[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-funday-times-vern-and-lettuce-and-dublin":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"Lots of things happening! If you're getting a copy today of \u003Ci>The Sunday Times\u003C/i>, be sure to look out for my comic strip in \u003Ci>The Funday Times\u003C/i> section! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/sunday_times_zpsbbd1c468-e92acec82d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI actually did \u003Ci>two\u003C/i> comic strips, but the editor thought the first one was aimed at a bit older kids (and slightly crude - I'll keep it for another day), so I think we're both happy with this second one. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/mcintyre_sharkunicorn_zpsaf6f8526-d7edaa416e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's a quick character sketch I sent her before I started it. The fat pink unicorn is partly inspired by \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/554147.html\">fat rainbow pony\u003C/a>. The shark, well, I've just finished a shark book. And the skinny pegasus might come in later.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/sharkunicorn_characters_zps2ba0b522-812f1103b2.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd I noticed on Twitter that our Random House Children's Books publicist \u003Ca hjref=\"https://twitter.com/RandomPublicist\">Lauren Bennett\u003C/a> has shown off the covers for our paperback DFC Library books! I've made a completely new cover for \u003Ci>Vern and Lettuce\u003C/i>, and here it is. Ta-DAH! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/vern_lettuce_cover_zpsef3d39b3-2702bdd2a9.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd here's the set! I'm so excited to see \u003Ca href=\"http://www.fumboo.com/\">Jamie Smart\u003C/a>'s Fish-head Steve; that one didn't come out in hardback so no-one's seen it in book form ever before. \u003Ca href=\"http://www.davidficklingbooks.com/davidficklingbooks_dfclibrary.asp\">Find out more about the DFC Libary here!\u003C/a> \\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click for more under the cut!-->\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dfc_library_paperbacks_zpsbb8390f1-05fdbe56ac.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd I'm still in Dublin - for a week, in fact! Here's \u003Ca href=\"http://www.herve-tullet.com/en/accueil.html\">Hervé Tullet\u003C/a> and me in front of our lodge on the grounds of St Patrick's Cathedral. I'm wearing my new dress by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.sikadesigns.co.uk/\">Sika Designs\u003C/a>! Do you like it?\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/sarah_herve_lodge_zps3b2bcdb9-0a6b60b279.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWe like having our hot drinks while strolling about the grounds of our estate, so I had to draw that.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/sarah_mcintyre_herve_tullet_zpsd8be9636-5a9e3b7675.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe first day of the \u003Cb>CBI Annual Conference\u003C/b> was fabulous! A huge thanks to the team at \u003Ca href=\"http://www.childrensbooksireland.ie/\">Children's Books Ireland\u003C/a> for all your hard work planning it. Annoyingly, I didn't get any photos of my comics event (which went very well) with \u003Ca href=\"http://alannolan.ie/\">Alan Nolan\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.obrien.ie/book1063.cfm\">Rory McConville\u003C/a>. Did anyone else get a decent photo of that?\\r\n\\r\nHere I am, having a fangirl moment with writer-illustrator \u003Ca href=\"http://alextsmith.blogspot.ie/\">Alex T. Smith\u003C/a>. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/alex_t_smith_sarah_mcintyre_zps63ab6589-0c6ca1fdc0.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAlex gave a brilliant presentation, including how to draw \u003Ca href=\"http://claudebooks.blogspot.ie/\">Claude\u003C/a> the dog, and his best friend, Sir Bobblysock (who is a sock). Here's my drawing:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/alex_t_smith_sarah_mcintyre_2_zpsf2f61d3c-83104dc986.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nIt was amazing seeing Alex's sketchbooks! And he also showed us some photos from childhood and a drawing of his grandfather and talked about their wonderful, story-filled relationship. If you ever get a chance to hear Alex give a talk, GO. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/IMG_4895_zpsd5f622a4-dd4ddf2821.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWe all made drawings! It was great. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/claude_drawing_cbiconf_zps89d10352-b82fb45864.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWe also had a great talk by writer John Boyne. (You will undoubtedly have heard of his book \u003Ci>The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas\u003C/i>). I \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/510060.html\">once moderated a talk by his illustrator\u003C/a>, \u003Cb>Oliver Jeffers\u003C/b> (and David Almond), so it was great getting to hear from the writer. And that's the legendary \u003Ca href=\"http://www.dunbarauthor.com/\">Robert Dunbar\u003C/a> interviewing him. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/robert_dunbar_john_boyne_zps7af991d3-b3f17ec1ff.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI couldn't help drawing Robert with elves in his beard. I hope he doesn't think it's cheeky.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/robert_dunbar_sarahdrawing_zps264b58a1-e4dd34797f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere we are! He wanted me to send a big hello to my co-author \u003Ca href=\"http://philipreeve.blogspot.ie/\">Philip Reeve\u003C/a>, because they've done some great events together and he's reviewed lots of Philip's books. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/robert_dunbar_sarah_mcintyre_zps674640cc-cdad79cade.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd here's our Dublin monster-making team - Children's Laureate na NÓg \u003Ca href=\"http://www.niamhsharkey.com/\">Niamh Sharkey\u003C/a>, Hervé and me with \u003Ca href=\"http://jonklassen.tumblr.com/\">Jon Klassen\u003C/a>, awesome writer-illustrator of \u003Ci>That's Not My Hat\u003C/i> and lots of other fine books. (He won the Caldecott Medal this year! You can read about him \u003Ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Klassen\">here\u003C/a>.) He's speaking this afternoon at the conference and I'm really looking forward to it.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/jon_klassen_sarah_niamh_herve_zpsd740a496-a98d8fffcc.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nFor some reason, Niamh and I decided we had to show off our best monster impressions. You will probably see a lot of this in the next week. Jon and Hervé look a bit wary.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/sarah_niamh_monsters_zps4624d656-10afb51a5a.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd here I am at pub dinner with my co-conspirator. Niamh's fabulous, I'm so glad I get the chance to hang out with her this week.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/niamh_sharkey_sarah_mcintyre_zpsa5882d36-7f0511ce1e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHervé gave a brilliant performance at the conference, letting us feel like we were all small children reading his books. Here's slightly-embarrassed writer \u003Ca href=\"http://www.sarahwebb.info/\">Sarah Webb\u003C/a> getting hauled in front of everyone to press the painted buttons in his book \u003Ci>Press Here\u003C/i>. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/herve_tullet_sarah_webb_zps0292e244-0b5b1b14bd.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI realised I'd also spent quite a lot of time at my studio mate's book launch playing with Hervé's \u003Ci>The Book with a Hole\u003C/i>. (More photos of us mucking about with it \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/431958.html\">here\u003C/a>.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/stitchldn_herve_tullet_1-235cc08971.jpg\">\\r\n \\r\nAnd illustrator \u003Ca href=\"http://www.stevesimpson.com/\">Steve Simpson\u003C/a> and I swapped specs to see how they'd look. I'm too blind to see him without my specs, so I have to take a photo. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/sarah_mcintyre_steve_simpson_zps04853b7c-1db6bf5fc5.jpg\">","2013-05-19T09:01:00.000Z","funday-times-vern-and-lettuce-and-dublin",[],"funday times, vern and lettuce, and dublin!",1776628725158]