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I’ll be at Arisia in Boston this weekend. Arisia is a general interest SF/fantasy/comics/anime convention. I’ll be talking about non-fiction comics on Friday, non-superhero comics on Sunday, and I’ll be giving a pen/ink/watercolor comics workshop on Sunday as well. I hope I’ll see you there!
Here’s the full schedule. There’s a lot going on.
In case you didn’t notice (it’s kind of subtle up there on the menubar), I’ve added a links page* where I’ve highlighted eight artists whose work I enjoy. If you’re not there, or you know of someone you think I’d like that I’ve omitted, let me know in e-mail or via Twitter. I will be doing something like this again, perhaps in a few months. What I wanted to avoid was the massive wall of impenetrable text that is the blogroll, which is of little use to anyone.
* yes, finally
The entries are formatted so you can get an idea of what the art looks like, along with a little description written by myself:
Eric Mongeon: 4 by Poe is an illustrated collection of four Edgar Allan Poe stories which Eric has designed, typeset, and illustrated. He does all three things amazingly well. His handcrafted books are wonderful.
I decided to take a moment in between Chapters 7 and 8 to look back on the things I’ve posted this year, it being the holidays and all. I’d kind of like Chapter 8 not to fall into the black hole of the holidays, so I’ll be starting it next week. Then again, maybe I should post, as no-one else will be posting anything and people will be starved for stuff to look at on their new iPads. Decisions! Anyway. Unsurprisingly, the cover to Machiavelli (the first page of the comic) is the most visited page overall (not counting the index page obviously). Keep Calm and Carry Machiavelli continues to be the most popular non-comics thing I’ve posted on the site (although it is technically from late 2010 and is thus disqualified.)
So here’s the top five from 2011:
1. Machiavelli and Anthony Weiner: Traffic to this post is largely search driven (as opposed to referrals or readers browsing the site) this was an attempt to apply some lessons from The Prince to a current political scandal.
2. Machiavelli is Not Interested in Overthrowing the Status Quo: One of my favorite posts from this year, as I was able to use detective work to set the record straight and debunk a fake Machiavelli quote. Real author: Newt Gingrich!
3. The Typography of Machiavelli: Some notes on the typefaces I use in Machiavelli (P22 Operina Pro and P22 Morris Golden).
4. Machiavelli and the Economy of Violence: The most recent post on the list, from November. It’s always gratifying when something that involved a bit of research is popular. Here I argue that Machiavelli did not view violence as an end unto itself, but as a necessary evil to be used sparingly and with deliberation.
5. Let’s Not Talk about Content or Its Consumption: I don’t like the worlds “content” or “consumption” w/r/t art. Here I explain why.
So stay tuned for Chapter 8. Things are about to get really rough.
For your enjoyment, a panorama of pages 128 and 129, joined together by the magic of computers. Click on the image above to see it in its full widescreen glory. Enjoy your weekend!
Here’s another master study, about 40 minutes, a detail of HMS Duke from Nicolas Pocock’s Battle of the Saintes
. See also my Parmigianino study from a couple of months back.