I love drawing on cards and other scraps of paper. Here are 4 new ones that I quite like. They are all available in my shop.
Card Drawings
art for sale, ink, ink drawing, Stippling, webstore, Works for SaleAuthor: Richard
The Assembly
art for sale, collaboration, dip pen, Drawings, ink, ink drawing, new artwork, Painting, Works for SaleThe Assembly is a collaborative piece I did with American artist Joe MacGown. Joe prepared the board and started the drawing in ink. Earlier this year, I finished the piece, adding imagery to the top and bottom. I enjoyed working on this so much, I’m determined to do more work in ink on panel in the future. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy checking out this fun project. The Assembly is available for sale through my Big Cartel shop.
Richard
Recent Drawings
art for sale, ink drawing, new artworkOver the last few weeks I’ve been doing some small stippled works between commissions. I thought I’d post some of them here for you to see. All of these drawing were done on 140lb hot press paper—my go-to paper for years, using .18 Rotring Rapidograph pen. Unless otherwise noted, these works are for sale on my webstore.
Fresh Poison
Drawings, ink, Stippling
Here’s a drawing I finished toward the end of 2021. The title was taken from a song by Hozier. You might have heard it. The phrase struck me as quite apt in this age of misinformation, menace and, frankly, misery. Anyhow, it ain’t all bad and this drawing was intended to be fun, or at least a little bit tongue cheek, so I hope it makes you smile.
Richard
The Corner Book
Drawings, ink, Stippling, Technique
My next couple of posts will centre on some drawings I created at the end of 2021. I am a little in love with this Bristol Vellum from Fabriano. It’s a nice paper for stippled pen work—just the right amount of tooth to add some sparkle to the finished drawing, but not so much that it interferes with technique. Even in the dense areas there is no bleeding of ink. I’m going to see what larger tablet sizes they have. The inking was done with Staedtler Pigment Liners, which I’ve been using for convenience for the last few weeks. They are lightfast and feel good in the hand. I think I prefer them to the Micron fine liners.
When I was a kid, being sent to “the corner” as a punishment was seldom the dire consequence intended by those in authority. It was usually an opportunity to read, which was like being tossed in jail and discovering the someone had left open a back door to a more interesting place. So The Corner Book imagines a creature that delivers special books into the hands of “naughty” kids everywhere. May we ever be forever united in the richness of our imaginations.
Richard
Vanishing Act
Books, Drawings, ink, Stippling, TechniqueThis is a new drawing called “Vanishing Act.” I created it with Staedtler Pigment Liners (0.1 & .005) on 140lb Arches hot press paper over much of December, finishing it New Years Day (today). The turbulent composition reflects the times and the message, I assume, is clear enough.
Most of the past week was spent reading (Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen and Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr—both excellent) and recharging for the year ahead. In the coming weeks I’ll be working on a few illustration projects, initiating some personal art projects I have in mind, and doing some new writing. Sometime in January, my novel, TAILOR OF ECHOES, will arrive at the publisher from the printer. It was briefly delayed by supply chain issues. It is currently available for pre-order.
Happy New Years!
Richard
Tailor of Echoes – a peek inside
Books, Commmissions, Fiction, Illustration, writing
Tailor of Echoes is available for pre-order from PS Publishing!
The past week was fairly busy. As previously mentioned, I am working on illustrations for a very special book. I expect that work to continue into 2022. It’s not a project I can or want to rush and the publisher is being very patient! More on that soon. I am also working on a number of personal works including a series of oil paintings, and two very large—for me—drawings that are 30” x 44.” All of these projects will keep me busy through the winter.
I am almost finished the edits to my new novel and will pass them on to my agent next month. This morning, I caught myself thinking about another book. Hopefully, I can start it in the new year.
If you have time and you’re looking for a unique Christmas gift, please head on over to my online shop.
Well, today is a rainy day in Southwestern, Ontario, but it is nothing compared to what BC has gone through in the past week. I wish them well through this tough time.
Richard
Tailor of Echoes
Books, Fiction, Illustration, Necessary Monsters, Works for Sale, writingI am very excited to announce that my new illustrated novel Tailor of Echoes will be published by PS Publications in December 2021! It is now available for pre-order from the publisher! There are 2 editions: a jacketed hardcover and a signed and numbered limited edition of 100.
The ancient City of Steps is transforming. Alleys and staircases appear where none previously existed. A tree is discovered at the bottom of a canal. In his search for the cause, a young, visionary architect, Adrian Peak, falls afoul of a secret society known as the Curators. The Curators task Adrian with finding a lost document called the Oneiric Chart in their vast sealed library. The chart is the key that opens a door to a shadow city in another, eerily familiar world. Lannikin Flower, the Curator’s shadowy servant, has deeply personal interest in Adrian’s failure.
I started writing Tailor of Echoes in 2018, shortly after the publication of my novel Necessary Monsters. The main character, Adrian Peak (and yes, that is a nod to Melvyn Peake), came to me right away. He is a young, adventurous architect who spends his time exploring the remotest areas of a very ancient coastal city. He envisions wild architectural interventions, but at the same time he is in love with the old soul of his city. During his urban spelunking, he notices that things are changing in very weird and inexplicable ways and set out to discover why.
This book draws together all of my obsessions: architecture, old cities, vast libraries, art, and of course monsters! PS Publications gave me the opportunity to illustrate this book, so in addition to the cover and endpapers, there are 10 interior ink drawings. One of these can be seen below.
I hope you will enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed creating it!
Richard
Halloween Sale
Books, Fiction, Works for Sale, writing
The title of this piece was taken from the Notebooks of Joseph Joubert. The piece itself is one of the many I have on sale in my webstore for 25% off until midnight on Halloween (use the code “nox” on check out).
Just a reminder that if you’d like to find out about sales and other things related to my work, you can sign up for my newsletter through my website.
This week saw a special milestone for me as I signed with a new literary agent. I’ll talk more about this in future posts but for now suffice to say that I am very excited by this new relationship. I’ve been without an agent for a couple of years so signing now feels like a great step forward. The timing is great as I spent the intervening time working on a new novel and making notes about the ones to follow.
Speaking of books, in my last post I mentioned I was reading Richard Power’s new book Bewilderment. I’m a little better than half way through and it’s already one of my favorite books of 2021. I’ve been reading Powers since The Gold Bug Variations blew my mind when it came out in the 90’s. I spent most of a transatlantic flight buried in the trade version and whenever I pull it off my bookshelf I am still transported back to that time. I think Bewilderment is Power’s most accessible book yet. It is full of incredible sentences. It profoundly describes the relationship between a father and his son. I love the way the mother is so powerfully present in her absence. I also picked up The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow. Only a few pages into this massive tome, but wow. I was grabbed from the first lines: “Most of human history is irreparably lost to us. Our species, Homo Sapiens, has existed for at least 200,000 years, but for most of that time we have next to no idea what was happening.”
Richard.
The Bibliophile
Books, Illustration, ink, Magpie's Ladder, Works for Sale, writing
This drawing was originally going to be an interior illustration for my short story collection Magpie’s Ladder. I always liked the drawing, even if it didn’t quite capture the character it was intended to portray. I’ve renamed it The Bibliophile and put it up for sale on my Big Cartel shop along with a few other things.
This year has been all about books. Since my last blog update—August!—I finished the illustrations for Tailor of Echoes and I am waiting to hear from the publisher on the date of publication. I’m also making good progress on illustrations for another book that will be announced soon. I finished a first draft on my new novel and now I’m working through it to prepare it for beta readers and my new agent. So lots going on and lots to look forward to.
I’m reading Bewilderment by Richard Powers. Powers is one of my favorite contemporary authors. Last year I read his Orfeo. I’m also reading The Peripheral by William Gibson and The Mirror Thief by Martin Seay. This is the way I read, drifting from one book to another. Greedy reader. Oh yes, I’m also reading Elizabeth Kolbert’s new one, Under a White Sky.
All for now. I’m going to try and get this blog back on a weekly schedule as I hope to have some cool updates and announcements in the coming weeks.
Richard.
Richard A. Kirk 