April 17, 2012
Have you seen The Dracopedia Project? Check out William O’Connor’s travel blog to see his latest stop (Chicago), what kind of dragons and dragonkind they’ve encountered, photographs of a dragon in flight and more! Keep in mind that Dracopedia: The Great Dragons is coming in June!
And you can find out more about us at IMPACT Books by liking us on Facebook and following us on Pinterest and Twitter! And check out our other book selections in our IMPACT shop over at northlightshop.com.
April 15, 2012
1. How long have you been working at F+W Media?
I started at F+W as an Associate Editor in February of 2000. As I learned the publishing business, I took on more and more responsibility and am now the Community Leader/Group Publisher.
2. What is your role as the Community Leader for the Fine Art team?
As Community Leader, I have a lot of different responsibilities related to the variety of media products that F+W produces. We have two book lines, IMPACT Books and North Light Books. We have four subscription-based magazines, including: The Artist’s Magazine, Watercolor Artist, Pastel Journal and Southwest Art. In addition to impact-books.com, we have a number of websites including ArtistsNetwork.com, ArtistsNetwork.tv, NorthLightShop.com, WetCanvas.com and our newest website, ebooks.ArtistsNetwork.com. On a day-to-day basis, I manage the editorial staff, oversee the editorial direction of our content, focus on marketing our product and am responsible for the business side of things as well. I work closely with several internal departments and our external partners to make sure our products are of high quality and meet the needs of our readers and users.
3. What is the most interesting/craziest experience you have had as a Community Leader?
In October of 2008 I was promoted to Community Leader in charge of all types of media; until that time, I was the publisher for five different book imprints. All of a sudden, I was responsible for a host of websites and four magazines, two of which we purchased in January 2009. It was a very challenging time, but also very rewarding. I gained a lot of knowledge in a very short period of time, traveled extensively and met many new people. It was very exciting, yet a bit unbelievable all at once.
4. What projects are you working on right now?
I am working on so many things I can’t even list them all! I’m working on two book proposals, revamping our VIP program, creating marketing plans for our new ebook site, and working with our magazine editorial teams to line up ideas for 2013. I’m generally pretty busy, so these are just the initiatives that came to mind.
5. Who is your favorite artist or what is your favorite type of art? Why?
The answer to this question changes daily, to be honest. I trained as a studio artist and one of the many things that keeps me very happy in my job is that I am constantly exposed to an endless supply of new artists and their artwork. I’m very guilty of wanting to try to make everything that I see, so my favorite artist tends to be the one who’s artwork is crossing my desk on any given day and inspires me to go into the studio.
April 13, 2012
Hey All!
We have a great contest for all you manga fans out there! We’re running an SMS text message contest from Friday, April 13th (who says that day isn’t lucky???), through Thursday the 19th. Just send a text message to MangaMaster at 63264 to enter to win. *standard text message rates apply*
One Grand Prize Winner gets a piece of original art AND a signed copy of Mastering Manga with Mark Crilley! Two second place winners will receive a signed copy of Mark’s book. Let me state that again: One winner gets ORIGINAL ART created by Mark Crilley. How awesome is that?! PLUS, signed copies of the book go out to the grand prize winner and two runners-up. Winners will be announced in a video on Mark’s YouTube page.
But wait, there’s MORE!
We don’t believe in sending anyone away empty-handed so ALL entrants will receive a free (yes, FREE!!!) wallpaper designed by Mark Crilley and a discount code (MANGAMASTER) to our store to purchase Mastering Manga with Mark Crilley for 50% off the retail price. The discount will last ONE WEEK from 4/13 through 4/20. In addition, the code will give you EXTRA savings on pre-orders of Shojo Fashion Manga Art School Year 2 and Kawaii Not Too as well as savings on Shojo Fashion Manga Art School, Shojo Wonder Manga Art School, and A Parent’s Guide to the Best Kids’ Comics. That one code will provide you discounts at the North Light Shop (northlightshop.com) for all of the titles mentioned.
Sign up here to download your free wallpaper.
You can find out more about us at IMPACT Books by liking us on Facebook and following us on Pinterest and Twitter!
April 9, 2012
This weekend I had the privilege of attending the Cincinnati TEDxChange event held at St. Michael’s Art Sanctuary. It was a great day all around, with a ton of great insights ranging from using design to help build communities in India to reconnecting our bodies and minds and breaking the physical “habit” of fear. 
The final speaker was David Mack, a gifted illustrator, storyteller and graphic novelist (Kabuki, Daredevil), and he did not disappoint. When the video comes out, I encourage you to watch. However, I’ll share a few of his concepts that really struck me, here.
Tradition is a good place to start, not to stay.
We talk about being right-brained or left-brained. We should be whole-brained.
Use procrastination to your benefit. Rotate procrastinations until what you’re avoiding doesn’t seem like such a big deal anymore.
There is no security, so why not do what you love?
There was so much more; this was just the tip of the iceberg. If you get a chance to hear David speak or go to a TEDxChange, I highly encourage you to do so. I learned so much, met a great many wonderful people, and saw so much genuine passion and talent on display. You can follow David Mack on Twitter and on Facebook.
And you can find out more about us at IMPACT Books by liking us on Facebook and following us on Pinterest and Twitter!
April 5, 2012
Our sister website ArtistsNetwork.com, has an event running that we thought you all might like, too! Stretch and improve your drawing skills and add realistic elements to your comic, manga and fantasy characters.
Join us for this FREE online art event! Brought to You by The North Light Shop
Secrets to Painting Realistic Faces in Watercolor with Carrie Stuart Parks
Date: 04.20.12 | Time: 1pm EDT |
Cost: FREE
Carrie Stuart Parks makes painting faces fun and easy with the tips and techniques in her new book on Secrets to Painting Realistic Faces in Watercolor.
In this free one-hour online event, Carrie opens up the pages of her book and gives you a sneak peek into Secrets to Painting Realistic Faces in Watercolor, so that you can not only see what the book has to offer, but learn some tips along the way, including:
This PowerPoint slide show from Carrie will give you a sneak peek at the instruction found in Secrets to Painting Realistic Faces in Watercolor, and wraps up with a Q&A session where you’ll have a chance to ask Carrie questions.
Everyone who registers for this event will receive a:
Registration does not guarantee you’ll get in, so sign in early the day of the event to claim your space. If you cannot attend live, you will still be able to watch a recording of the event and receive special discounts if you register, so register today!
You can also pick up a copy of Carrie Stuart Parks’ Secrets to Drawing Realistic Faces. Find out more about IMPACT Books by liking us on Facebook and following us on Pinterest and Twitter!
April 2, 2012
Check out this gorgeous image from Jessica “NeonDragon” Peffer of Fairy Dragons. For how to draw dragons, fairies and other fantasy creatures, check out Jessica’s line of DragonArt books at northlightshop.com. And coming soon, learn different coloring techniques while practicing on some of Jessica’s most popular creatures in DragonArt Color Workbook.
Find out more about IMPACT Books by liking us on Facebook and following us on Pinterest and Twitter!
March 29, 2012
1. How long have you been working at F+W Media?
My sixth anniversary is coming up in August.
2. What is the best part about your job as an editor?
Working with the authors, definitely. It takes about two years to make a book, so the author and editor get to know each other pretty well by the end.
3. What is the most interesting/craziest experience you have had as an editor?
A couple of years ago I had to fill in as a model in a video shoot for a portrait drawing DVD. I had a terrible time trying to sit still! I’m pretty fidgety, and every time the artist smiled or made a face as she worked, I would accidentally mimic or respond to her expression. I was so tired and sore by the end of the day.
4. What project are you working on right now?
I’m finishing up FaeMaker: Making Fantasy Characters With Polymer Clay by Dawn Schiller. We don’t make a lot of polymer clay books, so it’s been nice to work on something different, and Dee is a super-fun author. She came in for a photo shoot last year, and it was great getting to meet her in person.
5. Who is your favorite artist or what is your favorite type of art?
Oh, gosh. This is really hard! I wrote my art history thesis on Renaissance and Baroque art (depictions of Judith and Holofernes—pretty gruesome), but I also love seventeenth-century Dutch painting, and Japanese art. I especially like the Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini. His sculptures have really wonderful movement (check out his David—much more interesting than Michelangelo’s!).
March 27, 2012
1. How long have you been working at F+W Media?
I probably shouldn’t admit it, but it’s been a fast 18 years!
2. What is the best part about your job?
As Senior Content Director, not only do I love looking at great art and working with great artists, I also love finding out what artists are doing, what they want in art instruction and developing products that meet their needs. When an IMPACT book is popular, I know we’ve done all those things right!
3. What is the most interesting/craziest experience you have had working here?
I think the most interesting thing about starting and developing the IMPACT line is again, getting to know our readers and finding out what they want (and what they don’t). It always gives me a charge to talk to the kids in the local high school animation club or chat with readers at conventions, and those folks have never steered me wrong. Many a publishing pro has told me that they can’t sell fantasy art instruction, manga is on its way out or we have to have big-name artists in order for the line to work, and though I value their opinions, the opinions that really count are the ones that come from our readers.
4. What project(s) are you working on right now?
We have lots of irons in the fire, but some of the more immediate ones include a line of IMPACT coloring and extreme dot-to-dot books (and I mean extreme—more than 1000 dots to make, say, one awesome dragon scene); a bestiary from one of our top authors; more ideas for younger kids and more fun face painting.
5. What is your favorite type of art?
Gosh, I really don’t know what to say here, I love all kinds of art. I must say that working with IMPACT has brought out a love of illustration that was in fact discouraged when I was in art school, since our program heavily emphasized conceptual art where the idea involved in the work takes precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. On the other hand, the good part about that training was that it taught me to be non-judgmental about different types of art and appreciate it all for what it is, whether that’s a beautiful manga illustration, a messy but insightful little sketch, a big abstract canvas, whatever. I love it all!
For more about the coloring books, click on the images to visit our shops for descriptions. Find out more about IMPACT Books by liking us on Facebook and following us on Pinterest and Twitter!
March 22, 2012
1. How long have you been working at F+W Media?
Over 4 years, 3 with Writer’s Digest and just over 1 year with our North Light and IMPACT imprints.
2. What is the best part about your job as an editor?
Opening a submission from our authors and seeing all the great art for the first time, watching the book take shape and getting to be part of this amazing process.
3. What is the most interesting/craziest experience you have had as an editor?
Seeing Mastering Manga With Mark Crilley hit the Barnes and Noble bestseller list was awesome! I am so proud to be involved with that book. I knew he’d hit it out of the park and I’m glad people are recognizing that.
4. What projects are you working on right now?
I’m enjoying my work on Draw More Furries, by Lindsay Cibos and Jared Hodges. All I gotta say is that you’ll love the scalies! I’m also working on several North Light titles and we have some really fun color workbooks coming out that were great to work on!
5. Who is your favorite artist?
I have such a range of artists I love– Van Gogh’s use of color continues to inspire me. Lindsay Way’s The Flu series was awesome—I’d have loved to see it in person. I loved Becky Cloonan’s Wolves, and Cameron Stewart’s work never disappoints. Though each of them are different, they all have that combination of great technique and originality that really makes the work feel fresh. And if Becky and/or Cameron ever want to do an IMPACT Book, they should totally contact me!
March 16, 2012
Atlanta, GA. Local indie crafter, MA of Arts Administration, and fantasy illustrator, Angela R. Sasser, is hosting a book signing on Saturday, March 17th for her new painting book, Angelic Visions: Create Fantasy Art Angels With Watercolor, Ink and Colored Pencil.
Join us at Barnes & Noble’s Perimeter Mall location to talk about art techniques, art marketing, character design, and the road to publication with the author.
Ms. Sasser’s book is aimed at amateur artists with an appreciation for the fantastical. Packed with over 20 full color step-by-step tutorials, Angelic Visions teaches the basics of constructing colorful celestial characters in progressively challenging walk throughs. From the basics of figure drawing to character design, from color pencils to ink, Angelic Visions has something to inspire the artistic visionary in the budding artist!
Ms. Sasser will be signing copies of her book from 2-4pm at the Perimeter Mall location of Barnes and Noble, 120 Perimeter Center West Ste 300. Atlanta, GA.
