I am happy to announce that The Book of Giants is finally finished! I have been working very hard on this project for the past year. The entire story, including the related textual parts, as well as all the drawings and paintings, are now done. Apart from a few remaining technical details, the whole book is already designed, and thanks to the designer’s brilliance and skill, we were able to create something really beautiful. The publisher (Flesk Publications) has scheduled a Kickstarter campaign for November, and I will post more details about it later. For now, here is the last drawing, which I finished just yesterday, titled Svyatogor’s Plowing of the Earth.
Those horses look amazing--so powerful and majestic. Also thrilled to hear about the book's completion. I'll be eagerly waiting for it to hit the US.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Seth!
ReplyDeleteHi Petre,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! This is a great drawing to finish with. I will surely be opening a Kickstarter account in the next days.
I personally think the topic of the book is excellent, as I find giants both epic and poetic. I guess they (giants) might have simply kept on somehow appearing in your mind, sketches, drawings and paintings, so you had to give them enough space and create a book. :-) But if possible I would appreciate to hear what has been a conscious part of your motivation for the "Book of Giants".
All the best,
Ivan
Thank you, Ivane!
ReplyDeleteYour question what has been the basic conscious part of my motivation for creating The Book of Giants is a good one, but not easy to answer. The genesis of this project was long and at times a bit unclear. Many of the drawings, which later found a way into this book, are basically a product of doodling. I don’t know exactly why giants, and not something else, came out as a result of this unpretentious and intuitive form of sketching, to which I often turned to when I needed some creative relaxation. There are certainly reasons for that, but they are, I guess, buried deep in the past, hidden somewhere along my developmental path. One would need a good psychotherapist in order to reveal that.
Some drawings and paintings of giants, however, came into being as a result of various commissions. These works often inspired stories, which were written later. On the other hand, spontaneously popping up from deep within, new stories and ideas came to the surface demanding to be transformed into new drawings and paintings. While this interaction and interdependence between them gained in strength, I became increasingly puzzled by this need of mine to express something-- whatever that might be--through giants. Two words that often came to my mind were “silly” and “infantile”, and caused confusion and insecurity about what I was doing. Nevertheless, I kept on drawing and painting giants, and after some time I had enough material for a whole book. When I eventually started composing the book, the whole thing got out of hand, so to speak. It felt as if a well opened in me, releasing an array of ideas, concepts, pictures and stories. I then became more aware of my own convictions, beliefs and ideals. This was followed by a wide spectrum of emotions varying from frustration, confusion and depression to happiness, joy and awe. All that, and much more, has found a way into The Book of Giants. So, it can be said that this book is an account of this process. In a way it represents a journey of discovery of a personal myth. Although colored with some specific, unique colors, every personal myth is at the same time a part of a greater, collective myth; a sequence of a magnificent dream we all share.
Therefore it is my hope that this “silly” book about giants (and a few other spices) will not only be able to please and delight, but also help a reader to remember his own myth, realize its importance, and encourage him to set out on a journey to find it.
What a monumental achievement Petar. I look forward with great anticipation to having the book in my hands.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bill!
DeleteI don' know if this book can objectively speaking be called a monumental achievement, but it was certainly not easy for me to achieve my goals. I did the best I could.
By the way, I heard from John that you are willing to write a quote! I am really happy about that, Bill! Thanks a lot!
I'm honored Petar.
ReplyDelete