I have been going over the printer proofs for The Art of Craig Elliott over the last week. I had extra copies made so both Craig Elliott and I could both go over them. The proofs allow us to review colors, values, ink densities, contrast, saturation and more, and give us a final chance to correct any mistakes or make any last minute modifications.
With the first set of proofs we found the book to be coming out too dark overall. I went in and lightened the middle values throughout, then had the printer supply a second set of proofs, which looked far superior. At that point I gave the full approval to print the book. The printer then uses these proofs as guides to make sure the final book matches our wishes.
I’m very excited about this book. Craig’s fine art is stunning. With Craig’s personal touch throughout the entire process, from the art, to the design and writing, this book serves as a personal extension of who he is.
There will be three covers for the book. The first cover featuring the woman on Craig’s “Music” painting wearing a bra will be the version sent out to Diamond Comic Distributors and our trade book distributor. The topless version of “Music” will be available direct from us, or for direct wholesale orders. This was the original cover to the book, but since the topless version was a little too risqué for the distributor, Craig went in and put a bra on her. We both think this worked out better in the long run by allowing us to have the clothed and topless cover.
There is also a third cover featuring a woman with red sweeping hair. This cover will only be available direct from Craig or through Flesk and not available for wholesale to the book trade. Stay tuned for an extra bonus that will come with 250 copies of this edition. It’s a way of thanking those who order this version direct from us. If you already pre-ordered one of the “Music” versions through us you can swap for a different cover at any time. Just send us an email and we’ll take care of it.
With the book going on the press any minute now I will have an official street date very soon. I’m still thinking this book will be available at the end of December.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments section of this blog.
Enjoy,
John
John Fleskes
Flesk Publications
Text and photographs © 2011 John Fleskes