Month: December 2012

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Flesk Pictures of Mark Schultz Creating “Lunar Pulpette” with Brush and Ink

I visited Mark Schultz in early November while on a research trip for a trio of books. (More on these in the coming months.) On his drawing board was a pencil underdrawing of “Lunar Pulpette” ready for ink. I asked Mark if he would mind my filming him while he worked in which he graciously agreed to.

Mark’s usual practice is to move the paper to align best with his brush strokes. For the sake of filming, we taped the art board down and filmed two close up sequences over the course of an hour apiece for future time-lapse demonstrations. This followed with his working in his usual method of moving the paper around and my taking grab shots for another hour with the HD camera from different angles. I asked Mark if he has ever been filmed before. He answered that he has been filmed doing quick sketches, but this is the first time when working on a full finished piece. Without his realizing it (I mentioned it to Mark after) he talked constantly about his methods, and what he was doing and why.

The video will be shared in due time. I have books I need to finish first, and then can concentrate more fully on editing the footage. I promise it will be available before the next Xenozoic story Mark has promised comes out!

I had my still camera with me and took some pictures during the filming of the time-lapse.

Looking over the shoulder of Mark Schulz while he applies ink with brush.
Mark starts by applying ink heavy and wet, and then refines the details later using dry brush.
Areas of unwanted ink were later removed using the electric eraser.
Mark often states how slow he is, but as an observer his brush strokes appear confident and deliberate, as his hand follows a specific path mapped out in his head.
The tools of Mark Schultz.
Mark’s body and hand remained relaxed while he created.
He continues to work on the darkest areas first. In this case, the woman’s decorative wrist band.
This napkin received almost as much attention as the art. Mark continually refined the amount of ink on his brush by wiping it back and forth on the rough absorbent surface of the napkin.
Don’t interrupt the man while he is working. Actually, I did a “Hey, Mark” to get him to look up at me and “click.”
Mark works on the moon surface, again, by applying heavy blacks first. It almost looks like he is over-inking the drawing, but then as he refines the area it gels into an organic substance serving as a solid, and believable, base for the hero to stand on.
A few more touches before calling it quits for the night.

Enjoy,

John

John Fleskes
Flesk Publications
Art copyright © 2012 Mark Schultz. Used with permission. Text and photographs copyright © 2012 John Fleskes. All rights reserved.

Link:
Mark Schultz books from Flesk Publications

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Spectrum 19

I received my copy of Spectrum 19 a few weeks ago. This is the most eagerly anticipated annual collection that I look forward to receiving each year. I rely on this volume to keep me hip and aware about the fantastic art genre.

It’s taken me a while to plug the book since, the better the art, the longer it takes for me to peruse. I like to take a leisurely stroll by viewing around 30-40 pages a day. This lets me truly absorb and enjoy each work. It would be a disservice to me and the artists to flip through the pages quickly. This book defines the pleasure of observation.

I’m constantly amazed at the number of artists who do excellent work that are unknown to me. I get a thrill out of seeing fresh faces (to me, at least) and broadening my awareness of what is going on in the field of fantastic art. I realize that some of these individuals are young artists just beginning to gain exposure, while others are mature players who have been in the industry for decades. Regardless, these showcased works represent the best art from those submitted to Spectrum, who were selected by an esteemed panel of five judges. I feel Spectrum documents the current trends of the year not just to enjoy today, but also to serve as a historical preservation of the year for the future.

As I focus on my praise for the interiors, I’m going to jump into the first section highlighting the Advertising selections. This chapter is modest in page count, yet took me a considerable amount of time to peruse. There’s Tyler Jacobson, Android Jones, Frank Cho, Matt Smith, Lucas Graciano and Victo Ngai who all impressed me. I was unfamiliar with each, except Android and Cho.

The Book, Comics, Concept Art, Dimensional, Editorial and Institutional sections all rock, too. Jumping to the Unpublished category, there are amazing pieces by Sho Murase, Justin Henrnadez, Jim Mahfood, Shelly Wan (we need more Shelly paintings!), Bill Carman, Kei Acedera, Eric Fortune, Charles Vess, and many, many more superb artists represented.

Spectrum 19 is a hefty 304-page gallery packed with examples from dozens of the best artists in the field. I’m especially enjoying seeing how digital art tools are being used to create increasingly exciting images. Spectrum 19 is available everywhere and easy to find. Go check it out!

Enjoy,

John

John Fleskes
Flesk Publications
Text copyright © 2012 John Fleskes. All rights reserved.

Link:
Spectrum Fantastic Art website

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New Mark Schultz Banner for Flesk Publications

Early this year I asked Mark Schultz if he could create a new piece of art incorporating the Flesk Publications name that I could use for website and show banners. This is the first time I have commissioned an artist for a work specific to the company. I try to be as hands off as possible, since it is the vision of the artist I am looking for, not mine. The theme, however, we did discuss. I let Mark know how much I love Jack Kirby’s imagery from his run on Thor, and Joe Kubert’s art on The Viking Prince. We continued our discussion by exploring visuals inspired by the majesty, romance, strength and power that comes with this territory, and that I was hoping for something in this vein. Then, I left Mark alone.

A few months later he presented me with four sketches showing different compositions and ideas. After I made my pick, I discovered it was his least favorite of the quartet. (Well, it’s his fault for showing it to me!) Mark ended up refining and tweaking the composition by taking elements from the sketch I highlighted and from another that he felt had ingredients that he wanted to incorporate into the final art. A new fifth sketch was formed, which I gave him my thumbs-up to. Mark went on to use a blue pencil to delineate the underdrawing, and then used a brush and ink to finish the drawing.

Mark added the “Flesk” to the flag, and you can see part of our logo on the left edge of it. He also incorporated an “FP” on the axe held by the main warrior. He then went on to hand color the art using watercolors on a separate board, which was then scanned and added as a layer under the scan of the brush and ink art.

I love the outcome!

This art premiered on our Facebook page a few weeks ago.

If you are wondering about what all of the sketches I mention look like, you will have to wait to see them in the next Schultz art book coming out in summer 2013. I figure being a Schultz fan you are used to waiting…

Enjoy,

John

John Fleskes
Flesk Publications
Art copyright © 2012 Mark Schultz. Used with permission. Text copyright © 2012 John Fleskes. All rights reserved.

Link:
Mark Schultz books from Flesk Publications