Helpful Bear Productions has produced a second video highlighting the artists who appeared at the third Spectrum Fantastic Art Live event last May. Over 200 artists exhibited on the show room floor. This is a celebration that puts the artists in the forefront and provides an intimate and friendly environment for people to meet and greet the creators. Enjoy this small taste of SFAL.
During our road trip back to California from Kansas City, Mark Schultz and Jim Reid asked me a few questions about the recent Spectrum Fantastic Art Live event. I decided to type up my responses while we were traveling through Arizona along Highway 40. I’ve also added a series of fifteen pictures from the show with captions.
Question: This is the third year of the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live show. Tell us about the growth this year.
Answer: The growth can be measured and discussed in a few ways.
First, the pre-sales for tickets were more than double what they were last year. That’s a big deal and worth celebrating. There was a noticeable increase of people on the floor compared to last year.
Second, three of us joined the Spectrum show committee; Carl Anderson, Jeff Smith and myself. We took on roles to help add new features, which I’ll get into in a second, and to help spread out the existing duties to allow for a better individual focus of responsibilities both before and during the show. There seems to be the misconception that I am in charge of the show. But really, the show is the result of a team of dedicated and hard-working people put together by Cathy and Arnie Fenner. It is the initiative and efforts of the Fenner’s, and also Shena Wolf who plays an integral role in its operations, that makes the show a success.
Third, there were a number of new features added to the show. I’ll run down the list.
A) We added an “Artist Tables” section, which gave our future stars an opportunity to exhibit at a show for a modest price. This was intended to attract more local, young, first time and / or artists that have a smaller show budget to the event as exhibitors. We could have continued to fill the whole show with booths, but I think by reserving a portion of the exhibit hall space for artist tables, it allows more opportunities to the artists, and gives us more of a diverse range of artists attending, which attracts more people to the show. I think it’s better for everyone.
B) We improved our panels and workshops by adding more of an educational focus. We had artist panels by top industry professionals and art directors. For instance, Iain McCaig, Mark Schultz and Steve Rude all conducted artwork demonstrations. Justin Sweet and Vance Kovacs talked about working in film. Art Directors Lauren Pinepento, Marc Scheff and Jon Schindenhette did portfolio reviews. Comics professionals Terry Dodson, Frank Cho and Mark Chiarello offered advice on working within the industry. There was a live sculpting event happening all weekend on the show room floor. We covered quite a bit of core industry essentials that were geared toward professionals in the field, for those just breaking, for students, and even for fans who want to see how things are run. I also want there to be opportunities for young artists rub elbows with the established pros.
Then to get back to the main areas of growth, fourth, there were more artists at the show. Besides the five special show guests, plus the ten additional artists who joined us at our Flesk / Spectrum booth, if you add the artist exhibitors to the list, there were over 200 artists there to meet, learn from, get autographs and purchase original artwork from.
I’ll add too, that we continued to make sure we kept the daily ticket prices at only $20, or all three days for $40, since we want to make sure the show is easily accessible. If you took all of the workshops that were available to all of the attendees at no additional price, it’s an incredible bargain.
Answer: The main reason why I like having the show in Kansas City is its central position within the country. This allows SFAL to attract artists from the west and east coasts, as well as everywhere in-between to make for an exceptionally diverse group. The city is just a one to three hour flight from most states making it easy to travel to. Also, Kansas City offers inexpensive hotels, a wide variety of restaurants from quick meals to fine dining, all of which are within a short walking distance to the convention center. The local community and city itself have been very supportive as well.
Question: What type of artists do you want to see at SFAL?
Answer: One of the main aspects that I want to retain about the show is the heart. We want SFAL to grow while maintaining the essence of bringing the community together to a welcoming environment. With this said, I would like to continue to see artists come to the show who are supportive of one another and who enjoy the collaborative process of growing together. Anyone who has something to communicate through art, artists who are enthusiastic–even those who may feel unwelcome elsewhere–we want them here.
Question: Beyond community and workshop opportunities from the show, what practical aspects can the artists expect to gain from exhibiting at the show.
Answer: As someone who has exhibited at over 100 shows, I’m well aware of the time and cost considerations that go into exhibiting at a show. For me personally, the show has to make sense and be practical beyond just having a fun time to justify going in the first place, let alone signing up to go again the next year. The Spectrum committee is well aware of the need for fans and patrons to attend the show who are willing to buy artwork to allow the artist to continue to create their artwork. We had placed advertisements in newspapers, magazines, online and even run TV commercials, as well as social networking to inform, educate and encourage people to come to the show. It’s all well and good to say we will have a good time, but we need this to make sense for everyone. None of the Spectrum committee has taken a salary and we’ve turned all of the money right back into next year’s show, so we are committed to making this happen.
Question: What type of atmosphere do you hope to create for SFAL?
Answer: Our goal is for this show to be an event that is something in-between the comic shows and fine art shows. We want the sophistication and focus on the art that the fine art shows have, yet the accessibility and fun that can be found at a comic show. And again, we want people to have the opportunity to grow and to be inspired upon leaving that combined will benefit their art and careers.
Question: Are there any after-hours activities?
Answer: Yes. Every night. There was the Spectrum Awards, a life-drawing event and social gatherings. After-hours activities are important, not just for the attendees who want to keep enjoying their time in Kansas City, but also for the exhibitors who have been at their booths all day and want to enjoy the company of their fellow professionals. Starting on Thursday evening, planned evening hot-spots are promoted where everyone can all get together. These are public places and welcome to all. This year was exciting in that by Sunday there were three main locations that were packed with people from the show, compared to just the one spot the following two years. One of my favorite comments this year was that our previous quiet spot was now packed with people from the show late into each night. I hope to hear this complaint more and more.
Question: What was the life-drawing event?
Answer: On Friday night, a large room and models were secured in the Aladdin hotel where artists were able to draw direct from life. Roughly 150 artists were there. It’s proven to be very popular these last three years.
Question: And can you give me some more details about the Spectrum Awards?
Answer: The Spectrum 21 Awards ceremony was held on May 10th at the historic Midland Theater. The gold and silver Spectrum 21 awards were handed out to sixteen artists within eight categories. This is the time to shine the spotlight on the artists and make them the stars, while celebrating their hard work and achievements. We also announce the 2014 Spectrum Grand Master Award, the recipient of which has to have had over 20 years in the field, given freely to the community, inspired a new generation and whose art is exceptional in every way. This year the award was given to Iain McCaig. There was live entertainment, amazing heartwarming acceptance speeches and a lively after-party.
An update from John Flesk, Mark Schultz, and business consultant and long-haul driver Jim Reid–From the Painted Desert, AZ: On the road to Big Wow ComicFest.
We had hoped to ditch Frank Cho in Kansas City after the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live event, but due to poor planning, he will continue to terrorize us at the Big Wow ComicFest in San Jose, CA this weekend. We will have free Drawing Beautiful Women: The Frank Cho Method promotional postcards at our Flesk booth, which you can have signed by Cho. He will be signing at his table and offering a free oil painting demonstration, the results of which will be auctioned at the shows end.
Mark Schultz will be at our Flesk table, and will be happy to give his frank opinion of Frank. You can hear Mark’s often incoherent ramblings while viewing his originals and perusing his Flesk books, of which we will have plenty. New Storms at Sea postcards are complimentary, as well as his his same old autograph.
Completing our triad of booth appearances, Jim “Smooth As” Silke will have originals of tastefully rendered women in various states of undress and fit for any gentleman’s parlor or lady’s sitting room. Come by and see what he has in the works with Flesk.
The complete Flesk book and print catalog will be available at our Flesk / Spectrum booth, #418. And for the thrifty shopper, fill in your bookshelf with selections from our bargain basement, where we will be offering dinged and scuffed books at deep, deep discount prices.
Big Wow ComicFest has become the Bay Area’s best and biggest comic convention. Meet scores of comic artists from the around the world! Visit the many panels and workshops! Visit the website for ticket and location information.
After untold hours of preparation and planning, I look at the beginning of this month with much anticipation. We have the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live event fast approaching, I am writing the “Year in Review” and designing Spectrum 21, plus I’m working with Frank Cho to keep his Drawing Beautiful Women book on schedule. The magnitude of these three projects, along with the day-to-day necessities of running Flesk, has consumed my 60 hour work week. Once July 1st comes, the show will have passed, the books completed and turned in to the printer, and then I will immediately focus on a new batch of books for 2015. Downtime does not exist here.
Here’s a print that will be available at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live. It is 11 x 17 inches and will be free at our Flesk / Spectrum booth (#501) during the SFAL special guest signing on Saturday from 11:15am to 12PM. Wayne Barlowe, Tim Bruckner, Frank Cho, Camilla d’Errico and Justin Sweet will be on hand to sign your prints! The prints are limited to 250 units with a limit of 1 per person to make sure that as many attendees have an opportunity to get one.
We’ve just finalized the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live promotional video.
Spectrum Fantastic Art Live runs May 9-11th, 2014 at the Kansas City Convention Center, Grand Ballroom of Bartle Hall, Kansas City, MO. For full details and to purchase tickets visit: spectrumfantasticartlive.com
Be a part of Spectrum Fantastic Art Live by attending this event that celebrates the fantastic art and its creators. SFAL is a fantasy-focused art fair, in which creators can display, share and sell originals, prints, sculpture, crafts, toys and more to an audience of fans and peers. There is something for everything, including presentations, panels, displays, portfolio reviews, workshops, educational opportunities and the Spectrum 21 awards ceremony. In short, our goal is to honor the artists and put on a fantasy art convention that anyone is welcome to attend and enjoy.
It’s time for some Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 3 news! (Updated on April 15th to include David Palumbo to the Flesk special guests list.)
The show will be in Kansas City, MO in the Bartle Hall Grand Ballroom running May 9-11, 2014. There are five special guests who you can meet at the show. They are Wayne Barlowe, Tim Bruckner, Frank Cho, Camilla d’Errico and Justin Sweet.
In addition, Flesk is sponsoring eight more artists who will be hosted at the Flesk / Spectrum booth: Bill Carman, Terry Dodson, Craig Elliott, Android Jones, Iain McCaig, Jackson Robinson, Steve Rude, Mark Schultz.
Furthermore, there will be over 200 artists exhibiting at the show. We’re also organizing far more workshops than before. We want everyone to have the opportunity to grow, learn and to be inspired. We have top artists in the industry giving extended live presentations. These are at no additional cost to the already affordable entry cost.
Here is some information and sample art by those artists who I will be hosting. (The five special show guests are already highlighted on the SFAL site.)
Bill CarmanArt by Bill Carman
Bill Carman has worked as a designer, illustrator, and art director at universities, ad agencies, publishing houses and for large corporations. Since graduating with a BFA in visual communication/illustration and an MFA in painting he has always free-lanced and exhibited. Bill is currently a professor teaching illustration at Boise State University. He has been featured in many exhibits and publications including Society of Illustrators New York Annuals (gold medal, silver medal), 3×3 Magazine professional annual, American Illustration and Spectrum (silver medal). He is the recipient of the bronze, silver and gold medals from CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education). Bill authored and illustrated a children’s book, What’s That Noise?, published in 2002 by Random House Books. Painting for exhibitions and commissions continues to be where most of Bill’s time is spent when he is not fishing.
Terry DodsonArt by Terry Dodson
Terry Dodson has been a professional artist since 1993. He has worked on such comic books and characters as Harley Quinn, Spider-Man, Star Wars, Superman, Wonder Woman, the X-Men, Harry Potter, the Defenders, the Avengers. He has worked for Hasbro, Mattel, DC Entertainment, Warner Brothers, ESPN, Electronic Arts, Hanna-Barbera, Marvel Entertainment, Sideshow Collectibles and many other clients.
Terry is now working on creator owned comics as well, currently the new graphic novel series “Red One” with writer Xavier Dorison, scheduled for a September 2014 release.
Terry has also worked in toy and statue design, animation and video games and has had gallery exhibitions featuring his paintings. He remains a popular artist in the industry –a status he attributes in large part to the contributions of his wife, Rachel, who adds her talented inking to his work.
Craig ElliottArt by Craig Elliott
Craig Elliott has worked primarily for Disney and Dreamworks, designing their animated films such as Hercules, Mulan, The Emperor’s New Groove, Treasure Planet, Enchanted, Monsters vs. Aliens, The Princess and the Frog, Rio and The Lorax. Craig has also done fully painted comic book and cover artwork. A multi-faceted artist, he is also an accomplished landscape architect, fine artist, sculptor and most recently, jewelry designer.
Android JonesArt by Android Jones
Android Jones is the cutting-edge creator renowned for his concept art for movies and video games, fashion design, body painting, illustration and digital performances. He started his career with George Lucas at Industrial Light & Magic, worked as the only North American concept artist for the Japanese gaming company Nintendo and became creative director for the entertainment development company Massive Black Inc., of which he is founder.
Iain McCaigArt by Iain McCaig
Iain McCaig divides his energies between a lifelong love of storytelling, and a passionate belief that everyone in the world can learn to draw. McCaig is best known for his cover art for Jethro Tull’s Broadsword and the Beast and his Star Wars designs for Queen Amidala and Darth Maul. His other films include Interview with a Vampire, Dracula, Terminator 2, Hook, Peter Pan, Charlotte’s Web, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Disney’s John Carter. He is also a Chesley nominated illustrator, having illustrated books ranging from Fighting Fantasy to J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit. Shadowline: The Art of Iain McCaig, a 28 year retrospective of his film and publishing work came out in 2008. Currently, McCaig is developing an original live-action feature film, Book of Secrets.
David PalumboArt by David Palumbo
As a freelance illustrator, David Palumbo’s work has been featured prominently in the F/SF market on book covers, comics (Dark Horse), and collectable card games (Magic: The Gathering), as well as such mainstream publications as Scientific American and The New Yorker. His emphasis on moody and dramatic genre scenes have received multiple honors including several Spectrum medals and a Chesley award as well as having been shown in galleries and exhibitions from New York to Paris.
Jackson RobinsonArt by Jackson Robinson
Jackson Robinson is the owner and artist behind King’s Wild Project, a luxury playing card company. With roots from the crowd-funding website, Kickstarter, Jackson burst into the deck design scene in early 2013. Drawing inspiration from currency and banknotes of the late 1800’s, Jackson’s most popular series has been The Federal 52, including 10 different decks that highlight the art of American money and intaglio printing throughout history.
Jackson has also worked in the video game industry, 2-D print illustrations, as well as a teacher at the Gnomon School of Visual Arts in Hollywood, CA. When Jackson isn’t working on pushing the envelop of card design, he loves hanging out with his wife and two sweet daughters.
Steve RudeArt by Steve Rude
Steve Rude’s career began in 1981 with his and co-creator Mike Baron’s groundbreaking Nexus comic series. This space saga catapulted Rude into the field of comics, where he became highly sought after by major publishers. During his first few years in the industry, Rude’s efforts led to numerous awards, such as the 1984 Russ Manning Newcomer Award, the Kirby Award for best artist in 1986, and numerous Eisner’s for artistic achievement. For over two decades, Rude has drawn hundreds of comic’s greatest iconic heroes, and has galvanized the art world as a comic magazine artist and illustrator.
Mark SchultzArt by Mark Schultz
Mark Schultz is a storyteller by nature as well as by profession. He could always draw and his storytelling tends to lean toward the visual, although he can cobble his ideas into words as necessary. His interests in adventure fiction and the sciences led him to create his award-winning Xenozoic Tales comic series. He has illustrated a collection of Robert E. Howard’s Conan of Cimmeria and written the science primer graphic novel The Stuff of Life: A Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA. Between scripting the weekly newspaper adventures of Prince Valiant and producing images for his art series collection, Carbon, he continues to chip away at the illustrations for his novella Storms at Sea.
I’ll have a few more artists announced who will be appearing at our booth as we get closer to the show date.
John Fleskes, president and publisher of Flesk Publications, teams up with renowned portrait photographer Greg Preston to produce a special book created on the showroom floor of the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live event, held May 9-11th in Kansas City, Missouri. Sessions: Spectrum Fantastic Art Portraits will feature the art, a brief bio, and a portrait created by Greg Preston of at least 50 of the creators behind today’s best contemporary fantastic art.
This project is a singular opportunity that YOU can make happen, and as an added bonus you are invited to witness its creation. John Fleskes is sponsoring the project through Kickstarter, and the chance to be a part of this unique art book begins NOW. The amount needed to make Sessions a reality is $9,000 and this Kickstarter project offers several pledge levels to choose from, each with special items attached to thank you for being a backer.
Publisher John Fleskes explains: “I have invited noted portrait photographer Greg Preston and his crew to SFAL to set up a photo studio right on the show floor to take artist portraits throughout the event. With the permission of the artists, Greg and I will choose our favorite portraits and make a high-end, fine art style book collection. I really want to show the people behind the pictures; those who give us so much beauty, who entertain us and who fill our lives with wonder. Let’s celebrate the artists and who they are, which goes right along with the mission of the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live event: The artists are the stars and let’s showcase them in the best possible light.”
Artists to be included in the project include: Allen Williams, Annie Stegg, Bill Carman, Camilla d’Errico, Cory Godbey, Craig Elliott, Dan dos Santos, Daren Bader, David Palumbo, Donato Giancola, Edward Howard, Frank Cho, George Pratt, Greg Spalenka, Iain McCaig, Jackson Robinson, J. Anthony Kosar, John Picacio, Justin Gerard, Justin Sweet, Mark Chiarello, Mark Schultz, Omar Rayyan, Paul Bonner, Rebecca Yanovskaya, Steve Rude, Terry Dodson, The Shiflett Brothers, Tim Bruckner, Virginie Ropars and Wayne Barlow.
If stretch goals are met, even more artists may be included in the book.
In addition to the opportunity to bring this project to fruition, you can attend Spectrum Fantastic Art Live and witness Greg Preston work directly with the artists. It is open to the public. This is an amazing opportunity for you to see your book being created, and meet the artists who will grace its pages.
In the event that you need more incentive to come on board, Flesk Publications is noted for the quality and craftsmanship of the art books they have created in their twelve years of business. The book you are helping make will itself be a work of art, created by a publisher with a passion for fantastic art and the artists who create it.
The view from the Flesk booth. We had a prime spot right as you walk in off of the main sky bridge.
Emerald City Comicon is a wrap. The show was incredibly well organized with friendly staff and volunteers, plus easy to get in and out. The show was sold out in advance and packed with people for most of Friday and Saturday. I noticed that it was a little easier to get around on Sunday, but just a little.
Our friend’s at Bud Plant were just a few steps away from us. This picture was taken from our booth, too.
I brought three times the amount of books that we brought last year and by closing time on Sunday I was able to fit all of the remaining books into one small box. It looks like I’ll need to bring even more next year!
Here’s a picture of Brom at the Flesk / Spectrum booth just before opening time on Friday morning.Brom sketching in The Art of Brom.
Brom was with us all three days. His line was steady throughout with only the briefest of lulls. We sold out of the Art of Brom books that I had brought by early Sunday. In this picture above, Brom is adding a pair of drawings to a deluxe copy of his art book.
Some people talk about how big of a fan they are of Brom. Others show it. Here, Brom signs his name below the tattoo depicting his art during Emerald City Comicon last weekend. The owner requested Brom’s signature to use as a stencil for the tattoo artist to apply the final touch.
I observed that Seattle has a huge tattoo presence. I saw far more body art than cosplay at this show. Many beautiful tattoo arm sleeves had Asian influences, sea life or fantasy elements to them. I can only imagine how skilled these tattoo artists have to be as they don’t have the luxury of an eraser.
John Flesk, Frank Cho and Brom at the Flesk booth #1702 today at Emerald City Comicon.
Hi, all,
We’re having a great time here this weekend in Seattle at the Emerald City Comicon. The show sold out in advance and the crowds have been thick. We’ve been having a lot of fun and appreciate how many people have been stopping by. I brought three times the amount of books that we brought last year and we are already down to the last 10% of stock with one more full day to go!
Camilla d’Errico’s booth today at Emerald City Comicon.
Here’s a picture of Camilla d’Errico just before Saturday’s opening time at her booth. Camillia will be a special guest at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live this coming May!
Here’s a video showing highlights from the Spectrum 21 judging event which was held on March 1, 2014 at the San Jose State University’s Animation/Illustration department building. The five member jury, comprising of Cory Godbey, J. Anthony Kosar, George Pratt, Shelly Wan and Allen Williams, reviewed over 5000 entries during the daylong event. A Special thanks to the SJSU faculty for making the space available and to the twenty-plus students who volunteered making the day run smoothly!
