Spectrum is the quintessential go-to source for all things fantasy and sci fi. And when I say all things I mean it! There's traditional and digital illustration, mixed photography media, sculpture... and they all serve a different purpose: editorial, game design, non published works, the list goes on and on. And as the blog mentions, all work is seen by the judges. That means no pre-screening; everyone gets their chance in front of the judges. I am excited that once again Irene Gallo, the art director for Tor, is on the judging panel. I've met her a couple of times, and it would be an absolute dream to work with her (c'mon Irene, you know you want to, too.). Also on the panel is illustrator Michael Whelan, who did this version of The Princess of Mars. I know for many illustrators, Frank Frazetta's Princess of Mars is the true one-and-only, but this happens to be the particular version my dad owned, which he kept with his other sci-fi and fantasy books in a blue bookcase. As a kid, I would look through those cover illustrations and make up stories about them in my head, and Princess of Mars was a favorite. Should a five year old look at books with near naked women on the cover? Well, I suppose it made more of an impact that we could have guessed because now I'm an aspiring cover artist myself.
Anyway, I digress. The competition and the annual is very important to me. I feel that although my work could have competed well last year, the reproductions alone were not up to snuff. But as they say, you gotta be in it to win it. This year, Lancelot and Guinevere got a lot more attention in the reproduction department, so let's hope they really did survive to make it into one of those grey bins. Go team!
