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| D. Robert Pease |
When I
was in art school, well over two decades ago, my idols were twin artist
brothers. The Hildebrandt brothers were, in my estimation, the greatest
illustrators on the planet. I wanted nothing more than to one day have my work
grace the cover of fantasy books filling bookshelves around the world. Their
story was incredible. They were introverted, men toiling away in obscurity
until one day they had the nerve to plop trash bag covered paintings on some
editor’s desk and mumble, “Tolkien pictures, we paint them.”
I think
back on this time of utter fandom and remember the longing I had to meet these
brothers who I considered so much greater than the mere mortals who walked the
earth with me.
I tell
this story to point out the fact that the world is a very different place now.
And I suppose I’m a different person too. Sure the Hildebrandt brothers are
still amazing artists, but I suspect if I ever met them I’d find that, in fact,
they are human just like me.
This was
highlighted by an interaction I had over the past week with another great
artist, Keith Thompson. He’s the illustrator for Todd Westerfeld’s Leviathan
trilogy. I’ve been working on some illustrations for an omnibus version of my
Noah Zarc trilogy, which will be coming out in December of this year. I loved
Keith’s art and hoped that I could create illustrations similar in style to
them. I don’t claim to have come anywhere close, but do like the direction they
are going. And this is in no small part because of the help of Mr. Thompson.
You see I found a tutorial of his online that showed his process. Following
that tutorial, I created the first illustration. But it wasn’t quite there, so
I found his email address and emailed it off to him. In a day or two he emailed
back with some suggestions. I took his advice, and created another
illustration, which was much stronger than the first. Then I asked him a
question about scanning, which he replied to. In the mean time he had looked at
some of my work online and emailed me back. In short, I had an ongoing
conversation with a professional illustrator, and you know what? He’s a human
being, just like me. Sure he’s uber-talented. But he was normal, just like
those I interact with every day.
Why do I
bring this up? And what does this have to do with why I wanted to be part of Indiestructible? Quite simply, I love
the world we live in—the world where I can instantly, or near-instantly talk
with folks who inspire me. I’ve often wondered if I had been able to talk with
the brothers Hildebrandt back when I was a wet-behind-the-ears illustrator
wannabe if my life would have take a different path. I actually put aside my
dream of being an illustrator simply because I never thought I’d attain the
god-like standing of those amazing brothers. Now, as I get back to creating art
again, I certainly don’t put myself in their category. I know the art I create,
and the books I write aren’t anything worthy of fandom, but I’m enjoying what I
do. And quite frankly, I am to the point where I must do it no matter what
anyone else thinks. And my guess is if I spoke with most artists and authors
they’d say the same thing. So I want to keep sight of this fact.
I love the small world we live in. I love opportunities for all of us to help each other. The community of authors I’ve met over the past few years just blows me away. Nearly every one has been kind, gracious, humble and willing to lend a hand, or a word of advice whenever it is asked. I want to be a member of that community. I want to help, in even the smallest way, someone who has wondered what it’d be like to write a story and allow someone else to read it. I want to give courage to that writer who has compared themselves to the great writers of today and felt inadequate. I guarantee that those authors, who have somehow achieved fame and fortune, have all felt the same way, and if we were to sit down with them we’d find they really weren’t all that different than us. So if we don’t feel up to the task, that’s exactly where we should be. If you don’t agree, then just ask your favorite author. You may be surprised when you hear back from them.
I love the small world we live in. I love opportunities for all of us to help each other. The community of authors I’ve met over the past few years just blows me away. Nearly every one has been kind, gracious, humble and willing to lend a hand, or a word of advice whenever it is asked. I want to be a member of that community. I want to help, in even the smallest way, someone who has wondered what it’d be like to write a story and allow someone else to read it. I want to give courage to that writer who has compared themselves to the great writers of today and felt inadequate. I guarantee that those authors, who have somehow achieved fame and fortune, have all felt the same way, and if we were to sit down with them we’d find they really weren’t all that different than us. So if we don’t feel up to the task, that’s exactly where we should be. If you don’t agree, then just ask your favorite author. You may be surprised when you hear back from them.
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| Just $0.99 on Amazon |
100% of proceeds will be donated to BUILDON.org, a movement which breaks the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and low expectations through service and education.
Contributing authors:
Alex J. Cavanaugh <> Angela Brown <> Anne R. Allen <> Briane Pagel <> C.S. Lakin <> Ciara Knight <> Cindy M. Hogan <> D. Robert Pease <> Dawn Ius <> Emily White <> Greg Metcalf <> Jadie Jones <> Jessica Bell <> Karen
Bass <> Karen Walker <> Kristie Cook <> Laura Diamond <> Laura Pauling <> Laurel Garver <> Leigh Talbert Moore <> Lori Robinson <> Melissa Foster <> Michael Offutt <> Michelle Davidson Argyle <> Rick Daley <> Roz Morris <> S.R. Johannes <> Stephen Tremp <> Susan Kaye Quinn
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About D. Robert Pease:
D. Robert Pease is the author of the
award-winning Noah Zarc series. Originally self-published, they will be
re-released in the summer and fall of 2013 through Evolved
Publishing. When
not writing, he can be found creating covers for fellow authors through Walking
Stick Books as
well as running his own website development company.
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Note from Jessica: I'm over at The Alliance of Independent Authors today talking about how indie publishing compares to the indie music scene. Would love to see you there!
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Note from Jessica: I'm over at The Alliance of Independent Authors today talking about how indie publishing compares to the indie music scene. Would love to see you there!
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We're all just people. We've all taken different paths and achieved different levels of success, but we are still human. I bet even the brothers Hildebrandt look at their work and wish they could do better. It's all about doing the best we can at the time.
ReplyDeleteAnd fortunately, we do have a lot of resources when it comes to finding help and encouragement.
Sometimes greatness applies to the idea behind the actual work. The good news about the world we live in is that help and encouragement and opportunity are but a click away. The bad news is that familiarity breeds contempt. Perhaps the tortoise had it right after all.
ReplyDeleteA changing of attitudes and the ability to self-publish has resulted in an explosion of books, but yes, gems do occur if we give them a chance. I plan to take advantage of whatever helps me accomplish my goals.
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful post! It's sometimes hard to remember how our idols are people just like us. And it's so exciting that we are one tweet or email away from connecting with them. :)
ReplyDelete