Andrew Whitson : A new Website in progress.

I have spent the day on a really steep learning curve.I have been getting to grips with Rapid Weaver website building software for Macs.
My head is now truly pickled but I do think this is the way forward now that Apple are discontinuing the iWeb supplement that has up until now been supplied with Mac computers.
I always found this quite intuitive to use but after today I can see the wisdom in using this new system.
My site is far from completed but if you are passing give it look to see where it is going.

www.andrewwhitson.com

A quick sketch on photoshop......this looks like it may have legs!

Andrew Whitson: arranging publicity shots for workshops

Over the last few years I have always set aside a few days (usually around October) to take part in the book festival.This usually means working with a bunch of crazy friends to put together a workshop that will engage and stimulate the audience. I have always based the subject matter on the books that I have published where the characters from these stories are brought to life in a manic and often high octane style of presentation.

As you can see from the photos.....we really are dedicated to the authenticity of the characterisation.......but it all really is tongue in cheek. Exhausting,but great fun.

These shots were for a poster that went out to schools and libraries throughout Ireland in preparation for the workshops.

"Is Mise...Cogito" : Considerations when constructing the visual elements of the book.By Andrew Whitson

My Studio

Due to the use of Photoshop when putting together this book, my illustration technique will be informed by the application of this software once all the assets have been collated.Therefore, as you can see the layouts on the page are determined by these future considerations.Also the idea that this will eventually also be an E-Book with an accompanying movie has shaped how I approach illustration.In the past I would have considered an image in a traditional way ( just one image) however with the desire to create moving images the illustrations are now constructed by illustrating each aspect of the overall image separately in order to allow "Layers" to be assembled and used accordingly.This provides a more flexible working platform that can be exploited in various ways depending on the product.

Andrew Whitson: Watercolour and pencil technique for illustration ...or not.

When I began to consider illustrating the book " Gaiscioch Na Beilte Uaine" "Warrior of the Green Belt" 2007. I started to use a technique which incorporated a wash of watercolour drawn over with pencil.The illustration above was the piece and was quite large for a book illustration. At around A1  it conveyed the storyteller  quite well but I finally came to the decision that it was better to also use pure watercolour for the majority of the illustrations throughout the book as the colours would reflect a "modern" feel to the story that was not possible with the sepia dominant technique that would have prevailed and perhaps made the book look too dark.

However I did decide to mix and match techniques throughout this project in order to create an element of surprise and interest for the reader that went beyond subject matter and composition within each illustration.

Therefore, as you turn the pages of this book you are often met with illustration styles that range from black and white drawings to full colour painting styles to a mix of both throughout.It was a difficult approach to get right as this can sometimes lead to a disjointed feel to the book but overall I feel we succeeded in getting the balance more or less correct.Using one technique for all the chapter headings for instance was one of the methods we used in order to keep the feel  consistent."

Andrew Whitson releases new title cover for Autumn 2012

Hello,
This is my first post on a new blog related to my first dedicated web page.To kick things off I am posting the working cover of my new book for children available later this year.So,here it is:

The book is called "Is Mise...Cogito" and concentrates on the quest of a young girl who attempts to regain her lost shadow.The book uses a balance of visual narrative with text to explore issues of identity when faced with life changing events at an early age.