My Art Book (and a Sticker Pack)!

My artwork from the past three years, compiled in a really nice, 96 page volume!

This past year brought a solo exhibition for me at Helikon Gallery. Along with the show, the gallery director and illustrator, Cayce Goldberg, designed this 96 page book.

I got to watch--and add my thoughts--as he worked on laying out the covers and pages. It was a fascinating process, and I've nothing but admiration for Cayce's skills as a writer and designer.

 

 Many of the page layouts feature the finished work along with the initial sketch and process photos...

 

...along with pages that show close-up details of my drawings and paintings (with my short commentaries about technique, or process, or thoughts about influences).

 

There are even great layouts of my sketches (and a few "portraits" of my friends) designed consistently by theme...

...including pages that deal with my fascination with Alice's Adventures.

It's a volume that pretty much covers my work and process, and I'm very proud of it.

 

The gallery even created a companion sticker pack to go along with the book and exhibition!

If what I create happens to resonate for you, both book and sticker pack are available here:

My shop

 

Your purchase helps me continue to make art, 

and I very much appreciate your interest and support--thank you!

Alice on Stage

http://www.tomsarmo.com/

Detail crop from the painting, Alice on Stage.

 

Alice Liddell was Lewis Carroll's muse for the two "Alice" books that he wrote. I've done many works based upon Carroll's other characters, but finally chose Alice as the subject. 

 

A photograph of Alice Liddell.

 

 While I used the dark hair and hairstyle of Alice Liddell as a jumping off point (I am no portrait artist) there was probably a bit of Ramona Quimby and Lucy Van Pelt in my mind as well.

Interestingly, Carroll wanted Alice Liddell's personality in his heroine, but chose Mary Hilton Badcock as the model for her looks. 

 

 He sent this photo of her to Sir John Tenniel, who firmly rejected using any model for his drawings.

http://www.tomsarmo.com/

Before I began to paint Alice on Stage, I sketched many Alices. This is the one I finally chose for reference, and then decided to break with traditional Victorian-children's fashion and make Alice's coat very fancy for the painting.

Been resting up from a hard push and many paintings over the past six months. After some sculpting and other "relaxing" forms of art, I'm back at it--and enjoying the evolution of the new work. I will post some soon.

Thanks for checking out my blog!

More #inktober: Shadows and Hatters

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Inktober's been good to me--been working with pen and ink and throwing in some cast shadows, too.

http://tomsarmo.com/

Inktober has put on some pressure too, so I sketched this fellow while I was waiting to get an oil-change for my car--a time-waster that kept me from other pressing projects.

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And then there are the (so far) unfinished ones. But the incentive has provided this drawing and others that I will use down the road.

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 I've always been enamored with pen and ink, a love born from looking at nineteenth century illustration engravings as a kid. I still study them, as well as the elegant pen-lines of those great Irishmen, Joseph Clement Coll and Harry Clarke. Just because I study them, doesn't mean I come close to their refinement, but my temperament leans toward rough and quick crosshatching--can't really help that.

http://tomsarmo.com/

I'm leaving you with a mummy-scribe and a wish for a Happy Halloween--Thanks for the visit!