• Home
  • Books
    • Older Readers
    • Confident Readers
    • Young Readers
    • Short Stories
    • Promotional eBooks
  • Author
    • Oisín’s Blog
    • Biography
    • Contact
    • Events and Workshops
    • Bibliography
    • Cover Gallery
    • Promotional Material
  • Artwork
  • Extras
    • Articles
    • Interviews
    • Writing Tips
    • FAQ
    • Free eBook

Celebrity Children’s Books – A Measured Response

December 20, 2022
| No Comments
| Uncategorized

There always seems to be some controversy in the world of literature about the latest celebrity who’s decided to have a go at writing a book, or indeed an entire series, for children. It’s a trend that’s increasingly dominating the industry and is having an undeniable impact on those of us who do this for a living. I’ve never…

Read More

Known to the Police? What I’ve Learned About Garda Vetting

November 18, 2022
| No Comments
| Uncategorized

In just about any profession in Ireland, if you work with children or vulnerable people, you’ve probably had to go through a background check by the Gardaí – Ireland’s police force – but for children’s writers and illustrators, it can get especially complicated and repetitive. If you’ve been doing this long enough, you’ll know exactly what I mean. I’ve…

Read More

Going Full-Time: Life as a Self-Employed Artist

June 11, 2022
| No Comments
| Uncategorized

Ah, the things we do for love! I’ve seen a lot of different elements of this discussed on social media, but I thought it was time to write a proper breakdown of what you should expect if you decide to go full-time as a self-employed artist. This is aimed particularly at those of you in Ireland, and specifically writers,…

Read More

If You Don’t Ask, You Don’t Get: Arts Council Funding

May 30, 2022
| No Comments
| Uncategorized

Every time a new round of Arts Council bursaries is announced in Ireland, we see a rake of people online talking about the difficulty of applying or, later, expressing their disappointment at not getting the funding after that tense wait. I’ve been applying for these things for years, I’ve read and listened a lot, I’ve been rejected and I’ve…

Read More

Under the Eyes of Dragons

January 14, 2022
| No Comments
| Uncategorized

This is a painting I did last year, commissioned by my brother Marek and a few of his gamer mates, in honour of the longest RPG campaign they ever ran. I’ve done a few paintings for them over the years, and they’re always fun, giving me the chance to stretch myself in ways that I don’t often get on…

Read More

How an Illustrator Chooses Their Style

April 4, 2018
| No Comments
| Check This Out, Publishing Views, The Work, Uncategorized

People who take an interest in children’s books and comics learn to recognise individual illustrators by their distinct styles, but not many outside of the trade itself realise that illustrators can and do often work in more than one style. Nor do they understand how an illustrator chooses the styles they use most often – and how those choices…

Read More

Never Knowing

December 7, 2017
| No Comments
| Check This Out, Publishing Views, The Work, Uncategorized

I want to talk about uncertainty, and how it is both a blessing and a curse for artists. It is the cause of our doubt, our frustration and insecurity, but it is also the abyss we choose to venture into, that we mine for treasures and attempt to fill with our art. Without that open space, we couldn’t do…

Read More

Want to Make a Living? Let’s Stop Undermining Our Own Profession

October 2, 2017
| 2 Comments
| Check This Out, Publishing Views, The Work, Uncategorized

I was approached recently by a reputable company who asked me to contribute a piece for an anthology of contemporary Irish writers. There was to be no fee. They expected me to to provide the work for free, because of who they were and, presumably, the exposure I’d get for it. They were a commercial business, not a charity,…

Read More

The Language You Didn’t Know You’d Learned

November 22, 2016
| No Comments
| Check This Out, Publishing Views, The Work, Uncategorized

Pictures are the language you learned without realising it. From before you were born, they have been influencing, informing and enriching your life. They were the illustrations in the books about babies your parents read with nervous anticipation as they waited for you to emerge from the womb. They were the health promotion posters on the walls of the…

Read More

Mind Your Language

December 1, 2015
| No Comments
| Check This Out, Publishing Views, The Work, Uncategorized

It was a typical evening in our home. Our fifteen-year-old boy had just finished chasing his two little sisters around the house to get them good and wound up before bedtime. I was in the middle of explaining to our five-year-old why she couldn’t sleep in the cat’s bed, when our six-and-a-half-year-old (that half is very important), asked me:…

Read More

  • 1 of 23
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 23
  • Next »

Category

  • Check This Out
  • Publishing Views
  • The Work
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • January 2022
  • April 2018
  • December 2017
  • October 2017
  • November 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • February 2015
  • December 2014
  • July 2014
  • January 2014
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009