Speaking as a writer, artist and graphic designer I can testify to the fact that anyone employed or taking part in the creative art field is vastly underappreciated.
Don’t get me wrong, people like good drawings, paintings, graphic designs, music, dance, theatrical art and the like. They enjoy a good performance, a musician’s songs and actors and actresses on the stage, TV and in the movies.
No, I’m talking about the process of creating any kind of art. Most people look at a painting and see the image. What they don’t see are the hours of blood, sweat and tears that went into making the painting. The same goes for music composition, acting, dancing and so forth.
I taught art and graphic design and I told my students that, “Being in the creative arts is the most misunderstood, unappreciated and mis-categorized profession there is.”
“People are born with an artistic talent.” “They effortlessly create and perform their art.” NOT SO! Art of any type takes hard work, sacrifice, perseverance, time, struggle and practice, practice, practice!
In The Book, published by Hungry Minds, a great deal of combined artistic effort, research, vision and dogged determination shines through. It contains a massive amount of incredible work both with its illustrations and writing.
To say that I’m impressed would be a vast understatement and disservice to The Book. It is amazing!
I urge you, as the reader, to not just look at the book. Don’t skim over its ‘pretty’ pictures and text.
See The Book for what it is-an amazing collaboration between writers, designers, artists and print professionals clocking in at 400 pages. It’s The Ultimate Guide To Rebuilding Civilization!
Take the time to see The Book for the piece of art that it is. Appreciate that the effort was made to ensure the book was protected by a clear plastic and sealed slip-cover.
Let’s talk about the packaging. When the mailman handed me The Book’s package at first I though it was The Book itself with its Hungry Minds logo and decorated blue exterior. Then I noticed the clear tape running down its center and along its edges.
I carefully slit the tape and there it was-The Book--neatly tucked in the center of a four-side, folded, buffer and inner box. The Book itself was wrapped in its clear plastic and sealed protective slip.
Included with The Book was a deep blue postcard decorated with gold dragon image and on the reverse side was written a message from The Book creators also as line drawings. Even a facsimile postage stamp and cancelled delivery stamp were there.
Inside the box was a solid black, large envelope with a full-color, robotic hand illustration running from front to back.
On the flap was a 18+ Censored sticker in red and black. Inside was a separate fold-out illustrated mini-poster. It was apparent that the 18+ Censored label cautioned that the illustrations were of antiquated sex toys! On to The Book itself.
When you receive your copy remove The Book from its protective sleeve and ‘feel’ the thick, deep-blue cover stock of the book and run you hands over its embossed images printed in silver foil on its cover, spin and back cover, accented by four red corner dots.
Run you hand down the heavy spin with its tucked in hinged spines that allow the cover to easily open thus accommodating the thick interior paper stock pages to fan open with no binding. The pages are bound with red twine and glue.
Discover how the creators of The Book recreated the look of age with the interior paper-stock which is uncoated and is a light yellow-like parchment. See how careful attention is given to select the proper paper that will hold up to ink and color saturation. The images and paper are a perfect match. The Book even smells old!
Flip through the pages and think about how each illustration was created starting with sketches, composition, balance and page placement.
Realize and recognize how the artists were able to simulate various textures using simple lines, cross-hatching and feathering.
Ink drawings are colored with water color paint and include numbers that refer to instructions or specific objects. Look over the clever 'how-tos'.
Hearkening back to what I told my drawing students. “People fail to realize that any drawing or painting is a final version of countless sketches, failed attempts, corrections and compositions.”
Likewise the text was labored over. Each word was carefully selected and crafted to describe, educate and illustrate the story of the subjects presented.
The Book is more than a pleasant read-it is the end product of hours/days/months of creative collaboration resulting in a piece of work that deserves, that demands, an honored place on any library shelf. I intend to keep my copy in its shipping book for preservation.
Carefully look at each illustration to spot some critters, odd things and other out of place objects all tinged with an offbeat sense of visual humor.
The style of illustrations remind me of the Victorian, Edwardian and Industrial Eras. Do I detect a hint of Steampunk too?
Subjects are broken down in various categories:
- First Things
- Medicine
- Plants
- Animals
- Food
- Materials
- Tools
- Building
- Mechanics
- Optics
- Electricity
- Sailing
- Aviation
- Industry
- Military
- Everyday Life
- Word
- Art
- Music
- Human
- Games
- Delicatessen
- Society
Illustrations literally take your breath away with their complexity and creativity.
Carefully read over each section, take in what is being said and shown. Learn, absorb the information and pass that knowledge along.
I congratulate the Hungry Minds creative team for their outstanding accomplishment and I promise that The Book will be placed in a very special section of my library.
John 16:33 - These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.