Craic Agus Ceol. Celtic Music & Musicians

THE PROJECT

A few years ago, quite a few years actually (I won't say how many), I discovered Celtic Art thanks to the Celtic Music albums. I felt fascinated by those complex ornaments that used to appear in the album folders of Alan Stivell and others, which arrived in dribs and drabs, from Ireland or Britain in the pre-internet era. That's how trivial my start in the world of illustration was: trying to replicate the drawings that adorned the folders of old Celtic folk records.

I would never have thought that this innocent hobby would end up being my profession. Since I started drawing professionally, Celtic Music has almost always been a source of inspiration and, many times, also the protagonist of my designs. In recent months this trend has become more pronounced and almost everything I draw is related to music.

Now it's time to present to you all those illustrations related to Celtic Music grouped in a monographic volume, in which I rescue old illustrations made for the Cáceres Irish Fleadh or the Festival Intercelticu d'Avilés; along with other illustrations that did not make it to print and were forgotten in drawers; and, also, a bunch of new skins created for Craic Agus Ceol. This book is a graphic tribute to that musical genre that has made me enjoy it so much and to the men and women who make it possible by rescuing and reinterpreting old, almost forgotten melodies.

Craic Agus Ceol, The Book

The title, Craic Agus Ceol, is a popular Irish expression that literally means "fun and music" and reflects exactly what I want to capture in this book: the euphoria and emotions that Celtic Music manages to convey to us, but expressed in a graphic way instead of sound.

With this crowdfunding I intend to finance a short run of books (between 300 and 500 copies) published with all the care and detail that we can give them. It is not about publishing a blockbuster but a small luxury book intended to be a collector's item for lovers of Music and Celtic Art.

We start from a minimum funding threshold of €3,500, which would be used to publish 300 copies of a 150-page volume (115g matte coated paper), with 50 illustrations and a hardcover.

If the collection exceeds €3,500, the surplus would mostly be used to increase the physical quality of the book, increasing the weight of the paper used in the edition and the number of illustrations printed in full color. Ultimately, to increase the circulation which, in no case, will exceed 500 copies.

COLLABORATORS

We intend to publish a book for collectors, whose value will appreciate over time. To finance this publication we have designed a campaign in which a series of creators have collaborated, who have added their grain of sand and their talent to be able to offer you a range of interesting and unique rewards.

We have designed the entire financing campaign, and a line of personalized merchandising with images of the project, under the advice of Bulnes Business School.

We have involved a couple of the best Asturian luthiers such as Pablo Bango (whistles and bagpipes) and El Busgosu (traditional percussion) to also be able to offer professional quality musical instruments as rewards.

And you will also have among the rewards samples of the best Celtic music and the best fantasy literature that is currently being produced in Asturies. Helena Seoane, author of the novel Morgana, the other disciple of the Goddess, and Guieldu, one of our new and most promising Celtic folk bands of today, will be the protagonists in a couple of packs with very special rewards.

This participation is not limited to the rewards, the book will also include collaborations from some prominent members of the state's Celtic community (which we will reveal little by little).

PRODUCTION DEADLINES

Once the financing has been obtained, the project Craic Agus Ceol enters its final stretch, I have been working on it for months and, now, it would be time to select from all the graphic material that I have collected, what should be discarded and what should be included. It is a hard job for an author, because it is very difficult for us to discard works in which we have invested effort and love... and also because we always believe that the good ones could be even better by adding this or removing that. In order not to drag on in that phase of the project, it is best to set deadlines, so the content design and layout phase should be finished in July, so that the book can be sent to the printer and ready to be delivered in the fall.

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