If you haven’t already, check this out. We love this guy…maybe someday we’ll have a book with him?

Lisa Cyr, whose new book Art Revolution hits shelves at the end of June, has been selected to appear in this fall’s Spectrum 16, the latest in the series of books showcasing the best fantasy, science fiction and horror art of the year. As a nice bonus, Spectrum is currently spotlighting her demo piece on their main homepage.

To all you mixed-media fantasy fans out there, check out the complete step-by-step demonstration of one of Cyr’s Spectrum 16 selections, “The Courageous,” on IMPACT.com’s sister site, ArtistNetwork.com.

Art Revolution features a variety of demonstrations and in-depth interviews by twenty groundbreaking mixed-media artists. Pre-order it today!

Do you have a traditional art piece you’re particularly proud of and please with? Enter it in The Artist’s Magazine Annual Art Competition. There’s a student/beginner division for artists age 16 or over. There are cash awards and all winners will be features in the January/February 2010 issue of The Artist’s Magazine. Click here for the complete details. The deadline for entry is May 1, 2009. Good luck! 


IMPACT Books is an imprint of F+W Media

IMPACT is always looking for talented creators to share their techniques with our readers.

What Does IMPACT Look For?

1. We publish books about do-it-yourself comic and fantasy art creation activities. We need ideas for books that will appeal to the person who wants to learn skills in ways that are easy to follow and fun.

2. We publish books with great examples of finished art. All of the artwork and step-by-step demonstrations in the book must be:

-    Inviting
-    Inspiring
-    High quality in technique, instructional value and reproductive quality (all digital files high resolution and photography in focus with proper exposure)

The response of the reader should be “Wow, I want to do that!”

3. We publish books on a basic skill level. IMPACT books must interest beginners who like to spend time creating fantasy, comics or other pop culture art. The art, techniques and processes presented should appear to be well within the reach of what the average reader can do. Emphasis should be on relatively easy, fast, fun methods. Reader response should be “Wow, I CAN do that!”

4. We publish books that teach primarily with pictures and easy-to-follow step-by-step demonstrations, not just with words. Illustrations should be clear, instructive, easy to follow and of professional quality. You must build your book around demonstrations with five to ten steps per demonstration that the reader can easily learn from to complete similar art that looks good based on your instruction. The reader must be able to see the whole process by scanning the sequence of illustrations without even having to read the captions. In other words, the captions should support the art.

5. We publish books that fit our format. Our books are usually:

-    8 1/2 x 11 inches
-    96, 112, 128, 144 or 160 pages long (most 128 or 144)
-    Paperback
-    Full color

IMPACT, not the author, determines binding and selling price. We sometimes consider other formats, but most IMPACT books are 8.25” x 10.875” paperbacks.

What You Must Be Able To Do As An Author

1. Provide great art and step-by-step demonstrations suitable for reproduction. Art and instruction must be high quality. We prefer to work with hi-res electronic art.

2. Provide great step-by-step demonstrations that show the process of producing comics, fantasy art, etc. as you create it, reproducing each step in a progression with electronic art. This is a necessity for doing an IMPACT book. We have sets of guidelines showing you how best to do this. You must submit your materials as written in the guidelines. Most IMPACT authors scan or photograph their art in stages as they produce it.

3. Write clear how-to instructions for step-by-step demonstrations. This is also a necessity for an IMPACT book. If you can describe in words exactly what you are doing when you are creating your art—including what materials, tools, colors and techniques you are using—you most likely have the necessary writing skills. We are not looking for stylish or scholarly prose, lists of anecdotes or travelogues—just concise, easy-to-follow descriptions of how to perform techniques that are clear enough to follow. If your writing is logical and correctly ordered, we can do the rest, such as grammar, spelling and punctuation. However, our editors work with you and your project on much more than those details.

4. Work with editors. Once our publications board accepts your proposal, you continue to work with an editor who helps you with the following:

-    Providing you with guidelines for producing and submitting your materials (this may also be provided to you before your proposal is accepted)
-    Answering your questions about how you should proceed
-    Helping you develop a page-by-page plan of your book for you to follow (this may also be developed with you before your proposal is accepted)
-    Establishing a schedule of deadlines for submissions (you will be asked to send finished chapters for review)
-    Reviewing and editing your manuscript and art as you submit them
-    Providing feedback within a reasonable time frame

Most IMPACT authors are artists, not writers. You don’t have to be a perfect writer—your editor will help you make your book the best it can be. Usually, we do heavily edit most IMPACT books in the interest of being most instructive for the reader. Your editor may cut text or ask you to provide more to ensure logic, accuracy, flow, etc. An editor may cut art or ask you to provide more to ensure good reproduction and instruction, IMPACT style, etc.

5. Follow an outline, clear page plan and all agreed-to project information for the book. Before you produce anything beyond proposal materials for a book, we plan exactly what will go in it, arranged in a logical order, so everybody knows what is necessary to complete the work. This makes gathering and producing the material much easier for you. It also lets us know what is coming and how long the book will be before we start work. We need authors who can write the books we need and know we can sell.

6. Deliver material on time. It is essential that you deliver artwork and writing on time in order to receive your advance payments and so that we can have your book ready when we can best sell it. You must be able to keep yourself on schedule from the beginning. A good author needs organization, discipline and applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair. Your editor will work with you on mutually agreeable due dates for submissions. If you do not meet deadlines, we may decide to cancel your book, which means that you will have to return any advances that you have received.

What You Should Submit For A Potential Book Idea

1. Submit at least twenty high-quality samples of art (preferably digital—whatever represents your work best) typical of what readers will learn to do in your book. We need to see enough so that we know your work is consistently good. It is important that you also let us know how you would plan to submit electronic art for the book so that we can make sure your submissions will be acceptable.

2. Submit a definition of your book with a detailed outline/table of contents. It is best if you can establish a very specific “handle” or “big idea” to focus the book and give it a definite direction from the start. You may already have this. Whether you already have an idea for a book or do not yet know what your “big idea” is, write short answers to the following questions to develop your idea further:

-    What is your book about? What medium, techniques, subject matter and point of view will it include?
-    Who are your targeted readers? It must be suitable for beginners, but please define your audience further.
-    How will the book teach the reader? In what form will you deliver the instruction? It must include step-by-step demonstrations, but it can also include projects or exercises for the reader to do; close-up details; case studies; artist profiles; before/after or good/bad comparisons; etc.
-    What makes your book special? What will the readers find in your book that they cannot get in other books? This does not mean your book has to be startlingly new. Nevertheless, what features would it have to set it apart from other books?
-    What makes you qualified to write this book?

Then make a detailed outline that shows you have thought your book idea through.

3. Submit a sample section or chapter (both art and writing) representative of the book.

Send it all to Pamela Wissman, Editorial Director, IMPACT Books, F+W Media, 4700 East Galbraith Rd., Cincinnati OH 45236, pam.wissman@fwmedia.com. Though we produce many types of instruction books, I am currently most interested in proposals on the following topics for the IMPACT line:

-    How to draw and paint in popular styles (fantasy, comics, manga)
-    How to draw fantasy creatures (dragons, unicorns, monsters, other animals)
-    Special effects (how to depict speed, blasts, superpowers)
-    Action poses
-    Basics of backgrounds/settings
-    Science fiction
-    Dinosaurs
-    Fairies
-    Auto detailing/airbrush
-    How to draw aliens
-    How to draw horror
-    Drawing people
-    Basic drawing and sketching
-    Creativity/getting Ideas
-    Coloring (including computer coloring)
-    Anatomy for comics and fantasy Art
-    Activity books that include both games/puzzles and art
-    Body art

What’s Next

I assess your material, and if it appears suitable for our publishing program, I work with you to develop the outline and chapter-by-chapter description of the content of the book further. We will also finalize how to present the material, i.e. step-by-step demonstrations, details of finished work, etc. If you haven’t provided a sample step-by-step demonstration already, I will ask you to create one consisting of all the steps involved in making one of your projects, along with captions telling what happens in each step. This will also indicate how we can best help you with the writing and with acquiring quality illustrations as the project progresses.

Once we have a good outline, page plan and sample demonstration, I will propose your project to a review board for approval. If approved, you will then negotiate a contract with our Contracts & Royalties Manager. The terms of the contract will spell out the advances you will receive, the royalty payments and the due dates for art and finished manuscript.

What’s In It for You as an IMPACT Author

There are many good reasons for publishing a book with F+W and IMPACT. We create the finest art instruction books available today and are the leading publishers of art instruction books in the U.S. Our books are in nearly every bookstore and art supply store in the U.S. and Canada, as well as other areas of the world. Publications such as Comics Buyer’s Guide, Previews, School Library Journal, Library Journal and mail order catalogues also feature them. We promote them at conventions, as well as distributing them to comic book retailers, as well as featuring them in our IMPACT University Free Comic Book Day publication every year. In addition, our books usually remain in print and in our catalog for many years, as long as there is a demand for them.

Creating a book takes time, effort and commitment. Nevertheless, it is worth it. Besides the obvious satisfaction and pride you will feel when you see your best work in print, there are other rewards.

1. It provides you with increased opportunities in your career. Being the author of an art instruction book is a great way to keep your work in front of readers for years to come. If people like what you show them in your book, they will want to see more of what you do. A book with your name on it is good promotion!

2. You share your joys, experiences and discoveries with others. Not only do you share your joy in the process of making art, but you also make it possible for the reader to create. There is no better way to enrich the joy of others than to share your discoveries and secrets in a well-written instruction book.

3. You make money. As the author and copyright holder, you will receive royalties on all sales of your book. Although you might not be able to retire early (or even quit your day job), periodically receiving a royalty check can be a nice supplement to your earnings.

How to Find Out More

If you have any other questions, please write to:

Pamela Wissman, Editorial Director
IMPACT Books, an imprint of F+W Media
4700 East Galbraith Rd., Cincinnati OH 45236
Pam.wissman@fwmedia.com
www.impact

Here’s why I think drawing is awesome:

1. You can draw anywhere—with sketchpad you don’t even need a surface to work on
2. There’s no set up
3. There’s no clean up (all play and no work, how great is that)
4. There’s no drying time
5. The materials and supplies are inexpensive (especially compared to brushes and paints)
6. You can work in color—ah, the joy of painting with colored pencils.

If you like drawing, too, I recommend these books to help you develop your skills:

The Drawing Bible by Craig Nelson

Drawing with Your Artist’s Brain by Carl Purcell

Drawing for the Absolute Beginner by Mark and Mary Willenbrink

Basic Colored Pencil Techinques by Bet Borgeson

The tradition of learning always amazes me. Sometimes I forget, and sometimes I am reminded. Like yesterday. Chris Seaman, one of the authors of Wreaking Havoc, forwarded to us at IMPACT a couple pieces of art created by budding artist, Jordan, age 12. (In case you haven’t heard, we LOVE getting art from readers.)

This morning, while emailing back and forth about how COOL these drawings are, I recalled an interview I did with John Howe when I first started with F+W Media (then F+W Publications), IMPACT Books’ parent company. The interview was for Artist’s & Graphic Designer’s Market.

(In the interest of full-disclosure, I’ll tell you I’ve referenced this interview several times recently, on different occasions, for different reasons. I love it when something gives me a lot of mileage…but I do worry about the horse. Ahem.)

Jordan’s first sketch is from Chris Seaman's Wreaking Havoc gnome.

In the interview, John said:

“The deeper you throw yourself into copying someone else’s work, the faster you get through it and identify the elements which may eventually become part of your own way of approaching things. It’s a tradition that’s been going on for millennia. You’re trying to understand another’s work and the only way to understand is to try to do it. I must’ve copied millions of things when I was in my teens.”

I love that Jordan did the gnome, then seemed to take the stuff she really wanted to use—like the armor decoration for example—and put it to use with her own creature. Perhaps that’s all learning is—whether it’s drawing or writing or whatever. We see or hear something we like. We emulate it. And we should emulate it, at least for a while.

Jordan’s second sketch is her own creation.

John explained it like this:

“You’re looking for yourself somewhere. You’ve identified something that you think you can use. You need to try it and you need to make it your own. Imagine a road. You see a section of it way up ahead—because someone else has been drawing for ages and they’re professionals with all these techniques and gimmicks an gadgets. You get a glimpse long before you could get there by cutting through the woods yourself. Now you can forge on.”

So forge on, Jordan. You drew the gnome, then discovered how to take elements from that drawing and incorporate them into your own. Who knows what you’ll discover tomorrow? 

To read the entire article, originally published in 2004 Artists’ & Graphic Designer’s Market, click here.

Patti Brady with her new book, Rethinking Acrylic.

Pour, scrape, squirt, roll, layer, excavate. There are a million things you can do with acrylic paints, and Patti Brady has assembled an incredible collection of how-to’s and bold inspiring art in her workshop-style book, Rethinking Acrylic. Check out the book and write directly to Patti with questions and comments here on the book’s blog page!

If you want to learn how to draw, look no further than art instructor, Mark Willenbrink. He’ll help you achieve a successful drawing, even if you’ve never picked up a pencil. His teaching style is basic without being condescending. He is here to help you!

In his new video workshop, Mark helps you choose materials and shows you how to use them. He gives great advice on the tricky stuff, like using photo references, creating shapes, achieving a range of values, erasing/blending, and adding details using texture. He covers the techniques in a full demonstration, then shows you how to put in the finishing touches.

Click here to preview Drawing for the Absolute Beginner.

You can purchase the full-length video workshop at www.artistsnetwork.tv. Then, check out the accompanying book at www.artistsnetworkshop.com.

I have had the great pleasure of working on a new product for North Light Books. It’s a CD composed of 3 individual books on drawing. It’s called Realistic Drawing Secrets and will be available for purchase in January 2009. Carrie Stuart Parks and Rick Parks (the authors of Realistic Drawing Secrets) will show you how to draw even if you’ve never before picked up a pencil. They have spent years traveling across the nation teaching composite drawing and forensic art courses to the Secret Service and FBI agents, as well as interested civilians.

Making these CDs is a really cool process: With this CD we took the Parks’ 3 books (Secrets to Realistic Drawing, Secrets to Drawing Realistic Faces and Secrets to Drawing Realistic Children) and combined them all into one file which we then saved onto a CD. The CD is interactive, with bookmarks and links–just click on the topic of your choice, and BAM, there you are following a step-by-step demonstration on how to draw a realistic cow skull, or your sister, or a flower.

We have a few other CDs available right now from other great North Light authors. You can find Discover Acrylic Painting With Lee Hammond (Z4817), Watercolor for the Fun of It (Z4821), and Discover Drawing With Lee Hammond (Z4818) available at www.artistsnetwork.com. If you try one of these CDs, let us know what you think!