I’d like to share the latest news regarding Line of Beauty: The Art of Wendy Pini.
Two major stages have been completed since our last update, which takes us into a third big stage that will start very shortly. Let me share what each stage consisted of.
In late October Richard posted the following in a Facebook post that perfectly sums up the first stage.
“Today I have turned in to Flesk Publications the first ‘final’ text and book map files for Line of Beauty: The Art of Wendy Pini. This means the book is essentially written and roughly designed–and now begins the process of fine tuning nearly 43,000 words and 500 art images. (Which means, by many definitions, this qualifies as a novel-length work. Egad!) Now, the publisher, the designer (who provided the wonderful look of both Art of Elfquest and Art of the Story), and I shuttle this baby back and forth until we are all as satisfied as we can be. (I’m lucky; I have a head start in that department.) There has never been a ‘The Art of…’ book like this, not even its two predecessors.”
That’s right! 43,000 words and 500 art images! Richard selected the art, wrote the text and roughly placed them throughout the 304 page book. It was a staggering amount of work. Much respect goes out to Richard for pulling this off. Truly, I’m in awe at what he accomplished.
This brings us to the next stage which is a month long process where the designer, Arpad, fine tunes the art and text into a finished book. While this is a short summary of what he is doing, the work involved is intense. He’s taking the engineers blue prints, gathering the materials provided and constructing the actual building.
In the next week or so we will begin the next stage. Once Arpad turns the designed book in to us, Richard and I will begin our inspections. There may need to be a tweak here, a slight adjustment here, a shift over there, and lots and lots of reviews to look for typos or for any sort of little thing that needs to be addressed.
After this, I will review every piece of art and make sure it is color corrected and prepped properly for the printer, while packaging the book to turn in. These last two bits are done by me alone. I have done these last two stages for every book that I have every published. It’s my final stamp of approval and I take no shortcuts.
This brings you up to speed. I’ll fill you in more next month!
I have a shipping update for you. We were originally told that the Storms at Sea deluxe edition books would arrive with us here in the Flesk warehouse on Monday, November 21st. I’ve been informed that the books have arrived at the port in Southern California; however they have been selected for a random customs inspection. Between this two day delay and the Thanksgiving holiday coming up the books will not be delivered to us until the following week. Rest assured that we are ready to pack and ship all of the books the moment they arrive with us. I’ll send you another update once we have them here. Thank you again for your patience.
If you are not on Facebook I’d like to share what was posted on Mark’s official Facebook page recently. “Mark just received his advance copy of the Storms at Sea Deluxe Sea Foam edition, and it’s everything he’d hoped. It feels “classic”–textures galore, beautiful detailing, and big! Here’s a detail of the endpapers, and the slipcase against the ratty old drawing board that was scanned for the slipcase design. Meta, baby.”
As you can see in these pictures the texture and tonal patterns on the slipcase were scanned direct from Mark’s drawing board.
Just after Thanksgiving I will be going live with a series of auctions (run on Ebay) that will benefit an amazing local youth center here in Santa Cruz, California. This is going to provide shoes, sweatshirts, food, and hope to local kids in need. The amazing people at #Santacruzhope are making this happen and I’m proud to play a small part in the fundraising efforts.
I’ll be making available 13 books with originals drawings included by some of the top names in the field.
To date I have the following items to auction.
1. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms hardcover book with an original drawing inside by Gary Gianni and signed by George R.R. Martin!
2. Notes From the Shadowed City by Jeffrey Alan Love with an original painting in the book. Plus, two additional paintings by Jeff.
3. Jungle Girls by Jim Silke with an original drawing included.
4. Imagery From the Bird’s Home by Bill Carman with and original drawing on the title page by Bill.
5. A copy of Spectrum 23 with an original drawing done in silver ink by Sho Murase, plus a series of 6 prints.
6. Xenozoic hardcover deluxe signed limited edition with an original drawing on the title page by Mark Schultz.
7. The Art of Brom deluxe edition with an original drawing on the title page.
8. Drawing Beautiful Women: The Frank Cho Method Studio Edition with a full page original drawing of his Jungle Queen comic character.
9. A copy of the deluxe edition of Tribes of Kai with this incredible painting on the front endpapers of the book by Daren Bader! This is a sweet looking original! Also included is a signed copy of Pridelands and two signed prints.
10. A copy of his Terry Dodson’s Bombshell’s Sketchbook Collection Two hardcover with this sketch on the front endpaper of the book!
I’ll share the remaining pictures of the books as they arrive!
This fundraiser is very personal to me. Life was challenging growing up and I can relate to these kids. It’s my goal to raise as much funds as possible to get these kids Stoked!
Check out the flier to see how you can donate directly–even $1 helps! Or buy one of these sweet Santa Cruz sweatshirts. For every sweatshirt that you buy for only $20, a free one is given to a kid. Double bonus! That’s a heck of a deal!
A reminder to our friends at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. We’ll be at the School of Illustration on Thursday, December 17th from 3:00 to 6:00 PM with a fresh batch of books at special student prices.
Picture, from left to right: Mark Schultz, Gary Gianni and John Fleskes.
Hi, everyone,
I got caught up with Gary Gianni over the phone today. We went over his three books that will be coming out from Flesk between 2017 and 2018. (The titles, subject matter and street dates will all be revealed in due time.)
We’ve been working on one of Gary’s projects on and off for the last three years. Another we have been talking about for a couple of years and the third book idea presented itself when we saw each other at Comic-Con in San Diego last July.
It’s not uncommon for books to take years to go from an initial discussion, to brainstorming ideas about how the book can work, to hitting the “go” button to produce and make the book to getting it out and into your hands.
I don’t know how other publishers work. I started the business with absolutely zero experience in this field. But here at Flesk, it takes time to make books. We get it nearly done, and then announce a release date.
I’m always looking for new ways to make books. The concept, layout and design are all things that I have to reimagine once in a while. I dislike the idea of a house style, templates or formulas. I need a fresh spark of newly tapped creativity to get me motivated.
The ideas we have for Gary’s books are something I’m very excited about. There’s got to be about 800 pages of book pages to sort out!
I think we did something exceptional with Wendy Pini‘s Art of Elfquest and Elfquest: The Art of the Story books. The execution behind these is unique and something I’m very proud to have been a part of. The new Flesk books will pick right up from Wendy’s books as we see just how far we can push the art of bookmaking.
I’m not done yet. As long as we’ve got your support, we’ll keep being different.
In October of 2013 I traveled to Breda, The Netherlands to exhibit at the Strip Festival event. We had a thirty foot long Flesk booth where Terry Dodson, Petar Meseldzija, Mark Schultz, Jim Silke and Thomas Yeates signed during the 26th and 27th weekend dates.
Prior to my arrival in the country I came up with an idea for four of the artists to work on a comic strip collaboration together. It started with a large illustration board that contained four empty panels. Each artist was responsible for drawing the contents to one of them. The idea was that no one knew where the story would start, or how it would end. The story and script was not pre-planned in advance. Instead, a narrative would form organically through the process. Petar Meseldzija went first, followed by Mark Schultz, then Thomas Yeates, with the finish by Terry Dodson. I think Terry had the toughest job by coming up with an ending, however Rachel Dodson stepped in to offer the perfect idea to give the strip a proper bookend.
This joint-work was completed during our group travels that ran from October 24-27. It was worked on in a restaurant by Petar, a hotel lobby by Thomas and at the Strip Festival show itself by Schultz and Dodson. All along I filmed the process. Now, after three years of sitting in our Flesk film vaults, Kathy Chu and I dug the material out and made this video.
The photo at left shows the finished piece, while the photo at right shows Mark Schultz holding up the original.
The Alamo City Comic Con in San Antonio, Texas is this weekend! Brom and Jeffrey Alan Love are both guests of the show and will have copies of The Art of Brom and Jeff’s Notes From the Shadowed City with them. Both of these titles are published by Flesk. These are terrific guys who will be happy to sign your books at the show.
John Picacio, who will be a judge for Spectrum 24, is also a special guest who you can meet there.
Jeff will be exhibiting about 40 or so small paintings that will be for sale and he will also be taking some in-progress projects to show, like these comic pages, and some other larger paintings.
I have some exciting news to share! We will be having a Spectrum 23 book signing at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, CA on December 3rd!
So far we have 20 confirmed artists who will be appearing to sign your book!
We hope you can come join us to celebrate Spectrum’s 23rd year of releasing the premier showcase for imaginative fantastic arts in the book, comic, film, horror, illustration, sculpture, conceptual art, fine art and videogame genres. Meet the exceptional and talented artists whose works are featured in the book. Event runs from 7:00 – 10:00 pm.
Featured Artists to date:
Chris Ayers
Julia Blattman
Tuna Bora
J.A.W. Cooper
Alina Chau
Waiji Choo
Craig Elliott
Chuck Grieb
Brian Haberlin
Erik Ly
Victor Maury
Bruce Mitchell
Brynn Metheny
Richard and Wendy Pini
Tooba Rezaei
Joseph Sanabria
William Stout
Shane Stover
Vin Teng
Spectrum 24 Call for Entries Poster art by Justin Gerard.
Hi, everyone,
I am happy to share that the Spectrum 24 Call for Entries is now open! Here is the official press release.
The Call for Entries for Spectrum 24 is now open!
This is an invitation to all professional and student artists, art directors, publishers and artists’ representatives to submit entries to the 24th Annual Spectrum International Competition for Fantastic Art. All artworks in all media embracing the themes of science fiction, fantasy, horror and the surreal are eligible for this show. Fantastic art can be subtle or obvious, traditional or off-the-wall, painted, sculpted, done digitally or photographed: There is no unacceptable way to create art, and there are no set rules that say one piece qualifies while another does not. Imagination and skill are what matters. Work chosen by the jury will be printed in full color in the Spectrum annual, the peer-selected “best of the year” collection for the fantastic arts. Click here to submit.
The Spectrum 24 Call for Entries poster art is by the revered fantasy illustrator and educator, Justin Gerard. This poster mails for free in the U.S.A to our Spectrum mailing list. If you would like to receive a poster you can fill out the online form here.
The Spectrum 24 jury is comprised of a five member panel of some of the most exceptional artists working in the industry today consisting of Christian Alzmann, Laurie Lee Brom, Mark Newman, John Picacio and Victo Ngai.
“I’m absolutely thrilled with the jury we have brought together for Spectrum 24,” shares Spectrum director, John Fleskes. “I invited this quintet based on their outstanding work in the field. Furthermore, each has a shared passion for digital and traditional methods and they are well-versed on a wide range of contemporary fantastic art. Also of importance is that they all give back to the community through sharing online, teaching or in other ways. These five are extraordinary people in the industry who will do a superb job making the selections for inclusion into Spectrum 24.”
The Spectrum 24 jury has a deep passion for the annual, which is reflected by their praise of its community and contents.
“In 1995, while deciding whether or not to go to art school, I purchased my first Spectrum,” expresses Christian Alzmann. “It was Spectrum 2 and Frank Frazetta was Grand Master. I have bought every edition since because I am always equally inspired and humbled by what’s on its pages.”
“Spectrum and the Spectrum community have had such a huge influence on me and on the creative direction of my art,” confesses Laurie Lee Brom. “I cannot wait to feast my eyes on the entries for Spectrum 24, and am ecstatic to be on the jury!”
“I’m truly honored to be chosen as one of the jurors on this year’s Spectrum publication,” says Mark Newman. “The first time I submitted work was way back in book 3 and ever since I’ve been a big fan and thrilled to be included in quite a few issues. Spectrum represents the best of contemporary fantastical art and I feel blessed to be given the chance to contribute in this way as a juror. Thank you John and a Big High Five for keeping this wonderful tradition alive.”
“Spectrum represents such a rich visual history and standard of excellence for what we collectively dream in the fantastic art field,” states John Picacio. “I’ve always been grateful any time my work was selected for inclusion in the annual, and it’s a profound honor and responsibility to give back to the book this year as a juror.”
“Spectrum is one of the few illustration competitions I enter religiously every year since I graduated college,” offers Victo Ngai. “From getting in the first time, to my first medal, to creating the call for entry poster, Spectrum has been a goal, a running-mate and milestones in my career. This year, I am very humbled and grateful to have the opportunity to serve on the jury for the first time, can’t wait to see the brutal behind-the-scenes of this prestigious and highly selective competition.”
For over twenty-three years the Spectrum annual has been a showcase for the best and brightest creators of fantastic art from around the globe: it serves as an invaluable resource book for art directors, art buyers, publishers and agents world-wide. Hundreds of copies are sent out gratis with the intent of generating additional work and exposure for the artists selected for inclusion in the annual. The circulation of Spectrum far exceeds those of other annuals and resource books; we deliberately maintain a price that makes it affordable for every budget. Our purpose and singular agenda is the promotion of the art and artists. We believe that Spectrum functions as a cost-efficient promotional forum and provides a bridge between creator, client, and aficionado as well. Spectrum is all about facilitating opportunities for creators, about growing the audience for imaginative work in all its forms, without pretension and without prejudice.
The largest of this field’s competitions is also the toughest to make; the act of entering art does not guarantee inclusion in the book. Not everyone gets in. The “excellence bar” is raised every year: the job of the jury to make selections gets increasingly difficult. Not being selected is not a personal criticism of the artist, but having your work chosen by the judges is of significance. Join with us to help celebrate twenty-three years by making this volume the best yet: considering the excellence of the work in the previous twenty-three books, it will be no small task, but we’re confident you all can do it.
Over the last 14 years I have taken any book with a light scuff mark or corner bump and set it aside. Well, we have gone through all of the boxes that have accumulated over the years and posted these books on our Flesk website at heavy discounts. It’s time for these books to get some love!
We have listed a bunch of individual titles and comb packs for screaming deals–50 to 80% off of the cover price! You can see everything on our website at the new Discounted Books section. Some sets have just a few available, while others have a bunch.
Portfolio Deluxe Hardcover
Xenozoic Paperback
Storms at Sea Hardcover
Various Drawings 3 Paperback
Various Drawings 5 Paperback
Carbon 1 Paperback
Flesk Prime Hardcover
Our discounted books are those that have minor bumps, or scratches on the front or back cover, or small dings to the corners. All are great reading copies with some exterior wear. We called these our “bumped books” or “loved books” since they are perfect for those who are looking to score a batch of Flesk titles for 50-80% off the cover price to enjoy. If you are looking for perfect “new” copies please see the individual listings for the titles elsewhere on this website. Thank you!
Hi, everyone,
