I’ve been threatening for a while to make a black and white edition of Maskwitches to accompany the book. I’m currently seeing it as a special limited edition. And we’re going to do it.
A little while back, I messed about with some photos creating black and white versions. Check them out:
You might be able to tell these aren’t just “black and white” in terms of the colour being removed. They have some colour, they have that vintage tint, and some work done on the tonal information to give them a vintage feel of a particular kind. This version will need to be printed in colour.
I’ve always been heavily influenced by the Quay Brothers, and I love the feel of this kind of vintage monochrome. I’ve honestly found the transformation of some of the images genuinely startling in the shift in mood it brings.
It is going to take a significant amount of work to convert all the images to black and white by hand, individually, to ensure they have the right look.
Today I made the cover for this edition - the image below is the full wrap, front on the right, back on the left. I think it’s pretty intense.
I also rolled some rocks around to find the title, which I believe will be Pitch Pine Black.
Fanks
While I’m here, and before I forget - recently I’d planned to take a trip to York, to see the Star Carr Exhibition at the Museum of Yorkshire. I’d also get the chance to meet up with my friend Annie Norman of Bad Squiddo Games, who makes some of the finest women-in-sensible-armour miniatures there are.
In the end, time and funds were against me, so I had to skip the trip. Boo!
Annie sent me these things from the exhibition which was amazingly kind.
Thanks, Annie!
Sing [sic] up
If you’re enjoying this blog, and want a copy of the print book of Maskwitches Redux or maybe even Pitch Pine Black, don’t forget that you can “sing up” for the crowdfunding campaign to raise fund to print the Maskwitches Redux Edition here: