Art Inspiring... Fiction
It should be no surprise to hear that I'm an massive fan of science-fiction and fantasy art. People who enjoy F/SF books tend to like the same themes in their art, of course. I've already stated on this blog how much I enjoy Alex Boyd's work, for example. And that isn't merely because he's painted awesome covers for two particular novels by yours truly.
Alex, if you're reading this, get an online gallery together, will you? I've searched for your work on Google, but haven't found a dedicated web-site so far. Shame on you!
Anyway, back to the blog post. It's a well known fact that a tremendous amount of incredible science-fiction art has been inspired by the genre's fiction. I can hardly count the number of wonderful pieces I've seen that were created for books in the Dune universe, for example.
It goes both ways, though. I'm sure a good number of writers are regularly inspired by works of fantastical art. I know I am, and I can't be alone in that. I regularly peruse copies of Spectrum and I have a number of other art books within easy reach of the desk in my little studio.
Spectrum, by the way, is an annually published collection of 'the best in science-fiction and fantasy art'. I can't recommend it highly enough to anyone interested in this kind of thing, and, if you're an aspiring professional artist, you could do a lot worse than to submit a few pieces. The book is put together by a body of judges that utilise a kind of submissions competition. Be warned, though; the standard is extremely high... and there's a fee.
If, on the other hand, you simply want to see some amazing art and you need a quicker, cheaper fix, I have a great link for you. Check out conceptships.blogspot.com
There's more than enough incredible art there to satisfy almost anyone, and, if you happen to be a speculative fiction writer, you're sure to get some inspiration from it. Enjoy!
Alex, if you're reading this, get an online gallery together, will you? I've searched for your work on Google, but haven't found a dedicated web-site so far. Shame on you!
Anyway, back to the blog post. It's a well known fact that a tremendous amount of incredible science-fiction art has been inspired by the genre's fiction. I can hardly count the number of wonderful pieces I've seen that were created for books in the Dune universe, for example.
It goes both ways, though. I'm sure a good number of writers are regularly inspired by works of fantastical art. I know I am, and I can't be alone in that. I regularly peruse copies of Spectrum and I have a number of other art books within easy reach of the desk in my little studio.
Spectrum, by the way, is an annually published collection of 'the best in science-fiction and fantasy art'. I can't recommend it highly enough to anyone interested in this kind of thing, and, if you're an aspiring professional artist, you could do a lot worse than to submit a few pieces. The book is put together by a body of judges that utilise a kind of submissions competition. Be warned, though; the standard is extremely high... and there's a fee.
If, on the other hand, you simply want to see some amazing art and you need a quicker, cheaper fix, I have a great link for you. Check out conceptships.blogspot.com
There's more than enough incredible art there to satisfy almost anyone, and, if you happen to be a speculative fiction writer, you're sure to get some inspiration from it. Enjoy!
Labels: Art
posted by Steve Parker at
12:51 AM
2 Comments:
As you rightly say, Steve, many writers are inspired by great art. I for one clearly remember the piece of artwork that inspired my first ever commissioned publication.
The artwork was the cover for the Advanced Fighting Fantasy rulebook 'Dungeoneer' and the book it inspired was 'Spellbreaker'.
Hi Jon,
As some visitors to this site will probably already know, I was (and remain) a huge fan of the Fighting Fantasy series of books. The Sorcery! series in particular holds very strong memories for me. They sort of define my childhood in a way. This is mostly due to John Blanche's awe-inspiring art.
It was a real pleasure to meet him at Games Day last year and to be able to tell him how much I loved his work.
And it was great to see the books re-released in the last few years so that a new generation can enjoy them. Congrats, Jon, on your own Fighting Fantasy releases. You'll have to let me know sometime about how to get in on that action. ;)
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