The Art of Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess's Stardust

Description

A lavish coffee table book revealing the origins, processes, and brilliant paintings produced for the award-winning fantasy novel Stardust written by Neil Gaiman. Beginning with the moment Gaiman asked Vess to join him on the project, through layouts, sketches, pen-and-ink drawings, and breathtaking paintings for all of the different editions, and even the ultra-rare portfolio A Fall of Stardust. With in-depth commentary from Vess and an exclusive Introduction by Gaiman.

Charles Vess's award-winning illustration work includes The Ladies of Grace Adieu, Peter Pan and George R. R. Martin's A Storm of Swords. Recent releases include Seven Wild Sisters and NYT bestsellers Blueberry Girl and Instructions (with Neil Gaiman). Vess has won the World Fantasy Award twice, the Chesley Award, and his Ballads series won him the prestigious Eisner award.

"A twisting, wonderous tale full of magic."-The Chicago Tribune "Spiced with blood, sex, and genial humor, this wonderful tale is highly recommended."-Library Journal (starred review) "The story alone is wonderful, but enhanced by the gorgeous artwork on nearly every page... this book becomes a treasure."-SFSite "Without illustrations, 'Stardust' is fanciful escape. With illustrations, it is a masterpiece."-Valdosta Daily Times "Every part of a Charles Vess artwork - every sinuous line, mist-filled glade and velvety shadow - is an invitation into a numinous world in which the most extraordinary things may happen; a beautifully composed charm to invoke the most potent form of magic - that of the storyteller."-Alan Lee, illustrator, concept designer for Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings "Charles is a master of illustration, and the lyricism of his lines perfectly evoke the realm of faery. sinuous, swirling and dynamic, the lines sing to us of the world beyond the wall. This book is a beautiful and massive achievement... one of the best to come out of 2020 and we are truly grateful for that."-Brian and Wendy Froud: Brian illustrated Faeries (with Alan Lee) and was the conceptual designer for The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Wendy is a sculptor and puppet-maker who fabricated Yoda for The Empire Strikes Back and creatures for The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. "The power of Charles Vess' artworks comes not from his masterful design sensibilities, it is not embedded in the graceful lines and movement he brings to his figures, nor is it based in his stunning compositional choices, what verily holds the eye and heart in Charles' work is the fact that he instills his art with Truth. From close up portraits to a crowded fair in the forest, we visit worlds fluidly and Truthfully constructed through the hand and mind of an amazing artist."-illustrator Donato Giancola, winner of the World Fantasy, Chesley, and Hugo Awards "To open The Art of Stardust, it seems, is to cross the Wall. Charles is a bona-fide artist-bard, a pied piper of story pictures. By the end of this glorious book, I blinked and shook my head and was surprised to find it was still 2021, and I would have turned right around again and happily climbed back into his land beyond the Wall, maybe forever. It is a timeless source of inspiration and wonder, as bright and as welcome as a falling star."-Iain McCaig, illustrator and designer for Star Wars, Terminator 2, Interview with a Vampire, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and more "The twining roots of Charles Vess' art style reach back to the Golden Age of Illustration and feed his enchanting imagery, which blooms in hues of Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, and Howard Pyle. He is lord of the line and a wizard of watercolor."- Tony Detirlizzi, illustrator (including Magic: The Gathering), Caldecott Award winner, and co-creator of The Spiderwick Chronicles "When I first saw STARDUST all those years ago I was blown away by it. Now, though older, tired and a thousand times more jaded, I am blown away all over again. The art is actually even better than I remember and seeing the staggering amount of work that went into creating it is truly a wonderful thing."-Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy "Charles is at once an artist's artist and a reader's artist. What he captures in his work is the magic we all feel. The line work has beauty, depth, and the rare sense of visual story; they're not merely his observations, they are stories in themselves."-illustrator Gregory Manchess