The Hallowed Seam (Process Recess, Vol. 3) [Hardcover]

James Jean (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

The Hallowed Seam collects the sketches of renowned artist James Jean, who has documented his life in drawings and paintings. From beautiful figure drawings to experimental paintings, Jean demonstrates a keen eye for humanity and a virtuosic handling of any medium.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: AdHouse Books; 1st edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1935233033
• ISBN-13: 978-1935233039
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #187,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ever wonder what he draws when he's not painting?, September 21, 2009

By 

Parka (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: The Hallowed Seam (Process Recess, Vol. 3) (Hardcover)

Length:: 0:27 Mins

In this book, you'll see the other side of James Jean when he's not painting his masterpieces.

The Hallowed Seam PR Vol 3 is a canvas bound hardcover book. The cover has a circle cut out to show a humming bird. James Jean is a prolific sketcher and has filled many Moleskine sketchbooks. This book collects some of his sketches as well as some photos, one of which shows a dead humming bird he found on the street. See any link?

There's no fantasy element in his sketches, most are sketches from life, be it on the plane, at the cafe, tattoo parlour or wherever he is. There are also figure drawings in nude sketches. Some of the pieces are briefly coloured, some are just playgrounds for colours.

Many of the pieces are intricate character studies. He has a very unique sketching style, many times he'll draw on top of what he already drew, creating a sort of collage. There would be heads, hands or legs in different angles, but in the same space, as if the person he is drawing has somehow moved and now the new position is drawn on top.

It's always interesting to read what other people write in their sketchbooks, to find out what they are doing at the time when pen meets paper. Unfortunately, his notes here are printed too small to be read at comfort. He probably uses A4 size sketchbooks which are scaled down for this publication. It will be useful to have a magnifying glass around.

If you've always wonder what he sketches, this book will give you a glimpse of that. Maybe you'll find your own inspiration from those fine lines.

He uses a ball point pen for his sketches, specifically a SKB SB-1000 0.5mm. It's a strange ballpoint pen that seems able to vary in tone like a pencil can. This pen is also known unofficially as the James Jean pen on the Internet.

By the way, there's also a limited edition of Hallowed Seam featuring a beautiful fine art cover. There are only 200 copies and already sold out, of course. From what I read on James Jean's blog, the regular edition is going out at 50 copies per day since launch. It's probably going to sell out like his Process Recess Volume 2: Portfolio and Fables Covers: The Art of James Jean Vol. 1, both of which sell at least US$100 online currently.

If you like this book, grab it now before it goes out of stock.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, October 5, 2009

By 

Bob Fingerman (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Hallowed Seam (Process Recess, Vol. 3) (Hardcover)

James Jean continues to dazzle with the third volume of Process Recess. This book is a cornucopia of beautiful, confident drawings from life ranging in subject matter from travel, live nude models (including "it" porn starlet Sasha Grey, late of Steven Soderbergh's "The Girlfriend Experience"), as well as set visits where he captured such talents as Cillian Murphy and Susan Sarandon. His line work, most of which is achieved in ballpoint pen, is dazzling. The design is elegant and the art, as ever, is deft, fluid, rich and inspiring. This is a must-have item for anyone who appreciates truly fine work.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!, February 3, 2010

By 

Eyelashflutterer (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Hallowed Seam (Process Recess, Vol. 3) (Hardcover)

I've now purchased two copies of the Limited Edition - purely for the enclosed print (one copy was for my sister). It is absolutely stunning. James Jean is a master of pop art surrealism, I never tire of admiring his work.