morganobrienart

Salthill Beach

2012-01-20T17:51:00.001Z

I drew this last summer on the beach in Salthill Galway. I'm working out there at the moment with an Animation Company called 'A Man & Ink.' When It was warm enough I used to have my lunch on the beach everyday and watch the birds and other wildlife...Funnily enough when I draw up a new preparatory sketch for a watercolour the rough pencils they are usually quite free and very messy...It's only when I watercolour them back in the studio that I refine the design and take my time to paint as neatly as possible...Hope Ya Like! : )

Watercolour and Colouring Pencil on Bristol Board.

Click Image for Full View

iPod Touch concept from 2002

2012-01-20T12:22:00.000Z

(My concept art & official iPod Nano promotional photos underneath

My concept art & official iPod Nano promotional photo underneath.

I created this concept design for a ‘Next Generation iPod Touch’ between ‘02-’04. The first preliminary design sketches for it date all the way back to late 2002. I found it recently while searching through my art archive for an unrelated image. I think it looks very much like the 6th Generation iPod Nano released in 2010/2011. Now the embarrassing part...the logo concept I created to accompany the device....(Cringe) Please be kind, I literally designed this straight out of secondary school, during my first years of college...

And finally the original concept sketch I created nearly 10 years ago...

The Cast-Off Crew logo

2012-01-13T02:51:00.003Z

Logo for Youtube craft group called 'The Cast-Off Crew.

Inspired by 'Kirby's Epic Yarn' on the Nintendo Wii

Maroon Tunes CD Launch

2012-01-06T14:36:00.001Z

Paper Pokemon - Stand Up to Bullies

2011-12-30T14:03:00.001Z

Pencil Sketch

Finished Illustration

Detail 1

Detail 2

Detail 3

Ryhorn, Metapod and Bulbasaur

For a good chunk of my childhood I was bullied...being a dorky artist has it's side effects right?

When someone of any age is going through something like this we owe it to them to stand up for them, or at the very least stand by their side and remind 'em the're not alone.

Whether it be in the playground, work place or online don't let the bullies win...

This is dedicated to my wife LINK who recently stood up for a friend on YouTube who was being outcast from a craft community because of her spiritual beliefs...

Despite the possible hit-back to her channel views and subscribers she did the right thing and I'm proud of her...

Batman Poster - Robin Williams as The Riddler

2011-12-29T20:57:00.001Z

I created this for fun...I love Nolan's Batman films but I'm absolutely gutted that Robin Williams never got his chance to play a role...personally I think he would have rocked as the Riddler...

Newspaper Stock in Background photographed by: LINK LINK

Maroon Tunes Album Design Tutorial

2011-12-28T17:48:00.000Z

‘Maroon tunes’

A 12-track compilation album featuring local Galway musicians. Album on sale now! All proceeds go to the Galway United Supporters Trust. www.maroontunes.com

Merry Christmas from the O'Briens

2011-12-25T22:01:00.000Z

Paper Pokemon - Finding Fossils

2011-11-07T22:48:00.001Z

Pencil Sketch

Finished Illustration

Detail 1

Detail 2

Detail 3

Detail 4

Pokemon - Dwebble and Crustle. You can watch a few clips of this picture being made on my Livestream account here: LIVESTREAM

Mice Crocheting a Blanket

2011-10-28T13:27:00.003+01:00

Something I created a while back, but never got a chance to scan/post. I gave it to my mum for her Birthday...

Wanna know something cool, see the blanket the mouse is Crocheting?... My wife made that exact blanket for my Mum...It was a joint present. Neen made her a blanket and I painted a picture of the mice making it...

Superman Saving a Kitty

2011-10-28T12:37:00.002+01:00

WIP - Picking a Pumpkin is Scary

2011-10-24T16:43:00.001+01:00

Rough Pencil - 3B pencil on A4 copy paper

Clean Pencil - Red Animation Pencil on A4 copy paper

Digital Inking - Traced in Adobe Flash CS3

Digital Colour - Coloured in Adobe Flash CS3.

Digital Shading - Coloured in Adobe Flash CS3

Still not finished....

Advice from Dr. Seuss

2011-10-22T13:24:00.001+01:00

The following is an excerpt from a letter written by Doctor Seuss to a young boy in 1957...Inspiring stuff!

Original link here:

"About giving you advice...pointers on how to properly write and illustrate a picture book...all I can say is this:

This is a field in which no one can give you pointers but yourself.

The big successes in this field all succeeded because they wrote and they wrote and they drew and they drew. They studied what they'd drawn and they studied what they'd written each time asking themselves one question: How can I do it better, next time?

To develop an individual style of writing and drawing, always go toyourself for criticsm. If you ask advice from too many other people, then you no longer are yourself.

The thing to do, and I am sure you will do it, is to keep up your enthusiasm! Every job is a lot of fun, no matter how much work it takes. If you'll plug away and do exactly what you are doing, making it better and better every month and every year...that you CAN be successful.

The very best of luck to you!

Your friend,

(Signed, 'Dr. Seuss')"

Priceless - Baboró Launch

2011-10-17T01:32:00.000+01:00

Neen, Tuna and I headed into town today to the launch of the 15th Annual Baboró International Arts Festival for Children. The days festivities revolved around a special outdoor art installation/event called 'Priceless' Families were invited to leave their respective marks on a giant paper table which ran the length of Quay Street in the Latin Quarter. The idea of the exercise is to draw/write what you consider 'Priceless' The impending and ever looming threat of rain didn't hamper spirits in the slightest - personally I think it was the most exciting Baboró launch I've been to,,,congrats to the entire Baboró team - it looks like it's going to be another great festival. If your from or passing through Galway Ireland this week be sure to check out a show or two! Videos coming soon! Baboró Website

Ciao Papa

2011-10-05T19:07:00.003+01:00

I drew this for a colleague and friend Marco. He's working with me on a TV show in Ireland but his partner and kids live back home in Torino, Italy...

Watercolour and Colouring Pencil on Bristol Board

Goal Jersey Day

2011-10-05T18:19:00.001+01:00

Galway Utd vs Drogheda Utd Poster

2011-09-28T21:49:00.001+01:00

Galway United vs Drogheda United Poster.

Connacht Rugby

2011-09-28T20:44:00.001+01:00

Photos Courtesy Connacht Rugby

Here is some work I created for Connacht Rugby recently, first a child friendly version of their mascot 'Eddie the Eagle' to be used on merchandising, Children's club etc... Next up, Super Hero Illustrations of three Connacht players, Michael Swift, John Muldoon and George Naoupu, for print and online advertising. Finally Celtic Warrior Illustration for print and online advertising also.

These were a lot of fun to do, and it was great working with Connacht...best of luck this season lads!

Na Bairneachai/NUI Galway Partnership

2011-08-24T20:27:00.001+01:00

Photos by: McMahon Photography

Na Bairneachai are a local junior Rugby team I have been involved with since it's inception a few years back. I designed their crest, current kit and create a recruitment poster for them every autumn. Well big news for Na Bairneachai...they have joined forces with local college NUI Galway to create a Rugby Youth Academy. It's a huge partnership and I'm honoured to be involved with such a great team. For the new venture I created the large banner featured in the photos, rejigged the existing logo to incorporate NUI Galway and designed a couple of new NUIG Youth academy crests...one of which you can see on the hoodies and t-shirts. This venture is going to really boost the local Rugby scene...in time many of these young players will no doubt be playing for Connacht and Ireland...Well done to all the Na Bairneachai crew for all your hard work and dedication to the rubgy community.

Paper Pokemon...Wurmple

2011-08-09T18:23:00.003+01:00

I can't believe you wasted your Master Ball on a Wurmple!

Dude I'm Wrecked...

2011-08-09T11:33:00.003+01:00

Paper Pokemon - Shaymin and Diglett

2011-07-29T20:52:00.001+01:00

Rhino learning to knit

2011-07-25T17:18:00.001+01:00

I created this last year as a kind of prequel of sorts to this image...

..which was created in 2009...

Paper Pokemon...Pikachu, Raichu and Caterpie

2011-07-18T20:17:00.002+01:00

My Sister-In-Law Tuna drew this for me...It's absolutely brilliant and inspired me to do the following piece...

''With great power comes great responsibility...''

Knights of Leon Poster

2011-07-18T12:53:00.000+01:00

Summer Soccer

2011-07-15T13:55:00.002+01:00

The professional Football League in Ireland takes place from spring to the start of Autumn. Summer football was chosen because they assumed with the better weather - attendances would increase. We haven't been that lucky this season - it's rained for at least half of the matches...As a steward I have a cool luminous orange jacket so I can't complain though...

Created for tonights Galway United vs Sligo Rovers match programme, 'Maroon View'

Saturday Morning

2011-07-12T20:57:00.003+01:00

This is a pretty typical Saturday morning scene. My wife Neen gets up early and heads straight to the sitting room. Before she closes the bedroom door the cats usually rush in and hop on the bed. They sleep curled up on the bed until I wake up and make 'em breakfast. Needless to say between the two of 'em they manage to take up most of the matress. Sora especially has a knack for sleeping right smack in the middle! : )

However I made one HUGE mistake with this picture...

Can you guess?

In the picture my wife's Blackberry is sitting on her bedside table...needless to say - there is no way in hell she'd forget to bring that with her... : )

BBQ

2011-07-11T12:44:00.002+01:00

Inspired by our first BBQ Saturday...Read more about it here on my personal blog! LINK

Shiner

2011-07-09T21:22:00.002+01:00

Nice Day

2011-06-20T13:48:00.001+01:00

Elves Pimped My Website!!!

2011-06-10T12:17:00.002+01:00

Hey Guys and Gals! As you might remember back in October elves pimped out my blog...well I logged into my website the last day and lo' and behold they have worked their magic there too. Everything's all flashy and Shiney. They tell me it's still a work in progress - but I think it looks cool! Be sure to check it out if you have a spare minute! Just click the image above to go straight there! Cheers Morgan

Fat Pigeon

2011-06-10T10:28:00.003+01:00

Created for this weekends Galway United vs Bray Wanderers match programme, 'Maroon View'

Football Gear...

2011-05-27T14:08:00.001+01:00

Created for this weekends Galway United vs Drogheda United match programme, 'Maroon View'

Oldies! Mouse...Squeak

2011-05-09T19:38:00.001+01:00

My wife and I have loads of "in-jokes"...mostly phrases from either popular culture or personal experiences from our own lives. We often joke to ourselves that when we are old and senile we will still be sayin' them. Anyone witness to our mutterings will simply assume we are both completely mad....

This comic is based on a particular clip on youtube...we've been saying "Mouse" "Squeak" all week! Link

Knitting - The Dark Side

2011-05-09T16:31:00.000+01:00

I drew this for my wife. Any one who knows her, knows she is an avid crocheter. And any one who crochets/knits knows that rivalry between Knitters and Crocheters is no joking matter.

After recently teaching herself how to knit in order to take part in a Guinness World Record Attempt link we now joke she has moved over to the Darkside...

Big Cat

2011-05-02T18:18:00.001+01:00

My cat Sora is pretty huge...everyone thinks shes fat...but she's not! She's just really really furry and longer, wider and heavier than your normal feline...it's all muscle : )

A Man & Ink

2011-04-30T01:32:00.001+01:00

I started work recently in 'A Man & Ink' It's a Galway based animation company located on the seafront in Salthill. I do a few days a week working on backgrounds and layouts for a new top secret pre-school television series. Backgrounds don't feature hugely in my personal work so it's a nice challenge. I'm working with a lot of talented artists and animators and really enjoying the project...more to come on the series soon!

Football Socks

2011-04-29T15:36:00.000+01:00

Galway United vs Derry Promo Material

2011-04-16T11:50:00.003+01:00

'Maroon View' Galway United Football Club Magazine - Cover

'Maroon View' Galway United Football Club Magazine - Back Cover

Galway United vs Derry Match Poster

My idea behind the design of this years series of Galway United FC match programmes/posters was pretty simple. Galway United are very much an urban team, playing their football in Terryland Park...a stadium situated in the heart of the city. I wanted the programmes to reflect that fact. I also wanted every programme to be easily distinguishable from the previous issue. Every week I use a different piece of graffiti. As much of it locally created as possible. Another feature is the black and white photos on the top. These too change weekly and feature photos of the players, sports ground, fans or in this case the club mascot Terry.

Jerseys...

2011-04-16T11:29:00.002+01:00

How Walt Disney Cartoons are Made

2011-04-06T16:29:00.000+01:00

Red Card

2011-04-04T13:17:00.001+01:00

Vuvuzelas

2011-03-18T14:02:00.001Z

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-16T19:10:00.002Z

Maroon View Cover 04-03-2011

2011-03-04T10:28:00.001Z

Tech-Fit Football Shirts

2011-03-03T18:08:00.002Z

Paper Captain Planet

2011-02-24T09:04:00.002Z

Paper Pokemon...Piplup

2011-02-16T13:20:00.000Z

Paper Pokemon...Heracross

2011-02-10T18:15:00.003Z

Paper Pokemon...Zubat

2011-02-08T20:02:00.002Z

"Oh no!...Not a dusk Ball!!!"

Paper Pokemon

2011-02-05T13:20:00.000Z

Talented Young Artist

2011-02-02T18:32:00.002Z

I received these in my inbox today. Such a great surprise. A very talented young artist Aoife Jane whom I met during a recent photo-shoot created them. Aoife Jane is only 6 years old but is showing some serious natural talent already. I love the church in the first image, the cheeky sun and flowers in the second and the third yellow and green painting is a little master piece! The fourth image of the bear is actually one Aoife Jane and I created together during the Baboró shoot last October.

So do you still have any of the artwork you created as kids? I can't wait for Neen and I to have munchkins of our own. I'm going to keep EVERYTHING! Our house is going to be packed to the rafters with art!

Birdcage by Twitter logo

2011-02-01T14:31:00.009Z

I designed this for fun at lunch today. It's based on an idea I had for the next 'big thing' in the online world. It's a redesign of the existing Twitter franchise and logo. Think Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Dropbox and Chrome combined.

‘Birdcage’ is the future of social networking and online personal and corporate identity.Combining the world class ‘Twitter’ platform with brand new social, blogging, storage and web-browsing functionality. ‘Birdcage’ is designed to be the home of ALL your online activities.

real time information network

web-based publishing platform

social networking

customizable web-browser

unlimited* online storage

This is for non-commercial, non profit purposes. It is a design exercise. The Twitter name, logo, Twitter T, Tweet, and Twitter bird are © & ™ Twitter, Inc 2011. Birdcage’ concept © Morgan O’Brien 2011

Whiskas Print Advert

2011-01-31T15:18:00.002Z

I created these for fun last June, I just noticed I hadn't put them on the blog.

'Our cats are really diggin' this new type of catfood...for the past week they have busied themselves raiding the kitchen at every opportunity. The first couple of times I caught either of them, they simply scurried off, admitting defeat like the naughty ninjas they are. Now however, when I flick on the kitchen light at three in the morning and find them tearing the box open, they hardly bash an eyelid. In truth they ignore me completely and carry on unperturbed' June 2010

You can never have enough yarn

2011-01-09T19:57:00.002Z

Nintendo 3DS

2011-01-07T18:29:00.000Z

Bear and Mouse

2011-01-06T18:49:00.000Z

Bear and Lizard Carvin'

2011-01-06T18:44:00.003Z

''Molann an obair an fear.''

''The work praises the man.''

Makin'

2011-01-06T11:18:00.000Z

Blu-Ray!!!

2011-01-03T17:22:00.004Z

Something new for 2011...I love the work of Bill Watterson Charles Schultz and Jim Davis, but had never tried my hand at comic strip art in it's traditional format. Hope/Plan to do more of these...Just need to think of a name for the series....

Merry Christmas from the O'Briens

2010-12-23T21:46:00.003Z

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone - from the O'Briens! (Morgan, Nina, Hope, Sora, Rocky and River!)

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

2010-12-23T15:12:00.003Z

Bear and Bug

2010-12-08T18:42:00.002Z

I drew the original pencil sketch for this watercolour October last during my recent exhibition. I was havin' a busy and stressful day, so escaped for a half an hour and went for a walk down the canal in Galway. It was a beautifully sunny day as I remember, so I sat for a while just listening to the water flowing. This little green insect crawled onto my hand and just sat for a while. He was minuscule. So so tiny in comparison to my awkward bulk. When he left I took out a piece of paper and drew this quickly. I came across the drawing the last day and watercoloured it up!

Watercolour and colouring pencil on bristol board.

MMM Pokemon Tutorial

2010-11-11T15:40:00.001Z

Pokemon Migration

2010-11-11T15:35:00.000Z

Makin' Wool

2010-10-21T19:10:00.000+01:00

Baboró 2010 - Day 1 Monday

2010-10-21T18:05:00.000+01:00

Day 1: Monday morning I had two school groups dropping by for a chat and to view the exhibition. 37 students from Claddagh Primary School and 49 from Scoil na bhForbacha. This was the first time either myself or Baboro had held a 'Meet the Artist' session in a busy environment such as this. It was a definite learning curve, and while the first meeting was difficult in ways I learned a lot about the benefits and limitations of working in such a bustling and noisy locale. By the second group I had a fair idea of what worked and didn't work and was able to adjust the school sessions accordingly making the afternoon group a great success.

For the visiting schools I created 3 possible activities for them to take part in during their visit. Which and how many of the three they undertook depended on a number of variables. Size of group, age of students and time available. Therefore each group had a program tailored to suit their individual needs. The exercises were as follows.

1. Post-its - What are the characters within each picture saying and thinking? I challenged the kids to look at the characters within each image and imagine what they were saying to one another. I then transcribed the children's ideas onto post-its and stuck them to the paintings themselves. This was a lot of fun and a bit of an ice-breaker. The idea behind this activity was simple. Galleries and framed art in general can often be quite daunting for young and old alike. It's easy to feel intimidated. I wanted the kids to feel relaxed and understand the artwork was there to be engaged with and talked about.

2. Scavenger Hunt - Find and count elements within the paintings. This was a hugely popular exercise. I compiled 20 questions, the answers only attainable by looking very closely at my illustrations. Some were easy, others more difficult. The questions were designed to work for any age, interaction between the child, parent/teacher and myself was the key to completing the list as some questions were only answerable once one asked for help. Saying that I never divulged the actual answers. For example ''How many snails can you find? The exact number of snails hidden or otherwise was unimportant. The act of looking was the important bit. No child's answers were ever graded...whether you found 10, 11 or 12 snails everyone left assuming they had found them all.

3. Drawing - while the shear size of some of the groups made a mini drawing session impossible I did manage to hold one with a select few. When dealing with kids and their art, at all costs I avoid 'teaching' them. I prefer to draw alongside them. They learn by watching me, and I from watching them. Children should never ever be criticized when creating, constructive or otherwise. A child's view of the world is concise and perfect and unfortunately very easily tarnished by the awkward and unsolicited comments of parents, siblings, friends and teachers.

I absolutely love meeting school groups like this. The kids are honest, funny, intelligent and I always learn a lot from them about myself and my work. I left the centre late Monday night and went home to have dinner with the missus and prepare for the following morning!

Baboro 2010 - Sunday

2010-10-21T00:57:00.003+01:00

Last week was the Baboro International Arts Festival for Children. To coincide with the festival I held an Exhibition of 26 original watercolour illustrations along the old medieval town wall in the Eyre Square Centre Galway. The exhibition and of course festival have been mentioned before on both of my blogs but here is a day by day breakdown of the past weeks happenings.

Sunday: Sunday evening after the official launch (which you can read about here) I cycled into town to hang the exhibition. This was a smidge trickier than one would imagine. The floor itself is cobbled and therefor uneven, the wire system was hanging from quite a few meters above so to begin with I didn't have a straight line on either the ground or ceiling to work from. A secondary problem was this. The wall was slightly sloped and naturally given the fact I was hanging on a stone surface the wall was quite uneven. All this simply meant it took me the better part of three hours to make sure all 26 images were as straight as possible. It was definitely worth it in the end though. I love the setting, the Eyre Square Centre was and is a wonderful spot for an exhibition.

Want to read more? Day 1

You've Got Mail!

2010-10-19T19:44:00.000+01:00

I was in the dining room today, sorting, cleaning and wrapping the few unsold illustrations from the exhibition when there was a knock on the door. Through the clear glass pane of the front door I saw the immediately recognizable silhouette of a deliver man. Neither Neen or myself had ordered anything so I assumed the package was intended for a neighbor. When I opened the door to my great surprise I found out the delivery was indeed addressed to me.

Bemused curious and excited in equal measure I returned to the dining room with a giant cardboard box. I lay it on the table, showed Neen and said "This is a really nice surprise, I've gotta blog about this tonight". So before I even opened the box I grabbed the camera from the studio and snapped a quick photo.

When I opened the cardboard box I was greeted with a dense sea of brown paper. I pulled out one sheet, then another and sitting in the very bottom of the large box was a second, smaller cardboard box. I carefully lifted out the box and inside found these...

A brand new pack of 60 Faber-Castell Polychromos Colouring Pencils.

I use this particular type of pencil for pretty much all my traditional artwork. In truth I'd be completely lost without them. They work exceptionally well with acrylic and watercolour, so I don't use any other type of colouring pencil whatsoever. This set is amazing and is packed to the brim with colours I have never used before...I can't wait to try them all out!

So who sent them?....Well before I divulge exactly who the generous party was, let me preface by showing you this, a journal post of mine from earlier this year.

"I use Faber-Castell Polychromos colouring pencils every day. Art wise I'd be completely lost without them. They are amazing and I have always recommended them to fellow artists. Well I use four particular shades more than any other. Unfortunately I've only been able to buy theses four shades in large multipacks. (Most others you can buy individually) I contacted Faber-Castell Ireland yesterday to enquire whether I could buy them directly from the manufacturer, This morning the owner had sent me as a gift 4 boxes of the colours I use! A small but very very much appreciated gesture! If you haven’t tried them before I recommend going down to your local Art and Hobby and picking up a couple. They retail at approximately €1 each and are worth every cent." Morgan O'Brien, January 22nd, Deviant Art Journal Entry.

Well that was January, and since then those boxes have proved a life-saver. Every single image in my recent exhibition was created with the gifted pencils. When sending out invite's to the exhibition a week or two ago I took a chance and contacted Faber-Castell Ireland to thank them again for their generosity and invite them to the show. Quite understandably the owner of the Faber-Castell Ireland franchise Tom Martin couldn't make it, but I was happy I had at least extended the invitation.

No doubt the mystery package is thanks to Tom and the rest of the team at Faber-Castell Ireland. Thanks guys...the gift is hugely appreciated and a massive surprise! : )

Faber-Castell Ireland

Galway Advertiser 14th October 2010

2010-10-14T21:38:00.000+01:00

Primary Times Cover Autumn Issue 2010

2010-10-13T22:06:00.000+01:00

Galway Independent 13th October

2010-10-13T22:02:00.003+01:00

Baboró Launch

2010-10-10T22:57:00.030+01:00

Sunday was the Launch of the 2010 Baboró International Festival for Children! It took place in the renowned Kenny Gallery and Bookstore, who are celebrating their 70th anniversary this year. The event was a huge success. Myself and Neen were joined by festival artists Roisin Coyle and Alison MacCormaic keeping the munchkins entertained. Roisin and Alison created super bookmarks with the kids, while Neen and I worked on really fun large communal drawings. Also at the launch were some extremely talented actors and storytellers, all charged with the task of making it a special afternoon for the kids. Sweetypies of Galway catered the event...best cupcakes ever! Drop in to them if you are ever passing through Galway. They are situated across from Pippa Blu.

Baboró Bird Illustration 009 - Exhibition

2010-10-06T19:44:00.000+01:00

This is the image I created to accompany my Exhibition featured in this years Baboró Programme brochure! Really love this illustration. Wanna know a few behind the scenes secrets? The hat the little bird is wearing is actually mine, it's my favorite hat! He borrowed it weeks ago and has't given it back. And the picture of the bird inside the frame was drawn by my 11 year old sister-in-law Shauna, better known as Tuna!

Baboró Bird Illustration 008 - Literature

2010-10-06T19:40:00.000+01:00

Baboró Bird Illustration 007

2010-10-04T15:51:00.000+01:00

Baboró Bird Illustration 006 - Kri Kra Kro

2010-10-04T15:49:00.002+01:00

My third favorite of the Baboró series...adding a ladybird makes everything look better!

Three Legged Dog

2010-10-01T19:39:00.001+01:00

Dedicated to our three legged cat Hope, or as the kids now refer to her "HOP"

Friends

2010-10-01T11:43:00.001+01:00

"A n-am na ciorra aithnighear an charaid"

"In time of need the friend is known"

Happy Birthday Flinstones!

2010-09-30T13:08:00.003+01:00

Happy 50th Birthday Flinstones!!. The original animated Flinstones series created by Hanna Barbara Productions was an integral part of my childhood and in countless ways inspired my artistic style. This image was created for my new Solo Exhibition which roars into life October 11th. The phrase "Dá fhada an lá tagann an tráthnóna" is an old Irish proverb and translated means "However long the day, the evening will come." The Dinosaurs colour theme is based on a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich!

Where's My Shoe?

2010-09-29T11:38:00.002+01:00

Often when I'm working and deeply in the zone, i'll look down and notice I'm missing a shoe...weird huh? Watercolour and Colourig pencil on Bristol Board...(and ya those are Crocs™)

Mystery Mascot...

2010-09-21T14:41:00.001+01:00

Details and full reveal coming soon!

Baboró Bird Illustration 005

2010-09-15T17:45:00.000+01:00

Baboró Bird Illustration 004 - The Secret Garden

2010-09-15T17:43:00.000+01:00

Baboró Bird Illustration 003 - The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2010-09-15T17:42:00.000+01:00

Baboró Bird Illustration 002 - See Saw

2010-09-13T19:08:00.003+01:00

Baboró Bird Illustration 001

2010-09-13T19:07:00.001+01:00

Connacht Tribune

2010-09-10T14:24:00.002+01:00

Connacht Tribune, Thursday 10th September, 2010

Baboró Programme Brochure

2010-09-10T13:40:00.000+01:00

Baboró Enamel Badges

2010-09-09T13:13:00.000+01:00

The Galway Independent Cover

2010-09-08T16:21:00.001+01:00

The Galway Independent Cover, Wednesday September 8th, 2010

The Galway Sentinel Cover

2010-09-08T16:15:00.002+01:00

The Galway Sentinel Cover, Tuesday 7th September 2010

The Irish Times Page 2

2010-09-08T15:57:00.000+01:00

The Irish Times Page 2, Tuesday 7th September 2010

Baboró 2010

2010-09-06T13:43:00.003+01:00

Design: Konnect Media Illustrations: Morgan O'Brien

Today is the launch day for Baboró's 2010 Programme! More info and photos to follow soon!

Are we there yet?

2010-09-01T17:23:00.002+01:00

Captain Canuck

2010-09-01T16:04:00.008+01:00

I created this poster for the 35th Anniversary 'Captain Canuck' Competition being held by the original creator Richard Comely and the owner of 'Retro Rocket Comics' Chris Chettle. A number of the final pieces will collected in book form....Captain Canuck an all his incarnations is a an amazing character...I'm glad to see him back in the limelight and getting the international exposure he deserves.

Seanfhocail - Irish Proverbs

2010-09-01T14:57:00.002+01:00

Just doing a bit of research for my October exhibition and thought I'd share these!...

A few Irish Proverbs - (Seanfhocail)

Beagán a rá agus é a rá go maith.
Say little but say it well.

Is minic cuma aingeal ar an Diabhal féin.
There is often the look of an angel on the Devil himself.

Dá fhada an lá tagann an tráthnóna.
However long the day, the evening will come.

Molann an obair an fear.
The work praises the man.

Sláinte chuig na fir agus go maire na mná go deo!
Health to the men and may the women live forever!

Maireann croí éadrom a bhfad.
A light heart lives a long time.

Is iomaí cor sa tsaol.
There is many a twist in life.

Castar na daoine ar a chéile, ach ní chastar na cnoic (ná na sléibhte).
The people encounter one another, but the hills never meet (nor the mountains).

Is maith an scéalaí an aimsir.
Time is a good storyteller.

Níl sa saol ach gaoth agus toit.
In life there is only wind and smoke.

Influence Map

2010-08-27T18:39:00.003+01:00

This was surprisingly more difficult than I initially assumed it would be...I'm inspired by loads of things and artists but they don't necessarily influence my work...in the end I noticed that many of the things that directly influence my work and style were from the first 10 years of my life...

1. Calvin and Hobbes - Bill Watterson is a genius!

2. Snails, Bears, Cats, Dogs...pretty much all animals!

3. Terry Border - Bent Objects, another Genius! Check out his blog!

4. Children's Art - so so perfect!

5. The Land Before Time - Ignited my love for dinosaurs and is the first film I ever watched in a Cinema!

6. Travis Charest - I like a lot of comic book artists, Jim Lee, Alex Ross, Jae Lee...but Charest is the man! It's his style I would love to have!

7. Behind the Scenes Featurettes...doesn't matter what type, just love 'em!

8. Christmas...I love everything about it! Makes me so happy!

9. The Peanuts - in particular the television specials.

10. Tonari no Totoro - Perfect movie in every way, so simple a true gem!

11. Lilo and Stitch...in fact anything Chris Sandersish eg. Kiskaloo , How to Train Your Dragon...Love this guys style and imagination.

12. Beatrix Potter

13. Oliver Jeffers - He has the career I want...and more talent and imagination than any single human should....grrr!

14. Peter Pan - I love all the golden era Disney films 'The Jungle Book', 'Robin Hood' 'The Lion King'...but this is my fav. I'm naturally a huge fan of Barrie's original play too.

Stay Tuned...new work coming soon!

2010-08-08T18:16:00.000+01:00

Hi guys...sincere apologies. I have a back log of watercolours created but haven't had the time to scan, correct and upload them yet...I'm working towards an October Exhibition as part of this years Baboro International Arts Festival for Children so there are a lot if illustrations i'd love to share and get feedback on before I select the final 30 or so... stay tuned. Morgan : )

Diabloskinz - Skins for your devices!

2010-08-05T15:20:00.002+01:00

Hi everyone, Diabloskinz.com are now selling a special selection of my artwork as skins for your favorite electrical devices! (iPod, iPhone, Nintendo DS, Nintentendo Wii, Playstation 3 etc) Wondering what a skin is...here's an excerpt from their site!

"DiabloSkinz uses high quality, high-res artwork printed onto Patented 3M vinyl that is then sealed with a plastic enamel for long lasting protection. This is then applied to your device.

We are proud to bring you some of the best high-res artwork from some fantastic artists. You will not find most of these designs anywhere else. Why not personalise your phone, mp3 player or console to show off your individual style.

Our kits can be installed by just about everyone and they don’t require any special tools to do this. The skin is also designed so that it does not leave any residue on your device on removal.

We have a great range of artwork so check them all out by using the links above to either Search By Product, Search By Design or if you would prefer we can print any of the designs seen on the site on a canvas to add that personalisation into your home." www.diabloskinz.com