“Gordon Laite’s breathtaking artwork for a Little Golden Book edition of the Andersen fairy tale was found recently in the Golden Books archive. Planned for a 1970 release but never published, this Little Golden Book is finally making its debut for today’s fairy tale fans! And it couldn’t be a lovelier retelling of the story…
Category: influences
Juggling Projects
Feeling incredibly rejuvenated. Karl is back in pre-school. Finished a large job for a client. And I have personal projects organized and ready to create. Today I put on Grant Morrison talking on Keven Smith’s Fatman on Batman podcast. I loved Morrison’s “Supergods,” which made me feel like I could accomplish anything despite my anxiety….
The Blood is the Life
Coppola and Eiko on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, part 1. This movie introduced me to the work of Eiko Ishioka, costume designer extraordinaire. Coppola’s Dracula has problems, mostly stemming from the stilted acting of Reeves and Ryder (I still remember the horror of realizing that Ryder had limited range. Up till then, she was my favorite…
Moebius~ Arzach and Big Wow Comic Con
So in love with my Moebius Arzach. I can usually only find “Blueberry” here in the US, so I was pretty stoked to find a guy selling a bunch of Euro comics. This is all in Italian, but I’m primarily interested in the art. And of course some awesome Cosplayers! This is Anthony Misiano and…
Gatsby
I just saw The Great Gatsby, and it was fantastic. Those reviewers are obviously a bunch Tom Buchanans First of all, I saw the movie in 2D because I don’t care for 3D. There’s something incredibly freeing about Lurhmann adapting a work. Lurhmann is a unicorn who dreams in celluloid. There’s none of that disappointment, that-…
patrick nagel~ snow white’s revenge
I first became aware of Patrick Nagel at the local poster art shop. I was 13. Tall, slim, and brunette with small eyes and skin like paper, i was considered plain and borderline ugly in my southern california town. I despaired of ever being thought attractive. But then i saw her. What was she? 8″x10″?…
diamonds and toads~ gordon laite
I’ve always heard of this story as “diamonds and toads,” instead of the other way around. it’s the familiar poor girl with mean stepmother/stepsister scenario. i think you can guess who’s who from this scene. i love her think black wavy hair and the expression of her face is some of Gordon Laite’s best work….
fashion~ tintin style for ladies and tramps
herge, how do i love your creations? Tintin, Milou/Snowy, Captain Haddock, Thompson and Thomson, Professor Calculous, and of course Loch Lomand whiskey! Herge’s beautiful style, known as ligne claire {the clear line}, is instantly recognizable. I plan to post and discuss Herge and his work at a later point, but today we have fashion inspired…
arthur rackham’s poe~ living maelstroms and undead loves
beautiful rainy day in socal so it’s time for some E. A. Poe illustrated by the endlessly talented Arthur Rackham. These are from 1935. Rachkham shows that his use of line is more beautiful than most other artist’s command of color, as well as his mastery of large areas of black and a skillful employment…
mercer mayer’s "sleeping beauty"~
mercer mayer’s “sleeping beauty” {1984} is more than a little convoluted and while beautiful, one of his lesser works. the subtle pencil shading is gone and the colors appears straight out the the pan with next to no mixing. his solid draftsmanship has weakened and characters are often put together in unconvincing ways. still, some…
$5 helga
last week we picked up andrew wyeth’s “helga pictures” for $5 at the local friends of the library bookstore. i’ve been wanting it for a while but it’s expensive so finding it for so little was a dream come true. why am i fascinated with wyeth’s helga? how could i not be? she was his…
edward gorey~ the deranged cousins
literary nonsense from the delightful mr. edward gorey. i don’t think i could pick a favorite story, but this one has been on my desk for a while 🙂 click to enlarge and study mr. gorey’s exquisite line work at your leisure. perpetual collegiate style. i love how aimless yet self conscious they are. as though they…
stormy weather- arthur rackham’s tempest
it’s raining today. not quite as rare an occurrence in southern california as you might think. but it made me think of “the tempest.” neither a tragedy nor a comedy, it’s considered a romance, in the old way. weird and wonderful, it’s Shakespeare’s last complete play and considered by many, his farewell to theatre. i present arthur…
little golden book cinderella paper dolls by gordon laite
as i promised, here are the scans of gordon laite’s “cinderella” paper doll~ i’ve looked for this book for 15 years. finally, this year i ended up purchasing two books. one with the dolls and one with the uncut clothing. there really aren’t enough good things i can say about these dolls. to me, they…
making of "fantastic mr. fox" part 2
rushmore academy has mr. fox faux fur ties for sale here, modeled by jason schwartzman.click pictures to enlarge~ badger concept art by felicie haymoz. cuss with bill murray at your own peril. i love agnes’ freckles!coach skip and agnes concept art by felicie haymoz and an explanation of “hot box!”“Basically, there’s three grabbers, three taggers, five twig runners, and…
the making of "fantastic mr. fox." part 1
Turkeys, apples, and psychotic farmers! It must be november! what better movie to usher in this lovely month than “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” with its richly designed autumn palette. initially, i was very excited to hear wes anderson was directing this. while i wasn’t fond of the “Darjeeling Limited,” his other films rank among my favorites. “Mr. Fox”…
cinderella~ autumn queen
Cinderella is an autumn tale. Don’t believe me? Pumpkins. Okay, occasionally it’s a winter tale and the ball is actually a yule ball. Cinderella comes in decked in flowers which makes the party-goers believe she’s a fairy bc it’s the dead of winter. i.e.- “rashin’ coatie” (“coat of rushes” a scottish cinderella variant). But usually, it’s…
more tales to tremble by~ illustrated by gordon laite
published in 1968, “more tales to tremble by,” illustrated by gordan laite, is full of surprising creeps. although a children’s book, the selection of stories are anything but childike. boasting stories such as, “the red lodge,” by h. russell wakefield and “the extra passenger,” by weird luminary august derluth, the stories are sure to frighten children and…
inspiration file~ st. george and the dragon
starting in 7th grade i ordered time-life’s enchanted world series. instead of starting “witches and wizards” they started me with “the fall of camelot”. my knights/arthurian craze had begun!in my mid teens i discovered trina schart hyman’s beautiful, “st. george and the dragon”. taking it’s details from spencer’s “faerie queen” we are plunged into an england…
kay’s destiny
from “the snow queen” by hans christian andersen ~ “kay’s destiny” all grown up, kay finds his destiny lies to the north, in the palace of the snow queen. leaving his novels, his absinthe, & the pallid bust of pallas, the snowflakes spirit him away…buy a print on etsy i think, for the “snow…
mercer mayer’s east of the sun & west of the moon
mercer’s mayer‘s “east of the sun & west of the moon” is a curious book. an amalgam of the scandinavian tale of the title & “the frog prince” plus some elemental mythology. i’m still confused why he didn’t call it “the frog prince” instead of “eswm“. it certainly offers a more satisfying telling of “fp”…
mercer mayer’s beauty & the beast
working on some new paintings which will be offered on etsy as well as two private commissions. in the meantime i wanted to share one of my favorite books when i was a kid, mercer & marianna mayer’s “beauty & the beast”. they were husband & wife at the time~ i believe they were married…
d’aulairie’s book of greek myths
taking a break from getting my paintings scanned in & printed for my etsy store. yes, it’s driving me crazy. painting i love, the digital fiddling to color correct them for print i don’t. now that I have a child I’ve been thinking a lot about the books that shaped my life. “D’Aulairie’s Book of…
capturing a cloud, or the floating world on paper
i’ve been thumbing through books to crystallize my approach to my next set of paintings. i want something light, encompassing the meaning of ukiyo-e, the floating world. i live in a dream world of hazy visions and i spend much time reproducing them on paper, however banal they may seem to other people. i deeply…
nouvellegamine 