus stuff that we think will be useful one day, and it's great to finally dump a load of it, and to whittle everything down to essentials.
Dredging through to the back of my shelves I have also discovered some long forgotten pictures.
Here are a couple of unpublished illustrations for a book of Irish Myths that never saw the light of day.
These illustrated a story called The White Trout.

Another Nude in Six Stages

2011-01-25T04:48:00.000-08:00

Here's another post showing the progress of a life painting over roughly half hourly segments.
The model is Emma again, and although the pose is a bit less appealling, I think the overall composition works really well in the way that the three figures relate to each other.
Yes, that's me in the background. Anything Velazquez can do.....

Emma on Lapis Ground

2011-01-19T06:37:00.000-08:00

The well known portrait painter James Hanley RHA will be opening a new exhibition of work from
the United Arts Club's Thursday Life Drawing Group
tomorrow Thursday 20th January @ 8pm

The venue is The United Arts Club
3 Upper Fitzwilliam St
Dublin 2

I was asked to contribute three pictures to the show, and have included a life study that I worked up a bit in the studio afterwards.

As you can see I have drastically altered the picture without changing the drawing very much.
I was trying for the kind of intense almost enamelled effect in the background that you sometimes get in Holbien or Cranach. I even used some real Lapis Lazuli, but I found that good old French Ultramarine gave a much more vibrant colour.

Many thanks to Brian Gallagher who has organised the event.
The Exhibition continues
until 7th Fedruary 2011
Viewing Mon to Sat
from 5.30pm

Emma by the Mirror

2011-01-18T06:49:00.000-08:00

Here's a higher resolution scan of a life painting of Emma that I showed developing in six steps before Christmas.
I will be adding this and a few other recent pieces to my FaceBook Life Paintings album.
I find it is a great place to keep an on-line record of a good selection of work.

PJ at Offset

2011-01-13T00:57:00.000-08:00

The film of my presentation at Offset 2009 has just gone online.
The talk is basically a review of my work and career up to that point.
Offset is a major international design and illustration conference, and I was honoured to be invited to take part in it's inaugural year.
This video brings back some very happy memories of a great weekend.
Many thanks to BrenB and the Offset team.

Sophie's Back, Again

2011-01-07T08:05:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone, I hope you all had a great Christmas.
We had a lovely time, but I hope that all our Christmases won't be white in future. I really love the snow, but Ireland just isn't geared up to deal with such a lot of it.

This picture of Sophie may look familiar to some of you.
It's based on a painting I did at the life room last year, which I was never entirely happy with (see below).
For one thing Sophie's gorgeous natural colouring has always been a bit of a problem for me (I think I need to buy a few new paints just to tackle her hair). A second problem with the original picture is that the working drawing shows through in a very inelegant sort of way. I seemed to be using a lot of green back then, which just looks sickly to me now.
Nonetheless I liked the pose, and the light and the composition so I thought it might be worth doing a second version based on the first.

Creating more polished image based on sketches from the model was very much the modus operandi of many of my favourite painters of the past. However I am always worried that what you gain in polish, you loose in spontaneity.
I'd be very interested to hear what you think.