| One of the fun and new things about Aleks’ most recent adventure is that both Eoghan Kerrigan and I drew illustrations for it. Join me at Brenda’s blog, The Log Cabin Library, to learn more about my process and see examples. Drop a comment if there’s anything else you’d like to know about the books. |
illustrator
Blog Tour Stop: Interview with Eoghan Kerrigan, Part 4
Keira Gillett (Author): Greetings everyone! The second book in the trilogy, Zaria Fierce and the Enchanted Drakeland Sword features some amazing artwork from Eoghan Kerrigan. Be sure to check out the other parts of this interview series to see more of his artwork. We’ve been having a lot of fun talking about the book and the artwork. So Eoghan, what is the hardest part of illustrating a story?
Eoghan Kerrigan (Illustrator): The hardest part is challenging yourself to draw things out of your comfort zone if the story demands it of you. These drawings take a bit longer because you need to gather reference material to make the drawing more convincing.
Keira: I laughed when I saw your Twitter status on drawing ships. I knew you were referencing Zaria’s adventures in book two. So what is the easiest? The most fun?
Eoghan: The easiest and most fun are the same thing – drawing fun and visually interesting characters and creatures.
@EoghanKerrigan This is your doing @keiragillett
— Eoghan Kerrigan (@EoghanKerrigan) August 31, 2015
Keira: I really love your characters and creatures. They have such life to them. It’s been a lot of fun to see what you’ll come up with for each chapter. Do you ever experience a creative block similar to what authors call writer’s block?
Eoghan: All the time! I don’t think there is a single creative person who doesn’t experience this at some point.
Keira: How do you get past it and what do you do to stay motivated and fresh?
Eoghan: Various things can knock me out of it. Some fresh air, listening to music, seeing a piece of art I really admire. But the most effective way I think is just to take a break. Forcing yourself to do something doesn’t always help, but the desire will always return eventually.
Olaf the troll from @keiragillett ‘s Zaria Fierce trilogy which I’m almost done illustrating! pic.twitter.com/f3URontTDr
— Eoghan Kerrigan (@EoghanKerrigan) April 6, 2016
Keira: I did something similar when I was stuck on a scene in the first book. I’d stop writing for the day and focus on other things so I could start fresh the next day. For book two when I was stuck, I sat down and plotted pieces of the story that I wanted to see. Not all of it stuck, but it did help to unstick me. What type of drawing tools do you use to create your illustrations?
Eoghan: Pencils! That’s really it. A blue or orange pencil for the rough under drawing and a 2B graphite pencil for the finished lines. I’m very comfortable with traditional media.
Keira: I can tell! You could knock me over with a feather if readers aren’t as thrilled as I am about the work you’ve done. Thanks for joining us today! Eoghan and I look forward to seeing readers’ reactions to the new illustrations.
Blog Tour Stop: Interview with Eoghan Kerrigan, Part 3
Join me at Brooke’s Blog for another interview segment with Eoghan Kerrigan, the illustrator behind the Zaria Fierce Books. We’ll be talking about the artwork from the second book. There’s also a great giveaway opportunity!
Interview with Eoghan Kerrigan about Zaria Fierce’s Drakeland Sword Adventures
Welcome everyone! This is part two of a four part interview series with Eoghan Kerrigan, the illustrator of my Zaria Fierce Trilogy as we discuss his work for the second book. He’s marvelously talented (just scroll down and you can see some of his illustrations). You can read the first part of the interview series with him here.
Keira: Eoghan, were there any new characters to the trilogy that you loved reading about and/or drawing?
Eoghan Kerrigan: Bjarke, the benevolent troll, was a nice surprise after all the baddie trolls in the first book.
I also liked reading about minor characters like Granny dwarf. It’s a shame I didn’t get to draw her!
Keira: I’m glad you like Bjarke. I enjoyed meeting him too. He’s a fine scallywag pirate. It was important to me to not make all trolls be the bad guys. As for Granny, you never know who might make an appearance in the third installment of the trilogy. Which character from the trilogy (that you’ve met so far) are you most like and why?
Eoghan: Probably Zaria. She has a love of fantasy and a revered appreciation for the strange denizens she meets. She can be self-conscious and has a tendency to overthink, but is brave when she needs to be.
Keira: It’s so fun to see that you relate to her. She loves maps and uses them as artwork on her walls, but if she saw your art and how you’ve depicted her adventures around Norway, you’d get prime real estate. What do you most want to happen next in the next book? Where do you hope book three takes us?
Eoghan: It’s going to sound horrible, but I hope all the dragons are released so I can draw them!
Keira: That would certainly be something! I’d enjoy getting those illustrations as I loved, LOVED, your Koll. If you could be a magical being from the book, which would you be and why?
Eoghan: I’d be a troll, no question. I’ve always identified with them. Not particularly pleasant looking, a little grumpy, a little misunderstood, but not all bad.
Keira: I thought you might say that! When I saw your illustrator head shot with you talking to a troll, it made me smile, because it felt so you. And no, trolls aren’t all bad as we’ll find out in Zaria’s second adventure. Were you surprised, scared, disappointed, etc. with any part of the second book?
Eoghan: The finale where Zaria enters the Under Realm felt very uneasy. You can tell something really bad is going to happen and just like Zaria I was not expecting what happened next to happen. I always worry for Zaria and the consequences of her actions.
Keira: Oh, that’s good to hear! I hope it will surprise readers, too. Thanks everyone for joining us today! Eoghan, it’s been a pleasure. Be sure to follow along with the blog tour for upcoming information on the next segment with Eoghan about Zaria and her adventures to find the Drakeland Sword.
Available in E-book | Print | Audio Book formats.
See if you’re eligible to get a free copy of the audio book here.
Illustrator Bio: Eoghan Kerrigan is an illustrator from Kildare, Ireland who draws primarily fantasy characters and creatures. He studied illustration in Ballyfermot College of Further Education and has produced work for various independent projects. He has two cats and a soft spot for trolls.
Website: http://eoghankerrigan.blogspot.ie/
Social Media: Twitter (eoghankerrigan), Facebook (eoghankart)
Blog Tour Stop: Interview with Eoghan Kerrigan on Zaria Fierce Book Two
Eoghan and I are at Kelly’s blog Live, Love, Read talking about the artwork in the second Zaria Fierce novel. Meet another of his trolls and see a scene from the book!
Never Before Seen Developmental Artwork from Zaria Fierce
Eoghan Kerrigan just updated his blog with a ton of his artwork from recent projects, including Zaria Fierce (near the bottom of the post). Click over and see another mock-up for Zaria, Olaf, and the fated bridge where they meet.
