The Genie of the Ring: Aladdin, part III

Tags

1001 Nights, Aladdin, Djinn, Folk tales, Genie, Novelty books, Thousand and One Nights, Throwback Thursday, Walker Books

 

The Genie of the Ring. Ink and gouache. Original artwork on the left, together with the panel as it appears in the book. The border motif was also originally painted by hand in one section and was then stitched together digitally by the designer. Illustration for Aladdin, Walker Books, 2011.

Let us return to Aladdin for another late ‘Throwback Thursday’, shall we?

Jingle Bells is now published, though I’m realising to my embarrassment that I failed to mention that at all here, even though I did so on my Facebook page and have been sharing pictures of copies of the book in stores. There will be more on this as I embark on a Vanity Tour of the independent bookshops in London which have taken on the Jingle Bells window display. But with that flurry of promotion in mind, I wanted to return again to this favourite of mine. Not Christmas-related, though nevertheless somewhat appropriately festive in its own right.

I wanted the Genie of the Ring, who first appeared out of the ring which the magician had given Aladdin when he entered the cave, to look markedly different from the Lamp Genie: more benevolent and less intimidating. His costume is mostly Persian with some Ottoman elements. The illustration was flipped for the panel in the end as it worked best with he and the magician facing each other at opposite ends of the book spread.

 

The Cretaceous Tortoise and Hare

Tags

Dinosaurs, Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs, Olorotitan, Palaeontology, Tarbosaurus, University of Alberta

[Cross-posted at Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs.]

Once upon a time, in the autumn of 2011, I submitted an artwork requested by one Scott Persons of the University of Alberta via Art Evolved…

Three years later, the resulting set of three illustrations — a race between an Olorotitan and a Tarbosaurus — was finally published in the press release for a study of hadrosaur locomotion by Dr. Phil Currie and Scott Persons, which a few readers may already be familiar with, either independently or via the Chasmosaurs Facebook page. There is also a podcast about the research. Here, for your delectation and privilege (or indeed indifference and ennui, so please you) are the illustrations at a much larger size, which can be opened out in a new tab/window for full-view if you wish. Much of the comic expression in the dinosaurs’ eyes are missed in reduction — something which I hadn’t accounted for when I drew them.

The Aesop analogy subsequently repeated in the article was one which had actually occurred to Scott as a result of my original submission, as quoted in my linked Himmapaanensis post above: ‘…this is a charming twist (and one I had not anticipated). I like it very much!’ I readily confess that my simple little ego was considerably flattered by this.

There is also a story behind the flag-waving Protoceratops, who was originally accompanied by a much more incongruous figure (again, for the sake of this post’s conciseness, please see the first link for this). I don’t know, you’d think I had a penchant for such a thing…

Prints of the illustrations were donated to the silent auction at the Alberta Dinosaur Research Institute fundraising dinner this past weekend. Sean Willett of the Dragon Tongues podcast (whom Marc and I had the great pleasure of meeting and speaking to at the first TetZooCon, and for whom David recently completed a new logo) had very kindly placed a bid on them. He informs me that the prints finally sold for over $100.

Photograph by Sean Willett.

Of course, given that it has been three years since their creation, there are several things I would do differently now. So consider this the appropriate disclaimer/apology for any obvious shortcomings. I do know, however, that I would relish more such opportunities for playful pictures accompanying serious research in formal publications. Can we make this A Thing, please?

 

Throwback Thursday (belated): ‘swelling resentment’

Tags

Emma, folio society, Jane Austen, Throwback Thursday

Oh, dear, I’ve been busy and have neglected the blog again. Allow me to post this quick stopgap to keep it ticking over.

‘… in this state of swelling resentment, and mutually deep mortification, they had to continue’
Pencil, sketchbook page.

This rough sketch of Emma’s ‘tête-à-tête drive’ with Mr. Elton was one of the many pieces which turned out to be far better than their final counterparts when I did the illustrations for Jane Austen’s Emma in 2006, published by The Folio Society (with perhaps one exception). I gave Emma a calash, a pelisse, and a muff here, but eschewed all in favour of simply a hooded cloak in the final illustration, since I felt that the short distance between Randalls and Hartfield together with the carriage drive probably made them unnecessary. It was a pity, as I felt the visual interest was considerably reduced then. If only that was all that was wrong with the final piece…