October 2021

Continuing the art weekend, here is Sherlock Holmes’s first meeting with old Gao:
‘The stranger’s hair was silver-white, and sparse; his nose, the first barbarian nose that Old Gao had seen, was huge and curved and put Old Gao in mind of the beak of an eagle; his skin was tanned the same colour as Old Gao’s own, and was lined deeply. Old Gao was not certain that he could read a barbarian’s face as he could read the face of a person, but he thought the man seemed most serious and, perhaps, unhappy.
‘‘Why?’’
‘‘I study bees. Your brother tells me you have big black bees here. Unusual bees.’’
Old Gao shrugged.’

Gary’s first sketch did not change much, I thought it perfect, I loved the flat design of the background.

Another, long, Art day!

The frontis painting in any book is often one image that I go backwards and forwards on. It is an image that, if you are reading the book by each page turn, means it sets up the reader. It has to intrigue and tell the reader what the mood is to start the story. The first time that Gary and I discussed the frontis for the tale of ‘The Case of Death and Honey’ by Neil Gaiman we were looking at the ghosts that drove Holmes, then we felt that Mycroft had to be there, it was Holmes’s brother that first gives Sherlock his challenge to solve the ultimate question of Life and Death. It was Mycroft who was sitting behind him as he first ponders the Question.

Gary went through a number of iterations of the painting before we decided upon the image that became the painting, you can see the thought process that Gary and I went through over the months here before he painted the image, I love showing these sketches, it’s not often that they see the light of day and shows his perseverance at finding just the right picture.

Title page of Death and Honey on the press today at Hand and Eye.

Wow. Ready for printing, love the way that the light shows the relief work on the plate

Hand and Eye has been making great progress! Limitation page for ‘The Adventure of the Creeping Man’ ready to go to Gary Gianni for him to sign. It’s the Conan Doyle story that inspired ‘The Case of Death and Honey’ by Neil Gaiman and will be published by us here at Arete Editions as a companion volume to the Fine Edition. It will also be included in the Artist’s Edition.

Close up of Hand and Eye’s FAG proofing press – currently being used to print ” The Case of Death and Honey” by Neil Gaiman.
For more information and to pre-order now visit our website www.arete-editions.com