Designer draws inspiration from Cork’s skyline

One of the most detailed digital images of Cork city’s iconic northern skyline is set to go on public display.

The amazing Drawing Cork image, created by graphic designer, Jason O’Gorman, will be unveiled as part of the city’s Culture Night celebrations in September.

Jason, 39, who was born, raised, and who lives on the northside, runs Dynamite Studios, an independent graphic and motion design studio based in the city.

“I used to see this view every day from the top of St Patrick’s Hill on my way home from work,” he said.

“It just made sense to sit down, combine my various graphic design and photography skills and do something different and unique with it.”

The huge hand-traced Drawing Cork image, which is set to go on display in the city as part of Culture Night

A screengrab showing the progress on Jason’s latest image in his Drawing Cork project — a 3D colour image of the city. He hopes to have it finished by December.

Jason shot 20 photographs from the top of St Patrick’s Hill which captured the skyline, including iconic buildings like Shandon and the North Cathedral, and including areas like Blackpool, Gurranabraher and Churchfield.

He spent weeks stitching the images together digitally into a single image in the Photoshop package which was then painstakingly hand-traced in Adobe Illustrator using a Wacom Bamboo tablet.

Within four months, he had created an incredibly detailed 9ftx3ft panoramic black and white rendering of the skyline.

It captures every line on every building, every lamppost, every electricity and telephone cable. It has even captured a woman picking up milk bottles from her doorstep.

It has been described as one of the most detailed images of the city’s skyline of modern times.

Jason said it reminds him of 18th century sketches of the city.

“This is like a modern interpretation of those old-style sketches — a modern twist on an old style.”

The image will be printed on to special 5mm PVC material with a protective matt finish for display in the Cork Vision Centre as part of Cork’s Culture Night celebrations.

He hopes it will find a good home afterwards, where it can be enjoyed by as many people as possible.

Jason is now working on an even bigger project to create a colour digital image of the city centre.

The piece — capturing the view from the top of Shandon of an area from the western end of the North Mall eastwards to the Elysian tower, will be 12ftx3½ft — should be completed by December.

Meanwhile, Cork born poet, writer and lecturer, Theo Dorgan, launched details last night of Cork Heritage Open Day.

The event celebrates the city’s heritage by enabling free access to buildings of heritage or architectural interest that are either not usually open to the public, or would normally charge an entrance fee.

More than 15,000 people participated in last year’s event.