Come hang out at the Flesk Booth (#1202) this weekend at the Rose City Comic Comic Con in Portland, Oregon!
Brom and Terry Dodson will be signing at our booth on Saturday afternoon. Steve Rude will be signing on Sunday.
In addition to the many titles in stock, including Terry’s new Masquerade sketchbook, we will have sample copies of Spectrum 21 and Frank Cho’s Drawing Beautiful Women: The Frank Cho Method available to flip through. I can’t wait to show of these titles to the public for the first time. Currently the books are shipping from the printer. We’ll start mailing out the pre-orders and Kickstarter orders just as soon as they arrive, which should be in late October.
While I am at the Rose City show I’ll be talking with Terry about some upcoming title ideas that he has and also finalizing some details with Steve Rude regarding his new book The Nexus Chronicles.
I’ll also be walking around to see the various sketchbooks and new items that can be found at the artists tables. I want to get a jump start on the Spectrum 22 Year in Review for 2014. If you have something new and cool to show me at the show, please be sure to bring it to my attention so I can considerate it for a mention in Spectrum.
During the 2011 Comic-Con International in San Diego our friends at Stuart Ng Books asked if we could provide some space for Pierre Alary to sign and sketch in his latest books. I think his work is amazing and quickly cleared some table space at our Flesk booth and invited Pierre to sit with us. While digging through our film archives I discovered some footage that I took of him. Here, Pierre sketches in his Sinbad, Belladone and Alary Sketchbook titles.
We’re busy digging through the archives and putting together videos of our trips and events and time spent with the artists for you to watch for free! Watch our Spectrum Fantastic Art website for a new video posted each week. Here are the latest two!
Flashback to Saturday May 16, 2012 from 2:30-4:00. Flesk hosted the first Spectrum Fantastic Art Live commemorative art book signing with the five special guests of the show. Shown in this video from left to right, is Mike Mignola, Iain McCaig, Brom, Phil Hale and Android Jones!
Flesk artist group signing at the Strip Festival show in Breda, The Netherlands on October 26 and 27, 2013. Terry Dodson, Petar Meseldzija, Mark Schultz, Jim Silke and Thomas Yeates joined us for signings during the duration of the weekend. I would like to express a special thanks to our hosts, Mark Thelosen and Guido de Bue, plus sponsorship from De Stripspecialist. And to the Strip Festival Breda organization and volunteers, plus all of those at Eppo for their help and support and for making our visit a pleasant one. We had a wonderful time!
We’ve posted three all new videos on the Spectrum Fantastic Art website celebrating the Spectrum 21 Awards Ceremony and Spectrum Fantastic Art Live. I’m sharing them here as well.
Watch three hours of the Spectrum 21 Awards Ceremony in one minute through a series of time lapse photography. Follow the evening from the audience arrival at the Midland Theater to the closing curtain. The ceremony was held in Kansas City, Missouri on Saturday, May 10, 2014 in conjunction with Spectrum Fantastic Art Live.
Watch the full Spectrum 21 Awards ceremony held on May 10, 2014 at Kansas City’s historic Midland Theater. The silver and gold Spectrum awards for the eight categories were announced as was the 2014 Grand Master award recipient. Enjoy this one hour and ten minute event.
Spectrum Fantastic Art Live was held on May 9-11th, 2014 at the Kansas City Convention Center, Grand Ballroom of Bartle Hall, Kansas City, MO. We offered a free 11 x 17 inch print at our Flesk / Spectrum booth 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 were on hand! This video takes you around the Flesk booth and wraps up showing the guest signing.
We had an hour long Spectrum artist group signing at our Flesk/Spectrum booth on Friday, July 25th. Eight artists took part including Daren Bader, Donato Giancola, Gary Gianni, Matthew Levin, Travis Lewis, Todd Lockwood, David Palumbo and Allen Williams. This was the beginning of a yearly signing event that we will have at both Comic-Con and Spectrum Fantastic Art Live each year. You can bring your own Spectrum books or pick up copies at our booth to get signed.
Many thanks to these eight artists for taking part this year!
Matthew Levin signing a copy of Spectrum.Travis Lewis was a welcome addition to the group.Todd Lockwood talking with Daren Bader.Top row, from left to right: John Fleskes, Gary Gianni, Allen Williams, David Palumbo, Travis Lewis and Matthew Levin. Bottom row, from left to right: Donato Giancola, Todd Lockwood and Daren Bader.Allen Williams jokes with David Palumbo.Donato Giancola looks on as Gary Gianni adds his signature to a book for a lucky fan.Half-way through the autographing session it’s all smiles.Donato Giancola was having a good show partly due to his Game of Thrones painted calendar being released at the show.
Last October I visited Scheidam, The Netherlands with Terry and Rachel Dodson, Mark Schultz and Jim Reid. Scheidam is known for having the tallest windmills in the world. This particular one grabbed Terry’s attention as he pulled out his sketchbook and pens, and started drawing it. I grabbed my camera and filmed over his shoulder while watching for cars. Here’s a time lapse showing his process.
This sketch appears in Terry’s new sketchbook which will premiere at his booth at Comic-Con next week. I had the good fortune to help Terry put it together. It’s currently at the printer and I’ll be picking it up on my way to San Diego. Watch Terry’s blog for the cover, title and details when he announces them next week. I’ll have copies available on the Flesk website after the show.
Spectrum 21: the Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art has been sent to the printer. Here’s the front and back cover and spine to the paperback edition.
Back cover art by Gabriel Verdon. Front cover art by Rebecca Léveillé-Guay.
I want to thank the artists for turning in their art on time and for their help in making this book a smooth process. I’m happy to report that every artist that was accepted into Spectrum 21 turned in their art. Spectrum is a massive undertaking, one of which I am overjoyed to be a part of. I’ll post some pictures of the printer proofs once they arrive, plus show off advance copies when I get them. The book will be available in early November.
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.
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.
If you will be attending the Emerald City Comic Con, we’ll be there and we would enjoy seeing you there. The shoe is in Seattle, WA this March 28-30. We have an excellent spot located right at the entrance when walking into the show off of the sky bridge. Our booth number is 1702.
There are a number of artists who we publish that are special guests of the show. Brom will be signing at our Flesk / Spectrum booth for the full three days. Frank Cho, who we are working with on his Drawing Beautiful Women: The Frank Cho Method that will be available this fall, can be found at his guest table MM-07. Terry & Rachel Dodson are at table II-01. And Richard & Wendy Pini, who we have two books in development with, can be found at table E-09. We look forward to welcoming you at our respective locations where you can learn more about our future projects with these exceptional artists. Plus, the artists will have original artwork and prints for sale.
We will have our full line of Flesk books on hand, as well as information regarding the Spectrum annual and the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live event. Free catalogs and promotional postcards will be available. We will be bringing a number of books with slight scuff marks or dings at greatly reduced prices. This is an excellent way to try out a new title or artist, or to fill in your Flesk library for a deal.
Full details about Emerald City Comic Con can be found here.
