Flame Tree Fiction

So it seems everywhere I look at the moment are zombie pictures, visions of the walking dead – sometimes relatively unscathed and human-like; mostly fairly bloodily down the road of decay – whether in art, film or on TV. Having been immersed in making a book on zombies has obviously contributed to my high intake of undead depictions, but even when I decide to read something apparently non-zombie, my thoughts return to these shuffling, grasping creatures. Going through my other half’s eclectic collection of books the other day, looking for something new to read, I plucked out John Wyndham’s The Day of The Triffids – a 1951 post-apocalyptic science-fiction tale of worldwide blindness enabling the rise of some rather nasty, stinging, lurching, carnivorousplants…

Awakening to A Changed World

OK, so first of all, the post-apocalyptic thing is there – a trope much beloved of zombie-filmmakers – but more specifically, I experienced much déja-vu in the opening scenes as the protagonist wakes up in hospital to discover he has been abandoned by his carers and no one is left, save for some desperate, groaning, shuffling people wandering the wards... Where had I seen this before?

The danger, mystery and beauty of vampires means they have an eternal allure a world apart from zombies or other horrors, and as well as reading about them or watching them on screen, gothic fantasy art affords a whole world of imaginative vampiric visions created by talented artists.

Today’s Zombie

In the last decade, Zombie pictures, movies and games have entered the mainstream in a big way. The Walking Dead has not only seen huge success in its comic book form, but also in the tv show adapted from it. Even an actor as well loved as Brad Pitt produced and starred in a film adaptation of Max Brook’s World War Z. Yet even as the genre grows, it is important to remember that it owes a huge debt to the the wonderfully twisted mind of George Romero.

In an artistic genre populated by muscular heroes, blood-soaked warriors and impossible vistas, Michael C. Hayes is just one of the talented host of artists that we feature in our upcoming book, Fantasy Art: Warriors and Heroes. Though his work is canonical, his paintings are also innately artistic. Lending equal attention to superhuman fighters and composed portraits of his characters, Hayes' work is a must-see for any fantasy art fan.

Hulking hero Hercules is one of the most popular figures to come out of Greek mythology. He has had several incarnations over the years, being presented in literature and more recently TV and film to great success. Summer blockbuster Hercules, featuring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, is due out at the end of this week, and it has prompted me to think about some of the memorable portrayals over the years.

Dragons have become ever popular in recent years, fuelled earlier this month by the release of How To Train Your Dragon 2, which was prompted by the massive success its predecessor. Earlier this year there was a lot of excitement over Benedict Cumberbatch's incredible portrayal of Smaug in the second Hobbit film, The Desolation of Smaug. It was agreed by everyone that Cumberbatch's Smaug was impressive, with a fiery presence that really made the film what it was. Which isn't surprising, given that Cumberbatch writhed around on set while saying his lines, to really get into the Smaug spirit. So it's a great time for fantasy fans, and in particular those who love dragons! Here are some of our favourite fantasy dragons in film, T.V. and art today. 

We've just released a gorgeous new digital edition of our unrivalled book: Tattoo Art by Russ Thorne. 192pp pages of colour photographs, revealing brilliant tattoo designs from fabulous contemporary tattoo artists, photographed in style by the best photographers. It's available on the Apple iBookstore and is designed for the iPad Retina display which shows off the detailed and glorious art. We're very excited about it!

Tattoo art, like most forms of art, covers an eclectic range of styles, subject matter and messages. Of these sub-categories, Old School is one of the most instantly recognisable. The clear lines and iconography relevant to sailing lore have evolved into a popular style for those with a love of inked skin. Conversely, style has evolved on the other end of the spectrum into what is being dubbed 'New School'. An anthesis to its older brother, New School tattoo art relies less on a rigid style and is more commonly associated with experimentation, natural colours and subtle messages.

It's been a long time coming, but at last we've made a fabulous illustrated ebook of the hugely successful print title, Dragon Art: Inspiration, Impact & Technique in Fantasy Art. Yes, it's very big, both in terms of dimension and the number of pages (192 pages plus covers), but we've worked hard to create a terrific iPad ready, digital book.  It's available on the Apple iBookstore and is designed for the iPad display which shows off the detailed and glorious art. We're absolutely delighted with it. It'll be on Kobo soon too, and you can download it to the Mac OSX Mavericks because at last you can use iBookson the desktop. We flirted with the Amazon on this project but the designed pages look so terrible you wouldn't want to open it again!!

We've just released a gorgeous digital edition of a brand-new book: Fantasy Art: Warriors & Heroes. 192pp pages of artwork, showcasing amazing paintings from fabulous contemporary artists. It's available on the Apple iBookstore and is designed for the iPad Retina display which shows off the detailed and glorious art. We're very excited to see what you think!