Spellbound - The Keith Parkinson Sketchbook
(1998 - SQP (Sal Quartuccio Publications))

A 64-page collection of black-&-white pieces, with paintings on the front and back covers. The word "sketchbook" means many different things to many different publishers, but I think this kind of book will be what actually comes to your mind when so entitled. It's really like looking through your very talented high-school friend's notebook (empty of the classnotes he should have been taking . . .). Pencil drawing after pencil drawing, some so 'light', that it's hard to make out what the intention was, others with graphite smudged from one edge to the next, in some bizarre fight-scene crabbed with endless detail. Your friend has also captioned each piece with some sophomoric observation. With all that said, the art here is enjoyable and one or two relevant anecdotes give some context to the proceedings (though his own single page introduction is given to just his unassuming humor). 59 of the pages feature a large or full-page reproduction and six contain an assortment of images. If you've seen his work elsewhere, you are going to recognize a lot of these as being the bases for many of his paintings. The two double page spreads split 50/50 whether they're still effective, or not, crossing the gutter. There are a handful of combat or science-fiction subjects, but you will find the rest pulled from his fantasy & gaming inclinations, with plenty of fighters, thieves, enchanters and representatives of the non-human races. There's no shortage of nudity, but the artist was a costumer of no mean talent, so you will find more clothes here than you would in many similar books. The books of his painting, Kingsgate & Knightsbridge, all score better than this volume. SQP has another book with the same title, SPELLBOUND, a color collection of witch paintings by various artists - so don't confuse the two.