tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79738832647131501932024-02-18T19:50:53.677-08:00The Jolly CornerThe Illustration Journal of Jason Van HollanderUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973883264713150193.post-81631265128808285372008-03-07T11:52:00.001-08:002008-03-07T12:25:36.604-08:00Art for Jerome K. Jerome book<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrKv0jCGH7fadsmApWwvzhvdHGBnyU2OF202jYztTcIohfV-9H8sRWr1KqHRIKMbUtOr6l9HRflzOdqvpWPLp2JW1d7uzwG6F79mmCc_kFr5h1_xDnpifK1lo-tHbkjqOsXwC4CpiIvc/s1600-h/JKJ+send+blog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5175090447638314594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrKv0jCGH7fadsmApWwvzhvdHGBnyU2OF202jYztTcIohfV-9H8sRWr1KqHRIKMbUtOr6l9HRflzOdqvpWPLp2JW1d7uzwG6F79mmCc_kFr5h1_xDnpifK1lo-tHbkjqOsXwC4CpiIvc/s400/JKJ+send+blog.jpg" border="0" /></a> Ash-Tree Press is to be commended for their commitment to keeping classics of supernatural fiction in print. <em>City of the Sea and Other Ghost Stories</em> by Jerome K. Jerome is their latest book. The assignment was offered to me in February 2008. Chris Roden, the publisher, phoned me, explaining that the project was late and that there was "no time" to contact another illustrator). This is a left-handed tribute that means: 1) other illustrators were probably considered first; 2) I was probably considered last; 3) other illustrators were probably too busy; 4) I probably had nothing better to do. Etcetera. The original black and white image--from inventory--did not really refer to a sunken city. But, owing to judicious color selection (two ink colors) , the artwork manages to evoke an antediluvian megalopolis. Perhaps I should have added a starfish, guppies, and a brine-rusted anchor.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973883264713150193.post-32466817448030148302008-03-04T09:00:00.000-08:002008-03-05T10:39:17.970-08:00Art for Clark Ashton Smith vol. 4<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3OuYZ2EQcUQ0awVpLf5Rr9i4nW_aWJARqJRm4d4uIS-D8eDfoTwl-fFnNrJA0lL2XVXfZENZcJaOMQJ7lFAKxcROqOOo7V9kkh4SrfJ11mOvougYPRnTwKyHKX6o2q79m4tPfnCo_JE/s1600-h/CAS4+send+blog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173932812865505378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3OuYZ2EQcUQ0awVpLf5Rr9i4nW_aWJARqJRm4d4uIS-D8eDfoTwl-fFnNrJA0lL2XVXfZENZcJaOMQJ7lFAKxcROqOOo7V9kkh4SrfJ11mOvougYPRnTwKyHKX6o2q79m4tPfnCo_JE/s400/CAS4+send+blog.jpg" border="0" /></a> This artwork was created for volume 4 of <em>The Collected Fantasies of Clark Ashton Smith</em> published by Night Shade Books<em>.</em> The graphic designer for the publisher will mute and darken the excessively vibrant colors so that the eyes of potential readers will not be injured . . . and portions of the mundane imagery will be obscured by innovative graphical devices (e.g., color stripes). The statues on the left are carefully positioned so that the largest possible barcode can conceal them. The strategic placement of the elements on the back cover also allow the designer's name to appear at exactly the same size as the name of the illustrator, lest anyone suppose that the months of effort that it takes to create an illustration is somehow more significant than the half-day that it takes a designer to craft a cover layout. All of these measures hint at the impossibility of creating an effective layout if the illustration is left unweakened.<br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973883264713150193.post-58157794422554412812008-01-07T11:01:00.000-08:002008-01-07T13:51:12.925-08:00William Hope Hodgson Books<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBeyBDrsSvOYBcFQbPG9LgjN_eb_M9PE4yemZqn5OcbGv-NX60k-BRIIePB0OGSaT9Dyih7wr3MPlwh2yDC9AvQbX2iQtrBYXo0YZO2-mL5iStMzatWXy_SoS0jNHa7TztyZXbTtPOjQ/s1600-h/HODG+BlogSend.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152816061916769218" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBeyBDrsSvOYBcFQbPG9LgjN_eb_M9PE4yemZqn5OcbGv-NX60k-BRIIePB0OGSaT9Dyih7wr3MPlwh2yDC9AvQbX2iQtrBYXo0YZO2-mL5iStMzatWXy_SoS0jNHa7TztyZXbTtPOjQ/s400/HODG+BlogSend.jpg" border="0" /></a> A few years ago Night Shade Books requested a silver foil illustration for a five-volume collection of William Hope Hodgson's fiction. Much of Hodgson's fiction refers to the sea (he was a sailor) so an imaginative map seemed appropriate. One version of the illustration, with more details and finer lines, was used for the frontispiece. Details were simplified--and the lines thickened--for the dust jacket version which was printed with silver foil. The result was appealing enough to inspire another publisher to contact me about <em>their</em> "silver-foil" dust jacket, an opportunity that I declined. Preparing artwork for silver-foil printing is boring and interferes with my idiosynchratic style of drawing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973883264713150193.post-80425607167468207492008-01-04T12:04:00.000-08:002008-01-04T12:19:13.825-08:00Artwork for Dark Awakenings<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyNhIzz0Yj1xNPd0Wyaobq9csuZtYfyJ44RWW2e-VBeEa6RJoiih_VBpy4x9oU-pOB5vUPugd-LCf-WdF_STZSWJRrLwtsxMG_Ehvn6va8HvncjiP52UHJ3UqeamI1ihJUHzz73w8h_o/s1600-h/Cardin+Blog+send.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151714986920897442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyNhIzz0Yj1xNPd0Wyaobq9csuZtYfyJ44RWW2e-VBeEa6RJoiih_VBpy4x9oU-pOB5vUPugd-LCf-WdF_STZSWJRrLwtsxMG_Ehvn6va8HvncjiP52UHJ3UqeamI1ihJUHzz73w8h_o/s400/Cardin+Blog+send.jpg" border="0" /></a> This is a preliminary layout which will be replaced (in about three weeks) with the final artwork. The author--Matt Cardin--and the publisher waited patiently for six months while I dawdled, awaiting "sacramental" inspiration. Alas, the Gods do not speak to me on cue. It's better to wait until the right concept materializes. It's better to wait until there is certainty. Otherwise, there's the likelihood of a false start.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973883264713150193.post-68170645598578462072008-01-03T06:34:00.000-08:002008-01-03T06:55:10.932-08:00Artwork for Violet Hunt Collection<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrojF35ALiFEXZCnTaHuqjrSC15ZG5uxjxfpYd5lLCoSV6VPop5Tt-KAxbHsQhOfZ8-1AG3iooJ_My_37kL6V7D14swFhTSsf91Hb0AYoGZTBmk1sfy4uRMNiUIbEA8I70tSQ9V-bPqQ/s1600-h/B+HUNTblog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151258964473277330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrojF35ALiFEXZCnTaHuqjrSC15ZG5uxjxfpYd5lLCoSV6VPop5Tt-KAxbHsQhOfZ8-1AG3iooJ_My_37kL6V7D14swFhTSsf91Hb0AYoGZTBmk1sfy4uRMNiUIbEA8I70tSQ9V-bPqQ/s320/B+HUNTblog.jpg" border="0" /></a>I've had the good fortune to create artwork for books published by Ash-Tree Press. <em>More Tales of the Uneasy</em>, published a few years ago, is a collection of spooky stories by Violet Hunt. The dust jacket for a book of ghost stories doesn't have to include a ghostly figure . . . or any figures, because <em>absence</em> can imply <em>presence</em>. The cottage implies that there is (or was) an inhabitant. The pink bird, so present on the front cover, is mysteriously absent on the back cover. Arguably, an ethereal mystery is evoked. Illustrations can be emblematic. Illustrations that are "narrative-driven" or "narrative-specific" are like a snapshot of an event, which, in a way, refers to photojournalism more than poetry.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973883264713150193.post-28116150598028370522008-01-02T07:16:00.001-08:002008-01-02T07:30:59.280-08:00Acquainted with the Night<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwvIGlWEO04ESVJwtE8oiyKppO-5oGDiJjgbq8oNV0Djx0A9X-NT9_LutoJo2T08Gz489856PXeO-4medNRICzknih5w8JwZmCYSVE0eIGYu0HxPdweuwB4StephZKl4QfcYy6HZslZY/s1600-h/Blog+Acquainted.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150898625307077490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwvIGlWEO04ESVJwtE8oiyKppO-5oGDiJjgbq8oNV0Djx0A9X-NT9_LutoJo2T08Gz489856PXeO-4medNRICzknih5w8JwZmCYSVE0eIGYu0HxPdweuwB4StephZKl4QfcYy6HZslZY/s320/Blog+Acquainted.jpg" border="0" /></a><em> Acquainted with the Night</em> was the first in an ongoing series of supernatural anthologies published by Ash-Tree Press. I'm not always a fan of my own artwork. I disliked the figures on the front panel because they are trite, and are generic enough to be Halloween clip-art. As far as I'm concerned, <em>unoriginal</em> equals <em>unintelligent</em> . . . and <em>unintelligent</em> equals <em>unimaginative</em>. Unimaginative work clutters fantasy and horror; and I when I fail artistically I add to this clutter. But the image on the back panel (praised by Tom Ligotti) is one of my favorite.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973883264713150193.post-60865680347753483282007-12-28T11:22:00.001-08:002007-12-28T11:30:01.432-08:00Cover illustration for Hell Is Murky<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQ7Wl2scOjkK4EfoGpLXjfjiKE7l7F-o8MWa1021TTwJjzzVXVXSgVF0Y1cfdJROru9UhO_AuTlTRfuWZ0CC2A6PGTblWQb11XztG4vxCaRONjOnutIjj5w_MnxADD3mKoJ8LWGEerr4/s1600-h/Taylor+Blog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149106477188377394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQ7Wl2scOjkK4EfoGpLXjfjiKE7l7F-o8MWa1021TTwJjzzVXVXSgVF0Y1cfdJROru9UhO_AuTlTRfuWZ0CC2A6PGTblWQb11XztG4vxCaRONjOnutIjj5w_MnxADD3mKoJ8LWGEerr4/s320/Taylor+Blog.jpg" border="0" /></a><em>Hell is Murky</em> is a collection of supernatural stories by John Alfred Taylor, published early 2008 by Ash-Tree Press. As usual, the design utilizes two Pantone colors, with screens and tints and "reverses" (paper-white) to extend the color pallette. The richness of these ink colors almost makes me forget that the original artwork was black (ink) on white (illustration board).<br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973883264713150193.post-59708302761934128022007-12-19T12:40:00.000-08:002007-12-19T13:17:19.738-08:00Clark Ashton Smith, Vol. 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OAm6cxToJiZ9ha9MjRsG1WfsrL_XKKBEgY_51Gu5GDxJstpR_hHu-Ptvze84Dd-oO3dsjUjm-Yhuyg48qeoVFx-sAJbpDIDQTCQPlXcRDM_613EfSyspqkL4tQOO8zy-UK9jriUQtG0/s1600-h/Smith1Blog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145787116008631074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OAm6cxToJiZ9ha9MjRsG1WfsrL_XKKBEgY_51Gu5GDxJstpR_hHu-Ptvze84Dd-oO3dsjUjm-Yhuyg48qeoVFx-sAJbpDIDQTCQPlXcRDM_613EfSyspqkL4tQOO8zy-UK9jriUQtG0/s320/Smith1Blog.jpg" border="0" /></a>Clark Ashton Smith was also an artist. For the first in a five-volume series I wanted to create a Smith/Van Hollander "collaboration." I was prepared to re-draw some Smith creatures and arrange them in a dramatic tableau. The publisher rejected my concept, but couldn't clearly identify what he preferred. Just before the deadline I improvised a solution. Alas, the cover designer drastically darkened and muted the vibrant colors. Massive graphical elements . . . brown stripes . . . were added. The cover includes the biggest bar code I've ever seen. (For this blog I removed the bar code, and attempted to restore the original color balance.) A weak illustration can be camouflaged with graphical embellishments. But a healthy illustration doesn't need to be subdued. A healthy illustration can take weeks and even months to prepare; most book designs can be knocked out in a few hours.<br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973883264713150193.post-19091530241492764772007-12-13T12:09:00.000-08:002007-12-13T12:26:01.526-08:00Art for Red World of Polaris<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOk6X8KxOabB1Id2eDW2n2JIX0JGZ3BPOc6jU0lbak7KVhEu4OAFnZQbDuYmLmPuOcxkF8pBuenzfQ4KqKjt56L_wvzNvEFcvf4Hzqs56tajMv1IL_yvFVs4gDrgYwCaBZTc6KDRzG9so/s1600-h/RedWorldBlog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143552288417246818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOk6X8KxOabB1Id2eDW2n2JIX0JGZ3BPOc6jU0lbak7KVhEu4OAFnZQbDuYmLmPuOcxkF8pBuenzfQ4KqKjt56L_wvzNvEFcvf4Hzqs56tajMv1IL_yvFVs4gDrgYwCaBZTc6KDRzG9so/s320/RedWorldBlog.jpg" border="0" /></a> The colorful illustration for Clark Ashton Smith's <em>Red World of Polaris</em> is at least as "science fictional" as the narrative. Actually, I share Smith's real orientations. The commonality is a yearning for beauty that can only be experienced in terms of the Grotesque. The Grotesque is a spiritual grimace, an expression of tension like the distorted features of someone who is expressing anger or fear or passion. The Grotesque is the crystalized poetry of anguish. . . . the distillation when Beauty and Anxiety are mingled.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973883264713150193.post-52616230477283158782007-12-13T06:19:00.000-08:002007-12-13T06:46:01.226-08:00Cover for Divinations of the Deep<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4Gh3XK5ort8ru6gqGFyUZz68xoRnMhFV8UhHlGePYSJL4KsU4_DqPID1lkQGkRlH9G5L4ipV4oTW3dDUFS8ioBaxaKTezjhpa4kfqKvh2P8iEoUr5b_VzTGSaki9N6GP5DWQdDC-QtE/s1600-h/DivBlog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143462059744292434" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4Gh3XK5ort8ru6gqGFyUZz68xoRnMhFV8UhHlGePYSJL4KsU4_DqPID1lkQGkRlH9G5L4ipV4oTW3dDUFS8ioBaxaKTezjhpa4kfqKvh2P8iEoUr5b_VzTGSaki9N6GP5DWQdDC-QtE/s320/DivBlog.jpg" border="0" /></a>Certain books have "charm". Matt Cardin's <em>Divinations of the Deep</em> is one of those books. Charm, in this context refers to a combination of values: 1) literary value; 2) author's prestige; 3) production value; 4) publisher's prestige. Book assignments with these characteristics tend to reflect happily on me. Ultimately, I'm a bricoleur. Every image that I create relies on a convergence of serendipities.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973883264713150193.post-79172805054060018332007-12-12T13:42:00.000-08:002007-12-12T13:56:31.361-08:00Art for Space and Time Magazine<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7GUWcucMxjaH3o59yHAQCCHRnOXGvEbRd3AN3X75nYRVPlL3A3flRM-UPyZh2UNHt7zYrDaBsYFxefQExNS2_RXotUXc2o9dTjWQZTyHSN4e5fOXyAsQqyBmoGB55bhJihAqhA-6t-c8/s1600-h/SpaceTimeBlog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143205109030841922" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7GUWcucMxjaH3o59yHAQCCHRnOXGvEbRd3AN3X75nYRVPlL3A3flRM-UPyZh2UNHt7zYrDaBsYFxefQExNS2_RXotUXc2o9dTjWQZTyHSN4e5fOXyAsQqyBmoGB55bhJihAqhA-6t-c8/s320/SpaceTimeBlog.jpg" border="0" /></a> The venerable magazine <em>Space and Time</em> relies on Diane and Lee Weinstein for art direction. My artwork is also venerable, from a time when I painted on textured (cold press) watercolor paper. Hours of Photoshop were required to minimize this texture . . . the original watercolor was completed more quickly.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973883264713150193.post-21543346180962312292007-12-10T13:01:00.000-08:002007-12-10T13:40:53.416-08:00Cover Illustration for Gist Hunter<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHJAaz_hd9HPmrC3LIvtNtM7fRLhLAFMo6H__sNz3KAqydN4wONwqzhgqD1cnJTs63td86aKlHKnMXB1LbInG5GIYWRhTzltvh9rDqn5uB9LsCF-lwfikfN8l70v6wvZ9y4e02EdUXhk/s1600-h/GistBlog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142452368767577634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHJAaz_hd9HPmrC3LIvtNtM7fRLhLAFMo6H__sNz3KAqydN4wONwqzhgqD1cnJTs63td86aKlHKnMXB1LbInG5GIYWRhTzltvh9rDqn5uB9LsCF-lwfikfN8l70v6wvZ9y4e02EdUXhk/s320/GistBlog.jpg" border="0" /></a>Matthew Hughes, the author of <em>Gist Hunter,</em> is a truly original author. He's a creative contrarian who knows how to outmaneuver a reader's expectation. "Working against expectation" is what I had in mind when I accepted this commision from Night Shade Books a few years ago. I wanted to present an exotic cityscape . . . but in a style different than Tom Kidd's, whose artwork is more firmly associated with Matt's books. So my cityscape is a single color--an oxidized green, because Tom generally works in full color. Tom's futuramas are somewhat photographic, so my imagery referred to delirium. When my artwork was shown to Matt Hughes I told him that I was the "anti-Kidd."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973883264713150193.post-11481765051654243782007-12-06T10:18:00.000-08:002007-12-06T13:56:14.491-08:00Cover illustration for Dragonfly<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPu3F5aIkWKUBWSp9bPq4RdbHla-Wu6Q1dMtRF9r7fh3c2vlAlhWVY4glk5kuI0fMkmvlhcVFvvPeJHIzDa-g_-aLsgfk-ySlZJNTibIdbNJvftMG42zfxBzBp6xBftietzxwle9LWauU/s1600-h/B+DragonBlog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140940329825988082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPu3F5aIkWKUBWSp9bPq4RdbHla-Wu6Q1dMtRF9r7fh3c2vlAlhWVY4glk5kuI0fMkmvlhcVFvvPeJHIzDa-g_-aLsgfk-ySlZJNTibIdbNJvftMG42zfxBzBp6xBftietzxwle9LWauU/s320/B+DragonBlog.jpg" border="0" /></a>Book illustration is collaborative. Images are suggested by the narrative. The narrative has primacy; the illustrator is merely a visual amanuensis. This collaborative interplay suffers when publishers, editors (and authors) interfere. In Frederic S. Durbin's novel <em>Dragonfly,</em> published by Arkham House, the narrative dwells lovingly on Fred's visually-rich, deeply imagined underworld. This irreal place is the true "star" of this novel, hence the large dreamscape depicted on the dust jacket. This book launched Fred's career, and helped me win my first World Fantasy Award.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973883264713150193.post-26207173092921861552007-12-04T09:01:00.000-08:002007-12-05T08:59:20.826-08:00Artwork for At Ease with the Dead<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDO93WMFVH7Zi-XoccpyCHG4-DGj8xMd7PyrBlyKdSAYsK3izjWFjcdQxKv3jRJxxeuUV6e0skcl1GC7Lk0MWST83WcBCEsRHw0V_tk7K2ORi5nQjvJIIZkLjZL_OMSySQaeJGmPcyNg/s1600-h/AtEaseBlog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140164057436908994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDO93WMFVH7Zi-XoccpyCHG4-DGj8xMd7PyrBlyKdSAYsK3izjWFjcdQxKv3jRJxxeuUV6e0skcl1GC7Lk0MWST83WcBCEsRHw0V_tk7K2ORi5nQjvJIIZkLjZL_OMSySQaeJGmPcyNg/s320/AtEaseBlog.jpg" border="0" /></a>This was the second in an ongoing series of award-winning supernatural anthologies published by Ash-Tree Press. The image was lovingly re-purposed by: 1) splitting a single illustration--an old cover for <em>Weird Tales--</em>into two panels; 2) removing a monster; 3) adding skeletal figures. Photoshop made this possible. But purist illustrators dislike Photoshop. Purists believe that hand-crafted images are more worthy than digitally-enhanced images (which shouldn't be confused with <em>computer-generated</em> images). In this instance the source image was a hand-painted watercolor. Ultimately, the <em>virtual</em> <em>tools</em> in Photoshop require delicate flexions of wrists and fingers . . . the same physical actions that a watercolorist experiences when painting with brushes manufactured by Winsor-Newton.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973883264713150193.post-26440558117604798962007-12-03T07:04:00.000-08:002007-12-07T12:37:07.282-08:00Cover illustration for Cold Harbour<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALzPM_M5Y-MXlZi6OLaSHhvidJNO5QRrADq_rq0X45oZXTbxVc_6EurPKwhpIDubPmuLvSPC21ak4q7cge3_lBeM3md2DS2auF5IPNLme3EY7-GHOyhymm79AWSQ17HJoGNHvVlQb5C4/s1600-h/B+ColdBlog2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141330931331755538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALzPM_M5Y-MXlZi6OLaSHhvidJNO5QRrADq_rq0X45oZXTbxVc_6EurPKwhpIDubPmuLvSPC21ak4q7cge3_lBeM3md2DS2auF5IPNLme3EY7-GHOyhymm79AWSQ17HJoGNHvVlQb5C4/s320/B+ColdBlog2.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em>Cold Harbour,</em> a supernatural thriller by Francis Brett Young, was published in September 2007 by Ash-Tree Press. Generally, dustjackets for this fine publisher are printed with two Pantone ink colors. This constraint tends to enhance <em>line-artwork</em>--usually achieved with pen-and ink/rapidograph. Details of line, cross-hatch and stipple remain as articulated and sharply defined as the original artwork. The right kind of line-artwork tends to be more dynamic than images that require a halftone.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973883264713150193.post-59866732329529071622007-11-30T13:03:00.000-08:002007-11-30T13:28:28.679-08:00Cover Illustrations for J. S. Leatherbarrow Book<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lQmYjbtIuZ-RsNzM_rwuJrmfWUe_qs6uxO6LRyse7C9Kzc98PGbL881rFTQMLYGyCezlkIdu2-yl4v7Tt-aY3UIEEFx66OwMDFRtv3k2sErluBMf4GXEjEXRsQnuyQ7fz2x96bEvtLA/s1600-r/NBblog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138742156973960594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ztnc3XmjqKCQCPuem5WDIUsuT4RQPpg0Dq19GYwnO0yD7ItNshuINnJROV9ZwgwhOHf0pSjvaNwEncgP0JoGeNoJXtw0K0yaLP4QiBDw33RCwL1oSkMRlAqjOjOZHJ3koOzvk9DeeK0/s320/NBblog.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em>A Natural Body and A </em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-nXxNKLDu3fNyfsvGalO-0fAGhbRBoJKodnEhpikCshRUsqecInpIax7f8VaLUJ7BtjgD_ato58dmfd-GQYU63jqQA57lw0pVKA8-ZvvsUSK1vj2Qc7rcZLJqFIv-igaB6FXxYEccWqg/s1600-r/NBblog.jpg"></a><em>Spiritual Body,</em> a collection of supernatural stories by J. S. Leatherbarrow, will be published in December 2007 by Ash-Tree Press. Recent books by this publisher utilize two Pantone colors, which might be considered restrictive by artists accustomed to four-color process. But graphic designers generally regard constraints as a challenge . . . since screens and tints and "reverses" (paper-white) extend the color pallette.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973883264713150193.post-74211491700076558832007-11-29T22:34:00.000-08:002007-12-06T09:53:58.223-08:00Cover for Henry S. Whitehead Book<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndoIwHajpGFZz6AZH8BHWeVDpamVh6eLNqrxgZAJNlciUKLXJA3cHvJmsaXPojtWOK5-Y3YQzKsVNbNmYkQzeq0B5G5V21sctK6P6kh2seekqjy0P37sQBhu2Eh6JA1N7Cb5SCWRQDd4/s1600-h/WhiteBlogR.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140916698915925458" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndoIwHajpGFZz6AZH8BHWeVDpamVh6eLNqrxgZAJNlciUKLXJA3cHvJmsaXPojtWOK5-Y3YQzKsVNbNmYkQzeq0B5G5V21sctK6P6kh2seekqjy0P37sQBhu2Eh6JA1N7Cb5SCWRQDd4/s320/WhiteBlogR.jpg" border="0" /></a> This Henry S. Whitehead book was published in 2007 by Ash-Tree Press. My concerns as an art director trump my needs as an illustrator, hence this digital collage in two ink colors. Illustrations can be emblematic; a two-headed snake evokes <em>Vaudou.</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973883264713150193.post-56629801192349738102007-10-10T11:06:00.000-07:002007-10-16T13:07:06.803-07:00Blame Swanwick<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_pXSOwM9oGJ2crI9TTuBRnmeoqXH3FdKkJtKt5dNCteL6sirLoNviu93WwO0FVSbf1BSUhRGe_d_WLJ1fG2RhYHM_Y6n2E14mNtDQAUVQKBgiNLF5gPV7X6B5Gt9hveA8zEKcjPbFVI/s1600-h/JVHIHG4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119778908375229810" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_pXSOwM9oGJ2crI9TTuBRnmeoqXH3FdKkJtKt5dNCteL6sirLoNviu93WwO0FVSbf1BSUhRGe_d_WLJ1fG2RhYHM_Y6n2E14mNtDQAUVQKBgiNLF5gPV7X6B5Gt9hveA8zEKcjPbFVI/s200/JVHIHG4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>It was <a href="http://floggingbabel.blogspot.com/">Michael Swanwick</a> who created this blog when he visited my office. Blame him, not me.</div><div></div><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0