Welcome spring!

I would like to welcome spring with a couple of paintings dedicated to the season and to Bern and its region: a wonderful city and an infinitely beautiful landscape. A place of my heart, which I miss a lot.


A barn swallow (Hirundo rustica, Schwalbe) and a house martin (Delichon urbicum, Mehlschwalbe) sitting on the Nydegg bridge, near the church, in a spring view of Bern. From here you can see the gothic Nydeggkirche and its beautiful medieval quarter, with Nydeggstalden street going down, between seventeenth-century houses, towards the banks of the Aare river



(Hand)Drawing in progress, pencil on Arches watercolour paper, cold pressed, 100% cotton 


Illustration of a riparian wood in spring (with its inhabitants) painted for the Landverlag Publishing house of Langnau in the Emmental


New illustration for the Magazine "Lebenslust Emmental"!




Detail of the illustration

This month I had the joy and pleasure of being able to illustrate the new short story by Sandra Rutschi in the spring issue of "Lebenslust Emmental".
The story is titled "Lieber den Spaz in der Hand als die Taube auf dem Dach", or in English it would be translated as "better a sparrow in the hand than a pigeon on the roof".
A proverb that I believe in English is "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush". 
I painted a wood pigeon (with a slightly more caricatural expression than usual, but it was functional 😉), in a typical context of roofs and architecture of the Bernese Emmental

I sincerely thank the publisher Torfinn Rothenbuehler and Sandra Rutschi for their kindness and trust!

PLEASE NO USE OF MY ART FOR GENERATIVE AI TRAINING


In this blog I show my illustrations, my paintings, my art, if you can define it that way; whatever way you can define what I love to paint, it's my life: it's everything I have and what helps me in the hardest moments. 

For this and for all the other thousand ethical reasons explained by Artists much better than me, and whom I admire infinitely, such as Karla Ortiz, Mateusz Urbanowicz, Stanley Lau, I confirm my support for their battle against the looting of artists' copyrighted works to train Generative Artificial Intelligences.

So: The copyright and rights of my images on this blog always remain with the Author, the Publisher and/or the person indicated, therefore the artworks cannot be reproduced, used or modified without his written consent.

For no reason is the right of use granted to train artificial intelligence programs.

NO GENERATIVE AI TRAINING USE


New Christmas Illustration for Sonah Publisher: Frau Holle

 


Among the wonderful things I am grateful for is the new opportunity, which I had again this year, to create the Christmas card for Sonah Publisher.

Many thanks to Mrs. Anika Meyer for her trust. I love the subject :

Frau Holle, seen in the original mythological aspect of an ancient goddess, and I love painting winter landscapes, forests and ancient villages!




Sonah's cards are always beautifully edited and printed! The quality of the print, colors and paper are excellent!


You can find the wonderful Sonah Magazine and see the images and postcards (Christmas and floral) on the site: Sonah Verlag
  And here: 

New Interviews and Video Presentation for Collector Arthouse and "Sorcery: Contested Realm"!

 I apologize for the long absence from the blog, but it has been an "intense" period, so to speak, in many aspects.

Among the beautiful, or rather, really WONDERFUL  things, which I am infinitely happy about, is being able to be part of the group of Artists and the Sorcery: Contested Realm project.

Working on these illustrations is a privilege for me, and I put all my soul and effort into it.

Speaking of Sorcery, I would like to point out here the beautiful presentation of the Beta Edition, made by Mike Servati.

It's absolutely not to be missed and with very special moments and Artists with their Artworks : as always thanks to Mike!

And I seem to have glimpsed something familiar in the background ;-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8nm2Hf23wE



New! Floral illustrations for the Publisher Sonah Verlag





   First illustration: wild mallow, cuckoo flower and elderflower (and butterflies)




Second illustration: lily of the valley, forget-me-not, a couple of field herbs (e.g. wild oats), common daisy (and a new couple of butterflies)




Third illustration: field poppy, tansy and marguerite (instead of butterflies, or butterfly and moth, this time a bumblebee). 




An original watercolour illustration alongside the three greeting cards

Here are the new floral-themed  illustrations for the publisher Sonah Verlag. Many thanks as always to Ms. Anika Meyer for her valuable advice and Art Direction!

The illustrations are published on wonderful greeting cards and  represent local floral essences, accompanied by refined captions with their names in the dialect of the Saarland region, and a series of information - on the back of the cards - on each botanical species.

You can see and find them here, on the Sonah website Sonah Verlag and Magazine and Blumengrüße auf Saarländisch – Gruß-/Glückwunschkarte

If I can afford some advice and opinion to friends who live in Germany, I'd say run and buy the Magazine "Sonah Magazin", it's wonderful, don't miss it! ;-) 

"Sorcery: Contested Realm" artist proof cards have arrived!




Just arrived, still wrapped in protective packaging


Here is the binder: wonderful! And look at Francesca Baerald's cover art, it's absolutely beautiful!


Wow!



An example of some of my cards (the back of the artist's proofs is blank)

I apologize for not having updated the blog for a few months, but it's a problematic period, and health has played a part in making things even more difficult.

But fortunately there are wonderful things, like seeing the binder with "Sorcery: Contested Realm" artist proof cards arrive in your hands. Well, this is one of those "Wow, this is a real wonder" day. 

And it's really wonderful both to have the physical cards in your hands, the exquisitely crafted binder (what a magnificent cover art!), and to think of being part of this Project, together with all the other Extraordinary Artists. This is a dream. Thank you Erik.

New video from Collector Athouse with the presentation of my "Humble Village" card and the painting!


Here the video on Youtube:

Sorcery TCG - Avatar of Air Alpha Precon Opening!


Many thanks to Mike for doing in his new Collector Arthouse video this beautiful presentation of my "Humble Village" card -for "Sorcery: Contested Realm"- with the original painting it was taken from!

I'm honoured ! Mike is doing a really great and unique job presenting the cards and art!

I would also like to recommend this beautiful presentation video. Unmissable!

Sorcery TCG - Alpha Precon Deck Unboxing!!!

Here the Collector Arthouse page with all the images of the Cards, the illustrations of all the talented Artists who participate, and a lot of interesting information!

Collector Arthouse

New Christmas illustration: the old tradition of the Christmas log (Yule log). For Sonah Verlag

 


The ancient tradition of the yule log seems to date back as far as the 12th century. Spread from Scandinavia to the Alps, it involved the custom of burning a large log of wood in the fireplace of the house on Christmas Eve. And then to let it burn for the next 12 nights, until Epiphany.

This is the first of two illustrations for Christmas cards published by the publisher Sonah Verlag. Many thanks to Ms. Anika Meyer for entrusting me with these Christmas illustrations and for her precious Art Direction. 

Here you can see the Christmas cards (and find the wonderful magazine) Sonah Verlag

The Christmas cards have arrived!

"Sorcery: Contested Realm" new card revealed with my illustration of medieval monks!

 






Thanks as always to Erik for giving me the privilege to paint on this great project ( Sorcery TCG ) and to Mike at Collector Arthouse for the great job of presenting the cards, illustrations and artists on the site. Here you can look at my cards https://www.collectorarthouse.com/sorcery-andrea-modesti-cards

Schwäbisch Hall, drawn in ink and graphite



This view of the half-timbered houses overlooking the Kocher river was made (starting from a photo I took years ago on the spot ) to test some new "extra fine" and "super fine" brush pens just bought. With the addition of some graphite blended with the paper stumps.

Schwäbisch Hall is a truly wonderful medieval town, located deep in the Baden Wuerttemberg between Stuttgart and Wuerzburg, on the banks of the Kocher River. Marvelous half-timbered houses, towers and covered wooden bridges characterize the entire historic center.

Welcome autumn!


A centenary oak in an autumn forest. The small fauna that lives around the old tree ... For Campus Natur - Landverlag

"Anastasias Geheimnis" (Anastasia's secret), illustrations for the story about Anastasia von Signau (by Verena Zuercher, Landverlag)


The "official" cover of the book project "Anastasias Geheimnis. Eine mittelalterliche Raetselgeschichte", by the author Verena Zuercher, published by Landverlag. A short tale about the young Lady from Signau who leads schoolchildren hikers to the historical places of her story. Lots of black and white ink illustrations. On the first cover, Anastasia in front of Burgdorf Castle

In the "variant" cover, or second cover, Anastasia in her castle in Signau (with the books she loved secretly reading) in the company of one of her dogs (obviously I imagined it was a beautiful Bernese shepherd)



One of the color covers among the many black and white ink line drawings...



 One of the line drawings: a medieval gold digger along the river Emme (did you know that already for the Celts and then throughout the Middle Ages the river Emme was very coveted by gold diggers?)

Learn about Anastasia's book here: Landverlag.ch

Wildflowers and semolina pudding illustrations, in the new autumn issue of "Lebenslust Emmental Magazin"




Illustration of wildflowers (poppy, dandelion, red clover, plantain, bromes ... among others)


Semolina pudding (Griessbrei), with recipe and ingredients (cinnamon!), for the short story by Sandra Rutschi



The original paintings for the illustrations (always painted in watercolor and gouache on Arches paper) next to the Magazine



Some photos taken in the field looking for the wildflowers for the illustration

Altensteig, Black Forest, drawn in ink and graphite



I know that traditionally it would not be correct to combine powder techniques (here graphite) with liquid and ink techniques (here brush pen), but I love it, I find it fun and I love the halftones that can be given (it reminds me of the grays of the aquatint). 

I started using it for outdoor drawings, quickly sketching the portrayed landscapes with pencil and brush pens (which are convenient to always carry with you) and then eventually retouching at home with some white gouache highlights, where really needed.

Here I drew the old castle of Altensteig, a town of half-timbered houses in the Black Forest. The castle was one of the residences of the counts of Tübingen, and in 1500 the upper floors were built in half-timbered (still in a clearly late medieval style, or in jargon "Alemannic half-timbered", or "Alemannisches Fachwerk", recognizable by the large spaces between the wooden beams and the absence of decorative elements).

Oh, in the foreground, why not draw a Ring ouzel (a female, lighter), it looked good, among those conifers ...



 But since we're in the Black Forest, here's a little Hazel dormouse on a log, always drawn in graphite and ink. And in the background a large traditional peasant house of the region (Schwarzwaldhaus). 
 

Thanks to Mike and Collector Arthouse for the wonderful article "Behind the Art" on my "Spear of Destiny" (for Sorcery: Contested Realm)

 


A sketch and the finished artwork in watercolor and gouache. The processing steps can be seen here on the Collector Arthouse website and ... on YouTube!

Collector Arthouse Behind the Art

Video


The original illustration of the Spear together with the Steppe and (one of my favourite) Foot Soldiers illustrations

An update: a lucky "Sorcery: Contested Realm" fan has auctioned his card with the "Spear of Destiny" illustration on the Collector Arthouse facebook page. The auction was a great success and the lucky owner's card sold for two thousand dollars! Amazing!

The Card "Spear of Destiny" 


It is summer, the moment to escape into space and time, into the historical / mythological fantasy: here is the -republished- Lindwurm!


The Lindwurm, or lindworm, was a serpentine dragon (and man-eater) of Norse and Central European mythology (Fafnir was also a lindworm). It is at the origin of the legendary foundation of the city of Klagenfurt (among others), of which it is the symbol. 


The preparatory sketch and the pencil drawing 


New illustration for "Lebenslust Emmental Magazin", issue summer 2022



Partially two-page illustration for Sandra Rutschi's new short story "Wer einen Sumpf trockenlegen will, darf nicht die Froesche fragen".




The wonderful cover of "Lebenslust Emmental", which reflects the beautiful landscapes of this enchanting region.



Interview on Collector Arthouse!

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Mike Servati for Collector Arthouse, Mike did an excellent job: he put together various images, sketches, work in progress! Wondeful! 

Sorcery Artist Interview: Andrea Modesti



Here I am working on the details of "Longbowmen", before the final darker chromatic watercolour glaze.