lucina

Earle K. Bergey Cover Reproduction

December 14, 2022 lucina

You all know that I like to make pulp copies as part of my on-going learning process. My goal as a pulp painter is to become familiar with the original pulp covers and understand them well-enough in terms of color, composition, themes, etc.. to be able to create my own book covers and fine art paintings which accurately reproduce the look and feel of that era. I believe in creating the whole “package” for my books. I want to create an experience for readers which is immersive. And so far…

Interview with me! “PulpFest Profile — Sara Light-Waller, Artist of the Cosmos”

November 15, 2022December 24, 2022 lucina

I’m a regular contributor to the PulpFest profiles column and it was a great treat to take my turn in the interviewee’s seat this month. Check out my new interview with Craig McDonald over at PulpFest.com. Many thanks to Craig, Mike Chomko and the rest of the PulpFest committee for honoring me with this interview. Here’s how the interview begins: “Pulp magazines have influenced writers, artists, film directors, software developers, and countless others over the years. Our “PulpFest Profiles” focus on contemporary creators who have drawn inspiration from these rough-paper…

The Road to Neotopia

September 25, 2022 lucina

Many science fiction writers are interested in “future histories.” Perhaps it’s a desire to control future events. Or a wish to explore another sort of time travel. Possibly, it’s nothing more than a desire to control something during uncertain times. For me, it’s about Neotopia. I have written about this before. It is my belief that we can make a good future based on human-centered values rather than idealized, elite, or globalized agendas. It seems a common opinion that the world has fallen (or is falling) into dystopian times. Naturally,…

The Saucers Are Here!

September 12, 2022September 12, 2022 lucina

Dear Diary, The funniest things happen sometimes! I recently found a small stack of my first coloring book, “My Day at the Horse Show.” I really thought the entire first run was out of print. As soon as I mentioned them on social media, I sold two! Since the Flying Sauce Party is coming up on the 17th I decided to put together a flying saucer coloring book for the event. This reminded me that I’ve had plans to do a series of pulp-based coloring books for some time (as…

Big Day!

July 11, 2022 lucina

Today is a big day for me. I have spent the last few months creating a series of new pulp paintings and also rebuilding my studio website—Flying Pony Studios. I’ve added a Woo Commerce shop to that site and this will impact Lucina Press in several ways. The biggest impact is that in the not-too-distant future my eBooks will be for sale over at the Flying Pony Studios shop, along with prints of my book artwork. In other exciting news, my new illustrated novelette—INCORRUPTIBLE—will soon be available in print and…

New Article — “Brother Can You Spare a Dime?”

May 18, 2022May 18, 2022 lucina

I’ve subtitled this article “How The Great Depression Influenced the Pulps” because I believe that when society is truly down there are still bright sparks who transcend what’s happening around them and create anyway. There seems a parallel in today’s society. Those who can still create after two and a half Covid years, a war, and (in the U.S.) madly rising costs of food and fuel, as well as other shortages…well, then you’re doing okay. I had the idea for this article quite a few months ago, noting that the…

Tips for painting in casein

February 1, 2022 lucina

Casein paint is not as well known today as is acrylics or watercolor. It’s an ancient type of paint, derived from milk protein. It’s fast-drying, and water-soluble. Once dry, the paint becomes water resistant to a large degree. This allows for building in layers as you would with acrylics or oils. The finish is matte and a bit chalky, unlike the shiny surface of acrylics. Casein has been used for both portraits and murals since the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One advantage to this type of paint is…

Robert Graef copy

January 28, 2022January 25, 2022 lucina

Graef copy comparison The Spot of Life 1932

Here’s my newest pulp copy, Robert Graef’s cover painting for Argosy August 1, 1932 featuring “The Spot of Life” by Austin Hall. This story is sequel to “The Blind Spot” by Hall and Homer Eon Flint. My painting is mainly watercolor with touches of gouache and pastel. It’s always nice to have an excuse to get back to watercolor, it’s such a beautiful medium and ultimately my favorite. This piece was quite challenging but very fun to do. I worked larger than I normally do for copies — 12″ x…

Reproduction of the “Serpents of Siva” pulp cover

January 20, 2022January 16, 2022 lucina

George Rozen cover painting for The Shadow magazine featuring “Serpents of Siva” in the April 1938 issue. This copy was something of an experiment. I was struck by the luminous green color of the buddha and wanted to try to recreate it with colored inks and densely-applied colored pencils. I set it up on Stonehenge paper. This is a heavy paper with good tooth and can take some wetting. I feel the results are a mixed bag. The luminosity comes through but the color isn’t dense enough. Probably, casein or…

New Article — “Cleve Cartmill, The Devil’s in the Details”

January 18, 2022January 16, 2022 lucina

Have you ever heard of pulp writer, Cleve Cartmill (1908 – 1964)? If you have it’s probably because of his 1944 story, “Deadline” published in ASTOUNDING. That’s the one that had the FBI knocking on John W. Campbell’s office door. For real! Anyway, Cartmill also wrote pulp fantasy and I picked out three of those to review over at Black Gate. The article includes a brand new illustration by yours truly! Why did I do it? Honestly, the original art for one of the stories was quite hum drum and…