Culture
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Hokusai Manga Lecture
Some years back, I lectured at the Smithsonian Institution on Hokusai and manga. Fred Schodt, author of Manga! Manga! kindly recommended me as Artist In Residence. My parents saved the poster and had it framed for me for Christmas. Imagine my surprise! Apparently, they saved other props from the event, but the framer lost them. Bad framer.
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Hal Foster: It’s never too late to be great.
Whipped this up. Hope it is inspiration for you.
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Another great D’mer tattoo from Deven Stephens
Gorgeous! I am going to try to put up a section on the main page for fan art and fan photos again, and I’ll let you know when I do.
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Fan Art: Deven Stephens Gets a D’mer Tattoo
Long time patron Deven Stephens sent me this great photo of his new tattoo from a sketch I made of D’mer in one of his hardcover limited editions. Deven says he also got D’mer’s ritual scars tattood on his arms and chest. I’m amazed and deeply flattered that people enjoy A DISTANT SOIL so much that they make it an important and intimate part of their lives! Thank you!
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A Distant Soil Fan Art: Amazing Niniri Doll and Set!
Allen, aka IXIDragonLordIXI has made a wonderful Niniri doll complete with elaborate Ovanan set! This is amazing! LOVE it!!! Looks at those earrings and that hairpiece! Those are real crystals! And Allen made the entire doll head and body himself. Here she is at her console, planning galactic domination in the sweetest way possible. And doing it all with fabulous hair! A girl likes to be well dressed, and this lovely cape is just the perfect accompaniment to the genteel megalomaniac’s wardrobe. Vogueing it, while poised to push the red button! Detail of the back of Niniri’s cape. Just love this, what an outstanding job, Allen! Thanks so much for…
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Happy Birthday, Rose O’Neill!
Rose O’Neill, one of the most important and influential cartoonists of all time, was born today in 1874. Her creations “The Kewpies” were a worldwide sensation. At a time when women weren’t even able to vote, Rose O’Neill was one of the top illustrators in the world, and a prominent suffragette. O’Neill’s charming and feminine works are largely ignored by comics pundits today. Here are two previous articles I’ve written for this site about Rose O’Niell. This one tells the tale of Rose’s career and her marriage to one of the men who helped create the first moving pictures. And here is the tale of her creation of The Kewpies.…
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This is Not 0’s and 1’s
This is not cochineal, and lapis lazuli, and Indian lac, and alum, and linseed oil. The human being who made this image is not chlorine, and carbon, and magnesium, and sulfur. This is not 0’s and 1’s. The copy of this art is not 0’s and 1’s. The extraordinary human experience of art is not 0’s and 1’s.
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Guest Blog: Sarah Beach on The Metaphysics of Creativity
THE METAPHYSICS OF CREATIVITY About a month ago on another website, there was a discussion about fanfiction and professional writing, and the distinctions between them. Some of the posters contended that it was a matter of the quality of the writing, in terms of craftsmanship. Me, I think that’s a mistake. Some professional writers can be sloppy craftsmen, while some fanfic writers have exceptional talent. Colleen and I (we’d both followed the discussion there) continued a conversation spun from this discussion. Our conversation led into other territory, and it seemed to me it would make an interesting guest blog topic. So, here’s some wandering on where my thoughts went. Professionalism…
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Tolkien Art and Artists
A short list of Tolkien inspired/related books, which I recommend in my Tolkien art lectures. Not all of these are directly related to The Lord of the Rings, but feature artists closely associated with the work. For example, Alan Lee, who is widely regarded as among the greatest of all Tolkien illustrators, has very few works in print. So, I’ve included some of his other books which I hope you will enjoy. I’ve been asked to repeat this lecture at future appearances, so I will let you know when and where. J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator by Christina Scull, Wayne G. Hammond J.R.R. Tolkien Mariner Books; 1st Houghton Mifflin Tolkien’s…
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Guest Blog: David Lloyd at the Funchal, Madeira Book Fair by Roberto Macedo Alves
Roberto Macedo Alves is on a one-man mission to bring comics to the Portugeuse island of Madeira, which is one of the loveliest places I have ever been. Incredible scenery, very friendly people, and many enthusiastic comics readers! An absolute delight. Roberto began bringing comics creators to the Funchal Book Fair a few years ago, and this year’s guest was David Lloyd, artist of V for Vendetta. Roberto’s shop is Setima Dimensao, and his blog is here, where you can see more pictures of the event. David Lloyd’s website is here. I’m sorry, but had no luck finding a direct link to artist Marco Avoletta. If anyone has that info,…