Happy New Year, Folks!

 

NEW Colour Flats Wizard Hired

Wizards Keep are pleased to announce the post of Colour Flats Assistant here at the Studio has now been filled and in a very close run contest – certainly between the final two candidates, we have our NEW Colour Flats Wizard.

Please join us in welcoming aboard, our latest member, Game Designer and Children’s Book Illustrator, Ric Lumb.

In an over a week long selection process our five candidates were each given a sample page from Worlds End • Volume 3 – Don’t Fear The Reapers to colour flat, along with some examples of existing colour flats from Volume 2, colour guides for the principle characters to keep them on model and  detailed instructions on our requirements. This was followed by two sets of questionnaires.

The decision was not an easy one to make this time around, as we had a lot more applicants for the post. So, this period, saw us sifting through lots of entries until we had the five best applications in front of us.

The final choice was difficult as both had supplied great examples of flats, but in the end a choice was made.

We would like to thank everyone who applied for the post for their interest, the final five for their enthusiasm and Ric, for agreeing to come aboard.

You can follow Ric’s exploits on all of the Wizards Keep and Worlds End Websites and On-line Networks and also directly here:

Website: www.puttycad.co.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PuttyCAD

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/puttycad

Twitch: twitch.tv/puttycad

And now, Ric's Initial Sample Page:

 

Wizards Keep Are Hiring!

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Please read these very carefully, as anyone not meeting all of the criteria will be discounted from the list of applicants.

Please note all criteria required is marked ** below.

YES! You are reading this correctly - Wizards Keep are Hiring!

Freelance Colour Flats Assistant Required by Wizards Keep Publishing.

As Tim works on the pencil art for Worlds End • Volume 3 – Don’t Fear The Reapers and Worlds End • Volume 4 – Close to the Edge, we are now looking for a replacement freelance colour flats assistant.

This is NOT a back end agreement or any similar arrangement, which is seen all too often nowadays in publishing, but is a fully paid for project with a view to sustaining a working relationship over the life of the series and indeed other similar projects on a project by project basis.

This vacancy in the Worlds End creative team is due to our current colour flats assistant, Gabriella Naser being unable to pick up the flat colouring chores for us here once again on our two new graphic novels due to her present workload, as she begins her new University course.

Both parties are sad that this is the case, but we at the Keep would all like to wish her the very best for her time at University.

**Please send an email showing your initial interest, and rates of pay along with your 6 x samples, as outlined fully in the next paragraph below, and we will send you an example of the types of layered psd files we are expecting from our new colour flats assistant. The example will be taken from Worlds End • Volume 2 – A Hard Reign’s Gonna Fall. This sample is provided to aid all potential applicants with a working knowledge of what is needed on this project by Wizards Keep Publishing.

All applicants should send links to websites and or a small number of .jpg images (maximum 6) to studio@wizards-keep.com or for larger files via MailBigFile in zip file format (www.mailbigfile.com) to the same email address - studio@wizards-keep.com.

All imagery to be FLAT COLOURS ONLY and one example at least should be in fully layered psd format and sent via mailbigfile to studio@wizards-keep.com.

In the message window when uploading your work, please include a short line including your name and contact details, so we can easily track all applicants.

Please be patient – ALL applicants will receive either a letter which will either show you have been unsuccessful this time around, or a letter of interest to discuss things further.

The successful applicant will then be given the green light to flat a page from Worlds End Volume 2 (which will be fully paid for). This sample will be completed as a finished, layered sample. This, if successful, will provide the initial page of flat colouring for the third and fourth volume.

If this is also successful the applicant will be given the job to work on the rest of the book as Tim's colour flat assistant on Worlds End • Volume 3, with a view to working on future volumes, should the applicant be available at the time further books are in need of flatting.

Applicants can be either working professionals or someone wishing to break into the industry as a flat colourist. A high quality finish, speedy turnaround and attention to detail is what is required and our high expectations for the requirements of this freelance post follow on from the excellent work of Yel Zamor and Gabriella Naser having set the goal posts with books 1 and 2.

Wizards Keep Publishing will provide each page of artwork to the hired freelance assistant as psd files already set up in layers with more layers added by the assistant during production – examples will be given by Wizards Keep Publishing prior to beginning work on the project – in line with the Worlds End Volume 2 sample page.Each page will contain layers containing each individual character, background elements, midground elements and foreground elements on separate layers.

The project is to provide layered flat colouring on the 66 pages of strip content within the third volume of the Worlds End series of graphic novels and 68 on the fourth.

Payment is upon completion of the work, for both the sample and also the entire run of volume three and then volume four pages, either by PayPal or electronic transfer direct to the assistant's bank account, whichever is preferred. The assistant will provide an invoice for the work upon completion to avoid any delays in payment.

Full credit in the book and also in any marketing strategy will be given.

We look forward to seeing your samples and of course working with the successful applicant.

Good Luck!

Tim Perkins and the Wizards of the Keep

Wizards Keep - Special Announcement

 

FANTASY ART UNLIMITED - Places available

FANTASY ART UNLIMITED – Classes held at the Batcave comic shop.

If you live in the Lancashire area this may be of interest to you; the Fantasy Art Unlimited art course has currently got a small number of places available to students wishing to take part on the course run by comic creator and director of Wizards Keep, Tim Perkins, Marvel, DC, Defiant, 2000AD, Tekno, etc. 

If the lockdown restrictions continue to slacken the highly successful 30 x weeks long Fantasy Art Unlimited, we will be looking to return to our base of operations down at The Batcave Comic Shop in Blackburn town centre across from the Central Library and next door to Muffins coffee shop and restaurant on Wednesday October 8th.

We are working closely with Nas the owner of The Batcave, and he is working closely with Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and the current guidelines to ascertain if this is possible or not.

If all goes well, we will return to our terrestrial classes on October 8th. 

A FREE Taster Session is arranged upon request with ALL potential students wishing to see how it works and what goes on during the sessions.

To apply for a Taster Session simply send an email to fau@wizards-keep.com or private message me Facebook or Twitter.

The course is presently £114.00 for 30 x weeks at 3 hours per week or in other words 90 hours – All full of fun and frolics learning how to draw and paint.

Some details about the course content:

The course will cover lots of things from the basics of sketching loosely and confidently, through to inking and painting.

Topics covered include:

Comic books

Graphic Novels

Game Design

Book Jackets

Children's Books

Cartoons

Storyboards

Character Designs

Background designs

Logo Designs

Film/Animation/Theme Park Conceptualisation

Storytelling techniques

Sculpting - For students that wish to take part

Creative Writing for comics, graphic novels, and children's books - For students that wish to take part

And lots more besides...

Techniques taught using different Mediums:

Pencilling

Inking

Painting

NEW - Digital Painting - Students must provide their own laptop, tablet and stylus and have Corel Painter loaded onto it

The course is geared up to suit each individual student.

One student may wish to do comic book styled work whilst someone else wishes to work with storyboarding, and so on.

All students learn the same techniques but each employs these techniques with their own subject matter.

Tim's experience in the art fields and in education enables his students to draw from a wealth of information, whether it is used for purely leisure or potentially commercial purposes.

During the course other professional illustrators and designers are invited along to act as guest speakers. The students are then able to watch as each creator works on an original piece of artwork, thus enabling them to see how different people all work in individual ways to achieve similar goals.

The course is not just about learning to draw and paint, etc., it is also a valuable resource for learning how the industries work and what it entails when looking for a career in the arts fields.

The students each receive an induction pack consisting of resource lists of recommended artists, reference books, how-to books and websites where they can purchase the books from, etc.

The students have a private FAU Facebook Forum through which up-to-date information from the tutor, weekly homework, information sheets, pictures, photos, files and much more are shared - with each student having the facility to upload their own images to their individual folders.

There is also an official Facebook page, which supplements the Forum and is now the official face of the art group.

There are ongoing demonstrations, by Tim, throughout the course.

E.G. how to "Loosen up" and "scribble" to sketch quickly and accurately.

Students are introduced to blueline pencilling techniques.

There are also occasional Guest Speakers invited along from the worlds of Comics, Books, Film and TV.

The emphasis on the course is having lots of FUN!!!

If you live in or around the area and you would like to learn to draw like the Marvel and Disney artists feel free to pop along to the Bat-tic on the top floor of the Batcave Comic Shop in Blackburn Town Centre (near to Blackburn College) and ask for details to see what's going on.

Many students travel to the course from out of town as well, so please feel free to come along too!

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • •

FANTASY ART UNLIMITED – The Virtual Classes LIVE via our FAU Virtual Facebook Page and Messenger. 

However, if there is a change to the current guidelines and further restrictions are imposed and we cannot return to the physical classes, we will continue to run the course virtually

The 30 x weeks long Fantasy Art Unlimited, is currently being run virtually here via Facebook.

The course is now about to enter its 17th year.

We have been doing so during this current semester since the lockdowns were first introduced.

The sessions or UNITs run every Wednesday from 6:00pm – 9:00pm

Inside of each Unit are Assignments and there is a video for each of these prior to starting them, if you are watching LIVE or these can be called up, if you are viewing at another time along with that Units Assignments and sample art etc.

So, for the foreseeable future until we can get back down to the Batcave, we will be live from Wizards Keep each week.

That means that no matter where you are in the planet the course will be available to you.

I may even give you all a behind the scenes look-see one week, how's that, Folks.

So, each Wednesday make sure you have your pencils and paper to hand, ready to partake in the group sessions.

What will happen is that I will start the class with a brief video intro (which will be live) this will then be followed by a series of timed Assignments, an, after each assignment is completed, you will then photograph your artwork and upload it onto here via your phones. Each Assignment has a video prior and each video is LIVE and announced prior to going live, via the FAU Virtual Messenger Board, where you can all ask questions and see updates on too.

Please do not bother if a particular assignment is not finished in time simply photograph what you have managed to do and upload this. They can always be finished after the fact and uploaded again once they are completed.

I will then make a brief comment on each uploaded artwork from each student both via the next video, where I introduce the next Assignment and also onto the comments section for each uploaded artwork.

After each video, the next assignment will take place.

The final video of each Unit is a summing up of that week’s work and a heads up about the next Unit.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • •

A FREE Taster Session is arranged upon request with ALL potential students wishing to see how it works and what goes on during the sessions. This applies to both the terrestrial and virtual versions of the course.

You just need to be friends with me here on Facebook, so I can give you access to the FAU Virtual Sessions Pages and the FAU Virtual Messenger too for the FREE Taster Session. I will run through things with you prior to starting the Session.

All you need is a mobile phone and a Computer, Laptop or Tablet to take part in the Virtual Sessions.

Then all you need to do is message me here on Facebook to sign up for the FREE Taster and if you enjoy yourself enough on the evening in question we can then sign you up fully to the course.

I will send you an information document here fully explaining the setup, once you get in touch with me to show your interest in the course.

The course is presently £114.00 for 30 x weeks at 3 hours per week or in other words 90 hours – All full of fun and frolics learning how to draw and paint. 

I look forward to hearing from you.

You can check out our Official Page here – This is not the Virtual page, but there you can see what other students think of the course:

https://www.facebook.com/fantasyartunlimited/

Be Safe and Well.
Best Wishes,
Tim...
🧙‍♂️🐕🐕

 

Remembering My Mum, Grace

Memories of a Wonderful Lady

Above is a photograph of Mum and Dad and me at the Fantasy Art 2001 Exhibition I was involved in at Blackburn Museum amongst some top name Sci Fi and Fantasy Illustrators, back in 2001. 

Wow, 6 years - it all goes so fast.

It hardly seems possible that life has continued without Mum in our lives.

This date will remain etched on our lives forever.

I still things that remind me of Mum - I still have some of her writing and pictures she drew for me as a young boy and I am reminded that both my Mum and Dad were so very instrumental in my giving me the ability to work in a career that I had longed for since being a young boy.

I can never repay that kindness and will forever be grateful for having Mum in my life.

I miss you more than a few words can ever say.

Love you Mum.
xxx 

Worlds End • Volumes 1 - 4

Some musings, as I near completion of the writing process.

I think someone must have been peeling onions nearby in the very early hours of this morning, as I wrote the final page’s dialogue or I was tired. I am so proud of this series and especially my ending and especially this very last page.

I still have to dialogue some of the pages between pages 53 and 69, but it is all broken down into the panels I want to use to tell the story now, so that should not take me too long to write.

As I was breaking the latter pages down I came to the final page, page 70 and the dialogue just came out of the blue to me, so I wrote that, as I have with lots of this series out of sequence. It truly does feel like someone else is telling me the story and I am merely writing it down, or, rather, typing it up.

Hopefully lovers of European albums will enjoy Worlds End as a collective series, once all four volumes of this story are in print.

As I look forward, there is a looooong road now for me to draw, paint and design all the pages for books 3 and 4 and it is quite daunting, to be truthful, but I am over half way, so there is that, as well as the wonderful support I get from my family and close friends and also from you, my most wonderful Worlds End fans, my Wizardlings, without whom, none of this would be possible.

Whilst working on Worlds End Volume 2, I kept wanting to work on Volume 3, as I knew what I was going to be putting in it and I thought it would be the best yet and it truly will be. Yet with all that in mind, I honestly cannot wait now to work on Volume 4, as I now know exactly what is going on there too and I promise you all – You ain’t seen nothing yet – and no mistake! To quote a certain Mathemagician.

I hope you guys continue to stick around for the ride, because, I really do believe as I told you, whilst working on Book 2 that the best was yet to come…

…and it is, honest.

Best Wishes,
Tim…

🧙‍♂️🐕🐕
xxx