of queens and models

Some of you might be wondering what is going on with Doomed Queens, the book I’ve been working on for the past year. Short answer: Lots. Long answer: Aside from (1) copyediting the manuscript, (2) designing the Doomed Queens website, and (3) trying up lots of loose threads, I’ve been working on the art.

Part of that process is working with models, as you can probably tell from the above photo. Right now, I’ve had about half a dozen models come and pose over the past week. This week, another four will generously spend some time in front of my camera.

Yes, camera. I take reference photos for a number of reasons. The primary one is that I can’t bear to have people hold poses for hours as I draw — it’s too much to ask. From a practical standpoint, it’s also much easier to capture a moment from a quick photo than it is from a sustained drawing. What if I wanted to draw someone twirling? Or jumping? (That written, I might feel differently if I was a more skilled draftsperson….)

The process of working with models is somewhat alchemical — meaning that each of us bring something to the table. The end result is sometimes unpredictable, though I generally have a clear vision before we begin. I know I’ve mentioned before that my models are usually people I know, rather than hired professionals. That’s because it’s easier for me to feel a sense of connection with the character I’m illustrating if the model is someone I know. It also reflects my belief that these stories are something universal, that we carry them within ourselves in some mythic way.

For the most part, I’ve chosen my models well. Occasionally, I’ll ask someone to pose who might be more uncomfortable than expected with the process; this discomfort is passed down to me and shows in the art. Fortunately, this is a very rare occurence. Generally speaking, any discomfort has fled by the time I’ve dressed up my model. (Yes, dress — I have a variety of costumes and props that can propel someone from the twenty-first century back to ye olde medieval times and beyond.)

But the photos aren’t the end result, as inspiring as they may be. After that, I still need to work out the composition before I even begin to draw. Plus photographs need to be adjusted, their perspective corrected and so on.

Nonetheless, these model photographs are the first step in my creating an illustration - and perhaps the most important step. They offer me a place from which inspiration can flow.

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publishing 101: what about self publishing?

There’s an interesting article over at the New York Times Book Review which explores the phenomena of self publishing. Self publishing has grown tremendously over the past year, which is no surprise when you consider how easy and inexpensive printing has become. Here’s some hard numbers: In 2007, 400,000 books were published or distributed in the United States, up from 300,000 in 2006. This sharp rise is attributed to the popularity of print-on-demand books and reprints of out-of-print titles. Even my small Brooklyn neighborhood is getting into the act. Next door to my favorite coffee house, there’s a store devoted to self publishing. The store is named (appropriately enough) Publish Yourself. Most of the books in it are decidedly of the personal family memoir/poetry/political manifesto variety.

The Times article presents some facts that might be useful to anyone considering self publishing or, as it’s called in the industry, micropublishing. For example, the vast majority of people who self publish sell less than 200 copies of their books — a good explanation for why these small book runs are called micropublishing. It is assumed that these books find their ways into the libraries of friends and family, rather than into bookstores and other retail outlets. By comparison, the average trade industry book needs to sell anywhere from 10,000 to 25,000 copies to financially break even for the publisher and author.

From the Times:

“‘As publishing has become less expensive, the urge to write my own self has become the opportunity to publish my own self,” said Gabriel Zaid, a Mexican critic and the author of “So Many Books: Reading and Publishing in an Age of Abundance,” a meditation on literary life in an over-booked world. Today, he added, “Everyone now can afford to preach in the desert.’”

Yes, they can afford to. But should they?

Here’s my measured response: It depends.

If you just want to see your book printed under any circumstances, then micropublishing is a wonderful tool. It’s a rare example of instant gratification in the delayed gratification world of publishing, where creating a book can be insanely slow. I mean, it can take years to just place a book with a publishing house, let alone finally see your words in print and on a book shelf. Aside from the issue of time, there are some books which may not have the market available to make a commercial print run feasible. Nonetheless, they deserve to be in print.

However, if you’re looking for something more — fame, fortune, a career as an author or illustrator — then self publishing is problematic for numerous reasons. Printing a book is not the same as publishing a book. Plus once you have books printed, you still have to deal with the industry bugaboo of distributing and selling them. In other words, self publishing is definitely not a case of “if you build it, they will come.”

But that’s a subject for a whole other post on another day.

To read more about self publishing in The New York Times Book Review article, click here.

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a message from Lisa Hunt

Some of you may be aware that one of my dearest friends is Lisa Hunt. Lisa is the gifted artist behind several popular tarot decks; these include the Animals Divine, Shapeshifter and others. Lisa e-mailed me today with distress news: Someone attempted to steal her identity on a fantasy art website.

Sounds bizarre, doesn’t it? I mean, what would someone “get” from impersonating a known illustrator on a board? The thrill of attention? Someone clearly has too much time on their hands — time which would be better spent doing something worthwhile.

While Lisa’s story may seem an isolated event, it’s not. This has happened before. I hope it won’t happen again, though.

Lisa has asked me to post this message on her behalf:

————

“Recently, a moderator for an art forum advised me that the infamous “Stacy English” has been ripping off my name and artwork. This is not the first time someone has attempted to pose as myself. I’m trying to understand why anyone would want to steal my creative identity in this manner to begin with–what is there to be gained from it? Thankfully, members, with an astute eye for fraud, brought the impostor to the attention of the moderator and the individual was prevented from posting

“Unless an art group is listed on my links page and/or appears in a legitimate gallery with obvious copyright permission granted (and I am selective about where and how my art should appear on the web), assume it is an impostor. To everyone: I would greatly appreciate you helping me to stop this kind of unwelcome behavior by those who have seemingly nothing better to do than to pretend that they are me. Please e-mail me if you think someone is ripping my artwork off. Thank you for your kindness and support–and for other artists, beware of imposters! No one is immune from falling victim to art/identity theft. But by spreading the word and keeping informed, we can help prevent the proliferation of such perfidious behavior and protect our artistic integrity.”

————

It’s sad that it’s necessary in this day and age that a hardworking artist such as Lisa has to remind people of the rights she is owed. I suspect that, with the abundance of riches on the web and in print, people assume that if something is posted or published it’s fair game to be used as they decide. One example: a music video producer informed me that since they had purchased my tarot cards they had purchased the right to reproduce them on television.

Not so. Just because artists choose to share their work with their world doesn’t mean that their right to control how it is reproduced comes to an end. It’s like saying that once your child goes out into the world, anyone can take charge and do as they see fit.

As for people like Stacey English, that’s a whole other story. From what I’ve heard, this is not the first time she has attempted to impersonate well known illustrators on the internet. The compassionate response would be to state that Stacey clearly has some identity issues that she needs to work out. Then, instead of putting her energies toward taking credit for others’ work, she could then work on making her own art for a change. Hopefully no one will steal it from her.

• Filed under friends and colleagues, the art world, the world around me | No Comments

Doomed Queens in the media

Could there be something in the air? Anne Boleyn, one of my favorite Doomed Queens, appears to be everywhere these days. At the very least, she’s fond of the New York City transit system — I spotted these posters on various bus shelters and subway shelters.

First this:

Then this:

I’m uncertain if I’m fascinated or horrified by the Vanity Fairization of these long ago royals. Or maybe I’m just amused. I mean, Henry VIII (or, as they dub him in the Showtime promos, “Henry 8″) in a leather vest? He looks better prepared for wrangling with the Crips than hanging with Cardinal Woolsey.

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