Progress of the Art Book: Layout!
over 3 years ago – Wed, Dec 16, 2020 at 10:14:05 PM

Hi all,

Hope you are all well!

Time for a quick update! Petar has been making some beautiful progress on the layout of the art book, and I really want to share this with you! He is taking a simplified approach that will allow us to commission/highlight some pretty great pieces. The idea is for each song in the album to get its own spotlight. Each spotlight will feature: 

• A beautiful and simple intro page,
• Some behind-the-scenes about the song itself (or for songs with lyrics, lyrics),
• A preliminary sketch, and
• A full, two-page spread illustration.

Here is a completed set for The Tower:

What do you think of that gorgeous layout?

I also can't wait to show you more progress on "We Won", Petar's piece for Oathpact Abandoned!

That's all for now - more coming soon!

Best,

Michael and Petar

New Art Director + Art Book Progress (with Images)
over 3 years ago – Tue, Nov 03, 2020 at 11:24:35 PM

Hi all!

I hope you're well despite the strange year we're living in. It has taken, and continues to take, a massive toll for so many, so I hope that you are all making it through.

I want to thank you for your patience and support; we're receiving warm messages through social media and that encourages our work, so thank you!

It has been a little while since the last update, and we've been working tirelessly, and perhaps some good news is in order. I'm excited to be able to share some progress and a big new development with you. First the big news:

New Art Director

Please welcome Petar Penev as the new, official Art Director for the Kaladin art book! With his in-depth knowledge of the Cosmere, relationship with fellow Cosmere artists, and fantastic eye for great artwork, Petar is the perfect person for the position.

When we started the project, we never knew how many obstacles we would face on our journey, but it has been a great opportunity for growth and learning. Someone once described the feeling well:

"Together, they heaved the bridge into the air. It was terribly heavy, but they managed it, somehow."

You have helped us to lift the bridge, and strengthened by your support - and now with expert help from Petar, we remain committed to completing a great art book and looking forward to the future.

The development with Petar has actually been in the works for a little while - Petar and I have had many discussions regarding the direction of the book, and I am impressed both by his vision and his work ethic. He'll be working directly with Dragonsteel and myself to help finish the project, and he is already making great strides!

Art Book Progress

We are in the middle of working on some great commissions. In fact, we are just wrapping up one amazing commission from Petar Penev, who, in addition to Art Directing, is also contributing artwork. Here, I'll show you his initial sketch for a double-spread of "We Won" - where he captures the moment after the battle, as described in the Prelude to the Stormlight Archive:

And here's his first update to that initial sketch:

You'll note the color is dropped from this one, but the illustration gains better balance and perspective. The pose of a certain herald is improved as well - he appears more battle-weary, and details are starting to emerge.

Anyway, I just wanted to give you a little taste. Things are now in full swing, and there's more to come. I look forward to sharing more with you soon!

Stay safe!

Michael (and now Petar!)

2020 + Sae Sae + Art Book + Literary Consultations
almost 4 years ago – Thu, Jul 02, 2020 at 02:46:49 PM

Hi everyone,

I hope you are doing well during this crazy time! This year seems to challenge us practically daily. Those close to us and those far away have been falling casualty to the incredible, the crazy, and the calamitous Highstorms and Chasmfiends that 2020 continues to throw at us. Please know that I am thinking about you all in this time.

News about Sae Sae

As you all know from our previous update, 2020 did not start out well for Sae Sae. Even before the world began spinning out of control due to COVID-19, she was already dealing with personal tragedies and health and family difficulties. And things just did not slow down. Between a legitimate COVID scare and illnesses that would knock her down for weeks at a time, it became clear that she needed to make a change.

This led to a very difficult decision. Sae Sae absolutely loves the Stormlight Archive, its fandom, and our Black Piper fans dearly, but she came to the crushing realization that she needs to take the time she needs to focus on her health and her family. So, she is stepping down from The Black Piper.

While the separation is completely amicable, Sae Sae's leaving is certainly not easy for her or for me, but please know that all of your encouragements, love, and support over the last while have truly helped her through some difficult times - and I'm sure she wouldn't mind you sending some love and encouragement and Bridge Four support to her now. Either here or through social media, for those of you who are connected with her in some way.

So, What Does That Mean For The Art Book?

Sae Sae was The Black Piper's resident Creative Director, and the art book was her sole priority at The Black Piper until now. For the next little while, as she makes the transition, I will be playing catch up. I will be reviewing the layout she had started, speaking with the artists she had lined up, and talking with her about all the creative ideas she had written down on sticky notes and in lined-paper journals. So, creatively I will be coming up to speed. I will also speak with other artistic directors I know and begin getting into that headspace.

Regarding the financial state of the art book - I know that we have given you some insights in our previous updates about where things are. With Sae Sae leaving the company, things will get very tight for the art book for the next while. However, I want you to know that I am committed to the following with regards to the art book:

1. I will get up to speed quickly and then commit to a timely schedule. I don't have enough information yet, such as an understanding of our artists' current schedules and the full workload for what this will all entail in order to be able to say exactly what that means, but I will update you as I know more

2. While I am not a Creative Director or an Art Connoisseur, I am first and foremost a fan of Brandon Sanderson and of the Stormlight Archive. I know what it means to you to have something of quality. Just as it is important to me to produce something that The Black Piper can be proud of. Regardless of the circumstances, I am committed to ensuring that the art book maintains the best quality that it can and that I can

One thing I should mention is that, even though I will be taking over everything with regards to the management and creation of the art book, if Sae Sae's health and family situation permits, she is open to and has expressed interest in providing creative input. So, while her top priority will be focusing on herself and her family, it is our hope that she will "not be a stranger", as it were, and she will still leave her fingerprint on the art book.

Literary Consultations

Despite the need to take time for herself, the Literary Consultations are something that only she can do, and she has committed to completing those. Thankfully, for her, literary consultation does not represent anywhere near the work the art book would take, and these are things she can do in between the difficult moments. She has the list of all who have signed up for them and will be contacting you individually over the next month or so.

Conclusion

I know this has been a difficult journey - both for Sae Sae, who has shouldered the full responsibility of the art book while dealing with incredible personal difficulties, and for all of you who have been waiting with tremendous patience. (While still offering unbelievable encouragement.)

To all of you, thank you! Thank you for not giving up hope. Thank you for believing in Sae Sae and in The Black Piper. Thank you to those of you who reach out, offering to help where you can. You mean the world to us, and I will do all that I can, with the art book as my primary responsibility, to reward that faith and love.

All the best, and as Sae Sae would say: A heartfelt #BridgeFourSalute to all of you,

Michael (and Sae Sae)

KS UPDATE: ART BOOK PROGRESS AND DIGITAL ART BOOK
about 4 years ago – Mon, Mar 16, 2020 at 09:02:48 PM

WHERE HAVE WE BEEN SINCE CHRISTMAS?

Hi Everyone!

You are due for a much-needed update. This was meant to go out to you just before Christmas but Sae Sae had an unexpected funeral to attend. Michael has been busy working on about five different films, and those projects are winding down now. He has also been working on some yet-to-be-announced compositions for The Black Piper (but those are not Cosmere-related).

Sae Sae has had a series of unfortunate events over the holidays and New Year. As of last Friday, she has lost seven friends and loved ones since Christmas. Her life has been full of funerals, funeral arrangements, babysitting, and other support for the immediate families of those in need. Your patience and support is greatly appreciated while she’s taken some personal time. Healthwise, January and February are when she is physically at her weakest with her hemiplegic migraines (mini strokes), but she is bouncing back from those fairly quickly and her work pace is picking up again.

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE ART BOOK?

Despite these setbacks, Sae Sae has still been working with Dragonsteel on submitting her sketches for pre-approval. We are still in the design stages, but all is going well. The Art Book is Sae Sae’s sole priority (she took some time last year to write a screenplay, but that’s all done and over with now). So, while communication has been silent on our end, we have been working as we can. Now, things are smoothing out and calming down enough so that Sae Sae is ready to get back into working full-time on her sketches and designs.

DIGITAL ART BOOK TO BE RELEASED FIRST

As you know, the embargo that hit us last year greatly impacted our budget for the art book. Before the embargo was exercised, our income was keeping us stable and balanced out from our overhead needs. However, without that balance, our funds essentially drained for several months.

We still have enough to make the art book, so no worries there. But we have had to redesign from scratch (which works in our favor, as we can now update the look of the art book).

This is the stage we are currently in. Once we choose which sketches will make the final cut, we’ll assign our awesome artists to the tasks, and production will begin. We anticipate about 4-6 weeks for this current pre-approval stage (starting now). (We’re being generous with the timeline because of Sae Sae’s current situation.) We’ll have a better idea of the timeline for production, itself, when we know which artists are doing which sketches, and how big their workload will be. We’ll be in communication with you about that when the time comes.

With the frugalities we are now making on the art book, we have a decision to make.

We can use the bulk of our funds now to create the art book in digital form and distribute that to everyone first. As our coffers fill, we will have enough to physically print and distribute the book, hopefully a few months later. If we try to stay the course and devote our funds to physical distribution right away, we will have significantly less artwork in the book.

So we have decided to release the digital art book first. If you only purchased a physical book, we will give you a digital book for free to tide you over until you receive your physical copy.

This will allow us to put more artwork, and higher quality artwork, into the book. It will also allow us to finish the book completely. It will be ready to send to our printer the moment we reach our distribution threshold, financially. This will speed up the process immensely for a finished book, albeit in digital format at first. With your patience, we will distribute the physical books at a later date.

LITERARY CONSULTATIONS

We haven’t forgotten about your literary consultations, either. Once the art book is complete (in digital form), Sae Sae will dive into her literary consultations. Novels require quite a bit more time than screenplays. Sae Sae has tried to do some novel consultations prior to this, but with her plate so full, she was never able to get to them. So keep working on your novels! Sae Sae is excited to read your work and help you get your books and writing in shape.

THANK YOU

We know you’ve been waiting with both patience and frustration with the delays of the art book. We thank you for your continued support, and we want to reiterate that giving you a high quality art book, with new art mixed with some fan favorite art, is our top priority.

In the meantime, keep listening to the Kaladin soundtrack and share it with as many people as you can! And, in Lirin’s best surgeon-scoldy voice, Wash your hands!

A heartfelt #BridgeFourSalute to you all,

Mike and Sae Sae

Intro to Artists, Part 2
over 4 years ago – Thu, Nov 21, 2019 at 06:10:26 PM

We'd like to continue introducing you to the artists who've agreed to lend their awesomeness to our project. 

Website:  http://www.karichristensen.com/ 

Käri's specialty lies with creatures. 

2. Kelley Harris

Website:  https://kelleyharrisart.com/ 

Kelley's work has been used extensively throughout our album project. She has a distinct look and her strengths lie with color, light, and evoking emotion. 

3. Petar Penev

Website:  https://www.artstation.com/dnavenom 

Petar's work is familiar among Stormlight fans. His artwork expresses power and action through beautiful use of color, composition, and a style that is uniquely his own.

4. Ralf Melevo

Website:  https://www.instagram.com/rm.elucifur/?hl=en 

Ralf is a natural talent with paint, character movement, and expression. (We don't have the rights to some of the text he uses, so we had to erase it.)

5. Treefin

Website:  https://treefin-art.tumblr.com/ 

Treefin does brilliant work with characters.

End Part 2

We hope this gives you a better idea of the creative direction we're planning on taking with the art book and gets you as excited as we are to see the finished product!

#BridgeFourSalute

Michael and Sae Sae