Can there be a more representative image of Asterix than this one, urging his friends into action with an urgent battle cry?
My latest trio of Asterix screenprints shows the little Gaulish warrior in three characteristic poses.
One shows him urging his friends forward (‘En avant!,’ Asterix cries; ‘Let’s go!’ or ‘Forward!’), the second being bemused (the speech bubble reads ‘Eh?) and the third punching a Roman soldier (with the words, ‘Voyez plutot’, or ‘See you later’.)
I like ‘En avant’ for its energy. I’ve coloured the background in Asterix-moustache yellow, but done so in such a way that I the colouring reflects the panel’s energy. It’s available in my large size, ie 76cms x 56cms for £280 unframed or £340 framed.
The ‘Eh?’ screenprint has a great expanse of yellow ink above Asterix’s face. I like colour, and I like what newspaper designers would call ‘creative white space’ albeit in this case ‘creative yellow space’, ie a blank area which is not just an absence of text or pictures but rather a space which allows the rest of the page room to breathe – it acts as an active component in the page’s/panel’s composition. And the screenprinting medium is so good at flat colour – the method allows a lot of ink to transfer from the screen to the paper and keeps it very flat. I like to use a wide-mesh screen for this reason – so that there is a lot of ink on the paper, enriching the colour. It’s available in my medium size, ie 48cms x 38cms for £140 unframed or £190 framed.
The third panel is of Asterix punching a Roman, sending him out of the panel. The Gaul sends him on his way with the cheerful valediction: ‘See you later’. I love it. Characters in comics always have such a lot of time to chat even if they’re indulging in the most violent action. It’s available in my medium size, ie 48cms x 38cms for £140 unframed or £190 framed.
The panels are taken from the Asterix books. I am currently the only screenprinter in Europe to have permission from French publisher Editions Albert Rene to use the firm’s archive of images for my work.
Asterix first appeared in 1959 and 35 books drawn by Albert Uderzo and written by Rene Goscinny were published until 2010, although new titles are now being issued with new writers and draftsmen.
The official website can be found here http://www.asterix.com/
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