We know that the folks at Tonko House are amazing, but we are still floored by the incredible response during The Art of The Dam Keeper book premier today at the Tonko House booth during the opening at CTN. We sold all of the advance copies in less than three hours. We had the privileged to meet nearly 200 enthusiastic people who share our passion for what Tonko House is creating. Thanks to everyone who visited. The Dam Keeper fans are the greatest!
I would like to express my gratitude to everyone at the Academy of Art University and to those at the Atelier Gallery for making the Spectrum book signing event possible. I would also like to thank the caterers, the artists, Academy of Art University students and to the fans who all took part in making this event a wonderful and fun evening.
The Spectrum book signing event which was held on Friday, November 13th resulted in a thrilling evening. Two dozen artists arrived and hundreds of fans and Academy of Art University students arrived to partake in the festivities. The signing is open to the public and was hosted by the Academy of Art University.
This special event was held at the Atelier Gallery located at 79 New Montgomery in San Francisco, California from 7:00 to 9:00 P.M.
In attendance was Spectrum 21 Grand Master Iain McCaig, Spectrum Muse Award creators Colin and Kristine Poole, Spectrum Founders Arnie & Cathy Fenner, and Spectrum Director John Fleskes, plus Spectrum artists Steven Russell Black, Alina Chau, Craig Elliott, Te Hu, Kellan Jett, Randy Gallegos, Jean Ji In Kim, Stephanie Law, Michael Manomivibul, Brynn Metheney, Sho Murase, Mark Newman, Karla Ortiz, Paolo Rivera, Dug Stanat, Josh Viers, Allen Williams and Alyssa Winans! Original Spectrum publisher Tim Underwood also made an appearance.
Enjoy the following pictures from the evening!
From left to right: Spectrum founders, Cathy and Arnie Fenner, and the publisher of the first twenty Spectrum annuals, Tim Underwood, along with current Spectrum director, John Flesk.
The initial group of Spectrum fans and Academy of Art University students begin to arrive at the Atelier gallery.
A visitor flips through a copy of Spectrum 21.
From left to right: Sculptor Mark Newman talks with Arnie & Cathy Fenner (Spectrum founders) and Tim Underwood (Underwood Books).
Craig Elliott signs a copy of Spectrum 22.
This is how happy people are after meeting Iain McCaig.
The queue to meet the twenty plus Spectrum artists remained dense throughout the evening.
The line extended beyond the main entrance of the Atelier Gallery at the Academy of Art University for the first hour due to the large crowds that arrived.
The view of the Atelier Gallery from across the street.
Brynn Metheney posing with a copy of Spectrum 22 that she signed.
Artist, Paolo Rivera
Artist, Alina Chau
Artist, Te Hu (at right)
A group of visitors enjoy their signed copies of Spectrum.
Sculptors, Mark Newman (at left) and Dug Stanat
Artists, Steven Russell Black (left) and Randy Gallegos (signing Spectrum)
Artist, Kellan Jett
Artists, Alyssa Winans (foreground) and Kellan Jett (background)
Artist, Craig Elliott
The Atelier Gallery remained busy throughout the evening.
The Spectrum book signing event crowd was a delight all evening.
Iain McCaig was surrounded by people all evening.
Iain McCaig, always smiling.
Artist, Stephanie Law
All smiles throughout the evening.
Left to right: Artists, Te Hu and Sho Murase and Spectrum director, John Flesk.
Artists, Stephanie Law (background) and Karla Ortiz (foreground)
Artists and sculptors, Colin and Kristine Poole. The team behind the new Spectrum Muse and Rising Star awards.
Rachel Silva, who is one of the Flesk and Spectrum team members who helped keep the evening running smoothly.
From left to right: Artists, Colin Poole, Te Hu and Kristine Poole.
From left to right: John Flesk, Te Hu and Allen Williams
From front to back, Artists, Michael Manomivibul, Brynn Metheney, Randy Gallegos, Steven Russell Black and Paolo Rivera.
Thanks again to the Academy of Art University, all of the artists and to those who visited and took part in this amazing evening!
The printer shipped us advance copies of The Art of The Dam Keeper just in time to premier at the Tonko House booth at CTN Animation Expo! I’ll be there with Dice Tsutsumi and the Tonko House crew to share the book with people for the first time. We hope to see you there.
I met with The Dam Keeper co-director Robert Kondo last night who signed the copies for the show. Dice can sign copies at the event to make your book complete.
Frank Cho, Terry Dodson and Mark Schultz sketch in our Flesk blank sketchbooks at our Flesk booth during Comic-Con International in San Diego. The sketchbook/journal features a durable and flexible protective cover with individual wraparound illustrations by all three.
The sketchbooks contain 48 plain pages waiting to receive your illuminations and creations. It is comprised of 140 GSM woodfree stock acid free paper which works well with pen and pencil. Available now at the Flesk website.
We’re at Comic-Con in San Diego! The Flesk booth #5019 is set up and we are rocking our seven new titles, all of which are premiering now! We’ve got Storms at Sea and Portfolio by Mark Schultz, a small number of advance copies of Tribes of Kai and Pridelands by Daren Bader and Lance HaunRogue, Surrender, My Sweet by Bruce Timm, Monsters Attack!!! by Arthur Adams, and our new series of Flesk blank sketchbooks by the following artist hot dogs: Frank Cho, Terry Dodson, Petar Meseldzija, Iain McCaig, Mark Schultz and Bruce Timm!
Adams, Bader, Cho, Dodson, HaunRogue, Schultz, Timm and also, Gary, Gianni, David Palumbo, Richard and Wendy Pini, Jim Silke, William Stout and Craig Elliott are all here! It is a Flesk bonanza. Come and see us!
And for those who can’t make the show, all of these books can be had from our Flesk online store!
Come and visit us at our Flesk/Spectrum booth #5019 at Comic-Con International in San Diego. Here’s a quick list of the new titles that you can find at out booth.
The Book of Giants by Petar Meseldzija
We will have copies of the trade hardcover and deluxe edition at the show! (Order here.)
Storms at Sea by Mark Schultz
We will have copies of the trade edition with us at the show. Or, order online. (Order here.)
Mark Schultz will be at our booth signing each day!
Portfolio by Mark Schultz
The deluxe limited edition and the trade edition are here! We will have them at the show and Mark Schultz can personalize your copy! (Order here.)
The Tribes of Kai by Lance HaunRogue and Daren Bader
We will have a very small number of advance copies at our booth for the show. Stop by and meet Daren and Lance each day! (Order here.)
Pridelands by Lance HaunRogue and Daren Bader
A small batch of advance copies will arrive just in time for the show. Plus, Daren and Lance will be signing at our booth each day! (Order here.)
Arthur Adams Monster’s Attack!!!
We will get a few cases of these just in time for the show. You can get them from us at our Flesk booth #5019. Arthur is sitting near us at his booth where he can sign these for you. Now available for pre-order on our website. (Order here.)
Surrender, My Sweet by Bruce Timm
This all-new 64 page digest sized paperback collection will premiere at our Flesk booth #5019 at Comic-Con! Bruce has created a full range of new stunning and beautiful nudes. Only 1000 copies have been made and this will only be available direct from Flesk. This $25.00 collection is available on our website now. (Order here.)
Blank Sketchbooks
We have produced a set of blank sketchbooks with covers by your favorite artists. We have these available on our Flesk website and they have arrived in time for us to bring to the show with us. (Order here.)
It’s time for some Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 4 news!
The show will be in Kansas City, MO in the Bartle Hall Grand Ballroom running May 22-24, 2015. The five special guests of the show are Karla Ortiz, Tim Kirk, Scott Gustafson, Donato Giancola and Julie Dillon.
In addition, the Flesk/Spectrum booth will be hosting a group of thirteen more artists: Daren Bader, Brom, Bill Carman, Frank Cho, Craig Elliott, Gary Gianni, Jim and Ruth Keegan, Aaron Lopresti, Iain McCaig, Victo Ngai, Steve Rude, Mark Schultz, plus SFAL guest Karla Ortiz.
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 a map showing where the artists can be found a the show and some information and sample art by those artists who will be at the Flesk booth. (The five special show guests are already highlighted on the SFAL site.)
Daren Bader. For the past 20 years, Daren Bader has been an art director for the video game and entertainment industry, working with a large variety of companies, including Disney, Nintendo, and Capcom. Currently he is the Senior Art Director for Rockstar San Diego and is best known for his work on the critically acclaimed Red Dead Redemption, which won over 150 Game of the Year awards in 2010. On the weekends, Daren is a freelance illustrator for various trading card games such as Magic: The Gathering and World of Warcraft, amassing well over 200 cards in the field. He has also done the occasional book cover, including a series of covers for fan-favorite R.A. Salvatore. Daren’s work can also be seen in 14 of the 21 Spectrum Annuals, as well as in his monographs “The Art of Daren Bader” and “one hundred drawings.”
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.
Frank Cho never had any formal training in art but taught himself to write and draw by reading art books and comics. He launched the comic strip Liberty Meadows on March 31, 1997, distributed worldwide by Creators Syndicate. From day one, the strip was a critical success, hailed for its hilarious writing and superb art. In 2002, Cho moved the hugely successful strip to Image Comics.
Impressed by his comic’s writing and art, Cho was recruited by Axel Alonso, editor-in-chief at Marvel Entertainment. Since then, he has worked on many top-tier books at Marvel, including Spider-Man, The Mighty Avengers, Hulk, X-Men, Shanna the She-Devil and Savage Wolverine.
In his spare time, Frank Cho works on video-game designs, movies and oil paintings for various art-gallery shows. He also works on his creator-owned projects, such as Guns & Dinos, Zombie King, Skyborne and the upcoming World of Payne with famed novelist Thomas Sniegoski.
Frank Cho has won many awards, including the prestigious Emmy, the National Cartoonists Society’s awards for Best Comic Book and Best Book Illustration, the Eagle Award, the Charles M. Schulz Award for Excellence in Cartooning, the Scripps-Howard Award for Best College Cartoonist, the College Media Association award for cartooning, Spain’s Haxtur Award for Best Artist, and the Max & Moritz Prize, Germany’s highest award for an international comic strip. He also was nominated for the coveted Harvey and Eisner awards.
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.
Gary Gianni has adapted and illustrated a wide variety of books, including John Henry, Kidnapped, Moby Dick, The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane, The Complete Conan of Cimmeria, and more recently, Michael Chabon’s Gentlemen of the Road. His comic’s work includes Classics Illustrated, The Shadow, and The MonsterMen. He won an Eisner Award for his illustration of Heroes, a tale included in Batman: Black and White. Gianni served as the illustrator of the Prince Valiant Sunday comic strip for nearly a decade, an endeavor which also served as the subject of his, The Prince Valiant Page.
Jim and Ruth Keegan are the creators of The Adventures of Two-Gun Bob, which appears in every issue of Conan, Solomon Kane, or Kull from Dark Horse Comics. They’ve also illustrated several books for Del Rey including Crimson Shadows and Grim Lands — The Best of Robert E. Howard, Volumes One & Two. Their work has appeared in the Spectrum annual, and has been exhibited at The Society of Illustrators in New York. Aaron Lopresti’s first big break came in 1993 when Publisher Dave Olbrich and Editor-in-Chief Chris Ulm hired Aaron to draw Sludge for Malibu’s new Ultraverse comic line. One thing led to another and soon Aaron had a full blown career in comics. Aaron’s career in commercial and comic art has continued on for more than 12 years. In that time Aaron has worked on a wide variety of characters including: Spiderman The X-men, The Hulk, The Avengers, Batman, Plastic Man, Green Lantern, Superboy, Xena, Star Trek, Gen 13, Mystic, and the self published Atomic Toybox (just to name a few). In 1995 he founded the successful comic art studio, Studiosaurus that lasted until 1998. Aaron lists his art influences in two categories, comic and illustration. His comic fluences are: Frazetta, Berni Wrightson, Neal Adams, Michael Golden, Steranko, Brian Bolland, and anyone else who is good. Illustrators who have influenced Aaron over the years are: Frazetta(again), James Bama, William Stout, JC Leyendecker, Brian Froud, Robert McGinnis and Chuck Jones.
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.
Victo Ngai: Forbes 30 Under (Art and Style) honoree and Society of Illustrators NY Gold Medalist Victo Ngai is a NY based illustrator from Hong Kong, graduated from Rhode Island School of Design. “Victo” is not a boy nor a typo, but a nickname derived from Victoria – a leftover from the British colonization.
Victo creates art for newspaper and magazines such as the New York Times and the New Yorker; makes books for publishers such as the Folio Society, Abrams and Tor Forge; and works on advertisement campaigns with companies like the McDonald’s, IMAX, MTA Art for Transit (New York subway), Lufthansa Airline and General Electric.
Apart from drawing, Victo’s biggest passions are traveling and eating. She’s hoping that one day she will save up enough to travel around the world and sample all kinds of cuisine.
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.
Frank Cho will be at the New York Comic Con this weekend! He can be found at his artist alley table number Z2. Frank is bringing some books and prints with him, as well as some art and sketch covers like the sample shown here.
Craig Elliott painting demonstration at APE in 2012. See him paint this weekend!
We’ll be exhibiting at the Alternative Press Expo (APE) in San Francisco, California this weekend. Come by our tables #222 and 223 to see what’s new and flip through sample copies of the books coming out this Fall: Spectrum 21 and Drawing Beautiful Women by Frank Cho! We’ll have copies of all of our books that are in print, plus some dinged copies at reduced prices.
We have secured our models for Craig Elliot who will doing painting demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday.
The Rose City Comic Con wrapped up today. We had a Flesk booth there with special guest signings by Brom and Terry Dodson on Saturday afternoon and Steve Rude on Sunday afternoon. The show was well attended. The event staff was helpful and well organized, and the Portland area a beautiful area to visit. I even managed to squeeze in a visit to Powell’s Books on Friday. I picked up a nice assortment of new titles and took many notes that will find its way into the 2014 Spectrum 22 Year in Review.
Here’s a two part picture showing the view from our Flesk booth. Brom is on the left signing books, while Terry Dodson is on the right.
Steve Rude doing a drawing for a fan who requested a “pretty woman.”
Steve Rude was a guest of Rose City Comic Con. He completed a new painting the day before the show, which he unveiled at the show.
Steve shows off the finished sketch.
Even though Terry had just the afternoon available to sign and sketch, he still managed to squeeze out about four drawings and an untold amount of autographs for people.
Terry Dodson adds a drawing to the sketch cover to X-Men #1 for a fan.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth! We had a great time!
Hi, all,
