Immortal Longings Art by Elizabeth Schuch

Tumbling into Something New

2011-09-03T19:11:00.000+01:00

It's a super busy time in the studio at the moment with lots of storyboarding, Greek film prep, and preparing the Immortal Longings shop for the holidays, so schedule streamlining is key to stay on top of everything.

In an experiment to making blogging a bit more fun and handy - I'm moving my blog updates to Tumblr.

I just find it a little easier to keep things clipping along with their format.

Here's the link:

http://immortallonging.tumblr.com/
Hope to see you there!

Painting the Phagocytes

2011-08-03T08:17:00.001+01:00

Behind the scenes at Inside the Human Body on the BBC.

One of the strangest and most challenging characters in the show: the phagocyte (your white cells). To me they looking like guinea pigs made out of jelly, with random tentacles. Fascinating creatures. I learned a whole lot about the human body during this production.

My job was to make the painted storyboards for the CGI sequences, to set the style and the framing for what would then be built in the 3D environments at Rushes and Jellyfish. An incredible project, and I loved that the team wanted everything to be seen as an incredible epic landscape, with a heavy eye to the artistic representation of the science.

Tales of the Unexplained: Film-making

2011-07-31T20:03:00.001+01:00

For the past year or so, there's been a big project brewing in the studio here in London: an independent Greek-language feature film called 'Ο Χειμώνας' ('The Winter.') It's a project that's taken a whole lot of hours and is very close to my heart.

When my favorite Greek director inherited a spooky 17th century house in a sleepy mountain town in Northern Greece, creepy family stories emerged that just screamed to be woven into a film. The story follows an eccentric young Greek running from debt in London, who hides in his abandoned family home in Greece, unearthing the mystery surrounding his father's death and hold on to his sanity in a haunted house.

Since January 2010, we've been crafting the story and the concepts for the film, leading us into strange adventures in treasure-hunting, psychic ghost-hunting, and other madness. In Autumn, we found the support of producers in Athens, and now we've some fantastic Greek cast confirmed, along with music by the group Active Member. The story will be a mix of live action and CGI trickery, and I'll be handling the design work.

At the moment, we're getting ready to shoot as soon as the cold hits the mountains.

The house is genuinely known to be haunted by the locals... having been used for black market trading, a prison during the occupation and a fur-making shop. When we put the script together, some of the scarier stories we left out!

You can follow the updates on the project on our spiffy multi-lingual blog here. I'm hoping it make it through without spotting any shadowy beasties, but with garlic and a flashlight, everything should be fine.

The Queen Reigns: Elizabeth I, Portrait

2011-06-23T02:27:00.002+01:00

England's first Queen Elizabeth was a consummate manipulator of her own image. Her portraits, like her fathers, represent her political power and ambition, as well as elevating her from human to an icon.

It was difficult to choose which one of her portraits to use as inspiration, and I had two finalists.

Her shrewd eyes in this portrait seem to me to convey intelligence and restraint, something very guarded.

However, it's the triumph of the Armada portrait that I was drawn to. It may have been the big lacey collar that attracted me, but really it's the grand scale of the image, and the slight smile that drew me in.

Okay, maybe I just wanted to draw the fancy lace.

So, below you'll see my progress and execution of the portrait...

Pencil baselines flesh out the details, followed by inking.

The basic inking is finished, then followed by cross-hatching

to fill the background and smeared with water, making a grey wash.

And a new Tudor Portrait is complete!

New Work: Tudor Portraits - Christopher Marlowe

2011-06-21T14:55:00.000+01:00

Back at my desk this week, and decided to conquer a few more Tudor portraits that have been on my mind for some time.

First, Christopher Marlowe:
He's a fascinating figure, and the kind folks at The Rose Theatre here in London revitalised my interest in him.
For the Tudor portrait series, I've been using contemporary portraits (such as this one of 1585 of Marlowe.)

To start with: I create a pencil sketch of the face and neck/costume,

then I print out a copy of the pencil line work lightly as a framework for the inking.

For pencils, I'm partial to the Papermate Sharpwriter for its consistent point, ability to be gentle/light and heavy/dark, and for their cheap n' cheerful price. The inking is done with a mix of smaller pens (.5 from Muji, or a Staedler .1 pen liner in this case.) The Muji pens aren't quite as amazing as the Pilot G Tec C4 of legend, but they definitely hold their own.

When inking, I find the outlines, followed with a scribbley crosshatch stroke to fill in areas, along with more free contour lines. Then, I either wet and smear the ink with my thumb/forefinger, or with a paint brush, as grey background wash. The paintbrush gives a more precise stroke, but the thumb gives you a stronger smear without over-wetting the paper.

It's a method I really enjoy, especially the mad cross-hatching I use during the inking.

Next up: Queen Elizabeth I, as inspired by the Armada Portrait.

The Boudoir Circus plays Download Festival 2011

2011-06-15T01:24:00.001+01:00

Amongst wind and rain and sun: We've taken Aircraft Circus' wild and wicked show on the road for the rock festival Download. On the mainstage was Alice Cooper and a barrage of headliners, and in a tent all of our own: Madame Pain's Boudoir Circus.

Having never designed for a tent show before, the task presented some unusual logistical challenges: keeping the backstage and scenery dry in a storm, platforms that slope with the ground... having theatre tech week while camping and everybody snatching shuteye amidst enthusiastic all-night rock ballad karaoke and airplanes... but it was fun. Definitely helped to have my wellies with me. And getting the paint off your hands works just fine in a rain barrel.

Our house band Orangafruup composed enough spectacular tunes to fill 2-3 hours of show, Poppy Flint crafted costumes of jilted glamour and hardcore recycling, and always exploding with creative ideas & mayhem: Alex Frith directed the crack team of aerialists from Aircraft. The crowds were great, especially on the cold night. It was a big jump from an underground installation show in London to a big stage on a field in Donington Park. Next time... even bigger tent? You bet.

Photo credits: Download 2011 / Dimitris Amvrazis

Gettysburg on the History Channel

2011-05-17T00:52:00.003+01:00

Sometimes it's not all Shakespeare and theatrical fantasy: I've been painting storyboards for CGI sequences quite a bit in the past year.

Battles and biology, it's great fun. Once the shows have aired, I'll be able to show a little behind the scenes of the artwork.

In the meantime:
GETTYSBURG

Ridley Scott produces a vibrant portrait of American at war with itself.
Brilliant stuff, can expect guns, explosions and great daily details..
Storyboarded a few of the CGI sequences.

Premieres in Memorial day, 30 May 2011, US
on the History Channel

Inside the Human Body: on BBC 1 Tonight

2011-05-05T19:03:00.000+01:00

Last summer, I had the pleasure of storyboarding a cracking new science series on the BBC, "Inside the Human Body." Big, bold colours and gorgeous CGI graphics make it a treat for the eyes, presented by Michael Mosley.

For me, the biology and science were intriguing and a great new field to be painting for. It began with some very abstract and specific subject matter, and incredible organic landscapes to work with. I'll be posting some of the original drawings here after the episodes have aired. In the meantime, you can revel in the magical world inside all of us..

"Inside the Human Body"

BBC 1 - 9pm, Thursdays in May

Press the red button on the episodes for Behind the Scenes, and perhaps a little about the storyboards...
Watch Inside the Human Body

The Queen of the Night

2011-05-03T15:51:00.000+01:00

Mozart's The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte) contains one of my favorite opera divas: The Queen of the Night.

Her glorious arias soar, and her nuturing/villainous dramatics steal the show.

The Seattle Opera is opening a splendid production of The Magic Flute this week, and with it, my drawing for the Queen makes her first appearance...

Shakespeare: Wordsmith

2011-05-01T14:58:00.000+01:00

an article by Ashlie E. Montana

(illustrated by E. Schuch)

“…read him, therefore, and again and again; and if then you do not like him, surely you are in some manifest danger not to understand him.”

--John Hemings and Henry Condell, in the prefatory remarks to Shakespeare’s ‘First Folio’ in 1623

Anyone who has spent time immersed in the world of Elizabethan literature knows that at the first, it is a labor of love to comprehend the elegant prose and sometimes-unfamiliar wordage contained in those magnificent works. The writings of Shakespeare are a beloved favorite among many literary fans, and have been widely read and appreciated for 400 years.Despite his obvious popularity among scholars and leisure readers alike, it is not often recognized just how much Shakespeare contributed to the English language as a whole. His literary inspiration is cited for such writers as Herman Melville, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, William Faulkner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Lord Alfred Tennyson, among other authors in the 1800s. However, Shakespeare’s influence extends beyond style and characterization to the major development of the English language as we know it today.

Elizabethan English was written the same way it was spoken, making grammar and sentence structures very vague. It was a language that explicitly expressed feelings. The volume of different words in 16th century English was also limited, making it difficult to express certain ideas and scenery in written language. Shakespeare became known for borrowing from classical literature and foreign languages to create the words he needed for his writing. He changed nouns into verbs, verbs into adjectives, and connected words never before used together by adding prefixes and suffixes, in order to devise words that were wholly original. Because the Bard and his work was such an influential person in Elizabethan culture, many of these new words trickled into common dialogue and expression among the English-speaking people.

His contributions have been recognized as early as 1598, when Francis Meres placed Shakespeare among the writers who had dignified the English language. Samuel Johnson’s ‘A Dictionary of the English Language’ quoted more phrases from Shakespeare than any other writer. His individual style developed the usage of blank verse. By expressing emotions and situations in verse-form, he inspired a natural flow for language with an added sense of drama and spontaneity.

Of the 17,677 different words used by Shakespeare in his works, 1,700 of them are believed to be products of the Bard’s own imagination. It is incredible to consider the influence Shakespeare still has on our language, even as much as it has changed in the last couple centuries. Many commonly used phrases and figures of speech have been coined from his writing.

Shakespeare’s birthday is celebrated in this week in April every year, and provides a welcome opportunity to indulge in the beauty and distinctiveness of his work. A fine tribute to the Bard is the use of his phrases and quotes in everyday conversation. Here are a few Shakespearian words and phrases to inspire you. For maximum effect, a British accent is suggested.

Whether you are inclined towards reading, speaking, or writing in the classic style of Shakespeare, we hope you continue to appreciate the Bard’s mastery of the English language and the contributions he made to it through his work!

Ashlie E Montana is a freelance writer in Wisconsin. She enjoys poetry and good coffee, and can often be found in the forest, daydreaming about her next story project.

Save Anne Boleyn's Portrait at the National Portrait Gallery

2011-04-16T17:42:00.002+01:00

Visit the Auction at The Tudor Trail

For those with a passion for Tudor portraiture, Natalie Grueninger of "On the Tudor Trail" has started a wonderful campaign to help raise the funds needed to save the Anne Boleyn's fragile portrait, hanging at the National Gallery here in London.

Join "Save Anne Boleyn's Portrait" on Facebook

The Tudor Gallery is one of my favorite rooms to visit at the NPG, the illustrious and turbulent characters in the room captivate me. Sumptuous fabric details, propaganda styling, and the shifting fortunes of the sitters in the paintings always make them an inspiring bunch.

To preserve Anne Boleyn's famed portrait, restoration is desperately needed for the decaying wood panel used for the the painting. Your can read more about the preservation and the National Portrait Gallery's campaign.

Natalie's efforts have earned the support of writers and luminaries of the period, including Alison Weir.
In order to help, I've put up a set of illustrated Henry VIII + Anne Boleyn Journals with Portraits Prints for silent auction on the Tudor Trail. All of the proceeds will go directly to the NPG's preservation fund.

Hopefully we'll make a dent in the funds needed to save the painting... the bidding has already begun!

La Traviata - New Opera Illustration

2011-01-30T03:02:00.003Z

La Traviata (the Fallen Woman)
New drawing!

The touching, romantic story of the love, loss, and sacrifice of the beautiful courtesan Violetta is scored in the lush melodies of Giuseppe Verdi. Based on Dumas' tragic 'Camille', it's a heartbreaker.

In this illustration, the fading flower, doomed Violetta in a flourish of lacey layers, watched wistfully from a window. It's one of my favorite operas, and the stage play of 'Camille' is a lovely piece as well.

This one was drawn quickly, between filming takes on a set I'd dressed to look like a graphic novelist's messy studio. As I finished it, the flowers of her hair, and the sadness reminded me of Violetta. I smeared the ink drawing with a slightly wet brush for the tone across the page.
(Hint. You can do this with your thumb - and some water, too, thought it is slightly more primitive!)

The Opera Series are now showing at the Immortal Longings Opera shop on Etsy, with selected works available at The Seattle Opera, and The Metropolitan Opera in NYC.

Organization-Organisation

2011-01-25T00:52:00.002Z

Whichever way you spell it, it's just that time of year to make a hard and fresh dash at getting things together for the coming year. Whether your goal is to be uber-organized with every element of your life under control, or just to have a more inspired and attractive space, I feel your yearning.

This lovely little post-it note To Do List from Muji is a great size.

Inch by inch, over the past few years, I've been making headway on this (when time allows!) and it's amazing how much of an addiction organization can be.

With the cyclone-mess-creating artistic side of my nature constantly stirring up a new cloud of projects, I never actual thought my workspace could be manageable, clean, and inspiring. (My nickname in design school was 'Pig Pen' due to the magnetic nature I had with charcoal and pencil.)

I blame the folks: my dad's got the artistic brain that needs everything laid out visually across the desk: it may look like chaos, but he seems to know where everything is, and the systems make some mysterious sense. That's how I usually run things.

One the other side, my mom's got a a flair for labeling, organizing, and sorting things that leaves me feeling a bit intimidated. Yep, you bet those folders are color coded. I feel this urge to be organized, too, but it's not nearly as strong as the cyclone-instinct.

Recently, I've been honing into latent clutter-mastering genes in order to keep tame the wilds of my studio and home.

Brocade on the outside, aqua blue inside, lovely binder to use.

Here's some of my favorite bits of advice:
Never buy organizational supplies before you've got a specific need they fulfill.
Something about organization and office supplies always draw me into their magic clutches. They're pretty, they seem like they'll fix everything, and you want them even though you may not quite know what for yet...
Fight the urge.

Always sort out your things into categories to store first, the decide what size and type of containers will suit. Leave room to grow as well.

Otherwise, you'll end up with stacks of bins and boxes that are charming, that you don't need and that you'll feel guilty for having bought.
It will remind you of failure, which is no good at all.

If your system is beautiful and attractive, you are more likely to use it, and you'll enjoy using it.
This is especially true with filing. I'd seen my mom's pretty colored folders, and her meticulous, aesthetically pleasing storage containers with a pang of envy. Filing, doing my accounts and business paperwork were not inspiring, but necessary. My papers were all over the place, my filing containers uninspired.

So, after completing last year's taxes (and taking way too long!) I followed my mom's guidance and treated myself to a lovely brocaded filing folder for my receipts and a binder for all my business papers. (Laura Ashley, WHSmiths, London).

And... everything changed. Filing is so much more pleasant, I love the look of these objects, and no longer dread having to make use of them. It may seem like a childish psychological trick, but it works!

Decide what you need to organize, then get something pretty to put it in.

Everyone is unique, and you have to organize according to the way you think.
Now, I have managed to organize the studio, the Etsy packing station, and my business papers in a way that suits me, and that I'm able to maintain. What works for my mom, or anyone else, doesn't necessarily translate into what works for me, so there's some self evaluation that needs to be done in order to find your method.

My little best friend- from Muji - helps me keep my papers in order.

In the studio, I prefer to have a lot of places to make a mess (that can be easily cleaned up after), and to organize a lot of tools and projects at once. And it's nice to be able to easily see waiting projects. So, I've organized bins for works-in-progress. Frequently used but unattractive items (like cables and printing labels) are tucked into pretty fabric-covered bins that blend in with the studio/living room furniture.

I love my inks, and they inspire me to paint, so those stay right next to the desk in sight. Also, things that build up (paperwork, sketch piles) have to have a home that they can be chucked into quickly and instinctively, or they creep into large looming beasties. Another solution: I found a large, carved and ivory painted box to hide away all of my business items when they aren't in use.

How to kick start yourself?
The very best advice I've had has come from Julie Morgenstern's books.
Start with "Organizing From the Inside Out"and you can't go wrong (especially if you've got artist-brain.)
She'll sort out your business, home, life, and your schedule while she's at it.
Her approach is systematic but individualistic- the perfect blend, really.

Great places to get inspired:
Muji: Everything is so neat, and so sensible and compact. So functional.
Liberty: Design inspiration central. Great just to get ideas for colours and schemes, even if most of the goodies are beyond budget. Any excuse to browse is nice, though.
WHSmith, The Works, Ryman, Pound Shops: Treasures to be found in all for the basics. WHSmith can run a little pricey, but some good design slips in there.
(In the US, Linens N Things, Pier 1, and the Container Store were staple sources, as well as OfficeMax.)
Etsy: A great blog articles to get ideas. Always a brilliant place for finding that certain special something.
Martha Stewart: This can be intimidating, but she's so good at this stuff.

Go your own way. Find what inspires you. Use gardening pots on your desk to remind you of a favorite hobby, use an antique scale to store incoming mail. If it makes you smile when you see it and use it, there's a great start.

What are some of your favorite organizing tricks?

Share some of your best tips...

Happy Shakespeare's Birthday

2010-04-23T12:17:00.002+01:00

Hooray! I'm celebrating Shakespeare's Birthday on Etsy with this Guest Curator Article

Read it here-

UK Edition: Happy Birthday Shakespeare With immortallongings


Story by AmityUK, immortallongings Published on April 23, 2010 in Spotlight	Photo by heidiadnum

Elizabeth E. Schuch, a.k.a. immortallongings, is a London-based designer whose award-winning artwork, The Immortal Longings Series, is currently featured in Shakespeare's Globe Shop in London and in theatres internationally. Her Opera Series illustrations can be found at The Metropolitan Opera in N.Y.C., and current projects include storyboarding a BBC TV show, and designing a circus theatre production.

You can find out more at the Immortal Longings website and blog.

In a suitably Shakespearean twist, the time-honoured playwright becomes our muse on his birthday today, as Elizabeth takes us on a tour via Etsy items of some of his most well-loved works.

As an illustrator and designer, I look to the world of theatre for my inspiration. Velvet curtains, bustling around in the dark behind the scenes, bright lights, opening nights, thrilling drama... it's an addictive place.

It's no secret that I'm fascinated by William Shakespeare, and it's more than just the loveliness of the verse. The characters themselves, and the moods that surround each poem and play are magical.

Photos via sadieolive

So, to celebrate and set the stage for the birthday of the Bard, I suggest conjuring up the mood of your favourite kind of Shakespeare...

Seductive

"Eternity was in our lips and eyes,  Bliss in our brows bent."— Antony and Cleopatra

Do you dream of ancient times and glamorous indulgence? Cleopatra, last Pharaoh of Egypt, was famed for her historical skills of seduction, and inspired some thrilling quotes in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. Find some linen, grapes, and feather fans, and just recline.

Longline Under Bust Corset by electradesigns, $349.

Spinx and Falcone Pendant from ParadiseFindings, $9.95.

Cleopatra by stilettoheights, $10.

Gothic

"To sleep, perchance to dream." — Hamlet

Do you prefer a more brooding sort of Shakespeare? Take the melancholy Danish prince Hamlet as your guide. Grab a handy skull, adorn yourself with blackest black, forsake friendship and exercise, and retreat to a quiet window to ponder the meaning of it all. You may also plot revenge, but please don't seek to carry it out, as that would spoil the atmosphere.

Understated Glamour Gown by artlab, $3,500.

Hazel II by misfitchic, $49.

Raven Skull Pendant Necklace by mrd74, $31.

Romantic

"Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun." — Romeo and Juliet

Whether the courtship is comprised of witty banter or shy glances, and whether it ends with wedded bliss or tragedy, Shakespeare's lovers are some of the world's most intriguing.

If Romeo and Juliet describes your approach to love, let yourself run away with the romantic. Have a secret breakfast in your boudoir, dress for a masked ball, or pine away on any convenient balcony.

Juliet Necklace by JenniferRydinDesigns, $42.

Alley Cat Corset by labellefairy, $299.

Kiss Me, Kiss Me Now Print by vincenzorizzo, $10.

Poetic

"The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, are of imagination all compact." — A Midsummer Night's Dream

Use Shakespeare as your writing mentor to wax poetic. This is best done by moonlight, with a good quill and your best journal, wearing a velvet cap and with a bottle of your preferred indulgence at hand.

Man Writing At Desk Silhouette by mountainbrook, $12.90.

Feather Fascinator by janinebasil, $25.

Leather Postcard Journal Necklace by TheBlackSpotBooks, $47.

Dreamy

"We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep." — The Tempest

Are you drawn to faerie dust and enchanting spells, or to Pre-Raphaelite tragic heroines? Cultivate a dreamy Ophelia disposition. Start by wrapping yourself in a filmy gown, then dip your toes in a warm bath strewn with flowers. Humming distractedly helps, but is not required.

Dawn Of Spring Print by urbandesign, $30.

Luxe Headband by liaison, $700.

Silence Print by abbytrysagain, $11.

However you decide to celebrate, Shakespeare's birthday is a brilliant excuse to enjoy the dramatic side of life. The rest is silence.

Many thanks to Elizabeth for sharing her passion for the UK's beloved poet with us! Check out her incredible work in the Seller's Items and more of her Shakespeare-inspired picks in the Related Items.

The Tudor Series Arrives...

2010-04-02T01:16:00.004+01:00

And now to reveal the brand new Tudor Series!

Yes, I'll admit to being dreadfully addicted to Tudor and Elizabethan history. My library shelf and audiobook collection can attest to it... But the drama of the court life, and the art accompanying it is fascinating... (See more on Henry & his relationship to art on this BBC Show, in the UK only, while you can.)

Three portraits begin the series, and for them I've used a mix of contour and crosshatch inking.
All are inspired by contemporary portraits of the period.
Also, I've illustrated my own version of the Tudor Rose, here, with Henry VIII initials.

The signatures of Anne and Katherine are based on their own handwriting.

My sympathy and admiration go out in turns to Anne Boleyn and Katherine of Aragon. Queen Katherine is depicted in her later years, with a penetrating gaze, and strong determination not to back down. "Humble and Loyal" was her motto, I especially admire her dignified self defense.

With Anne Boleyn, I feel like the deep set eyes and strong nose of the painting attributed to Holbein is the most lively version of Anne. Admittedly, the Holbein sketch may not even be of Anne, but other portraits show her stiff or sour, and I can't quite picture the real figure behind them. Scheming and cruel in her rise, she showed such bravery and composure in her death sentance that one can't deny her a share of respect. "The Most Happy" was her motto, and you'd have to think she regretted that one later.

And King Henry, the most recognizable (and sizable) of monarchs. Intelligent and dangerous to be close to, he must have been terrifying to be on the bad side of. His arrogant gaze and squinting eyes are unsettling.

The Tudor Prints are now on sale in my Etsy Shop, and you'll find Journals and Tiles on CafePress.
Coming soon on leather goods and mirrors to my Etsy shop...

Sneak Preview: The Tudor Portraits

2010-03-23T20:46:00.001Z

Coming Soon, inspired by Shakespeare's "Henry VIII", I'm drawing a series of portraits based on the key players in the Tudor Court.

Using historical portraits of the period as reference, I am using my ink and crosshatch style for the first images.

Preview Below:

Partial Detail of Anne Boleyn

Spring Special In Store

2010-03-23T00:11:00.000Z

To celebrate Spring, and the brilliant start of the year,
Every customer who buys an Art Print gets a lovely 2010 Shakespeare Calendar for FREE!
Offer good from 23rd March until Shakespeare's Birthday (the 23rd of April).

Art Prints are printed on high quality printmaking paper using Canon inks.

All of my Shakespeare illustrations, and a selection of romantic Quotes are available as Art Prints.

Visit the Shop

The 2010 Shakespeare Calendar

Acrylic Series: A Cuppa

2010-03-16T15:17:00.000Z

When I happened upon some mini-canvases at the art store this winter, I decided to take up my old acrylic painting habit.

Acrylic is not popular with everyone. One of my art teachers hated acrylics with passion:"it's like trying to paint with bubble gum!"

Acrylic was what we were taught with back in school- because it was inexpensive. And I'd gotten used to it, and continued painting with it a long time precisely because it's cheap.
And because it dries fast. I'm admittedly impatient about drying time. Well, okay, and because gouache just never really did it for me. Gouache doesn't have the clear and pretty tones of watercolour/inks, nor the body of acrylic, and it just dissolves when you try to layer it up. Though, perhaps that was due to my lack of patience, too.

So throughout my design training, I'd stuck to my lumpy acrylics. I'd thin then into fake watercolour, and thicken them into fake oils.

But after these past few years mostly dedicated to ink and watercolours (with the exception of making props or random murals), I have to admit, it's trickier now to handle the old bubble gum. It's still fun though!

Wanting to pay tribute to the delightful tea tradition here in in the UK, I'm made my own take on a cuppa. I adore a good cup of tea.

The painting itself is all in acrylic, with a few helpful drops of Encre Sennelier ink in the background to boost the yellow background colour.

As for the biscuit, it's just a bit of fun.
I will be picking up oils at some point, when I decide my patience can handle it.

News Buzz!

2010-03-15T20:11:00.000Z

Immortal Longings made the Etsy Finds list today!
The article was based on a Shakespeare theme, of course, and filled with inspired goodies.

You can check it out here.
Exciting stuff!

And Happy Ides of March...

Holiday Coupon!

2009-11-12T13:18:00.009Z

It's Thanksgiving!
So, as a Thank You to my blog readers,
I'd like to offer you a Holiday Coupon for my Online Shop!
You'll get 10% off any purchase by using the code in the Coupon below.

I've built a snazzy new retail shop HERE
(it's the same goodies and service, but in a private shop all our own)
or you can always visit us on Etsy

Enjoy the Pumpkin pie!

Adventures in Designing

2009-11-09T13:13:00.014Z

These last few months have seen projects in Greece and Berlin, as well as new artwork in production, branding designs, and a spanking new Immortal Longings Shop!

First Project: TO SKIAHTRO (The Scarecrow)
Costumes & production design for a Music Video.
Shot in Athens, Thebes, and surrounding areas in Greece.
Some of the areas had suffered deliberately set forest fires (seriously, we found the petrol cans and areas where they began.) It made for an unearthly landscape of white, crisped olive trees and soil covered in bones. Black mountains with black skeletal trees were next to lush green farms and hills. Our footage will likely have been the first non-news film shot of the area, and the result is really unreal.

The band:
Active Member, an Athens based hip-hop/Low Bap group. www.lowbap.com
They were amazing to work with, and have a very devoted following in Greece. For scenes in Athens/Perama, we had a whole group marching in the streets. Sadahzinia, the lead female looks like a goddess of ancient times, and B.D. Foxmoor a majestic mountain king.

Also we found an elderly lady with fantastic pandofles (slippers).

Will post a link to the video once it's been completed by the post-production whiz.

Nächstes Projekt, Berlin: Wella Trend Vision 2009
An International Hair Awards Show.
I collaborate now and then with a fantastic London aerial company: Aircraft Circus.
(They did LOTR the musical here, and plan fantastic aerial shows, and also run a circus training charity.)
For Trend Vision's big award of the night, we needed a unique aerial act.

I designed a large golden cocoon that burst open to reveal an aerial silks artist. Since it needed to be an onstage "hair cut", I tied hundreds of strings for dancers to pull and trim.
Also- designed the bond girl style gold lamé cat suit to match. It's all about the lamé.

The now defunct Tempelhof Airport was the venue. Strange history, and a very big, very curving building.

Show went really well, and to be surrounded by wild-couture-hair models for a few days was pretty wicked.

More about the award show here.

Other Bits and Bobs:
I'm helping rebrand London's most fabulous Pole Dancing School,
with graphics and products to fit their classy, modern approach.
Led by World Champion Pole Dancer, Elena Gibson, they offer the best pole training and technique you'll find. Pins and Dancer Journals will be appearing in my public shop soon.
In the next year, they'll have a snazzy new site to match!

New necklaces from Lori Patton are on sale in her Etsy Shop, and soon in my own!
They are so lovely, and make the dramatic art very wearable.

You may notice some Monsters and Diamonds in my new Shop..
More on that next time!

NECKLACES:
Heartworks by Lori
Immortal Longings NEW Shop (We're still on Etsy, too!)

The New 2010 Shakespeare Calendar

2009-09-01T01:25:00.008+01:00

The favorite with my customers in 2009- the Shakespeare Calendar is back for 2010.
It's the perfect way to bring a little of the romantic and the dramatic to your everyday.

This year, I've made it in a bigger and less expensive- with a full 12 pages of my best illustrations.
New in the calendar this year are Taming of the Shrew, and new colors for Hamlet & Portia.
It comes bound with a black satin ribbon tie for a little glam finish.

Over 80% of our Calendars last year were delivered to the USA.
So, I've decided to reduce our environmental footprint and take out the nail-biting of waiting overseas shipping for the holidays by having it produced in the USA.

With faster US shipping, a $9.99 price tag, and a lovely large format- it's easy to be decadent.
visit Etsy to reserve yours here

Featuring the following illustrations:
JAN- A Winter's Tale
FEB- Romeo & Juliet
MAR- The Tempest
APR- Ophelia
MAY- Portia (The Merchant of Venice)
JUN- A Midsummer Night's Dream
JUL- Merry Wives of Windsor
AUG- Much Ado About Nothing
SEP- Taming of the Shrew
OCT- Macbeth
NOV- Hamlet
DEC- 12th Night To stock this item in your store, visit our Wholesale Shop Online.

New Opera Designs: Carmen, Lulu, and Tosca

2009-08-27T15:10:00.011+01:00

Some new artwork I'm working on in the Opera Series.

First, the red dramatic one:

Carmen is a mix of watercolour, and pastel/pencil.

This one is more painterly and less of my art nouveau line work.

Painted on brown paper, hi-lites have been brought out with the paint and pencil.

I'm excited to see how this one looks on fabric- I think it will make a spectacular couture purse.
The pose captures Carmen in the midst of a dancing leap, full of life and just above heaps of skirts. Free and lively at a glance, there's a little fraying/decay of the letters hinting of the unraveling of love and happiness.

The Zeffirelli curtain design...

Inspired by: Zeffirelli's sumptuous scenic renderings for the Met production. First saw his designs by chance- in a full exhibition on his work in Florence..... beautiful. I love his style, and his sense of texture and scale and colour and well, everything.

Lulu, the quintessential art deco woman, and a blank canvas for the men in her life. She's a beautiful and playful fem-fatale. I've decorated her with feminine trappings of beads and feathers in just as playful a fashion.

Inspired by: Art Deco adverts and posters, and the bobbed silent screen star Louise Brooks.
Lulu is a less well known opera, but a great character to work with.

After I'd completed my inking and selected my colours- I happened upon this actual poster from the period!
I was shocked a bit- but at least I was on the right track for the era.

Tosca: After doing some on-site research in Roma, with a trip to the top of Castel Sant'Angelo (where the opera tragically ends), I felt the angel made the perfect image of Tosca's justice.
Normally pictured with knife in hand- here we have Tosca nervous before her lover's "execution". The angel in the statue wields the sword for her, she has recently killed Scarpia.

“Tosca combines Puccini’s glorious musical inspiration with the melodramatic vitality of one of the great Hitchcock films,” says Music Director James Levine.
(Source: Met Opera Website)
I'm a huge Hitchcock fiend, and this idea really stuck me. Tosca does have that claustrophobic victimization and entrapment Hitchcock used so well. So Tosca has a little in common with Ingrid Bergman's character in Notorious, trapped by her own sensuality and thrown into intrigue. The light and composition are inspired by Hitchcock, and the wings of the angel reference his most famous film, as well as his use of well known monuments.
The lettering needed to be ornate and capture the style and richness of Rome.

Stop the Presses!

2009-08-10T22:00:00.002+01:00

I'd been itching to try some new products for the Shakespeare collections, and Cafe Press had caught my eye.

So, now you'll find the illustrations on a whole new series of gifts from Cafe Press:
There's a King Lear throw pillow,
new Spiral Journals
Love Quote ceramic tiles
and my favorite- little ceramic ornaments!

Totes and ...maybe... t-shirts. I've been a little against t-shirts, but hints have been coming in...
Feedback and requests welcome- this one is new for me!
Visit Immortal Longings on Cafe Press:
www.cafepress.com/immortallonging

Roman Holiday

2009-08-03T21:38:00.012+01:00

Roma è Bella

I managed to escape for a little bit to Rome this summer. It's always an inspiring escape- great friends, great coffee, great food... It's easy to find inspiration in such a stunning city. The mix of graffitti and baroque, ancient and fashionable and the pistachio ice cream make it a treat for the senses.

Spent my time reasearching my upcoming Opera illustrations, and hopefully the fruits of my labour will arrive soon!

Some of my Rome favorites that you shouldn't miss (beyond the usual sightseeing.)

- Gelato at San Crispino - just at the back of the Pantheon. All modern and fancy schmancy, but well worth it in quality. Nocciola, Bacio, and Pistachio are my favorites anywhere in the city.

- Opera at the Baths of the Caracalla - Ruined baths on an epic scale, the source for many a public building and train station since. Quite possibly the most peaceful place in Rome during the day, they hold opera performances there at night. With Zefferelli sets!

- Pizza at the Vatican - Al Taglio on Via delle Grazie. I want to eat lunch here every day for ever. Try the melanzane (just eggplant and spice, it's heaven.) Don't let the queue stop you, it's the perfect treat for energy to pound the cobblestones. (Or in the evening Dar Poeta in Trastevere, but go early, it fills up.)

- Go for Apertivo - anywhere in Trastevere, really. A selection of dinner morsels comes with the price of a drink. Perfect beginning to an evening. My favorite: Freni e Frizioni

I love wandering the alleys around Campo Dei' Fiori for hours. Peeking in any churches or into any doorways you find can lead to lovely things. Doorknobs especially are my favorite. Find a rooftop for a night out, try the back of a motorino for the best city tour, and the gardens around the Villa Borghese for some shade. Secure yourself a good cafe seat and sketch the people or the history around you. It's quite a life!

And it always gives me lots of ideas...

Sigh... really should live there at some point.

Now, I must get back to work!

Other Adventures!

2009-06-27T14:01:00.006+01:00

So, outside of drawing for my Immortal Longings art, there's quite a bit I've been up to...
After much neglect - I've given my portfolio a brush- up.

My first career is as a production designer for theatre and film, where I've been working on set and behind the scenes of a mad range of subjects: costumes futuristic communist stunt sequences, the silk road of China, sci-fi, Romeo and Juliet set in Portugal's football teams, lizard costumes, trenches, modern psychodrama and more.

I've even designed an add for ITV Bingo Party Gaming. Who knew?
It's always a surprise what the next job holds..

Other drawings on show dip into architecture and children's books,
and my weird little sketchbook thoughts.

It's all there. (Okay, I've one or two more things to add, but):
PORTFOLIO: www.eschuchdesign.com

The Taming of the Shrew

2009-06-17T02:59:00.011+01:00

"I'll not budge an inch."

-William Shakespeare
The Taming of the Shrew

It's been an uphill battle indeed. I've had a version of this one knocking around the studio since I began the first 10 of the Shakespeare Series in 2004. Yup, 5 years later, I finally had one I could publish.

It's the dynamic of Katherine and Petruchio that made it so tough.
Do you show a "tamed" shrew- victim of an abusive and domineering suitor?
Do you make her mid-fight and aggressive, perhaps making her too harsh and unsympathetic?
Or do you sling her over the back of a horse kicking and screaming? That's a bit too much and too comic. (Though I did toy with a version of that.)
And Petruchio- is he lecherous and abominable- in it for the bet, the money and the cheap thrill of demeaning her? Or does he really love her fighting spirit and it's all bravado for show?

It's a tough one to get right.
And somehow, I did think the horse should be in there, though don't ask me why.

You'll see my first attempt- too melancholy and Kate is too obviously a victim.

And my second attempt- just appalling really. Too comic. And Petruchio still looks a bit too creepy. And again with the victim thing, albeit a fighty victim.

At last, I hit upon the idea of the dance/fight. Petruchio has just swung Kate around to him, rather savagely by the wrist. But chin upon and forehead butted up to his, she's strong enough to take it. Next she'll kiss him or sock him in the nose.

With a happy floral be-ribboned arch, this is another of my favorite "romantic looking- but slightly amiss" designs that disguises a battle with flowers and movement.

Who knows what the horse thinks of it all.

Once the idea was there in a rough sketch, I was able to complete this in one night's work.
Not bad after 5 years of wrestling for the right idea!

Here you can see me take the sketch in stages:
1. Rough sketch for placement and movement.
2. Frame-Layout detail. Often involves rulers, compasses. Always my cheap papermate pencil.
3. Human poses: used photo models for this. Pose your friends, click, and there you go- perfect assemblage of hands and noses. Great for those tough poses. Sometimes the figures are done in my head, and sometimes that little bit of help is great.
4. Putting the layout together, matching of the characters and frame, still pencil. Some shading.
5. Inking, and making it all clean and pretty. A copy of the pencil layout is printed out (in case I mess up the ink) and I ink on top of it until satisfied or my eyes go buggy. Tiny black pens for details- the G-tec C4 and any random gel ink for thicker lines.
6. Paint! Watercolour and ink (Sennelier is my favorite) complete the look. Several cups of tea have been consumed by this point.

This design will be premiering on cards at the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival giftshop,
and is on sale on prints now at my Etsy Shop.

Shakespeare's King John

2009-06-14T17:24:00.000+01:00

This one has been hiding in the bottom of the pile of drawings on my desk for some time now, it's colour just wasn't right. But with some rich browns and gothic flourishes, it's time for it to see the light of day. King John!

The tragic young Prince Arthur sits uneasily upon the throne of England. Illegitimacy and family quarrels over the throne have lead to the order that the boy be killed. An assassin stands over the boy. Hubert wasn't able to kill him in the play, but later the boy falls to his death escaping.

The play is full of double crosses, poison and intrigue, and the poor Prince was caught in the middle. The scene of Hubert's attempt to kill him is very powerful on stage and stayed with me when I decided to illustrate it.

I'm listing all my new print designs in my Etsy shop today.
And just about ready to show a design that has alluded me for years: The Taming of The Shrew!

All's Well That Ends Well...

2009-06-05T16:19:00.000+01:00

New Design!
All's Well That Ends Well
A lovely sentiment in these times.

This play was a bit of a problem to me, as it has a sweet and fairytale-like concept, but winds up with bed-swapping and a rather forced marriage. Sounds like a plot line off a modern romantic comedy...

At a glance, it's a girly wedding cake topper of an illustration.
Until you look a little closer at how our Bertram is being held in place for the posed kiss.
The title implies a little addendum - "All's Well That Ends Well (I suppose...)"
Bertram's not exactly a prize, and Helena is clever but for her dubious taste in men.
I guess we'll have to hope for the best for them!

The flora and banners are all aimed at distracting the viewer from the uncomfortable situation, fun and frippery- as with my Much Adoe About Nothing.
It really is themed after a cake topper, I admit.

Available soon on prints, cards and more.

Two Gentlemen of Verona

2009-06-04T15:37:00.000+01:00

New Design! Two Gentleman of Verona

Just finished late last night!
We've our two rather shifty-in-love Gentlemen, a cameo of the lovely Sylvia in the archtecture above, and an actual Verona window design for the frame.

Male friendship vs. romantic attachment, and some rather fickle turns of affection feature in this Shakespeare play. I first saw a version of this at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre years ago.

In the illustration, I wanted a blend of masculine and feminine elements- hence the rigid design repeats and right angles in the frame. The costume and rather effeminate poses of the gentleman betray my sketicism as to whether they make worthy heroes to the play. Above, the lovely ideal of Sylvia hangs above the proceedings, more an idol or trinket than a real person to these gents.

As I can't decide between the warm colour and the blue version, Two Gents will be available in two colours.

Available soon in my Etsy shop!

O Spirit of love! New Love Quotes from Shakespeare...

2009-05-31T01:23:00.000+01:00

Narrowing down Shakespeare's writings on the subject of Love to a shortlist of 25 or so is a task beyond impossible. But, it has been attempted with gusto.

Swirled with art nouveau filigree, they've been paired with colours to suit each mood, from bright to delicate shades.

These are ready to go for Print, Bookmarks, Art Cards, Postcards, Buttons, Mirrors, Pins, and even Journal covers.

I'm also offering exclusive custom quotes for Wedding Invitations.

Sometimes it's just more fun to express yourself with a wit as wonderful as Shakespeare's.

Shakespeare's Birthday Celebration - End of the Sale!

2009-05-22T11:44:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow...

It's your last day to snap up my Shakespeare's Birthday Month Bargains!
All month we've had 5.00 off Large Prints and Journals, and neat little discounts on all sorts of products in the shop.
Before they are gone, take advantage of these sweet offerings.
Only on Etsy.

Gallery Addictions

2009-05-11T20:20:00.000+01:00

Paintings that knocked my socks off in person.

Everyone's got heroes, and in the world of art, there's a few pieces I have the urge seek out repeatedly to admire. It occurs to me that I'm not heading to a museum to wander, but I'll want to go visit the Ophelia painting specifically.

So, here's a shortlist of my favorite paintings that I've seen and that really stuck in my mind. Ones I'd visit again in a heartbeat.

1. John William Waterhouse
Lady of Shallot
The detail, especially the lantern, her horrible resigned and fearful expression. It's beautiful, it's creepy. I love it.

2. Rene Magritte
Empire of Light

I made a giant copy of this one in scenic painting class, just to have one of my own. Probably the most soothing surrealist painting ever created. It sits in that mysterious region between night and half-light evening- even if the sky is technically a bright blue day.
There was a version of this one in Brussels, and another in the Guggenheim in Venice, and both times I couldn't recall anything else in the room.

3. John Singer Sargent

I can't pick.
His paintings are intriguing in person- the paint strokes up close are light and loose, even sloppy looking; but from across the room- he gets the perfect porcelain glow on pottery and stunning subtle light that you'll swear is real.

So, for drama: Madame X
For light: Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose
And for the vases: The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit

There was a great exhibit at the National Gallery called Americans in Paris, where I saw these in person, and was astounded. And the one with the lanterns is at the Tate Britain.

4. Gustave Caillebotte
Paris Street, Rainy Day
At the Chicago Art Institute: This rainy day on giant canvas would make me get on the El in the snow. The color tone of the buildings, that grey light, it puts you there instantly. It transports you without jetlag and an umbrella, which is always nice.

5. Edmund Dulac
Princess and the Pea
Admittedly, I've not seen this in person- but I do have a print in a book. The low angle view, the brightly coloured duvets, it's fantastic. In fact, I would love to recreate the whole room some time, just to nap there.

6. Sir John Everett Millais
Ophelia
Rumor is the model caught a terrible cold from posing for this in a bathtub. I'm of the opinion it was worth it. The way the hair and dress play in the water is incredibly done, and it's got the perfect blend of beauty and serenity and tragedy that Gertrude describes in the scene.

Now, I've left Mucha off the list, because I couldn't choose. I would see anything of his in person again, but since so much is product design and graphics, they do tend to reproduce well.

Pushboxer: Live Drawing

2009-05-01T01:13:00.000+01:00

Just released: Pushboxer's video "Pictures"
Yup, that's my hand.

We shot these in an afternoon all in a row.
I should note- it's definitely fast-forward footage and not just too much caffeine making the twitchy fast speed. I'm working from photos and a light pencil outline I'd prepped.

There's a few different styles in the finished drawings: brush inked, scratchy sketching, line drawing, and a mix. Also featured are a selection of my favorite media- gel ink pens, watercolour style wash brushes, and the always handy cheap Papermate pencils.

The band are very sweet, and I enjoy their sound- it was great to draw to! I've worked with the director Mark Buchanan on storyboards for his sci-fi feature "The Simulation."

From the wings: The New Opera Series

2009-03-27T13:03:00.001Z

Opening in NYC this week, at the Metropolitan Opera:A special production of Wagner's complete Ring Cycle, and with it, the launch of my latest illustration series.

The Metropolitan Opera, with its grand stages and modern sparkle, is a thrilling venue.

And I've designed an exclusive new range just for the Met Shop: featuring the Ring Cycle in four Illustrations.

It was great challenge, and I'm looking forward to adding more Opera to my rep.

(Okay, I'd been covertly studying operas and planning this for several years now. ) Wagner gives you buckets of imagery and metaphor to pick from, so the difficult bit was deciding where to start.

Below is a sneak preview of the designs and goodies.

These will only be available through the Met's Gift Shop, and it's a lovely place to visit.

(If your not in NY, you can find them online, or call 212-580-4090.)

From Wagner's Der Ring Aus des Nibelungen

Inspired by Art Nouveau, with modern license.

DAS RHEINGOLD

Framed inside the golden Ring is Freia,

the Goddess of youth and beauty.

To preserve her services in Valhalla, the gods seek out the Ring that will shape their own demise.

DIE WALKURE

The lovely daughters of Wotan assemble on a high mountain, in a moment of leisure before their famous ride. Their task is to escort fallen heroes to the realm of the gods. One of these Valkyries, Brunnhilde, will defy her father and be punished for her brazen behavior.

SIEGFRIED

The young hero, Siegfried, born of the children of Wotan, defeats a dragon and captures the Ring. After braving enchanted fire, he finds a warrior asleep and cuts away the armour, revealing Brunnhilde's feminine form. She will awake in a moment and meet the eyes of her beloved hero.

GOTTERDAMMERUNG

Destruction and rebirth herald the end of an age. In the sky, flames from the funeral pyre of Siegfried will consume Valhalla. It is the end of the gods, and discarded weapons and armour of heroes sink to the bottom of the Rhine. In the

overflowing river, the Ring is restored to the Rhinemaidens in triumph.

These designs appear on Prints & Cards, Bookmarks & Leather bound journals by artisan Whitehide, Buttons, Magnets & Mirrors by the constantly fabulous ButtonDivas. Silk Scarves are on their way as well.

Not to put the Bard on the back burner, there will be new designs for spring, coming soon.

Valentines of a Different Kind

2009-02-01T18:46:00.000Z

"Love is a smoke raised with a fume of sighs"
Romeo and Juliet

With romance in the air, and Shakes

peare the ultimate languag

e of love, I'm working away on new Love Quote themed designs. More on that soon..

In the spirit of conveying affection, though I'm not much of a sonnet writer, I'd like to praise some of my favorite things:

"Sweets to the sweet"

Hamlet

1. Red Velvet Cupcakes with

Buttercream Frosting
Evil evil things, but so worthy of addiction, admiration.
(Made some last week. Okay, so they were pink velvet, but tasty.)

"If music be the food of love play on"

Twelfth Night

2. Fabulous DivasMaria Callas - the tragic and passionate diva featured in this gorgeous portrait here by one of my Etsy favorites: DangerousMezzo

(Currently in my studio hanging.)

Or just some diva action to cheer you up with dance and shakin'.

"As sound as a bell"

Much Ado About Nothing

3. London

I love it. The markets, the buildings, history and mysteries.

And those callboxes. And the walk by the NFT with blue fairy lights.

Reading this great book to learn more:

Apparently the Liberty Bell was cast in the Whitechapel Bell Foundry- right by my favorite art supply store. Some days you can peek in to see the work...

"Blow, blow, thou winter winds"

As You Like It

4. Unexpected Snow- Like tonight! Ha! I love fresh snow.

Featured here- London under the blanket, Beached whale, Greenwich Park.

"Soft pity enters an iron gate"

5. Wrought Iron

This pic was captured in St. Petersburg of some supremely twirly flourishes. Near the colourful Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood.

______________________

Also finishing up the design for a brand spanking new website,

and new jewelry collaborations with lovely ladies Lori Patton and Jennifer Rydin.

Not only are they talented, but very sweet as well!

BE THOU MERRY!

2008-10-26T18:46:00.000Z

The 2008 Winter Catalog is here!
I've been busy adding new books and bookmarks, gift wrap,
and very soon we'll have umbrellas and new lockets!
(More on the lockets when it's official. But an excellent Etsyian is working on these..)

Also- I'll have a booth full of goodies at the second annual Brockley Christmas fair, December 13th,
on Coulgate Street off Brockley Station. Entry is free.

Mulled wine will be available in ruddy great vats. Stalls, random goods, day long entertainment.
If you're in London, it'll be a lovely day.
You'll have a chance to snag one of the coolest Xmas Stockings I've ever seen - Handmade by my friend Samara of Maradoll.

Tis The Season!

2008-10-16T14:37:00.000+01:00

I'm back in London, huzzah!

And busy at a whole new range of treats.

This is a sneaky preview here of the new Gift Wrap line.

More on that soon... Meanwhile- take a peak.

And the Romeo & Juliet Umbrella will be in stock this season.

Shall I compare thee to a Summer's Day?

2008-06-25T17:43:00.000+01:00

The 2008 SUMMER CATALOG
with our new Soliloquy Journal collection, 2009 Calendar, and More!

Hello, Warsaw!

2008-05-28T22:02:00.000+01:00

Big news!

Currently I'm in Warsaw, Poland working on Ozumi Films next feature film as the Production Designer.

So..there'll be pics and updates as we go.. but it's very fun and challenging- some things that have never been done before on film! All top secret, of course.

More to come...

Headache Solutions

2008-04-05T04:04:00.000+01:00

My "Headache" ball point pen sketch had been featured in a blog by Sweet Honey Life.
It's actually quite a useful guide for headache help as well. Check it out - and her jewelry on Etsy.

This one was done in a cafe in Berlin in 2002. It's a favorite of mine, though it's just a rough-twitchy kind of sketch. Feels like the inside of a headache to my mind.

It's in my alternative Etsy shop Schuchy- where I stick my darker, simpler, and non-Shakespearean bits.

The Buttons Are Coming!

2008-04-03T15:19:00.000+01:00

These just in!

Handmade for me by Etsy artist Jean of Buttondivas,
there's 33 wee designs tested out. She did a wonderful job- really attentive to design detail and made sure they came out just right.
Can't wait to see these in packs!

My favorites are the gothic windows ones.
I feel like a kid with the big bag of these! They'll be in the shop soon..

SPRING 2008 Catalogue

2008-04-02T14:50:00.000+01:00

It's here!
My new Spring 2008 Product Guide
featuring all of our new product lines.

There's leatherbound Soliloquy Journals by UK artisan Whitehide
Shakespeare Pendants by glamorous jewelry designer Jennifer Rydin
Wallets by fabulous Refabulous

And much more!

Help Fight Breast Cancer - Cymbeline Donation Print

2008-03-22T13:59:00.001Z

Now in my Etsy shop, you'll find I'll have a steady listing that's a donation to
Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.

Print features the devoted Queen Imogen, from Shakespeare's romance "Cymbeline"

Purchase of this print gives 25.00 to the foundation.
(That means Immortal Longings donates the whole purchase price including the shipping cost to the foundation. You'll get a copy of the foundation's receipt confirming the donation.)

It's one of my regular large, high quality prints, at a discounted price (to encourage buyers)
and the first donation has just sold, hurrah!

Press Pack: The Indie Path: Indieview

2008-03-06T02:34:00.000Z

The kind folks at the Indie path passed me some quick questions..

The Indie Path: Indieview with Elizabeth Schuch of Immortal Longings

Behind the Scenes at Immortal Longings

2008-02-21T12:04:00.000Z

Often I'm asked how I go about making the Shakespeare pieces, so here we go!
HOW I DID THAT: Assignment 2- Ex Libris

For quite a while now, I've been itching to make my own set of EX LIBRIS panels for labeling books. (Since I discovered the Beardsley designs in college, and renewed by a trip to that lovely art bookshop in Seven Dials.) A constant devotee to art nouveau, and as practice for a new series in development, I created a black and white Ex Libris framework for the Shakespeare drawings. And here's how I did it:

Step 1:
A little research. Generally paging thru my fabulous book "Alphonse Mucha: The Spirit of Art Nouveau" and looking at other art nouveau Ex Libris online.

Then I draw a rectangle shape with a ruler, and begin to fill in my decorative shape in with pencil.

Step 2:
Then with tracing paper, I draw a cleaner copy of the linework. I do light and dark shading on the front of the page, and a pale general shading on the reverse. The reverse shading is a great trick shown to me when I was drafting in college (credit to Josh Spitzig for that one.) It lets you blend and cleanly erasing a general fill without smearing the linework.

MEDIA TIP: A note about pencil- I love cheap Papermate non-stop USA twist-up yellow pencils. We used them in grade school for testing, and I love them. The have a consistently thin line and the ability to shade very light and very dark. Drawing consistent width or very lightly comes diffcult to me- as a heavy handed scribbler. These pencils sort that out for me. But other designers have strongly disagreed, since the lead breaks easily and they feel more flimsy that mechanical drawing pencils. Try them yourself and see!

Step 3:
About layout, as I'm drawing, you'll notice I've only filled out half the frame. It's laziness and trickery, as later I'll just copy it in Photoshop. Sometimes I'll copy the basic layout line and fully ink/pencil/paint the whole thing: for example, 'Much Adoe' and 'Portia' are have copied base draftings that are then fully painted. Sometimes I'll just do a quarter drawing and copy away at the rest of the pattern.
Depends on the project. Normally, it looks more realistically lighted and artistic to give a unique paint job to the whole. As this was to make an even graphic, I copied. If you prefer the non-computer method, draw a center line and flip your tracing paper over to do the perfect copy.

Next, I scan the fine linework with shading and pull it into Photoshop to see how it's looking.
Sometimes the shading is just enough and I don't need ink or paint.
This time it's not the case. It looks awful, no matter what Gaussian Blur, Levels, Hue, Contrast, Curves adjustments I try. I waste quite a bit a tine trying. Eww, still hideous.

Print it, ink it is the only fix.

Step 4:
Printing out a copy of the ill-looking frame. Inking onto thick vellum for tracing paper, I made an inverse of the previous shading, mostly black with white spaces.

MEDIA NOTE: Some pens work on tracing paper others do not. This was a Pentel Liquid Gel Ink 0.7. I use a lot of office-use gel ink pens. A gel-ink snob in fact. If you're in the UK, they're reasonable price at Wooly's- US at Office Max or drugstores even. But the inky darkness, and smearing potential make them a great substitute for dip ink, esp. if you're drawing in the street or on a budget. I have a secret favorite pen, but I'll not give away that one just yet!

Step 5:
With my snazzy new black inking all done and scanned
(and BBC Radio 4's War and Peace going on the background- I highly recommend audiobooks for consistent focus when working with your hands)
I bring it into Photoshop and get rid of any scratches, line up the top and base, adjust levels/contrast/hint of gaussian blur/burn to darken the black where needed, and cut a nice hole in the center to fit the Shakespeare drawings into. Then I start with Hamlet, scooching and stretching till the picture fits the frame.

I try a few hues to see if that will do. I import a layer of antique paper to play with, using Dodge to add some brighter spots in. Ditto with a few more illustrations.
Not quite pleased, but with colored and antique copies attempted I gave up for the night.

Step 6:
Next day. New solutions pour into my head. The colored files are to dark and too pastel. The antique are too busy and shouldn't be colored. And what about using some texture from that Shakespeare folio page I've got? As I play, I also think the black and white alone looks quite nice.

So I play until I've got better arrangements of the characters, swap out Romeo for the wallet version that has the window in the back. I work out my black and white set (11 total). This is all happening in a Photoshop file that got everything in layers, lots of layer. I use an adjustment Layer to desaturate the lot rather than individually, and touch up the contrast in each. Some have quite colorful but low contast originals that need little boost in BW.

Step 7:
I add more layers with the title text on each, and save them all as jpegs. I then open just one, and give it an adjustment layer for hue, giving it a bright colour tone with black line. Turning that layer off after saving the new Color version, I bring in my antique paper and text texture files, erasing, multiplying, and dodging-light where necessary. I save the Antique version.

With this established, I drag the hue and texture across all the other BW illustrations, giving each a unique hue. And with some patient repetiton, I soon have my 33 new Ex Libris designs.

Now to source some bulk stickers... those will be up on my Etsy shop next week!
IN OTHER NEWS: I've opened up a secret new shop on Etsy for my darker, odder drawings. It's called "Schuchy" and offers the same quality prints as Immortal Longings, but a little twistier.

2008-02-11T14:00:00.001Z

Often I'm asked how I go about making the Shakespeare pieces, so here we go!

HOW I DID THAT: Assignment 1- Merry Wives Woodcut

This weekend I had an assignment: creating a new piece for the Shakespeare Series with a special challenge- it had to look a bit like an old woodcut with a modern graphic feel.

Featuring a scene from "The Merry Wives of Windsor": ( a play written by request of Queen Elizabeth, who wished to see Falstaff in love) in which the jolly old swine has been tricked by moonlight in a garden. Hordes of children dressed as fairies attack him instead of the tryst he'd hoped for...

So, I started with a very rough sketch of the layout of the scene. I wanted it to be square overall with a round focus around the moon and Falstaff. The fairies could circle around, and then trees could embellish the garden-y box to frame the scene.
Here's the first (thumbnail) rough draft, the kind of thing I usually sketch on a bus or train when I first get the idea:

Next step is to take some tracing paper and fill in finer detail. You notice the little crosses outside the picture- those are where I align the tracing paper. In the tracing, I use a compass to lay out the moon, and then I begin to make the trees more graceful. With another sheet, I begin to play with and firm up where the fairies will be placed
.
After that, I needed some practice drawing Putti- style fairies, as I hadn't drawn cherurbs in quite some time. I also started looking for clues in woodcut research as to how to go about making the details, shading and stars.

Usually I just do an Art Nouveau-Mucha style outline and paint in details after, so this was to be a little different. I love all the detail in the old woodcut you see here, but the final might be printed on rough fabric, so I'd need to keep details fatter and more simplified.

From there, I scanned the rough drawings, adjusted in photoshop to make them faint lines, printing them out lightly so could clean up the details and finalize the background in pencil.

With the finished background pencils in place, I scanned and printed that out very lightly to begin the character sketching on. In photoshop, I layer the drawings together with various transparency to show all the linework.

Since I'd be doing the black inking with a fat marker to simulate woodcutting, I didn't work too delicately in the character pencils. Using ideas from my Putti sketches, and an old drawing of Falstaff I'd done, I fill in faces and costumes, with good ideas for light and shadow.

On a separate sheet of paper, I begin to ink a copy of the background with a few different
sizes of permanent marker. At this point, it starts to look like the final drawing.

Back in photoshop, I'll slap that pencil lightly on top the nice finished ink background, print it out, and finish it off with marker.

Now, I don't always use this many scans-and edit- and print layers, but this drawing had a lot of detail to track, and I prefer to print out a copy and paint/ink, rather than ruining a good original pencil sketch. The tracing paper is something I've relied on since my scenic drafting days in college and on the advice of our instructor Joe Nieminski, who traced and had incredibly neat drawings.

And then after inking on the character pencils, we have the final drawing, which I brought into photoshop one last time to make the black/white contrast perfect, and to use a hint of the Cutout filter, which does a very nice job of making my marker look less fluid and more carved.

Romance in the Making at Immortal Longings:

2008-01-23T02:09:00.000Z

Introducing the Romeo & Juliet Scarf!

It's my first fabric design, this lovely silk piece features my best selling image of Romeo & Juliet in a last embrace.

The shop's all loved-up for the Holiday. There's a VALENTINES Section with a selection of famous courting couples, Romeo Journals and more to get you started.

We've got new Shakespeare Love Quote prints as well. A Quote Series will be developing from these, so watch for more soon.

Spread the Love.

2007-12-21T11:19:00.000Z

Welcome to the Immortal Longings Shakespeare Series

"Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have immortal longings in me:"- Cleopatra
William Shakespeare - Antony & Cleopatra

The Immortal Longings Shakespeare Series
was created by award-winning designer Elizabeth E. Schuch.

Currently the artwork is featured on cards, prints, and more
at Shakespeare's Globe Shop and The Royal National Theatre, London.
This year, I am also selling at Shakespeare festivals in the US and Canada,
and online at Etsy.com.

______________________________________________________________________

A Winter's Sale:

The Holiday Shop is bustling on Etsy. I've got 3 for 2 Specials on the best-selling large prints. Gift certificates are available for the Large Prints as well.

New products this season are:
Bookmarks, Blank Book Journals,wallets by Refabulous
and the 2008 Calendar (featuring 12 of our top illustrations.)

Coming Soon: Bookplates, Silk Scarves, and Umbrellas

HOLIDAY SHOPPING LINKS:

Immortal Longings Shakespeare on Etsy

Shakespeare's Globe Shop, London

ABOUT THIS BLOG:

This is the online blog where new products, latest designs,
updates about the series can be found.

Also, I'll be telling you a little more about the inspiration for the artwork, other projects going on in film or theatre, and my business approach and ethics at Immortal Longings.

As a small art company, with a family history of small business, I believe in supporting and sourcing from small companies and individual artisans. I've taken the BUY HANDMADE pledge this year (what a great idea!)

GOODWILL:
This season, I'm partnering with Shakespeare's Globe Shop to donate 10p to OXFAM INTERNATIONAL for every Shakespeare Card sold at the Globe in London.
Maradoll - a fabulous stitcher and I are also donating 10p for every item sold in our booth at the SOUTHBANK FROST FAIR in London and I'm doing 5p for Cards or Prints sold in my Etsy Shop.

I Took The Handmade Pledge! BuyHandmade.org