This is Dave Leri's illustration to "Felicity's Engine" by Sharon Mock, which just came in last night.  Dave actually did the illustration to "All Beautiful Things" by Sharon Mock some issues back, which is set in the same universe as "Felicity's Engine."  Given the outstanding work he did on "All Beautiful Things," pairing him up with ""Felicity's Engine" was a rather easy decision.  I've linked to the close-up, so you'll see exactly which illustration is "Felicity's Engine," but once you get there, go over to the section labeled "New" and click on that to see the illustration in its entirety.

ETA: once you're in the "New" section, you can also see his illustration for "All Beautiful Things" (an old slush survivor of mine).  It's the one of the woman pressed against the mirror.   

Here is Alan M. Clark's sketch and final artwork to "Narrative of a Beast's Life" by Cat Rambo.

You'll be able to see this illustration "in the flesh" (not to mention read the accompanying story) in the October 2009 issue.

So another round of art assignments went out today for Realms of Fantasy.  Here are the lucky contestants:

Stephanie Pui-Mun Law for "Sultana Lena's Gift" by Shweta Narayan

Jill Bauman for "Halloween: Comprising a Cautionary Acrostic of Nine Bedtime Stories for Reading to the Tiresome or Disobedient Child" by Euan Harvey

Peter Ferguson for "The Hag Queen's Curse" by M.K. Hobson

John Kaiine for "A Close Personal Relationship" by Thomas Marcinko

Stephanie and Peter are both previous contributors to the magazine that I'm working with for the first time.  Jill hasn't appeared in the magazine before, though her work is scheduled to appear in one of the magazine's upcoming artist galleries.  John is one of the "new guard," as he was among the first artists I commissioned, and he was new to the magazine.  I was pleased with his work, so he's getting some repeat action.  You'll actually be able to see his first illustration for us in the next issue of RoF (October 09). 

Hi Folks,

Warren has posted the cover to the October 2009 cover.  Go check it out!  There are a couple of tweaks still to come, but it's essentially done.  We hope you like it.

I'll post a complete TOC of stories, authors, and artists sometime soon.  Not just yet though.  Busy busy busy today.

First James A. Owen provided us the rough sketch to "Red Dirt Kingdoms" by Jay Lake.  Then he provided us a more developed look at his illustration with the almost-finished inks.  Now we have what appears to be the penultimate sampler.  It's been fun to watch this one evolve. 

Yesterday I provided a link to a sketch James A. Owen is working on for "Red Dirt Kingdoms" by Jay Lake.  James has posted on his blog again today, with what are close to the finished inks.  Have a look and see why I'm so pleased to this point!

Here's a sneak peek to an illustration James A. Owen is working on for us for "Red Dirt Kingdom" by Jay Lake.  It's just the sketch he's posted, but I like how it's coming along.

When I checked the art p.o. box today, I found a renewal notice there, asking for more $$$ to keep the box open.  Has it been that long already?  Wow!

Given, um, everything that has transpired over the last week, it's interesting to note that in the last five days I've had artists turn in three pieces of finished art (I'm quite pleased with all of them, btw).  Now that the art production schedule is once again in full swing, artists turning in finished pieces isn't really news.

However, with the the piece that was handed in today, there is now more artwork in inventory that I've commissioned as art director than there is that was transferred over from Sovereign Media.  Now, yes, since my name appears in the masthead each issue as art director, all the artwork is my responsibility.  However, as you might expect, I obviously have deeper personal attachments to the pieces where I've recruited artists and paired them to said stories and worked with them.  So to see the ratio of pieces shift in my favor is an exciting thing for me personally.   

Also, now that a number of pieces have been turned in, I've discovered something else: I may be a fiction boy at heart, but it's a much bigger thrill getting an advanced look at the artwork than reading a story before it's published with us.  Doesn't mean I like all the art more than all the stories, mind you.  This is just in reference to the excitement factor, of knowing I'm seeing this before just about anyone.  Perhaps this is because I'm the art director for the art, but assistant editor (as opposed to editor) for fiction.  Can't say for certain ...guess I'll never know until I get to play at being a short fiction editor.

Perhaps one day ...some mag ...somewhere ...

I'd like to thank everyone for taking part in a certain conversation over the past few days.  I think both sides raised some excellent points.  I learned a lot from both sides.  I hope those who were upset with me learned from both sides.  I hope those who sided with me learned from both sides as well.

As to what I *have* learned, here are a few tidbits:

1) I believe the cover in question to be tastefully done.  Some feel differently.  Given why they do, I will be more aware of this issue going forward.

2a) I believe a new publisher and a new art director equals a new slate for the magazine's art.  Some feel differently.  I will be more aware of this going forward.

2b) I believed  it would take more than one cover under my direction to warrant a conversation such as has been had over the last few days.  Some feel otherwise.  I will be more aware of this going forward.

3) Some people find the opinion of "I saw a mermaid, not a human woman" not only unacceptable and invalid, but also sexist.  Interestingly enough, of all the past RoF covers that have depicted females (of any kind) in  manners in which people might take offense, not including the current cover, there seem to be only two covers where the females in question aren't human.  One is from June 1999 and gives off such a loud and obvious dominatrix vibe that anyone should understand why such a cover might give offense or make others uncomfortable, regardless of whether you view the female as human.  The other is from June 2006.  It features what is basically an albino fairy.  IMO, she looks a lot more human than said mermaid.  It is therefore much easier to view her as a human (for me anyway).  I did not do so with the mermaid, as she strikes me as too alien to think of her in this regard.  This is how I interpreted this particular piece of fantasy art.  If anyone still believes my interpretation of this singular piece of fantasy art makes me a sexist, or this opinion sexist, at this point I very much doubt I'm going to change this opinion.  Therefore I will not try.  But being as some people seem to feel that all humanoid fantasy art must be viewed as representations of the human as opposed to the Other, and being as it seems to strike a real nerve in some people, I will be more aware of this matter going forward.

I've learned other things as well, but at this point the above is all I care to say about this matter.  I'm leaving the comments thread open in case there is anything else anyone would like to say, but I'm going to refrain from replying to anything, for or against the magazine, its staff, me, or my positions.  I've spent a lot of time on this, and it was indeed productive.  But I'd like to start moving forward.

On a slightly unrelated note, during the course of this conversation, several people have noted to me--privately and I believe on this blog as well--that they've come to consider this blog as the official face of Realms of Fantasy.  I've never made any public claims to such, but I understand 100% how some folks would think this.  I certainly blog enough here about the magazine.  I find this designation flattering, and I also find it embarrassing if anything that has taken place here has made people think less of RoF.  If this blog is unofficially the official face of RoF (I think that makes sense), then I need to put its best e-face forward.  Those who have read this blog for a long time know that I normally do.  Those who are new can judge for themselves or wade through my old posts if they wish to have a more informed opinion on the matter.  I am human and confess to having erred in this regard this time around.  I let emotion rule me.  I think we all know why at this point, so there's no need to dredge it up again, nor do I think discussing whether it was warranted will accomplish anything but creating more disagreements.     

I've been involved in flame-wars and I really don't consider this to be one (for me).  Flame-wars and productivity are like oil and water, and as I've noted already, this conversation has been productive.  But it was still a mess of sorts (especially given some of the wildly crazy turns things have taken in recent days on other blogs!), and it may have lent a poor image to the magazine in the eyes of some.  For that I am sorry and pledge that going forward I will conduct myself on this blog in the manner you've come to expect if you know me, and the manner you would expect if you don't.  If you don't believe me or are skeptical, then I shall endeavor to win your trust by doing what I have just promised.

Lastly, whether you've sided with me or against me in all that has transpired, it is my sincere hope that I have demonstrated that if we are in disagreement I am open to intelligent conversation, provided you approach me like an adult.

Thank you.
     
   

Our art guidelines have been tweaked.  And in case you're wondering, no, these changes have nothing to do with a certain brouhaha.  Just business as usual.

As many of you may know, the artwork found in Realms of Fantasy has always been a source of some controversy among writerly circles in the speculative community.  I can't comment on how much controversy it's created in the spec artist circles as I'm only now coming to get know many of these fine folks.  Perhaps some of the artists who read this blog would care to comment?

Anywho, the reason for this controversy was a number of RoF's covers.  What was wrong with them you ask?  Well, during the Sovereign Media years, quite a number of them featured chicks in chain mail ...make that hot chicks in chain mail ...make that big breasted hot chicks in chain mail ...with armor that often revealed far more than it covered (think Red Sonja).  I would imagine this was a marketing tactic, meant to move copies especially to boys between the ages of 11-18.  The thing is, these covers almost never reflected the fictional content found inside the magazine.  It irked a number a writers to no end.  Guess what?  It irked Shawna too, but she had no control over the artwork, so whacha gonna do but grit your teeth and endure?  Did it irk me too, some of you might be wondering?  Yes, but not as much.  By the time I joined RoF in May of 2005, the magazine was in the midst of shifting away from these covers after embracing them for some 10+ years.  The covers while I've been with the magazine have featured but handful of "bodacious babes."   Since I wasn't a regular reader of RoF before I started working there, I'm not going to get quite as worked up over something that was before my time.  But I have mentioned on more than one occasion that these sorts of covers were not reflective of the magazine's content.  So I was aware of the situation, and I fell much more into Shawna's camp on this matter.

In fact, I fell into Shawna's camp so much that before I even started considering covers for the first issue back under Warren Lapine, I told Shawna we wouldn't be running anything she wasn't comfortable with.  So what does this mean?  It means that Shawna is comfortable with the current cover.  Shawna, who is a pioneer in our industry.  Shawna, who became editor of Asimov's when once upon a time it was unthinkable for a woman to edit a major speculative magazine (takes a moment to give props to Ellen Datlow for OMNI as well).  Shawna, who was one of the founding editors of Bantam Spectra and has a successful literary agency.  Shawna who has been the only editor RoF has ever known, and is now the only person who has been with the magazine since the beginning.  If Shawna endorsed this cover (and Warren did too, since we all agreed on the first cover back) I was more than comfortable with it.

But it seems others are not.  To those that are unaware, Tempest and I do not get along.  She does quite the admirable job in this post making me seem like a thickheaded brute.  Well, that's fine.  People that know me know better.  And she is allowed not to approve of the cover.  But when I see the sort of chatter this post creates, I feel compelled to say something while simultaneously trying to dodge a flame-war (one of the biggest wastes of time ever).

I have been the art director for a little over four months.  In that time, we've published one issue of RoF.  "Digging for Paradise" featured some art we had inventory from Sovereign.  Same goes for the art to "Healing Benjamin."  "Well and Truly Broken" features some classic fantasy art.  This story got put in last minute, and since there was no original artwork at the time and Warren could not immediately get in touch with me, he went ahead and selected this artwork himself (and did a fine job with it).  So for this first issue, other than the cover, all I had in was the accompanying artwork to Tanith Lee's story.  For reasons not worth going into for this post, I had to track down some reprint art for this one.  It's a cross in predominantly red flames.  Nary a naked babe to be found.  

But there's that cover, Doug.  You can see her breasts!  Hmm.  There is that.  But last time I checked, mermaids tend to shun clothes.  And last time I checked, the chicks in chainmail covers are far more offensive than this.  And last time I checked, nudity does occur in artwork.  

"That's true, Doug.  But all those past covers have featured breasts.  You're just repeating an established pattern.  Be fair and put some male asses on the cover."  Yes, this is the argument.  That I should put male asses on the cover.  Is this an overstatement to get across the point that we should be fair and put some bare-chested men on the cover?  Clearly.  Well, go back and check the back issues, folks.  I have a complete set, thank you very much.  There have been covers with bare-chested men.  As many?  No.  Definitely not.  But people tend to forget/ignore all of these covers, because they're not the ones stirring up controversy.  People are used to bare-chested males, in TV, the movies, at the beach, etc.  Why in the world should anyone get in a twist over this?  They don't.

But at the slighest sign of a female breast ...I guess it doesn't matter that the artwork was well done.  And I guess it doesn't matter that I've yet to establish a pattern of behavior with how I select my artwork.  That one cover tells you all you need to know, that sex sells and I'm going to exploit the female form to squeeze our readers for every last buck.

"That's not fair, Doug.  You also posted a link to this interior by Frank Wu.  You approved it.  So you're exploiting females in the interior too.  It seems like you're no different from Sovereign Media."

Hmm.  So let's see.  I approved ONE interior ...for a story that next to no one has read as of yet.  In fact, it would seem I'm degrading females so much that the (female) author of this story linked to and complimented it.  Now I'll admit that is probably the raciest interior we've EVER taken for RoF.  But I did not ask Frank to "go naked."  I was surprised by the choice.  But that does not for one moment change the fact that he captured the spirit of the story.  And THAT'S why I took it.  But it seems Frank's interpretations (and talents) and my and Aliette's approval of them mean nothing.  Neither does it matter that without having read the story, there is no frame of reference.  What matters is there are breasts!  TWO BREASTS.  Gods, I am such a monster.  And the only way to make amends is to commission some male ass.  Then all will be right in the world.
 
*Takes breath*

Tempest's post lets you do the math on the things I've done wrong.  If she was making outright accusations, I'd probably ignore it.  But it's subtle suggestion more than anything, and suggestions can be for more insidious.  So.  Given how hard I've worked on the magazine, especially these last four months, I feel compelled to respond and waste time answering this nonsense instead of writing or editing. 

Why?  Because I do NOT appreciate this.  I will NOT be judged on the basis of TWO illustrations.  I am NOT my predecessors.  I am NOT carrying on the proverbial torch.  I have NO instructions from Warren to commission interiors with breasts or run covers with them.  I stand behind BOTH of these illustrations.  Because they're good.  I stand behind Frank's illustration so much that I turned around the day he handed in "Melanie" and gave him more work.

If ANYONE wants to judge my work as art director, you damn well better wait a few issues and see what sort of artwork I'm commissioning.  Then you can bring this shit to my doorstep.  Furthermore, I WILL NOT put naked men in any illustration because there are some breasts on page whatever.  I'll put naked men in an illustration if it's WARRANTED.  And I can only consider such a thing if THAT'S WHAT THE ARTIST HANDS IN.  That seems like common sense, but I need to say it anyway.  I don't ask artists to draw naked sketches or illustrations, of women or men.  When I don't give them free rein for the illustration, I tend to talk broad-ranging concepts with them.  Nudity has never once entered into any conversation.     

Lastly, I WILL NOT apologize for the choices I've made.  If anything, I deserve (but don't expect) an apology, after being subtly mocked over all of TWO illustrations.  Two.  One.  Two.  Apparently that's all it takes to form an opinion about someone in this line of work.  Never mind that a typical year of Realms of Fantasy will deliver six covers and some 30-36 interior illustrations.  One cover and one interior would seem to tell the whole story about me. 

I said I didn't want a flame-war and I don't.  That's why I was far more cordial on Tempest's blog.  But this is my blog and I need to get this off my chest.  Despite how pissed I am, I am refraining from hurling insults.  I am simply refuting this utter nonsense with more than a slight chip on my shoulder.  I work hard on this magazine.  I've worked hard on this magazine for 4+ years.  I will continue working hard on this magazine, because I care about it almost more than anyone.  So before I'm cast in this unfortunate light perhaps I should be given real chance to see what I do with this new position.  And the next time someone wants to come after me about this, it better be over more than two illustrations ...and you better take the time to read the stories first. 

Here are the latest artists I've hired to work on pieces for RoF:

Eric Fortune

David Michael Beck

Gary Lippincott

Frank Wu

All these artists have done illustrations for the magazine in the past, but they're mostly from different points in the magazine's history.  David and Gary haven't done an illustration for the magazine in years.  I'm very happy to bring them both back into the fold.  Eric was doing illustrations for Sovereign Media during more recent times, until they pulled the plug.  And Frank was among the first artists I hired to work on an illustration after I took over as art director.  He recently turned in a finished piece, and I was rather happy with it, so that the very same day I offered him a second assignment that struck me as a good match for him.  This would also make Frank the first artist I've given multiple assignments to since taking over as art director.

It's also worth noting that with this round of assignments now out to the artists, the ROF art production schedule is now officially in full swing.

In other news, this year's Readercon was absolutely amazing, unquestionably the best con I've ever had.  All sorts of developments took place, all positive.  I have lots of news to share, but it'll have to wait a little longer.  I still have a lot of catching up to do after being away since Wednesday afternoon.  The good news is that I've already caught up on the most pressing matter: sleep!

More when I've gotten more caught up.

So this isn't the first interior illustration to be turned in, but it's the first one that I know of to be posted online by the artist after acceptance.  So this is Frank Wu's illustration to "Melanie" by Aliette de Bodard.  Click on the image to enlarge.  No word yet on when we'll be publishing this one, but I hope you like it!  Personally, I think Frank nailed it, and Aliette seems well pleased.

Tomorrow will be the first deadline I put in place for artwork.  I'm happy to say all four authors met their deadlines.  IMO, they also handed in top-notch work.  I now need to assign two more pieces of new artwork.  Once I do, I shall declare the magazine's art production schedule in full swing. 

Art Direction is fun but it can also be challenging.  I tend to be fairly visual with my imagination, clearly not as much as the illustrators I'm working with, but enough that I appreciate strong visual writing and often insert a lot of imagery in my own writing.  Early on, this trait has helped me a lot.  When I'm looking to pair up a story to an artist, what I'm often doing is looking for someone whose illustrations seem to match up with the images put in my head by that particular story, or the feel of that story if it isn't particularly visual.

Once you get past the organizational aspects, I'd say this is the part of the job that seems to be coming to me the most naturally.  I've mentioned before that I don't come from an art background, so it's good that I can fall back on my imagination in this regard.

But there are other aspects of the job that require deeper thought on my part.  As art director, I'm in my rights to not only choose and hire the artist, but also tell them what I'd like them to illustrate.  On the surface, my first reaction is to say awesome (and I confess, it is).  But just because I can do this and have a visual imagination (again, for a reader), does that mean I should tell the artists what I want them to depict every time?

In a word, no.  I'm new to this.  The artists have been working at their crafts for years.  There's no reason for me to act like I know everything.  It's very reasonable to assume the artist may have a better idea how to encapsulate the story.  So the smart approach is to learn from these folks when I can.  I should also mention that in the past Realms has had a reputation for allowing their illustrators a lot of artistic freedom, so I don't see much reason to change that.  So to this point I've been rather hands-off.  A couple of times I had a specific scene in mind in terms of art direction and I related the idea to the artist.  But usually I give them the freedom to illustrate as they see fit.

Sometimes my feedback/opinions are sought after early in the process, and in these cases I'm happy to discuss the piece with the artist.  Once I made a suggestion to one of the artists and he felt it was the wrong direction to take things and explained why.  I listened to him and we did things his way.  And when he handed in the finished piece I was really glad I did.

And that was the important thing: I listened.  And I tucked away that knowledge gained for future reference.  So today a different artist assigned to a piece sent me a sketch to look at.  I applied some of that knowledge gained, made a suggestion, and was rewarded with "Oh, that's a brilliant idea, Douglas!"

I iz learning! :)  There is still a lot left to learn, of course, but these sorts of results leave me glad that I was smart enough to listen to the artists instead of acting like a know-it-all.    

Add another artist to the growing legions working on illustrations for RoF.  This time the lucky contestant is another newcomer to the magazine, Rob Alexander. 

I now have ten artists working on pieces for the magazine and two pieces delivered in final form.  The first art deadline I've put out is just around the corner (as is the first issue!), and I'm going to try to send out another round of assignments before I head off to Readercon in a couple of weeks.

*Holds up thumb and index finger*  We're this close to having the art production schedule in full swing.

ETA: Rob's work has appeared in our Artist Gallery, though.