Iain Mccaig Casket of Souls Artwork/Mccaig Appreciation Thread

[Star Eater]

Casket of Souls was a picture puzzle book that has long been out
of print. It was published in 1987. There is a good article
on it here

I've been wanting to share the artwork for a long time as the book
is now incredibly hard to get hold of. I don't own a copy of Mccaigs
Shadowline yet (also incredibly hard to get hold of now...) so I
don't know how many of these pieces are in there.

I scanned and resized the pictures, it took a while, I hope you
guys enjoy them.

The skeleton on the cover should be familiar to anyone who used to
check out Mccaigs WIP (but never finished) personal website. It is
also the narrator of the book.

[Aly Fell]

He's just so damned good!

[Star Eater]

Now, the available prize for the successful completion of the
book was a gold replica of the casket. I've been a
Fighting Fantasy fan for a long time, but I have yet
to see an image of this prize anywhere...

The puzzles were damned hard.

[AvP]

You just made my day man!

[Shorinji_Knight]

Thanks, that was awesome! A lot of these I've never seen before. I like that everything is telling a story and not just standing in a pose.

[Star Eater]

Really glad you guys enjoyed it.

The pictures are indeed telling a story. Involving
the allies of the demon, the rallying of those resisting him
then culminating in a big battle. (The scene with the dragon
flaming the giant) and in the end the good spirit seizing the
casket from the demon...

I'm glad I was able to share these, as you said Shorinji,
not a lot of people have seen this book or the artwork
within.

[madbot]

Hey Star Eater, thanks heaps for the images, Iain tells such a good story with his pieces.

If you are thinking about getting Shadowline check out this link.

http://stuartngbooks.com/new-arrival...ng-june-5.html

Hadn't heard of the store until this year, but they were really cool to deal with, gave me a shipping discount cause I bought 3 books.

cheers again

[Saurabhinator]

wicked!

[manlybrian]

Average Imagination
|-----|

Mccaig's Imagination
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

[manlybrian]

I love that he's drinking out of a skull.

[AvP]

I remember reading about 'casket of souls' in White dwarf as a spotty teenager back in the 80's. I soaked up the images but alas could never afford the book at the time. They blew me away back then. They still do to this to me today!!

[Star Eater]

I feel I should point out that while Mccaig is indeed a fantastic illustrator
and a personal favorite of mine, it is the combination of Ian Livingstone
and Iain Mccaig that really shone. My favourite Fighting Fantasy books
are the result of their great imaginations working together. Such as
you can see specifically Casket of Souls as well as in these two titles:

[Aly Fell]

I first became familiar with Iain McCaig through his work on the cover of Jethro Tull's 'Broadsword and the Beast'. I actually took this CD all the way from the UK to the Illustration Master Class in Amherst last year to get him to sign it and completely forgot to get it out of my case! Doh!! *Facepalm*

And there's a 3D version at the bottom, which if you can do that cross-eyed thing that gives you a headache, works really well:

[Star Eater]

Yeah discovering his artwork on that cover was a pleasant surprise for me.
It's a great album too.

Maybe we should make this a Mccaig appreciation thread?

[dpaint]

Maybe we should make this a Mccaig appreciation thread?

Agreed

[B.K. Conn]

Iain Mccaig Casket of Souls, I WANT... 0.0;

[Star Eater]

[dpaint]

I own the original of this.

[Star Eater]

I own the original of this.

That's awesome! When did you get it?

[dpaint]

When we worked together in the 90's. I started buying or trading originals with the guys I worked with or knew from conventions.

[Cory Hinman]

I own the original of this.

Gorgeous!

[dpaint]

More McCaig -Barsoom goodness

[Star Eater]

Some City of Thieves interior illustrations:

[dpaint]

more stuff from the master

[AvP]

This is a favourite from way back.

[donalfall]

AvP - Yes! The Forest of Doom cover. It was my favourite too. It was also the cover that lured me into buying the Fighting Fantasy books. There was something special about those sunbeams above the reptile man's shoulder.

[Star Eater]

I have the Forest of Doom cover printed out in poster format
and framed in my studio. Right next to where I work.

Unfortunately Mccaig did not illustrate the interior. The scene from
that cover actually takes place in the book.

Good to meet more FF fans!

[donalfall]

Yeah, Malcolm Barter did the interiors. He was a great artist too, but you always knew an Iain McCaig the second you saw it.

[Star Eater]

Finally another artist who appreciates Malcolms style. There is a lot
of flak about his interior illustrations, just because people did not get him. I always
liked the liberties he took with his anatomy and felt his work had an eerie
nature which suited the contents of that particular book.

I think people always felt short-changed when Mccaig did not do the
interiors. I would like to have seen what he could have done with them
as well.

He also did this cover, but again not the interiors:

[donalfall]

Malcolm's work was great. He is very much a part of that group of English Illustrators that spans from Games Workshop to Fighting Fantasy to 2000AD and Warrior etc etc etc. (At least to my mind). I think you have your finger right on it when you say "eerie". The feel was the most important part of all the elements of those artist's styles. Well, feel and often an ink line that was super dense. It seems really hard to get any kind of collection of Malcolm's work in print. Or even on a website? Anyone have any leads on that kind of thing?

I love the Island of the Lizard King cover. I still think now, as I did then "Why does a Lizard have a cat as a pet?"