ungoliantschilde reblogged
the Legends of Charlemagne, illustrated by N.C. Wyeth.
ungoliantschilde reblogged
NEIL GAIMAN'S CHIVALRY WINS THE EISNER AWARD
Very happy to announce that NEIL GAIMAN'S CHIVALRY won the Eisner Award for Best Adaptation from Another Medium at last night's ceremony at San Diego Comic Con. Presenter was Batman producer Michael Uslan.
We're incredibly grateful and pleased, and no one is more surprised than I am.
This book is for all ages, it is gentle, it is a fairy story, it is about an old lady and a knight in shining armor, and the kind of King Arthur who lives in my dreams and not in blockbuster movies, and I am so grateful it has been so well-received.
I waited decades for this.
I cannot thank you all enough.
Neil Gaiman's Chivalry is based on an original short story by Neil Gaiman. Adapted and illustrated by me. Lettering by Todd Klein and me. Published by Dark Horse Comics. Editor Daniel Chabon.
Photo courtesy Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award winner Scott Dunbier.
ungoliantschilde reblogged
My original cover painting for the San Diego Comic Con exclusive CONAN from Titan Comics.
I'm very sorry I won't be there for the signing. Not long ago I was joking about my schedule and how I kinda wished I could cancel going to the show so I could stay home and catch up on work.
Be careful what you wish for.
Anyway, this is pen and ink with watercolor.
I use the amazing Dr. Martin's Black Star Ink and crowquill pens. This is my very favorite black ink. It is rich and deep and does not budge when you paint over it. It also gives you large areas of pure, glorious black with a minimum of streaking.
I realize a lot of people don't like inking with crowquill pens, but I find a little practice will bring outstanding results and more character in the line than you can get out of technical pens.
Pens last longer if you clean them with a sonic cleaner. I am lucky enough to have a thirty-year-old unit that is still going strong, but any modern sonic jewelry cleaner will do the same job. Add a touch of pen cleaning fluid and the gunk on your points will be gone in a few minutes.
I only use antique points that I have hoarded for many years. Some of my crowquill points are a century old. The metal and manufacture is superior to what you are likely to find today.
My paints are Daniel Smith Watercolors. I can't say enough good things about them. Superior pigment load, fantastic color and style range, glorious iridescent and semi-precious stone pigment line, archival, lightfast, superior in every way in my experience.
Not going to lead you on about these, they are expensive, but worth every penny. They last a long time and I am especially happy with my watercolor pan set which is easy for painting while I travel.
I also used them to paint the entire 64 page CHIVALRY graphic novel, and didn't even come close to running out of a single small tube of paint. A little goes a long way.
And here is the CONAN cover with trade dress.
I did this about 6 months ago and had to keep it a secret all this time. I'm a fan of Robert E. Howard, and wanted to do something in the style of Barry Windsor-Smith, and thoroughly enjoyed working on this piece.
ungoliantschilde reblogged
I’m a big, big fan of Barry Windsor-Smith. With your recent post about your work on Chivalry and the pre-raphaelite style you’re using, I am curious as to your opinions on BWS? Have you read Monsters?
I've been a fan of Barry Windsor-Smith for many years. I thought MONSTERS was brilliant.
Ironically, I didn't enjoy his early CONAN work when I first saw it and tossed the comics. They're worth a fortune now.
But I reassessed after I saw his work in the book THE STUDIO and have been a fan ever since. I read my copy of THE STUDIO until the cover came off.
Having bought the artists edition of Monsters on pre-order, I can confirm that it is a very sad story about abuse and childhood trauma, and it’s breathtakingly gorgeous in both the writing and the artistic quality.
It’s about a kid that grew up being severely abused by his alcoholic, PTSD suffering father.
He beats the kid so hard the kid loses an eye. Yeah. Pretty rough.
Interwoven with a lot of psychic abilities and military experimentation. The monster on the cover is the kid after he enlists in the military and unknowingly gets signed up for an experiment to turn him into a super soldier.
Honestly, kind of a tough read. But it’s like sitting through Schindler’s List or something. It’s amazing, just really, really sad.
My copy - showing the cover, the signature page, and the included frontispiece head sketch, and then some assorted pages in no particular order.
ungoliantschilde reblogged
hello! I just purchased Chivalry and I just wanted to gush over how gorgeous the art was. I loved your take on it and thought it was very suited to the story (one of my faves). The illuminated pages in particular were my favorite. I loved going over all the details.
I do have one complete random question, hope you don't mind - there was a panel where Mrs Whitaker was in the bus next to a punk stranger with black hair, and then later on, on your final Fin page there was another black haired stranger in a monk robe. Any chance these were Endless cameos? Or was I just projecting? lol
How lovely to get your note! I am absolutely delighted you enjoyed the book!
That's not a random question at all. I've been asked many times.
The punk stranger next to Mrs. Whitaker: is he one of the Endless? DC Comics owns that character.
So in the interests of not violating trademark, I leave that to interpretation.
But on the page with the monk?
The monk is Neil. The nun is me.
The monk holds a white quill. His work is done and the ink has run out. He holds his hand up in farewell. He is ready to move on to his next work with a clean pen.
Fini means End.
The C letter symbolizes Chivalry and makes a beeline down to the monk’s head and forms a halo, indicating that the point of origin of the story is here.
The halo is not just the symbol of holiness but the symbol of creativity.
The quill in the center is dipped in red ink. That is the quill of the editor.
The nun's quill is black. It has picked up the task from the monk and taken the responsibility of making marks on paper from his quill. Her job cannot begin until the monk has completed his words.
The nun holds a white lily. This is purity of purpose.
Two angels between the monk and the nun symbolize the creative spirit balance between. The wings of their feathers are woven together.
The island is the Isle of Skye.
The angel on the book with multiple wings is a cherubim. They are guardians of God and they sing "Holy Holy Holy" all the time.
I was singing "Holy Holy Holy thank God I'm finished," when I got to the end of this project.
ungoliantschilde reblogged
‘Heroes of chivalry & romance’ by the Rev. A.J. Church; with illustrations by George Morrow. Published 1898 by Seeley and Co. Limited, London.
See the complete book here.
some black and white artwork by the Father of American Illustration, Howard Pyle.
ungoliantschilde reblogged
'Despiteful and terrible were the blows they gave and took by the moonlight. Agrican fought in rage. Orlando was cooler.'
The Midnight Encounter illustration by N.C. Wyeth from Legends of Charlemagne, 1924
the Legends of Charlemagne, illustrated by N.C. Wyeth.
Barry Windsor-Smith ~ Ink Sketches from his website. The first is called "Armored Young Knight" and the other is "Black Water".
This was the inside cover/end plate for "the Black Arrow" Illustrated by N.C. Wyeth
N.C. Wyeth - from the Black Arrow. I love the movement of his figures. Everyone seems to be moving, living, and breathing.