Our Drawing Beautiful Women: The Frank Cho Method Kickstarter campaign ends this Friday. This is the book where Frank Cho, the acclaimed creator of Liberty Meadows, shares his secrets to drawing the lovely women he is renowned for.
We offer a variety of editions from an affordably priced trade paperback all the way up to a fancy oversized limited edition. Eight stretch goals have been unlocked so far. Here is a rundown on the current free bonus items you will receive for those who make a book pledge of $20 or more.
-Free shipping by USPS Media Mail with tracking in the U.S.A. -Free 8 x 10″ print featuring a drawing the head construction guide with various angles shown -Two gatefolds added to the trade and publisher’s editions. -French flaps added to the trade paperback edition. -Free second 8 x 10″ print showing the full body construction of a woman from the front, side and rear. -Upgrade binding for the $35 Hardcover Publisher’s edition with jacket. -Free digital PDF version of the book for your computers and tablets. -Adding two gatefolds to the Gallery Edition. -Upgrade binding for the $50 hardcover Deluxe Limited and Signed Publisher’s Edition.
Our next two stretch goals are:
Preliminary sketch for Ivy Doomkitty print.
-A third free print, this one featuring the lovely Ivy Doomkitty! -A Frank Cho online art demonstration video (Again Frank will be fully clothed, we promise.)
Flesk Prime patron, Strip Festival organizer and friend, Fons van Erp.
We had our second “An Evening With Flesk Prime” on October 24, 2013 in Breda, The Netherlands. This private dinner was held at a luxurious restaurant in a secluded area of the city. A natural barrier of native trees sheltered us from the sounds and sights of modern day civilization. It was the perfect setting for our intimate dinner with the artists and patrons. The evening was arranged by our stalwart friend, Mark Thelosen. Thanks to Mark for his excellent restaurant selection and for making the evening run so smoothly.
I came up with the idea of An Evening with Flesk Prime a few months prior to our 2011 visit to the Strip Festival in Breda. I oftentimes have the opportunity to have small group dinners with the artists and thought it would be fun to make a special dinner available to a small group of fans. With the 2011 inaugural evening a success, we decided to hold a follow-up dinner two nights prior to the 2013 Breda event.
I would like to thank our local patrons who partook in Flesk Prime. We all thoroughly enjoyed your company, conversation and laughs. We were pleased to see the many repeat attendees and to have the opportunity to meet the new gentlemen who joined us.
I also want to pass along my gratitude to our special guests: Terry & Rachel Dodson, Petar Meseldzija, Mark Schultz, Jim Silke and Thomas Yeates. The following are pictures from the dinner.
Jim and Kurtesa Silke.Thomas Yeates in the center. All smiles.Terry Dodson (middle) is an excellent storyteller, both in comics and in person.Mark Schultz (in the foreground) discussing his German roots.The view from the head of the table.Another shot at Terry’s zone.
Sorry, Petar! The pictures of you from the night didn’t come out good. But, for our Petar Meseldzija fans, I have plenty of unseen pictures of Petar that I’ll be sharing on my blog soon.
*An exclusive print of the renowned model Ivy Doomkitty. (Whoa Nellie!)
*A Frank Cho illustration process video. (He’ll draw a hottie from start to finish.)
*Upgraded bindings for our books.
*Digital PDF version that can all be yours at no additional cost for those who make a book pledge of $20 or more.
*Plus, we’re throwing in a digital PDF tier for just $10. No, we’re not going nuts (we checked), we just like giving more goodies as your support grows. You deserve it!
Here’s a full breakdown of the new offerings.
Gallery Edition
This massive edition will be 12 inches wide by 17 inches tall. The Gallery Edition will feature a new oil painting of a reclining nude woman on the printed boards cover. (The cover sample shows the painting and rough design, both of which are in progress.)
New Digital Tier
We’ve added a $10 tier for a digital version of the 112-page trade edition book in PDF form. You will also be eligible to have free access to the online Frank Cho art demonstration video if we hit our stretch goal to make the film happen. This is an incredible deal and also an excellent option for our international friends. Please note that all other stretch goals and exclusives are only available to book pledges of $20 or more
Stretch Goals to Unlock
$95K Stretch Goal
Upgrade binding for the $35 Hardcover Publisher’s Edition. We will upgrade the binding from the current paper printed boards to an Arlin boards wrap with custom stamp on the front boards. This version includes a jacket too.
$100K Stretch Goal
We will add a digital PDF version for everyone who makes a book pledge of $20 or more. This is a great way to have your hard copy book and a digital copy for when you are on the go.
$110K Stretch Goal Adding two gatefolds to our Gallery Editions. This goal is for two gatefolds, each measuring a whopping 24 inches wide by 17 inches tall! (That’s how tall Frank Cho is in real life.)
$115K Stretch Goal Upgrade binding of the $50 Hardcover Deluxe Limited & Signed Publisher’s Edition to a fancy quarter-binding with an onlaid plate featuring the cover art set in the front center boards. The board design will finish off with a stamp of the title and Frank Cho’s name on the front boards. The jacket will also be included.
$125K Stretch Goal
We will add a third free print Featuring Ivy Doomkitty. An 8 x 10 inch print featuring a classy nude watercolor pinup of internationally known cosplayer and model, the great Ivy Doomkitty, ONLY AVAILABLE THROUGH THIS KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN!
$140K Stretch Goal
A Frank Cho Drawing Demonstration Video. John Fleskes will fly out to Frank’s studio and film him drawing a few pieces included in the book. (John will make sure Frank wears his pants throughout the demonstration.) This 40 minute online video with narration will be available for free to all of our Kickstarter supporters who make a book pledge of $20 or more, and to those who pledge for the digital $10 tier.
If we get over the $140K mark we’ll have another big stretch goal to announce.
Art sample for the Deluxe Gallery Edition Sketch Tier available on Kickstarter.
Thanks again for all of your help and support. We greatly appreciate it!
Here’s a treat! The Art of Brom from Flesk Publications promotional video. A special thanks to Helpful Bear Productions for putting this together. I love how this turned out!
Here are a few stories and pictures during my travels to The Netherlands in late October.
As my flight prepared for departure from the San Francisco airport for Amsterdam the announcement was made to turn off all electronic devices. I gladly shut down and packed away my phones and didn’t turn them back on until my arrival back home in the states. I quickly and easily defaulted back to my days of no phones and no online access. I always feel good when I can temporarily disconnect from the grid, even if just for a day. I survived just fine without a phone, internet access or online maps. A little bit of pre-planning, local help, physical maps and asking people for directions on the streets kept us going in the right direction. It was quite liberating to be free of gadgets. One of my favorite things about traveling is how I tend to look up and around when walking, rather than looking straight ahead and thinking about where I am going when I am moving about on my home turf. This picture (above) is looking straight up into the canopy of a tree that looked remarkably similar to our California Sycamore native trees. It was located on the edge of a walking path that ran along a channel of flowing water that bounced a reflective light along the large broad green and yellow leaves, with the blue sky peering through in the background. It was like seeing a rich pallet of animated oil paint constantly undulating on the leaves and branches. I sat and watched this light show for a while, completely lost in its beauty. Coming from California, the nice weather experienced during our visit, which we were told was exceptional during our stay, was not that unusual for me to experience. But what was impressive was the clarity and lighting of objects during our stay. The days are shorter than where I live, and not just that, they sun travels lower across the Dutch sky making for morning to mid-morning light that blends right into a late afternoon and then evening light. The harsh and bright lighting that washes out color during the middle of the day that I am used to in California was non-existent. This made for perfect photography lighting during much of our stay in the Netherlands. It was like having a Hollywood film crew control the lighting to my advantage everywhere we went. Also, I didn’t have to get up early to catch the morning light.
Terry and Rachel Dodson, Mark Schultz, our pal Jim Reid and I spent the afternoon walking in Schiedam. Terry stopped a few times, pulled out his sketchbook and start drawing a scene that interested him. In this case, Terry was standing in the road to get the angle he wanted. I was watching for cars and bikes, while watching him work. He quickly blocked in the large masses and then continued to ease into the finer details. Twelve minutes later he got down what he wanted and we continued our leisurely walk through the city.
Mark Schultz, Mark Theloson and Thomas Yeates viewing the Will Eisner Exhibit.
We had the good fortune to visit the Belgium Comic Strip Center. Unbeknown to us, a stellar special exhibit on the life and work of Will Eisner was on display. What was originally planned for an hour long visit, extended into a full afternoon of pure enlightenment. Our group this day consisted of Thomas Yeates and his daughter, Mark Schultz, Mark Thelosen, Terry and Rachel Dodson and myself. I would guess all, if not most of us had met Will Eisner at least once, if not multiple times. I would also bet most of us have seen numerous examples of his originals before. Even with those experiences, this homage to Eisner was staggering in scope, detail and display. There are hundreds of originals to view. The care and attention that the Center put into celebrating Eisner is a work of art unto itself. They did a remarkable job. I was impressed by every nuance and corner of the Comic Strip Center. Never have I seen comics and creators so well presented to the public in a museum format. I was delighted that here we were, in the middle of the week, and the place was busy with visitors. The respect and appreciation of the comic arts by the general public throughout Europe is far greater than here in the U.S. And here’s another interesting aside–there was practically no superhero art on display, a genre of which dominates the American comics culture.
Mark Schultz standing in front of the Spirit display. Mark has written a few Spirit stories and drawn a couple of covers.
The Eisner original art displays were designed like a city outline, perfectly complimenting a theme that runs through Eisner’s works.
The Marks’ looking at one of the many displays of comics perephenilia.
Walking back to the train station in Brussels, we came across The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula. The lighting crew continued to do their job.
Another picture of the Cathedral with our friend and guide, Mr. Mark Theloson.
Mark Schultz takes a picture of Terry Dodson during our walk through Brussels.
Two days later, the Prince Valiant team of Mark Schultz (writer) and Thomas Yeates (artist) were asked to give a lecture and workshop at the art department of a high school in Breda, The Netherlands. This was done during the early afternoon on the day before the Strip Festival show. These guys are always willing to share some of their knowledge with future professionals. I left for a few hours, but found out later that Mark and Thomas came up with a Prince Valiant story concept and sketched out the strip in front of the class. That’ll teach me to go goof off.
We were pleasantly surprised to see a large Dan Brereton drawing on the door leading into the art lecture room.
Later on, we found another drawing by Dan inside an art supply cabinet. Thomas added his own drawing on the interior door. Even Mark drew a small dinosaur right before we left. I suppose I won’t be surprised if that door ends up missing one day. The justification being that it would make it easier to get to the art supplies.
I have more pictures which I’ll share once I find a spare moment.
We are pleased to announce the Gallery Edition of Frank Cho’s “Drawing Beautiful Women.” This massive edition will be 12 inches wide by 17 inches tall. The Gallery Edition will feature a new oil painting of a reclining nude woman on the printed boards cover. (The cover sample shows the painting and rough design, both of which are in progress.)
This oversized version will meet the high standards of the discerning collector, plus benefit the student by showcasing the artwork at a large scale, many in its original size. This format will allow for a close and personal study of Cho’s line and brush strokes. Plus it makes a nifty tray to serve various beverages of your choice.
There are three offerings for this book.
Gallery Edition
The Gallery Edition hardcover with an extra 16 pages is 128 pages, 12×17 inches. At $150, you get the extra 16-page section which includes bonus artwork and an exclusive Frank Cho interview, plus an alternate designed cover featuring a new painting of a nude woman. This is only available from Flesk and Cho. This edition will not be available through the book trade.
Deluxe Gallery Edition
The Deluxe Gallery Edition hardcover is 130 pages, 12×17 inches. Each copy comes signed on a special bound-in signature page which features a new piece of art. The book is hand numbered with only 500 being available. At $200, you get the extra 16-page section which includes bonus artwork and an exclusive Frank Cho interview, plus an alternate designed cover featuring a new painting of a nude woman. This is only available from Flesk and Cho. This edition will not be available through the book trade.
Deluxe Gallery Edition with Original Art
This copy of the Deluxe Gallery Edition includes an original ballpoint-pen drawing by Frank Cho of a woman on a blank page inside the book. Only three copies are available with the price of $5000 apiece.
Adding an entire new edition to our campaign adds a whole new risk factor for us since the printing for this new edition will be quite expensive. But, it’s a dream edition for us, and one in which we hope will have your support.
