Behind the Cover: José del Nido

José del Nido was born on May 29, 1959, in Comellà, just a few miles outside of Barcelona, Spain.

In 1976 he started his education at the art school of Comellà, which was run at that time by Raimon Llort i Gasset. It was there where he was exposed to his very first painting and drawing techniques.



( more pics )

In spote of his academic education most of his technique was self-taught. He put his first works on exhibition in small halls in Barcelona and the surrounding region exhibiting with other artists as well as alone.

Beginning in 1980 del Nido's first covers were published in various local fanzines, and he started creating illustrations for the advertising campaigns of local companies. Soon thereafter the Spanish publisher Norma Editorial began publishing his works as an illustrator, spreading his fame throughout Spain and beyond. For some years now, with encouragement from the extraordinary advertising illustrator, J. Ramòn Domingo, a good friend of his, del Nido has busied himself with digital art, cultivating the new technology for himself. In the field of digital art, del Nido works with various software programs, of which Painter stands out foremost. Painter makes it possible to use oil colors, acrylics, airbrush and digital colors as well as conventional colors.

At present del Nido has been working as an illustrator in advertising and for various publishers.

In the field of fantasy illustration he is still linked to Norma Editorial, who published his work on covers in several other European countries beside Spain, among them Germany and Italy.

He also created works for Argentina, Sweden and Portugal.

Del Nido created the covers for numerous series, among them are John Sinclair, Vampira, Proffessor Zamora, Torn, Grusel-Schocker (Bastei, Germany), Lanciostory, Skorpio (Euraeditoriale, Italy), Amor y Aventuras, Pesadillas, Fantasville (Ediciones B. Spain), Romàntica (Suma de Letras, Spain), Panic (Columna, Spain). He also worked for Editorial Planeta, Plaza y Janés, Ultramar and others.

Furthermore he designed advertising campaigns for various companies, e.g. for Nestlé, Frigo, Continente, Ferrys, Vileda and Eroski.

In cooperation with J. Ramòn Domingo he played his part on projects for Terra Mitica, Port Adventura, Enciclopedia Activa Informàtica and others.

Del Nido currently resides in Sant Joan Despi (Barcelona, Spain), where his studio is located.

http://www.josedelnido.com/

Behind the Cover: José del Nido

José del Nido was born on May 29, 1959, in Comellà, just a few miles outside of Barcelona, Spain.

In 1976 he started his education at the art school of Comellà, which was run at that time by Raimon Llort i Gasset. It was there where he was exposed to his very first painting and drawing techniques.



( more pics )

In spote of his academic education most of his technique was self-taught. He put his first works on exhibition in small halls in Barcelona and the surrounding region exhibiting with other artists as well as alone.

Beginning in 1980 del Nido's first covers were published in various local fanzines, and he started creating illustrations for the advertising campaigns of local companies. Soon thereafter the Spanish publisher Norma Editorial began publishing his works as an illustrator, spreading his fame throughout Spain and beyond. For some years now, with encouragement from the extraordinary advertising illustrator, J. Ramòn Domingo, a good friend of his, del Nido has busied himself with digital art, cultivating the new technology for himself. In the field of digital art, del Nido works with various software programs, of which Painter stands out foremost. Painter makes it possible to use oil colors, acrylics, airbrush and digital colors as well as conventional colors.

At present del Nido has been working as an illustrator in advertising and for various publishers.

In the field of fantasy illustration he is still linked to Norma Editorial, who published his work on covers in several other European countries beside Spain, among them Germany and Italy.

He also created works for Argentina, Sweden and Portugal.

Del Nido created the covers for numerous series, among them are John Sinclair, Vampira, Proffessor Zamora, Torn, Grusel-Schocker (Bastei, Germany), Lanciostory, Skorpio (Euraeditoriale, Italy), Amor y Aventuras, Pesadillas, Fantasville (Ediciones B. Spain), Romàntica (Suma de Letras, Spain), Panic (Columna, Spain). He also worked for Editorial Planeta, Plaza y Janés, Ultramar and others.

Furthermore he designed advertising campaigns for various companies, e.g. for Nestlé, Frigo, Continente, Ferrys, Vileda and Eroski.

In cooperation with J. Ramòn Domingo he played his part on projects for Terra Mitica, Port Adventura, Enciclopedia Activa Informàtica and others.

Del Nido currently resides in Sant Joan Despi (Barcelona, Spain), where his studio is located.

http://www.josedelnido.com/

Best Contemporary Novel (3° place): That’s What Brothers Do… by Derekica Snake

This is not a simple book to like; it goes too much against the ordinary rules to leave bland feelings on readers. I think that, in the end, you love or hate it, but you can’t be in the middle. One of the first reactions is probably to think that it’s not possible, that it’s not real, mainly since the good doesn’t win over the evil… but, truth be told, how many time does it happens in the real world? Actually it’s more fairy-tale like to think that there will be always a positive resolution of the story, since in reality that seldom happens.

What probably will create more trouble to the reader is the relationship between Brant and Wilber; at first the reader thinks that Brant is the victim of Wilber, and he is probably right. Brant was a 14 years old boy who offered himself in lieu of his father’s debts; the alternative was for one of his four sisters to do that, and the older of them was 12 years old. So no, that was not a choice, and in the end, protect your sisters is what a brother do. Wilber was the man to whom Brant offered himself, he was the man who raped him and videotaped it to sell it to the porn movie industry. That was enough reason for Wilber to be the villain and to make him the antithesis of the romance hero; but if the reader can overcome the issue of Brant’s age (and no, usually he can’t), and the non-con sex (and again, he can’t), there was a slight chance for Wilber to become a romance hero: in the pink glasses perspective of the romance reader, if Wilber took good care of Brant, making him his lover, well, maybe… and instead no, the first scene we read is about a now 24 years old Brant who is first sold to a customer more or less how you would sell a doll without soul, and then it’s raped again by Wilber. It was almost enough for me to stop the book right there, but there was a factor that kept me from it and pushed me to read more: Brant has an almost visceral attachment to Wilber, he considers Wilber all his world, and when he is near the moment when he can “gain” his freedom, he is put in front of a choice, continuing to be Wilber’s lover (no more a whore, now he will be Wilber’s boy toy) and so paying for all his sisters’ needs, or be free to go away. Again, the classical romance hero would probably choose the freedom, he would convince himself that he can provide for his sisters even without using his body, but I think that Brant’s decision to stay with Wilber is not only lead by his desire to provide for his sisters, but also from his fear to be alone, to break that bond with Wilber that now it’s his only security, the only thing he knows. Brant was subjected to an imprinting, when he was in that moment in life when usually young men learn how to be independent and how to recognize their sexuality, Brant instead knew only Wilber, and now everything is related to him.

Little by little the reader starts to see Wilber in two different ways: from Brant’s perspective, and so he sees the lover and that side of Wilber that makes him the focus of all Brant’s life, and from an outside perspective, that makes the reader realize that Wilber had no choice. In a twisted way, Wilber did the only thing he could to protect Brant. The author is so good that in the end, the reader starts to feel for Wilber, starts to understand this twisted world. And the author is little by little preparing the reader to accept the end of this novel, that is far from being ordinary, and that again pushes the boundaries of romance, to probably fit it more on reality. There is no Black and White perspective here, there is no right and wrong, it all depends on the perspective you are seeing things, and you can understand it only if you admit that there are shades of grey in between. Be aware of that you choose to try this book, and be aware of what I said before, you can love or hate it, both with all your heart.



http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/thats-what-brothers-do/2255859

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by Rianti

Best Contemporary Novel (3° place): That’s What Brothers Do… by Derekica Snake

This is not a simple book to like; it goes too much against the ordinary rules to leave bland feelings on readers. I think that, in the end, you love or hate it, but you can’t be in the middle. One of the first reactions is probably to think that it’s not possible, that it’s not real, mainly since the good doesn’t win over the evil… but, truth be told, how many time does it happens in the real world? Actually it’s more fairy-tale like to think that there will be always a positive resolution of the story, since in reality that seldom happens.

What probably will create more trouble to the reader is the relationship between Brant and Wilber; at first the reader thinks that Brant is the victim of Wilber, and he is probably right. Brant was a 14 years old boy who offered himself in lieu of his father’s debts; the alternative was for one of his four sisters to do that, and the older of them was 12 years old. So no, that was not a choice, and in the end, protect your sisters is what a brother do. Wilber was the man to whom Brant offered himself, he was the man who raped him and videotaped it to sell it to the porn movie industry. That was enough reason for Wilber to be the villain and to make him the antithesis of the romance hero; but if the reader can overcome the issue of Brant’s age (and no, usually he can’t), and the non-con sex (and again, he can’t), there was a slight chance for Wilber to become a romance hero: in the pink glasses perspective of the romance reader, if Wilber took good care of Brant, making him his lover, well, maybe… and instead no, the first scene we read is about a now 24 years old Brant who is first sold to a customer more or less how you would sell a doll without soul, and then it’s raped again by Wilber. It was almost enough for me to stop the book right there, but there was a factor that kept me from it and pushed me to read more: Brant has an almost visceral attachment to Wilber, he considers Wilber all his world, and when he is near the moment when he can “gain” his freedom, he is put in front of a choice, continuing to be Wilber’s lover (no more a whore, now he will be Wilber’s boy toy) and so paying for all his sisters’ needs, or be free to go away. Again, the classical romance hero would probably choose the freedom, he would convince himself that he can provide for his sisters even without using his body, but I think that Brant’s decision to stay with Wilber is not only lead by his desire to provide for his sisters, but also from his fear to be alone, to break that bond with Wilber that now it’s his only security, the only thing he knows. Brant was subjected to an imprinting, when he was in that moment in life when usually young men learn how to be independent and how to recognize their sexuality, Brant instead knew only Wilber, and now everything is related to him.

Little by little the reader starts to see Wilber in two different ways: from Brant’s perspective, and so he sees the lover and that side of Wilber that makes him the focus of all Brant’s life, and from an outside perspective, that makes the reader realize that Wilber had no choice. In a twisted way, Wilber did the only thing he could to protect Brant. The author is so good that in the end, the reader starts to feel for Wilber, starts to understand this twisted world. And the author is little by little preparing the reader to accept the end of this novel, that is far from being ordinary, and that again pushes the boundaries of romance, to probably fit it more on reality. There is no Black and White perspective here, there is no right and wrong, it all depends on the perspective you are seeing things, and you can understand it only if you admit that there are shades of grey in between. Be aware of that you choose to try this book, and be aware of what I said before, you can love or hate it, both with all your heart.



http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/thats-what-brothers-do/2255859

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by Rianti