We explore the fantasy potential of Art Nouveau in issue 78, leading with a stunning original Marta Dahlig cover image.

Subscribers get to see all the detail of Marta's amazing painting in their word-free issues, plus inside the Polish painter takes us through how she created it in a fascinating step-by-step workshop.

There's also a feature looking deeper into the art movement and its chief figures, plus loads of excellent workshops, reviews and Q&As...

Have a look and tell us what you think.

 

 

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Le Baron
Features editor
ImagineFX

one word.. MARTA! another word MARTA! wooohooo!- stunning cover! can't wait to get it!

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Lovely. I'm looking forward to this issue. But I haven't had time to finish* #77 so I'm glad it'll take a week or two more before it reaches me

*truth be told, I'm not through the FXposé section yet... (been catupied)

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www.charlotteahlgren.com
IFX Gallery
Elfwood Gallery

Woohoo.  I'm so glad you've posted a proper appreciation thread.  I love this issue even before I've had time to wallow in its glory.  It is so jam packed with art that stops me from keeping my socks on because I have to wriggle my toes with glee, that I really don't know where to dribble first.  Love it, love it, love it. 

 Have you ever considered doing collector's editions printed on plasticard so that the saliva doesn't stick the pages together despite the amount?

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http://nickillus.com

... or maybe just include a bib?

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www.charlotteahlgren.com
IFX Gallery
Elfwood Gallery

Well I'm already wearing a wetsuit but the sheer amount of visual pleasure this mag regularly gives me makes use of a bucket, rather than a bib more appropriate.  But that just doesn't work well at all angles.  Laying on the sofa, browsing for example.

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http://nickillus.com

maybe one of those things the dentists use, then? :)

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www.charlotteahlgren.com
IFX Gallery
Elfwood Gallery

No, I'm not sure a drill would do the job.  Or did you mean the whirlpool spitting bowl?  I've always wanted one of those but have nowhere to put it.

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http://nickillus.com

Mmmm, this truly is an excessive amount of loveliness all in one package! My anticipation was not misplaced. Even relatives who aren't usually interested in this kind of thing have picked up my copy saying "Oooh this looks nice!" "And take your grubby hands off," I replied with a vicious slap!

And the DVD autoruns without moaning about my out-of-date Flash player, which is a bonus.

My only minor gripe is the videos, while I do appreciate scaling down the resolutions to a managable size the resulting flicker on the horizontal lines had me reaching for the heavy-duty Nurofen. But the rest of the issue makes it all worth it!

Unfortunately I can't say this is one of my favourite covers. The flat washed out colors of the background just don't mesh with the painterly feel of the character for me. The figure just doesn't do it for me either. As a huge fan of mucha, I see the style and similarity but not the beauty in this cover.

Sorry to those who are going to bite me over this one, I like Marta's work but this one just isn't one of her bests in my opinion.

 Try not to get any fur between yer teeth when you nip me. : P 

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Of course on the other hand I was so looking forward to seeing this issue that I went to the iNewstand to look for it and it wasn't there. I really don't want to wait for my paper copy of this one to come through. : P

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Well, for my defense I can only say that the colors of the artwork are quite different in the actual workshop. The background was dramatically lightened (and contrasted) to meet the cover purposes so lots of stuff got lost. I will be very curious to hear your comments regarding the "main" version and original color choices prior to cover alterations though, especially from a fan of Mucha they will defintely be helpful for the future :)

 

It's on sale on Friday Fabledgoat!

Also, we had to mute the colours on the cover so that the cover words could be readable. We had a great time working with Marta and we're really pleased at how the cover has come out. Thanks Marta! 

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Claire,
Overlord, ImagineFX

*bites fabled*

that's blasphemy Adam! 

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Hey Adam,

In a bid to turn you round a bit, and with sincere apologies to Marta for taking a quick screengrab of her lovely finish to show how it's changed, here is the version with the darker background.  Preparation for print always involves compromises, especially when there's type areas involved.  For me it works really well in both versions, but it's all personal taste of course.  I'm a big Mucha fan as well.
The original doesn't have that copyright text on it - I only did that to protect Marta and Future.

We all lub you big time Marta.  Don't listen to the nasty man.  
To be fair - He's normally lubbley himself but must have got out of bed the wrong side this morning, and fallen straight out of his bedroom window.

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http://nickillus.com