The Art Department

A note from our sponser

2010-12-12T16:07:00.011-05:00

Hi all,

First, an apology: I’ve been extraordinarily touched by all the folks who have contacted me over the months to inquire about me and the blog. I didn’t mean to stop posting. Had the break been premeditated, I would have stated something here. The fact is, just too much other work got the best of me.

What is that work? Well, the Tor books art department, of course. But around the time of my last post here I began to take a much more active roll in the Tor.com website. Anyone reading here know I was already pretty deeply involved but, as Pablo Defendini move on to a position at Open Road Media (following his true love, ebooks) I took over the producing role that he held at Tor.com.

It appears that having two jobs doesn't leave much time for blogging. But, I have missed it greatly. So, a stop-gap measure and a hope to slowly return in full.

Tor.com recently launched satellite Facebook and Twitter accounts:

Tor.com Steampunk Facebook :: Tor.com Steampunk Twitter
HOSTED BY Ay-leen the Peacemaker

Tor.com Fantasy Facebook :: Tor.com Fantasy Twitter
HOSTED BY Aidan Moher

Today, we are proud to announce the start of:
Tor.com Science Fiction Facebook :: Tor.com Science Fiction Twitter
HOSTED BY Mark Chitty

And, you guessed it:
Tor.com Art Department Facebook :: Tor.com Art Department Twitter
HOSTED BY Yours Truly

This will be a quick hits throughout the day of artwork I like, stuff I’m looking at, and links to what others are doing. It will be officially under the Tor umbrella (unlike this blog) so I wont stray off into the woods like I do here...But I think it'll be a fun to engage artists wherever they are hanging out online and I hope that it slowly kicks me into gear to write more posts here.

Jon Foster on Cherie Priest’s Dreadnought, once and again

2010-06-21T20:17:00.005-04:00

Here’s a situation where we got a great image from Jon Foster but...Marketing felt it was missed the steampunk mark a bit. I hated to admit it, because it is a great painting, but it does feel too solidly placed in actual history. So, giant steam robot to the rescue!

And through the wonders of the internets, the first still gets to live in the world.

For Cherie Preist’s Dreadnought, sequel to her Boneshaker. You can see another Foster-Priest collab set in the same world on Clementine, published by Subterranean Press.

UPDATE: For author squee.

Shaun Tan’s The Lost Thing trailer. In word, awesome!

2010-06-03T00:40:00.002-04:00

Shaun Tan’s fifteen minute animated adaptation of his book The Lost Thing—the story of a boy’s empathy with a lost, er, thing and his attempts to help it find its place—is completed and making the festival circuit. If anyone gets a chance to see it, please report back! I’m dying to see it.

In the meantime, anyone else as in love with Shaun’s work as I am can play around on thelostthing.com.There are character studies, color keys and production drawings to see. And if that is not enough, check out this 5 minute documentary on the movie.

6,600 thank yous

2010-05-27T18:38:00.003-04:00

A huge thanks to all that participated in MircoVisions. It was a record-breaking year, at $6,600.00!

Thanks to all the artists and bidders, winners and losers. Sadly, it takes a runner-up to make an auction — we appreciate all of you.

There will be a few more smiling kids next May because of all your efforts.

...Now, who should we get for next year.....

MicroVisions 5 auction now live!

2010-05-17T08:51:00.003-04:00

MicroVisions 5 auction is now live on eBay.
Opening bids start at $50.00.
Auction ends Wednesday, May 26th.

Each year, Dan Dos Santos and I ask about a dozen artists to create a 5x7 painting of their choosing. These miniatures are exhibited at the Society of Illustrators and placed on auction with all proceeds going to the Society’ student scholarship fund.

This year’s contributors pulled out all the the stops and created an amazing exhibit. A huge thank you to the artists that have given so generously of the time and talent: Scott Altmann, Scott Bakal, Rick Berry, Bill Carman, Jon Foster, Donato Giancola, Michael Kaluta, Tim O’Brien, Omar Rayyan, Allen Williams, and Boris Vallejo.

The Society Scholarships are among the illustrations industry’s toughest awards. Less than two hundred students are chosen to be in the exhibit from nearly 6,000 entries—about half of them earn cash awards. Not only do these awards help subsidize students financially, they also go a long way to boost the confidence of young artists (and their nervous parents) by proving their voices stand out amongst thousands of others. It’s never long before you start seeing the winners on their way to becoming the field’s biggest names—John Jude Palencar, James Jean, Tomer Hanuka, Dan Dos Santos and hundreds of others since the Scholarship’s inception in 1981.

For those of you in New York, the exhibit is on display at the Society of Illustrators through May 22nd.

Julie Bell and The Path of Daggers

2010-05-06T22:31:00.005-04:00

This month’s Wheel of Time ebook release features the fabulous Julie Bell!

“In the end, Julie created strong and individual characters, each one looking as competent in their own right as the next, clearly working together for a greater power.”

Check out the Tor.com article to read the whole story, including a video interview with Julie.

Boris Vallejo’s MicroVisions

2010-04-26T10:51:00.004-04:00

Last, certainly not least, Boris Vallejo.

You know, when you’re dealing with Boris you never expect anything but his “A” game...and still he can knock your socks off. Wow.

Tor Books turns 30!

2010-04-25T12:44:00.004-04:00

Last Friday was our birthday — Tor turned 30!

To commemorate the occasion, I put together a “walk through the halls” photo essay. Come on by and say Hi. It’s a peak inside the offices along with a quick introduction to some of the people behind the books.

Rick Berry’s MicrvoVisions

2010-04-24T13:15:00.002-04:00

Rick Berry’s “Rainmaker” MicroVisions.

I was lucky enough to pick up one of Rick’s unreal portraits at this year’s Boskone. I love how his figures feel as though they are part of some primal shadow world, just on the cusp of corporeality.

Check out his newly updated website and his artbook, Sparrow.

Happy birthday, Mr. Sondheim

2010-04-22T09:48:00.000-04:00

Donato Giancola’s MicroVisions

2010-04-22T08:51:00.004-04:00

Anyone following Donato Giancola’s website closely has seen a few new Lord of the Rings drawings and paintings. That’s because he’s working on what sounds like a dream job, a Tolkien inspired art book for Underwood Books (the publishers of Spectrum.)

Donato took advantage of the time spent on MicroVisions to creat this portriat of Dwarf Telchar forging Aragorn’s sword, Narsil, which will also appear in th ebook.

I’m getting so excited to see this little show. It will be on the walls at the Society of Illustrators starting April 27th. The auction will be the first or second week of May — stay tuned for details!

Michael Wm. Kaluta’s MicroVisions

2010-04-21T11:41:00.003-04:00

Okay, who called Michael Kaluta and told him I have a thing for cranes? It’s true. I love cranes and herons, and pictures of cranes and herons. And I love the ballet of necks and beaks in this drawing.

Michael, a huge thanks to you, good sir! Like the rest, it’ll be a heartbreak to send it away.

Facelifts: Virga

2010-04-20T12:09:00.003-04:00

Jamie Stafford-Hill, design
Stephan Martiniere, art

It’s always fun to re-consider designs when books move from hardcover to trade paperback. Even just a few years can make you want to update a bit.

I started playing around with the color translucent panels and then, as always, meetings took over my days. Once the mechanical was labeled “Late!” I threw it off to designer Jamie Stafford-hill and said, “Kinda like this only, you know, good.” And, as always he delivered.

Cities in the Air is an omnibus of the first two novels in Karl Schroeder’s Virga series. Pirate Sun being the third volume. Two more (for now?) to come. I look forward to seeing the whole set in my favorite format.

Scott Altmann’s MicroVisions

2010-04-15T07:36:00.007-04:00

Scott Altmann manages to be both pretty and its opposite, in his MicroVisions. I keep trying to look away,...and then I get sucked in for a closer look.

All the MicroVisions paintings will be in display at the Society of Illustrators throughout May. We'll have details on the auction in about two weeks. Anyone is welcome to buy them all for me.

Remembering John Schoenherr, by Gregory Manchess

2010-04-14T22:15:00.004-04:00

What could you say to a man about his painting? What could you say that would impress him and yet let him know that his work has informed your own struggle to learn throughout your life?

John Schoenherr’s work has been a part of my life since I was a kid, looking at an Analog cover in my favorite drug store. I was drawn in by the mysterious shapely woman in a tree, accompanied by her gigantic otter. From across the store one could tell that they were friends. This is when I began to realize that painting could not only be fun, it could touch an emotional chord.

From an early age I could tell that John’s work had a certain kind of stiffness in its application compared to other great painters whose brushwork was supple and relaxed. John’s had a rigid quality to it that couldn’t be avoided, yet it’s graphic composition was unrelenting. He captured light in a graceful manner, pulling your eye to just the most important elements and finished it all like the power of a museum piece.

In all of my art school years, I knew a painter when I saw one. I was never tempted to exclude a commercial artist’s gems from a life dedicated to the almighty gallery world. John’s work showed me that painting transcends application when it truly touches the spirit, whether it was a subtle portrait of a renaissance woman, an experiment in abstract color, or a humungous sandworm cresting a dune.

The fact is, you can’t really say much to a painter like this that wouldn’t make you sound like a simpleton, or the uber fanboy. I never got to meet John Schoenherr. He passed away April 8th having expressed what I believe he must’ve surely loved to paint right up until his last day.

And every artist after him that I have ever enjoyed or has shown me how powerful painted images can be, I will thank them, profusely, like I wish I could’ve mustered the will to do with John.

Thank you, John, for leaving so much work I will never tire of.

— Gregory Manchess

Tim O’Brien’s MicroVisions

2010-04-12T21:57:00.002-04:00

Tim O’Brien manages to be cute and analytical, with a dash of steampunk, and a generous helping of surrealism in his MicroVision. Bravo! Yet another one, that I cannot wait to see in person.

Sam Weber’s Ender’s Game ebook cover

2010-04-12T11:36:00.003-04:00

I am very excited to release Sam Weber’s ebook cover for Ender’s Game. This was a blast to work on.

For the whole skinny on the how the cover came about, Sam’s thoughts, and a some process pictures, check out the Tor.com article.

Scott Bakal’s MicroVisions

2010-04-11T10:53:00.010-04:00

Scott Bakal’s “Rebellion” in the Galactic War for Rainbow Juice.

About a year ago Scott started a super-cute series of drawings about aliens landing in central park and scoping out NY. I fell in love with the guys and have been asking him, “What’s their story!?” ever since.

Scott is also the chairman of the Society of Illustrators student scholarship exhibit — he knows first hand how much the work of all the MicroVision artists is appreciated by the students. The Scholarship program is a huge job so extra thanks goes to Scott for taking the time to participate.

Jon Foster’s MicroVisions

2010-04-09T17:47:00.004-04:00

...and the cow jumped over the moon-girl.

Mr. Jon Foster, always an Art Department favorite.

This MicroVisions is becoming insanely good. I have to thank all the artists, again, for being part of it
.
*wondering what the inbox fairy will bring me next*

Charles Vess’ Instructions by Neil Gaiman

2010-04-09T00:20:00.004-04:00

This is just lovely. Neil Gaiman reading Instructions while showing Charles Vess’ drawings from pencil to paint.

And...Charles was kind enough to give me a signed and drawn in edition of his artbook Drawing Down the Moon to give away on Tor.com. Details soon!

Mélanie Delon and A Crown of Swords

2010-04-08T18:13:00.005-04:00

Alas, our latest Wheel of Time ebook cover reveal! A Crown of Swords

This one by Mélanie Delon. (She of the Spectrum 16 cover.) If you head over to Tor.com, you can get the inside scoop on how we got here, including a nifty progression through various stages of the painting.

Mélanie Delon’s work is exemplified by utilizing detail and soft focus, creating images that blur the edges between realism and fantasy. It was a great match for a moment of surrender and rebirth, a moment when Nynaeve must disengage from her usual character traits and, if just for second, open herself up.

Omar Rayyan’s MicroVisions

2010-04-07T21:51:00.004-04:00

Say hello to Omar Rayyan’s MicroVision, “Hopalong Galahad.”

Omar‘s work has a lightness and humor that makes it impossible not to smile when you see it. It’s easy to see how charming and witty it is — and it's easy to forget all the backbreaking hard work that goes into honing that kind of grace in paint. Just the way it should be.

Allen Williams’ MicroVisions

2010-04-04T16:39:00.006-04:00

Allen Williams just emailed me his contribution for the MicroVisions auction. And now I am getting very excited about this mini-exhibit.

Allen created the painting voted “Most Likely to be Stolen by Irene” at the first Illustration Master Class. I love his ability to know just when to push and pull edges — creating images that are both detailed and highly ethereal. He’s one of those painters that I wish I could step into their eyes and see the world as they see it.

Allen has been writing (damn, overachiever ;-) and illustrating a series of kids book for Little Brown, due out next fall. I’ve seen bits of pieces of the drawings and they look amazing. His blog, I just Draw, shows a few sneak-peaks.

Aang today, Aang salad tomorrow.

2010-04-04T12:41:00.001-04:00

Bill Carman’s MicroVisions

2010-04-03T18:28:00.003-04:00

Bill Carman gets the gold star for being the first artists done with their MicroVision. Hurray. And he has set the bar high.

Thank you, Bill!

I love that his paintings suggest some kind of strange narrative but are never spelled out. Instead, the we are left playfully wondering, what on earth is going on there.

I haven’t sen the original yet but he’s tells me it is painted on copper — I can’t wait to get a hold of it, if only for a short while.

This painting, and a dozen others, will be up for auction in early May. More about this year’s MicroVisions auction here.

RELATED:
Interview with Bill Carman here.

Charles Addams exhibit

2010-03-31T22:48:00.008-04:00

Anyone in the area should check out “Charles Addams’ New York” at the Museum of the City of New York, through June 6th.

The exhibit includes over 60 drawings — beautifully refined watercolors and loose preliminary sketches (which sometimes showed alternate versions of the joke.) In the center of the gallery is a recreation of Addams’ studio and an interior room dedicated to the Addams’ Family cartoons. Seriously, you can’t pass by more than three feet of exhibit space without cracking a smile.

Ringling College visit

2010-03-28T09:58:00.008-04:00

If you are keeping half an eye on up-and-coming illustrators, it would be impossible not to notice the rise of Ringling College of Art and Design these past few years. I’ve run into great student portfolios from Ringling students at Comic Con, the Society of Illustrators student exhibit, CA workshops...all over the place. So when George Pratt asked if I would come down and give a talk, I jumped at the chance to see what they were feeding these kids to make them so promising. Their secret, as it turns out, is a steady diet of drawing and painting, and good strong fundamentals.

On the first day of our visit, Greg Manchess and I looked at 600 works, from sophomore to senior levels, and curated a “Best of Ringling” exhibit of just 70 pieces. It was as inspiring as it was exhausting. As it got down to deciding class medals, we often had three or four paintings of equal merit — the decisions were heartbreaking.

One the second day, I gave a lecture about working with art directors, marketing, etc. -- my usual dog-and-pony show. Greg followed with a slide show and painting demo. While Greg was painting, I was looking at portfolios from some of the students.

All the students seemed engaged and excited to be soaking in what they could. I was glad to see the breadth of styles -- clearly they are encouraged to experiment and find their own voices. And I particularly enjoyed seeing such solid work from 2nd and 3rd year students; it’s exciting to imagine where they might be with another year or two of school behind them.

A big thanks to the Ringling faculty for having us down and being such great hosts. And a thank you to the students for a chance to look at so much good work.

GREG MANCHESS to Ringling:

“I couldn’t believe that after my afternoon lecture and demo, so many students were still watching me go. You guys are showing the signs of ambition and drive that are so very necessary to survive this business. Thanks for sticking it out. I had meant to trim about an
hour or so from that painting, but everyone had such specific questions, I couldn’t resist answering!

I was also very happy to see the level of skill that everyone displayed with their pieces for the judging. Remarkable. You made it a painful joy to select favorites. As I mentioned on Friday, if you didn't make it in, don't let it slow you down. And for those that did make it in, carry on.

Thanks for your interest in my work! When I looked into the lecture hall, I saw myself as a student, looking for the same answers as you are today. I have many now, and you will, too.”

WORK SHOWN:
Venessa Del Rey, Eli Minaya, Keyla Valerio
Haylee Herrick, Lamar Mathurin

Eli Minaya has a great series of photos of Greg’s demo on his blog.

More photos from the visit here.

Metatropolis

2010-03-23T12:45:00.001-04:00

Just showing off our latest from Peter Lutjen.

Jeffrey Jones documentary

2010-03-23T08:13:00.004-04:00

Better Things: The Life and Choices of Jeffrey Jones

Maria Cabardo, of DC Comics, has been putting together a documentary of the amazing Jeffery Jones. (Like, really amazing — If you need one reason to be on Facebook, it’s to see Jones’ gallery.) Here’s a quick glimpse at the work in progress — an interview with the also amazing Michael Kaluta. I know the film crew has been traveling around and interviewing as many artists as they can. I’m very much looking forward to watching this develop.

Christoph Niemann’s I Lego NY

2010-03-19T16:49:00.002-04:00

Everyone has seen Christoph Niemann’s brillant Lego NY!? Amazing. I can look at it 1,000 times.

And now, it’s expanded into a book! So excited.

Thomas Fuchs hearts Star Wars (and many other things.)

2010-03-18T00:31:00.003-04:00

It’s not common for an artist to have multiple styles that are truly unique from each other and all equally accomplished...And yet, Thomas Fuchs.

As well as having a more painterly style, he has a great facility with logos and icons which he’s clearly had fun with on his Heart a Day blog — never saccharin, always beautifully drawn. And all this week: Star Wars! Go check it out, and stop by all week to see what he comes up with next.

If your geek-crush isn’t of the Star Wars persuasion, he’s got plenty genre-love throughout the site

The Future of Publishing

2010-03-17T11:05:00.001-04:00

[Via boingboing]

MicroVisions 5. Or, The Return of 5x7!

2010-03-13T16:49:00.015-05:00

Think small.

Each year, Dan Dos Santos and I organize “MicroVisions”, an exhibit and auction to raise money for the Society of Illustrators’ student scholarship fund. Over the past four years it raised $20,000.00 which was given directly to students displaying exceptional promise in illustration.

I am proud to announce this year’s line-up of participating artists. I cannot thank these guys enough for dedicating their time and talent to this endeavour. To carve out time for anything beyond work and family is not a trivial thing to ask, so, applause to:

Scott Altmann
Scott Bakal
Rick Berry
Bill Carman
Jon Foster
Donato Giancola
Michael Kaluta
Tim O’Brien
Omar Rayyan
Jordu Schell
Allen Williams
Boris Vallejo

Bravo guys! Rest assured, the students really appreciate the support these scholarships represent.

The works will be on display at the Society beginning April 26th. Painting and auction updates as I get them.

RELATED: Past MicroVisions here.

Frank Stockton

2010-03-03T19:02:00.005-05:00

A quick shout-out to Frank Stockton because:
1) The guy can draw!
2) The guy can draw hands.
3) He once tried to sneak me into a bar by lending me his ID. (It didn’t go well, but a nice gesture nonetheless)
4) He’s got a lot of cool process info on his blog.
5) The guy can draw!

Also, check out his Sidebar interview.

Greg Manchess’ Lord of Chaos extended video, the artist-edition

2010-03-02T16:30:00.003-05:00

Because the awesome Megan Messinger is awesome, she has created a slightly extended version of Lord of Chaos video which includes “real-time” painting footage. Enjoy the artist-edition:

Greg Manchess on the Wheel of Time Lord of Chaos ebook cover

2010-03-02T13:23:00.005-05:00

The next of our Wheel of Time ebook covers is up! For Lord of Chaos we present a signature battle of the series, Dumai’s Wells, as portrayed by Greg Manchess.

As usual, all the details can be found in the Tor.com post, including our groovy “sliding” cover, Greg’s thoughts on composing the image, and a
super-cool time-lapse video of Greg working on the painting from beginning to end.

RELATED:
All Wheel of Time ebook posts are archived here.
Which include:
David Grove on The Eye of the World
Kekai Kotaki on The Great Hunt
Donato Giancola on The Dragon Reborn
Sam Weber on The Shadow Rising
Dan Dos Santos on The Fires of Heaven

Micahel Whelan’s cover for Brandon Sander’s The Way of Kings

2010-02-28T21:20:00.004-05:00

A new Michael Whelan book cover doesn’t come around very often so I am super excited to present his artwork for our upcoming fantasy series,The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson.

If you click over to Tor.com you can see progress shoots and read what Michael had to say about working on the project.

Robert McCall

2010-02-28T15:13:00.003-05:00

I am sorry to hear that Robert McCall, 90, has passed away. I don’t think there is a popular artist more intimately connected with NASA and space exploration as McCall. Looking at his work you cannot help but to think that common-place space travel should be both wondrous and possible. He has influenced and inspired millions throughout his lengthy career with his documentary paintings, film concept art (including 2001: A Space Odyssey), postal stamps, and museum murals.

“One of the joys of being an artist is the freedom to create one's own world....Like the real world, these excursions of the imagination are fraught with inaccuracies of perception—it is rare that one glimpses through the veil of time even a hint of tomorrow's reality — nor does it seem important to me whether one's perceptions are right or wrong, the pleasure is in making the predictions and doing the work.”— Robert McCall

Take some time to visit McCall’s work on his comprehensive website. You’ll be glad you did.

For more in depth reading:
CollectSpace.com
Lines and Colors

Spectrum winners announced!

2010-02-28T13:54:00.004-05:00

Run over to the the Spectrum site! There you can see all the award winners, plus get an inside look at the judging process.

I’m sorry I couldn't catch all the names from the video so here I’ll just say and extra congrats to award-winning friends:
Sam Weber X2!
Donato Giancola
Chris Buzelli
Omar Rayyan
Eric Fortune
Eric Orchard
Daniel Docui
Michael Deas
Ed Binkley
Craig Elliot
Scott Gustafson

And a congrats to all the artists that participated.

Google’s Olympic 2010 logos?

2010-02-18T14:01:00.002-05:00

Speaking of no credit...Who did these?

I luvs them.

Almost as much as I luvs Apollo and the Flying Tomato.

Who’s awesome? Or, Credit the Artists!

2010-02-18T10:01:00.005-05:00

Lou Anders started to make some noise, via Twitter, against authors and publishers who put up “Look at my cover! Isn’t it the awesome!?” posts without crediting, you know, the artist.

I have to admit, I shook off the issue as a typical oversight. I remember being upset that Amazon, and other online retailers, didn’t credit the artists — information easily obtained while browsing a a physical store — and there was nothing to be done about that....I guess, I came to expect it from others as well.

But, with Lou’s rallying call in the back of my mind, last week’s Scholastic post on their Mockingjay cover has pushed me into the gently irate crowd. Scholastic posted an article excitedly revealing the cover to a popular series, along with the a refresher on how great the full series looks, without a single mention of the artist or designer. This is from the publisher, not from an author who might be far enough removed from the process not to know better. Just to reiterate, the post is about the cover.

Which is not to pick on Scholastic, it happens all the time. So, dear authors & publishers, when pimping a cover, name names!

Art Departments are constantly being told how important it is to get the cover right. Credit those whose talent, creativity, and hard work get the job done. Turn it into a marketing point. Like writers, artists' careers are built on past success. The more attention paid to good work, the more jobs they get...advancing their worth to me as an art director. Whelan, Donato, Martiniere, these guys are valuable first and foremost because they are good at what they do...but they are also “names” in the field and that furthers our marketing efforts.

Besides, it’s the polite thing to do.

Oh, and: Hey, Tim O’Brien, great series of covers!
Tim’s website, blog, “making of” the first Hunger Games cover

Boskone

2010-02-18T00:04:00.008-05:00

A quick shout-out to all the people that make Boskone one of the most pleasant conventions of the year. Thank you, NESFA! It’s always a smoothly run, just-the-right-size convention with a kickin’ art show.

Fuzzy iPhone or “borrowed” photos here.

Great to see John Picacio, Artist Guest of Honor. John is a unique voice in the field and dedicated to the vitality of the genre as a whole. [top image]

Michael Whelan had a 40 painting exhibit. An amazing retrospective that started with his college work and chronological built up to brand new paintings.

Omar Rayyan had a knock out out show. Man, that guy just keeps getting better.

Bob Eggleton and Marianne Plumridge where a delight to share dinner with...And made me think, why not have a Boskone panel meet at one of the nearby art museums?

The now-traditional Rick Berry Studio visit was, as tradition will have it, a mellow blast.

These photos, taken by John Picacio, made me laugh because it reminds that I didn’t leave that seat very much throughout the day...Or weekend, for that matter. Charlie Stross on the left and Michael Whelan on the right.

After the con I was able to convince now-Boston artist Scott Bakal to come out and play while the dead-dog party deaded around us.

....and it’s possible this Rick Berry painting followed me home.

Tyler Jacobson wins the Jack Gaughan Award

2010-02-17T12:46:00.003-05:00

Hurray to Tyler Jacobson! He won the New England Science Fiction Society’s Jack Gaughan Award for Best Emerging Artist given out each year at Boskone.

I was honored to be on the jury with Todd Lockwood and Bob Eggleton. I first met Tyler last May during the Academy of the Arts University student exhibit and was immediately struck by his bold brushwork. (In fact, I believe I emailed Jon Schindehette that night from my hotel room, “Dude, you gotta check this guy out.”) Todd, Bob, and I looked over a number of really great portfolios—so much good talent coming up—but in the end thought that Tyler was an exemplary representation of the award — newly in the field but with work beyond-his-years, a deep portfolio of consistent work, and a motivated professional who has already established himself with clients.

Congrats, Tyler!

Check out his website and blog.
(And be sure to look at the sketches section..love those bold black and whites.)

The Society of Illustrators student sholarship ehxibit posted.

2010-02-11T18:33:00.003-05:00

The Society of Illustrators has posted all of the artworks juried into the student scholarship exhibit.

Congrats to all the students! I look forward to seeing these drawings and paintings, and meeting some of the students, at the opening in May.

TOP ROW: Ligia Teodosiu, Grant Hanna, Leon Doucette
BOTTOM ROW: Jim Tierney, Stephanie Georgopoulos, Mike Puncekar

Picture Book Report

2010-02-08T00:25:00.005-05:00

Meg Hunt and colleagues have started a literary illustration blog, Picture Book Report — fifteen artists will be create illustrations inspired by a favorite book. Many, in fact, most, of the titles are science fiction/fantasy, including A Wrinkle in Time, Hitchhikers Guide, Robin Hood, The Hobbit, Tarzan, Peter Pan, among others.

From the mission statement:
There is a certain kind of magic to books and stories that is hard to beat .... At the same time, there’s this stigma against books with pictures, that they’re something you leave behind after you get to a certain age. The urge to make our own mark upon this format is immense. To give back to that tradition of storytelling and share our own along the way.”

They began last week with a great series of bookplates to set the stage. I’m looking forward to checking in often and seeing fresh interpretations on so many classic titles.

(In addition to all the great talent involved, I love anything vaguely Robin Hood or Tarzan-y — color me psyched.)

Dan Dos Santos and the Wheel of Time ebook cover: The Fires of Heaven

2010-02-04T15:44:00.005-05:00

Presenting!...The next of our Wheel of Time ebook covers: The Fires of Heaven with art by Dan Dos Santos.

Dan had the unenviable task of having to paint a preternaturally beautiful and ageless woman. He did a wonderful job of it, I’d say.

Head over to the Tor.com post to see his sketches, progress shots of the painting, and our initial thought process.

RELATED:
All Wheel of Time ebook posts are archived here.
Which include:
David Grove on The Eye of the World
Kekai Kotaki on The Great Hunt
Donato Giancola on The Dragon Reborn
Sam Weber on The Shadow Rising

Two excellent articles on the vaule of work.

2010-02-04T10:50:00.002-05:00

As Milton Glaser reminds us, art is work. Here are two excellent articles on the value of work. One funny, the other less so, both important.

(Written by and about writers but applies to artists of all kinds)

Charlie Stross: Information, Freedom, Flame-bait

John Scalzi: Why Publishing Will Not Go Away Anytime Soon: A Deeply Slanted Play in Three Acts

ZOMG, Dino app!

2010-02-02T20:00:00.002-05:00

From the American Museum of Natural History, which I love. But where is my Carl Akeley Hall of African Mamals app!

Greg Manchess and The Irish Country...

2010-02-01T17:23:00.005-05:00

Designer Jamie Stafford-hill had reason to email me the full gamut (so far) of our “Irish Country” It made me go “ahhhh....” The day needed a calming influence.

Layout by Jamie, art by Greg Manchess.

Thank you!

2010-01-31T21:05:00.008-05:00

Have I said how amazing my friends are? They are amazing.

And my life is so enriched to know each and everyone one of you.

Thank you all for the incredible party. I can’t imagine anyone has ever had such a blast turning forty. There were balloons. And shrimp. And a chocolate fountain. And friendship and love. All under the watchful eye of Rockwell, Fuchs, and Pyle. My only regret was not being able to talk to everyone more.

A special thanks to Tim O’Brien for putting the kibosh on my plan to spend the evening watching reruns of Glee. And to the Society for pulling out all the stops. And did I mention a chocolate fountain?

John Jude Palencar wins the Hamilton King!

2010-01-28T21:48:00.010-05:00

I am proud to announce that John Jude Palencar has won this year’s Society of Illustrators’ Hamilton King Award for his artwork on Charles de Lint’s Muse and Reverie.

The Hamilton King is arguably one of the most prestigious awards in the illustration community. It is given to the best painting in the Illustrators annual, as judged by past Hamilton King award–winners. While given to a specific work, it has, unofficially, come to signify a mid-career achievement award. Previous winners include Bernie Fuchs, Leo and Diane Dillon, James McMullan, Mark English, Brad Holland, Greg Manchess, Bob Peak, Donato Giancola....A “who’s who” of illustration since 1965.

The award ceremony and black-tie dinner will take place at the Society of Illustrators in June in conjunction with the Illustrators Fall of Fame inductions.

Not only is John an amazing artist, he is a caring individual deeply dedicated to his craft. I am thrilled for him and proud of Tor’s small part in this honor.

...with Love and Squalor

2010-01-28T13:24:00.002-05:00

The photo is my office doorway. I pass this Jillian Tamaki drawing from the New York Times countless times a day.

About once every ten years I rediscover J. D Salinger. The order of my favorite stories changes, but my love for Salinger doesn’t.

Sad news today. For some good reading, check out the Salinger website Dead Caufields.

Sam Weber on Sidebar

2010-01-26T23:59:00.003-05:00

Sam Weber is interviewed on podcast site Sidebar Nation.

...keeping me up well past my bedtime ’cause I’m way too impatient to wait until tomorrow to listen in.

Vance Kovacks and Michael Morcock's Hawkmoon

2010-01-26T14:45:00.003-05:00

Since I have shown off volumes one and two, I thought I’d share the latest Hawkmoon cover from Vance Kovacs.

Only one more to go...I’ll be sad to see them go.

I Speak Fluent Giraffe, the reluanch

2010-01-23T13:31:00.004-05:00

I am super excited to be continuing Jason Henninger’s I Speak Fluent Giraffe, beyond his previous Cthulhu inspirations. He will be writing a series of crazy-but-in-the-good-way poems, stories, autobiographical oddities, and various undefinables.

Much thanks to Greg Manchess for the logo above, with an assist from Jamie Stafford-Hill. (Hmm, maybe another process post is in order?)

Brain Elig will continue to illustrate each story. Jason and Brian have never met but they make a great pair. If anyone could, Brian seems to “get” Jason.

J. W. Waterhouse, Biodomes, and some great times

2010-01-19T00:25:00.008-05:00

A bunch of artist friends and I took advantage of the long weekend and headed up to Montreal to see the J. W. Waterhouse exhibit — the largest-ever collection of Waterhouse work, it is on display until February 7th. Montreal will be its only North American venue.

Typically seeing a full body of one artist’s work, being able to view a life-time’s worth of progression, picking up on reoccurring symbols and learning their visual language, makes me appreciate the individual pieces more. I have to admit, in this case I felt I may have gotten more out of the paintings if I had stumbled upon them slowly over time. They are all beautiful, to be sure, but the effect of so many depictions of wistful women as an ideal of “feminine whatever” eventually got me a little eye-rolly. That said, my four or five favorite paintings of the show are amazing and well worth the trip all on their own.

The scale of the paintings was surprising – major works reaching 6 to 9 feet -- and it added to the otherworldliness of the mythological themes he often depicted. The application of paint is loose and wonderful to look at up close. (We were thankful to guards that never seemed to mind us standing nose-close to the works.) It was as easy to get lost in the folds of a woman’s dress as it was the beauty of their faces.

Among my favorites...

TOP:
“The Lady of Shallot”, his most famous work, is heartbreaking. We see her embarking in what is soon to be her funeral barge. A sense of longing, freedom, and doom woven into her breath. The tapestries dragging in the water, at last a direct connection to the earth. Her face is in sharp focus while everything else softens around her…a moment of clarity within a dream.

BOTTOM LEFT:
“The Magic Circle”, perhaps my favorite of the exhibit, shows a woman of real strength and depth. I love the slightly out-turned knee required to cut through the earth. Each crows looks like they have a part to play in the incantation. And, let’s face it, the live snake oroborus around her neck is just badass.

BOTTOM RIGHT:
“Mariamne” Another woman of strength and confidence. She stands strong as a marble column amongst so much judgment, the only figure able to look at the other players in the eye. The glow of her dress is striking but even more evocative is the shadow across her face – she is much more beautiful and mysterious because we can’t quite see her.

I didn’t know Waterhouse’s work nearly as well as others on the trip but once there I realized how many of his paintings are icons. After a while, women standing on their toes with titled heads doesn’t quite do it for me, but individually they are great and it was a treat to see them. Also on display was a room full of his sketch books and color studies.

Unfortunately the museum gets no marks for exhibition design. Matte black walls and glossy black signage gave the place a “welcome to my sexy-den” vibe, and being in darkness meant that the paintings had to be spotlit, causing a lot of reflections.

The rest of the museum is smallish but with some real gems. We ran across this Pascal Dangan-Bouverete painting and fell in love with it. These women are beautifull – stark, formal, honest and direct – without the need of a “feminine ideal.” We also became enamored with this crazy sculpture of a woman embraced by Death. It might be the kind of thing you’d expect tattooed to a biker’s arm, but it had us all entranced.

Day two: Back to the museum for a little refresher and then off to the Biodome. Lynx! Two lynxes. We heart the lynxes.

And the great part about winter travel?: depth of field. The train ride was a blast. I know it would be just as spectacular in the summer and heartbreaking in the fall, but being able to see through the trees and deep into snow covered fields and frozen lakes was mesmerizing. The downside: All the reading and work I thought I would do sat in my bag, mocking me, while I stared out the window for twelve hours straight.

It was amazing to be up there with so many friends, all passionate about art. The combined experience between them must have be in the hundreds of years. Between the conversation, artwork, lynxes, and landscapes, we are all excited to get back to work. Greg, Scott, Scott, Boris, Julie, Kurt, Zelda, Dan, Chris, Kristina, Tony, Nonie, Rebbecca, Rebbecca, Mat, Marc, Chloe, Alex, Elizabeth…it was awesome! What’s next?

Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret

2010-01-17T02:26:00.002-05:00

In Montreal, falling in love with this Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret painting.

Idiots' Books complete Makers

2010-01-08T15:35:00.002-05:00

A huge congrats to Idiots’ Books for finishing up 81 illustrations for the 81 segments of Cory Doctor’s Makers.

I have to admit, when Pablo Defendini first brought up the idea of serializing the book in so many chapters, I never thought we’d be able to get something visually interesting for that long a haul. Liz Gorinsky suggested Idiots’ Books and, 6 months later, they have created a beautiful, engaging, funny, wall-of-imagery that looks just as good together as it does in its parts. The fact the you can spin and rearrange each segment is mindboggling icing on the cake, but really, I love seeing the passages as they created it. Awesome, guys!

Sam Weber on The Wheel of Time and The Shadow Rising

2010-01-06T18:21:00.001-05:00

Sam Weber and The Shadow Rising

2010-01-06T12:52:00.005-05:00

I’m very excited to present the next of our Wheel of Time re-packaged ebook covers: The Shadow Rising with art by Sam Weber.

When we started this project I knew we wouldn’t have an artist more primed to be involved than Sam. He’s a huge fan of the series and it shows.

If you are fan of Sam’s and/or The Wheel of Time, head over to Tor.com to see him interviewed on video, read his essay about his cover and the motivations of the character he chose to depict, and see process images of the painting.

RELATED:
All Wheel of Time ebook posts are archived here.
Which include:
David Grove on The Eye of the World
Kekai Kotaki on The Great Hunt
Donato Giancola on The Dragon Reborn

Micheal Deas

2010-01-05T10:46:00.003-05:00

A nice news piece on the great Micheal Deas:

(via Eric Braddock)

Spectrum entries due January 22nd

2010-01-04T11:12:00.003-05:00

My annual “ease back to work” ritual: Start combing over the past year’s work to submit to Spectrum.

Deadline Jan 22nd.
Submission information here.

Back to work tomorrow

2010-01-03T22:02:00.002-05:00

I think I’ve forgotten how.

Terrible Yellow Eyes comes to a close.

2010-01-01T22:26:00.003-05:00

Cory Goodbey put the cap on his “Where the Wild Things Are” tribute site, Terrible Yellow Eyes, yesterday.

“My goal all along for TYE was to honor the book and express my love for it in pictures because I just couldn’t do it with words, no matter how hard I tried. I’ve been humbled by the response of so many incredibly hard working, gifted artists.” — CORY GOODBEY

It’s a phenomenal site. As a fan I love it because just about every image is a heart-breaker, or at least a grin-starter. As an art director, it is a priceless collection of artists’ links. The contributions may have come to close but there are countless hours of exploration within it. Thank you Cory and everyone that participated.

Seen here: Luisa Uribe

Alice in Wonderland at Bergdorf Goodman

2010-01-01T22:08:00.003-05:00

If you are in New York, the Bergdorf Goodman “Alice in Wonderland” windows are worth stopping by.

RELATED: Last year’s BG windows.

Hello, Fallon

2009-12-30T22:13:00.004-05:00

Meet Fallon, our Christmas puppy. And by “our” I mean my mom has to take care of her while I get to walk and walk and walk her on weekends. A nine week old Scottish Deerhound -- currently a lapdog, soon to the size of a small pony.

More pictures, because she's cute as a button, here.

Brian Elig and Neil Gaiman’s I, Cthulhu

2009-12-29T21:49:00.003-05:00

Just showing off the sketches for Brian Elig’s illustration for Neil Gaiman’s very funny “I, Cthulhu, or, What’s A Tentacle-Faced Thing Like Me Doing In A Sunken City Like This”.

There was a third drawing which became a Christmas greeting for Brian.

Famous Arists Courses available as free PDFs

2009-12-29T00:51:00.003-05:00

The Famous Artists Courses was a correspondence art school started by Norman Rockwell and Al Dorne. Students would sign up, get a booklet on various aspects of drawing, do assignments, get critiques, and so on. I have heard about these booklets for as long as I have been talking to illustrators — usually they have the starry-eyed stare that great explorers searching for mythical cities have in the old movies. Many people have spent hundreds of dollars hunting them down on eBay.

Daniel Caylor on “On Animation” has collected them all and made PDFs available. Go check them out -- they are designed to be serious practical lessons.

Included are lessons about drawing the human form, landscapes, color, experimental design, figure in motion, studio procedures, the list goes on. All brought to you by the likes of Rockwell, Austin Briggs, Al Parker, Robert Fawcett and, again, the list goes on.

(Thank you, Tristan Elwell, for the heads up.)

Nucleus Gallery

2009-12-26T20:20:00.005-05:00

Oh, to be in LA....Nucleus Gallery is having an insane line-up of exhibits coming up in the next few months -- shows dedicated to airships, zombies in love, Alice in Wonderland, Avatar, and a bunch of others. All between January and March.

Beatrix Potter, leaving the Christmas party

2009-12-25T23:27:00.003-05:00

[via BibliOdyssey]

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T08:07:00.003-05:00

Robert John Wildhack

[Other great old Life Magazine Christmas images on Filboid Studge. Via Cartoon Brew.]

Pirouettes in the snow

2009-12-23T22:35:00.003-05:00

Miss Fiona:

Happy Solstice Day

2009-12-21T16:13:00.002-05:00

(Tom Thomson)

Off to Christmas time

2009-12-19T08:09:00.001-05:00

Avatar (Don’t tell the cool kids, I had a blast watching it.)

2009-12-18T00:26:00.006-05:00

For the record: I hate it when people say, “X isn't a great movie but the special effects are awesome!” Movies are about story telling. The visuals are an integral part of that but, if the story isn’t there, than it's just a wasted opportunity. (Ahem...Tim Burton.)

That said, Avatar isn't a great movie but the effects are awesome! I’m embarrassed to admit how much I enjoyed it. You know the plot backwards and forwards before you’ve entered the theater. It’s so predictable, it’s un-spoilable. And, yes, every character is a stereotype. And yet, they are somehow likable and you really do care about “what happens next.” But first and foremost, it is a complete visual immersion into a truly stunning world.

I remember some concept art friends at ComicCon saying that it raises the bar of movie effects. I couldn’t imagine how that could be -- effects are so seamless already, how can this be that much better. Well, it is that much better. Whether it’s futuristic laboratories or all that amazing planet exploration footage, it is both unbelievably real and completely magical.

With all that money behind Avatar, it’s a shame they couldn’t come up with something more original, but knowing that the environments where the star of the show they turned a good portion of scree time into a loosely narrative, and comepletely mesmerizing, nature documentary...And I can watch nature documentraies All. Day. Long.

For a much more reasoned and nuanced review, check out Charlie Jane Anders at IO9.

More highlights from the Cthulhu art jam thread

2009-12-18T00:19:00.002-05:00

Riding the line between awww and ewww: here's a wee Cthulhoid from Sherya Shetty.

As always, you can check out a host of tentacled beasts, and add your own, on the “Show us your tentacles” art post.

Art Out Loud 6 DVD now available

2009-12-17T09:30:00.006-05:00

Just in time for the holidays: The DVD of Art Out Loud 6 — a one-day simultaneous demo with Greg Manchess, Donato Giancola, James Gurney, Charles Vess, and Sam Weber. Experience the event from set-up to take-down, including interviews with the participating artists.

$35.00.
Email or call the Society of Illustrators at:
kevin@societyillustrators.org
212 838 2560

Earlier post on the event here.
Photos here.
And DVD teaser below:

Trailer for Art Out Loud, Vol 3 from Kate Feirtag on Vimeo.

Kurt and Zelda and “The Tempest Wakens”

2009-12-16T15:22:00.004-05:00

Firstly: Comic by Teetering Bulb! Free! Here!

Now, back-story...

About a month or two ago I was at a gallery opening talking to Kurt Huggins and Zelda Devon — Teetering Bulb, together. They were talking about how slammed with work they were. I said that was great but, too bad, since we had this idea of Cthulhu Month coming up and I was wondering if they would be interested in doing a comic for it. Kurt started to say, “No, we really are too......” and then his words trailed off and, I will swear to my grave, the sound of gears turning in his brain became audible.

They worked like hell to get this done and yet it feels as loose and dreamy (and freakin’ scary) as if they had all the time in the world. Their work , which was always good, just keeps getting better and better -- style, color, pacing....just great stuff.

So, if you are in the mood for something quietly horrific, take a look at The Tempest Wakens.

ArtOrder challenge winners.

2009-12-15T11:54:00.002-05:00

I was honored to be a judge for Jon Schindehette’s Hurakan book cover ArtOrder challenge. The winners have been announced, you can check out what the full panel of judges had to say here: Hurakan Challenge.

We had some tough choices to make. I was grateful for Jon’s system of picking 5 (although I cheated and picked 6) winners and commenting on them. Picking “a winner” adds excitement to the event, no doubt, but the real fun is forcing yourself to articulate what is working and what has potential. Congrats to everyone that entered.

The Bronx Zoo

2009-12-13T20:17:00.003-05:00

Turns out, the best time to go to the zoo is in 37degree temperatures and rain -- nobody will be there with you.

MORE PICTURES HERE.

If you’re the type that needs things on-topic: A shout-out to the amazing Jack Unruh drawings in the Congo Gorilla Forest. Seen in the above: third row, middle.

Tara Rueping's Lord of the Rings

2009-12-13T00:04:00.004-05:00

I honestly did not mean to spend time looking at Lord of the Rings concept work this evening but such are the hazards of the job -- easy to trip off the path and find something sorta wonderful, like Tara Rueping’s concept work.

More Cthulhu

2009-12-11T14:48:00.007-05:00

Okay, I know I said I would do this on Mondays but there are too many great works in the thread, and too few Mondays left in December, so: Another highlight in the “Show Us Your Tentacles” Cthulhu art jam post.

This one from Susan Sanford. Cthulhu and Mr. Hulot!!! It is a wonderful life world we live in. Sanford is offering this image (along with a lot of other cool writer-y themed drawings) as a t-shirt here.

And, be sure to check out, and add to, what I will declare (completely without research or scholarship to back it up) is the coolest collection of pro and fan Cthulhu art online.

John Jude Palencar’s Horrid Wings

2009-12-10T15:37:00.005-05:00

We recently published Elizabeth Bear’s The Horrid Glory of Its Wings on Tor.com. It’s a lonely and moving story. John Jude Palencar was an easy choice for it -- it needed something quiet and soulful, and a little sad but still strong.

Sketches below. The first was the clear choice...but the second one makes me want to see what John could do with a dark superhero project.

Eric Drooker's fantastical New York

2009-12-10T15:19:00.004-05:00

A tweet from Richard Solomon pointed me to Eric Drooker's website. Smitten with my city for 20+ years, I can testify to the complete accuracy of these reportage paintings.

A thousand apologies!

2009-12-07T22:49:00.003-05:00

Or at least 80-100 apologies.

I was getting ridiculous amounts of spam a while back. It's still in the system, junking everything up. So I turned on moderation for posts over a week old and then I promptly forgot about it. I never went back to check for real comments hidden in the weeds.

I am apologies to the 90ish peolpe that posted and only now made it on the site. There were a lot of great comments and a number first-time commentators.

I have turned moderation back off...hopefully the spamming has subsided. If not, I'll be more careful next time.

Mondays of Madness

2009-12-07T00:40:00.004-05:00

I’ve been blown away by the response to the Cthulhu art thread. A big “thank you” to all the participants -- doodler, pro, and Play-Doh-er alike. Honestly, I was worried no one would respond — figured I’d be the girl wearing a party hat in an empty room — but you guys are awesome and it’s a blast watching it grow.

If you missed it, above is just one image from the thread, by Ture Ekroos. I’ll highlight a new one each Monday through December — for the full onslaught, check out our art jam, or better yet, join in!

Brian Elig speaks Girrafe. And other stuff.

2009-12-05T00:53:00.010-05:00

We started a new series on Tor.com, I Speak Fluent Giraffe, featuring the insane grumblings of one Jason Henninger. Throughout December that means grumblings of a Cthulhuian nature, afterwards it will branch out (as if anything could be beyond Cthulhu's reach.) Only one episode old right now, but this series will grow fast as a Dunwich child.

Check out: I Speak Fluent Giraffe.

The Cthlhu poems will be illustrated by Brian Elig. I was very excited to work with Brian. I met him a few years ago when Jon Foster asked me to speak to his RISD class. (There must have been something in the Providence water that year -- Wesley Allsbrook was in that class and she went on to create some great comics for us.)

I loved Brian's work and would visit his website a few times a year since that lecture. Honetsly, I doubted I'd have an assignment with the right mix of creepy sweetness that is in so much of Brian's work. Thankfully, Jason Henninger's whimsical poems about horrible evils were a perfect match.

Two nights ago I was giving a lecture to Soojin Buzelli's SVA class. The Brian example reminded me to tell the students the unfortunate truth about marketing -- you never know what is going to work or when it will work. A postcard sent today might get you work right off, or, it may stay tacked to an AD's wall for years before they call. I'm constantly going through years old Spectrums. A promising portfolio review my stick in my mind for ages before I have the right assignment. There's no way around it: Emerging artists need to take advantage very means of showing their work, update those efforts, and try to stay confident that steady progress in their work (artistically and marketingly) will pay off in the end. It's hard work to keep that faith up. Hats off to you guys. I couldn't do it.

I drew in public! Or, Show us your tentacles: A Cthulhu art meme.

2009-12-03T15:40:00.002-05:00

It doesn’t take looking at too many portfolios before you realize artists love tackling Cthulhu’s tentacled madness. Being a newbie to the Old Ones, I wanted to ask a bunch of artists friends: Just what is it about Cthulhu and Co. that makes drawing, painting, and sculpting from Lovecraft so much...fun. (If fun is the right world?)

Head over to Tor.com and see what Michael Whelan, John Jude Palencar, Mike Mignola, Bob Eggleton, and others have to say on the topic. And then add your own! Post any Lovecraftian or tentaclian inspired art (doodles by non artists count, maybe even more so) in the comment section—horrify your friends, worry your love ones...

Added bonus! I expose myself for the art-fraud that I am. Go and see my drawing of the dreaded Jack’thulhu!!!

It's Stubby! (Post fin-enhancing surgery.)

2009-12-03T10:12:00.000-05:00

Kurt and Zelda on The Comic Book Club

2009-12-02T00:58:00.005-05:00

Kurt Huggins and Zelda Devon (together Teetering Bulb) where guests at The Comic Book Club last night. For those not in the know, like I was, The Comic Book Club is three very funny guys geeking out the week's comics and interviewing comic book creators. Added bonus: the audience is almost as funny as the guys.

Speaking of Kurt and Zelda - Tor.com just launched Cthulhu Month. K&Z have agreed to make a Lovecraftian comic for us, airing mid month. Stay tuned!

Donato's ebook cover for The Dragon Reborn

2009-12-01T17:54:00.002-05:00

We have unveiled the cover to the third volume of the Wheel of Time ebooks, The Dragon Reborn. Head on over to Tor.com and you can hear Donato talk about his work and see his initial drawings.

Black Friday

2009-11-27T11:43:00.002-05:00

Omar Rayyan

2009-11-24T14:55:00.004-05:00

Public service announcement of the day, check out Studio Rayyan's blog. Holy cow, do I love these.

And I'm looking forward to seeing the Alice in Wonderland piece in December as it is part of an Alice exhibit at the Brandywine Museum.

(The Brandywine as in, “bury me under the Andrew Wyeth’s, please.”)

The covers that got away

2009-11-23T13:13:00.005-05:00

I got batch of cover designs in today and immediately regretted that the one I liked the best, visually speaking, would never fly for the cover. In this case, with good reason — it looks great but isn’t quite suited for the audience. Luckily, there are others in the batch that also also very good and more appropriate for the book.

Also today, I got sketches in for another book. Here we are clearly we are making the less interesting choice because it more closely resembles familiar territory. The artist is no dummy and will likely reuse the pose on someone else’s very successful book cover. (And I will be jealous!)

This happens a lot in the job. Many times I agree with the final outcome, in some cases I don’t. Below are two older examples of covers that “got away.”

The Mystery of Grace
Illustrator John Jude Palencar and designer Peter Lutjen have been the dynamic duo beyond many many Charles de Lint covers. It’s amazing how well their sensibilities work together, even more so when you consider that Charles, Peter, and John have never met.

When Mystery of Grace came up, when we knew a general outline of the story. John Jude sent in a series of sketches and I was blinded by how much I loved this puppeteer drawing. It makes for a great painting, and even a great cover, but when the author and editor brought up the fact that it was much too dark for the book, it was hard too fight it. It certainly is macabre. This is not the artist’s fault. If I had been thinking more clearly, I would have asked for other sketches. In this case we got as far as printing Advance Reading Copies with the puppet cover before we were able to about-face and start over. (I’m told you can find those advance reading copies on eBay every now and then.)

Since we do have such a long and wonderful history of Palencar covers on de Lint books, there was never a question of what to do — I went back to John, described the book more fully, and gave him a clearer understanding of how we wanted to position it. It was a whole second commission for him — a pricey mistake on my part but, thankfully, not one that I make too often. In the end, the second cover is just as lovely in a different way.

Blood Groove
In this case, it was tough to get the marketing tone right. The initial copy and the title made it sound a bit campy and hipstery. When talking to the editor, the book sounded much more gritty than that, and it sounded much more grisly than the current slew of hot Twilight-y vampires. Designer Jamie Stafford-Hill went to town on the idea of a truly horrific, old school vampire. What you can’t see here is, he even requested a slightly textured varnish to make the cover just a tiny bit pebbly your hand. We did an advance run on the jackets and they looked great. Really great. In the end, though, Sales and Marketing felt that we should try to hit larger audience an go with a “movie-poster” style cover.

Selling more books is good for everybody — everyone from the author, to the bookstore clerks, to the truck drivers moving inventory around — so it’s difficult to say that going more commercial is a bad thing...But truth be told, this was example where I wish we could have stuck with something that was a bit more unique and engaging. While I certainly like the re-do, quite a bit actually, I’ll always wonder which cover really would have performed better.

Kris Kuksi exhibit

2009-11-22T17:00:00.008-05:00

Kris Kuksi
Beast Anthology
548 West 28th Street, 3rd Floor, NYC
Nov 21 -- Dec 19, 2009

Last night I attended Kris Kuksi's Beast Anthology opening at the Joshua Liner gallery. I had seen pictures of his work over the past year and was anxious to view them in person.

Kuksi takes bits and pieces of action figures, toy soldiers, tank models, and a seemingly endless selection of other figurative found objects and creates scenes that, seen as a whole, are reminiscent Eastern temple wall sculptures. Chaotic on the micro level but ultimately forming organized symmetrical shapes. The soldiers' poses and tanks create a kind of steampunk inspired monstrous momentum -- evoking elements of imperialism and industry. The religious and/or post apocalyptic effect is often enhanced by an "underworld" side to the work.

I'll admit, it's not work that effects me emotionally but if you're looking for a true "Holy shit, that's awesome!" experience, it's well worth the effort to go see them. It is easy to get lost in each one for quite a while. The longer you stare and the closer stand next to them, the more you can reduce yourself to their scale and become overwhelmed by their momentum.

[MY FUZZY PHOTOS HERE]

Art Out Loud DVD trailer

2009-11-19T21:58:00.003-05:00

Trailer for Art Out Loud, Vol 3 from Kate Feirtag on Vimeo.

A little set-up tease for an upcoming DVD of the September 12th's Art Out Loud at the Society of Illustrators with:
James Gurney
Sam Weber
Charles Vess
Donato Giancola
Greg Manchess

Earlier report of the event here. I'll give a heads-up when the DVD is available, of course.

Hmmm..makes me want to start another Art Out Loud.....

Greg Manchess and I talk about the evolution of Stubby, the Tor.com rocket.

2009-11-18T19:09:00.004-05:00

Greg and I talk through the process of creating the Tor.com logo.

Two awesome cover posts.

2009-11-18T10:47:00.002-05:00

IO9 compares various jackets for classic SF novels.

And SF Signal aks a number of publishing folk what they consider the most memorable sf/f cover.

The Great Hunt ebook now available. And Kekai Kotaki desktop wallpaper.

2009-11-16T13:25:00.002-05:00

Tor.com is giving away Kekai's Great Hunt wallpaper as a means of announcing the ebook release of The Great Hunt, now available.

Cassandra Diaz webcomic: My Grandmother's House

2009-11-12T18:27:00.004-05:00

A while ago I mentioned that Sam Weber turned me on to Cassandra Diaz's work. I now have the pleasure of publishing her comic My Grandmother's House -- an ethereal, dreamy moment -- on Tor.com. Check it out. I'm still blown away that she's just out of school.