I was delighted recently to have the opportunity to write a feature article for the Summer 2013 issue of Drawing Magazine.

As of this writing the issue is available from the North Light Store, and should be in bookstores and newsstands shortly.

The article, Illustrating Imaginary Worlds, highlights four contemporary illustrators who work in the realm of the fantastic, gives some background on each artist and their working methods, and showcases several stunning images from each.

I have to say that the article, which runs 10 pages, looks great — due in part to the talented editorial and layout staff at at F+W Media, and primarily to the superb images that were provided by the four artists involved: Mark Schultz, Yuko Shimizu, Patrick Arrasmith and Ed Binkley (links to my posts).

I’ve profiled all four previously in Lines and Colors, and was thrilled when they agreed to be the subjects of the article.

When I was looking for a way to arrange the article, I put the artists in an order, not of importance, or even of personal preference, but of complexity of drawing media: pencil to pen to scratchboard to digital. This isn’t obvious in reading the article, but I felt it gave me a groundwork for the arrangement.

Long time readers of Lines and Colors will know that, though I am a big fan of art images on the internet, I find particular enjoyment in the way that artwork in general, and drawings in particular, look in high resolution reproductions in print. One of the treats for me was opening the magazine to see some favorite images that I’d only seen in relatively low resolution on the web on crisp high resolution printed pages.

Unfortunately Drawing Magazine’s online presence is rather thin, submerged in a monolithic corporate website that tries to accommodate The Artist’s Network, Artist Daily, the North Light Shop, and a range of related topics and publications. Individual magazines, which should really each have their own dedicated web presence, are largely lost in the shuffle.

The current page for Drawing has been updated, and includes a gallery of additional work by the artists I feature in the article.

If you aren’t familiar with Drawing Magazine, you are missing out. I’ve long felt that it is unfortunate that drawing, as an art form and as an array of mediums, doesn’t often get it’s due — partly because it’s difficult for museums and galleries to physically display works on paper due to the inherent problems of light damage, but mostly because museums, galleries and publishers consider it less “sexy” than painting.

I was really pleased when I first encountered Drawing Magazine years ago, even if it was simply because a magazine was paying long overdue attention to drawing and related subjects. I was even more pleased when it became obvious that not only were they covering the subject, they were dedicated to doing a superb job — with articles on contemporary and historic artists, tools, techniques, current exhibitions and thoughtful explorations of all aspects of the art form.

The new issue, in addition to my article, features an article on illustrator Edward Sorrel, reviews of several exhibitions, including a feature article on Hopper Drawing at the Whitney, articles on drawing from the television screen and using digital image editors to improve compositions in traditional media, part II of an overview of drawing materials, a feature on two artists who work in markers and a selection of top drawings from the Georgia Museum of art, selected by their Curator of European Art.

The Summer 2013 issue of Drawing Magazine can be ordered from the North Light Store, either for physical purchase or digital download, for $8.99 US (I don’t know about international orders, but I believe they are available).

Subscriptions are $23.95 US for one year (four issues).

I wish I could point you to a web presence that was a better representation of the quality and features of the magazine, but in lieu of that, seek it out on the magazine shelves and look for yourself.

[Images above: Yuko Shimizu (cover, also featured inside), Mark Schultz (on article opening page), Yuko Shimizu, Patrick Arrasmith and Ed Binkley]