“Jim Silke Sketchbook” — Three New Flesk Publications Titles Coming in November 2012

There are three new Flesk titles coming out in November 2012. The Jim Silke Sketchbook, James Bama: Personal Works and Naughty and Nice: The Good Girl Art of Bruce Timm Big Pocket Edition. I’m doing a three-part blog today to share the details.

The Jim Silke Sketchbook is 9 x 12 inches at 64 pages. It’s in the same format as the Al Williamson Archives books. The one exception is that I’ve added 4-inch French flaps to Silke’s book. I was able to get a good printing rate so rather than pocket the savings I threw it back into the production of the book. The price is $19.95.

The drawings cover a thirty year span. You will see samples of Silke’s work before he was a professional artist. As some of you may know already, Jim become a professional when he was 60 years old, however he has drawn for most of his life. This aspect of his life will be covered for the first time. Another aspect I find exciting are the many drawings he did in preparation for his Rascals In Paradise series. Most art inside is in pencil, yet they are printed in color and show all the nuances of the multi-colored paper and tones that Jim uses. Like the Al Williamson Archives books, my goal is for those flipping through this book to feel as if they are in Jim’s studios pouring over his originals.

Jim has also provided captions throughout and an introduction.

Working with Jim is a pleasure. I learn a tremendous amount every time I work with or spend time with him. With this book, I designed volume 1 and 2 at the same time, then sent print outs to Jim. After he shuffled some pages around and gave me his feedback for improvements I went in and did a second pass while inserting his captions. All in all it was a smooth process.

Here’s the official book description:

Jim Silke illuminates the previously unpublished gems of his private studio collection.

Each image in the Jim Silke Sketchbook series is meticulously reproduced from the original artwork, and designed to provide the experience of leafing through the private portfolio of this modern master of the art of the pinup.

Pouring over the pages of this colorful collection, the soft, rich charcoals of a voluptuous nude give way to the sharp, angular pencil study of a dashing hero’s subtle range of expression. The tight pastel rendering of a bare fatale ushers forth the rough-hewn conceptual art of an unpublished Rascals In Paradise tale. It is a volume as eclectic as it is personal to the artist himself.

Jim Silke furnishes the introduction to the book, and walks the viewer though his work by providing descriptive captioning for each piece. Comprised solely of previously unpublished works, and spanning the last twenty-five years, this lavish collection is a guided tour of the artist’s studio, with the creator himself as the guide.

I’ll post some previews and have the book available for pre-order on our website very soon.

Enjoy,

John