Diego and the Rangers of the Vastlantic

by Armand Baltazar

  Growing up I loved classic adventure and science-fiction stories like Treasure Island and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. My favorite versions of these stories were illustrated by the Golden Age of American illustrators, such as N. C. Wyeth and Howard Pyle. I’d always dreamed of making an adventure like the ones I cherished as a boy. I loved creating stories and artwork, and my career in animation and film design was born out of my passion for visual storytelling. In creating Timeless, I wanted to make something epic in scope, something forged from my experiences and artistic vision. I wanted to create a book that read like a movie. The creation of the art of Timeless was a tremendous undertaking that was both as ambitious and complex as any film that I helped make. I’m thankful for having good friends who contributed their time and talents in helping me bring the visual story to life.

  Thanks to Pippa Morris, who managed to keep me organized and on track in the preproduction phase of creating the art. To Adam Clement, Merle McGregor, Mark Burstein, Llisa Demetrios, Carl Halberg, Ed Knapp, and John Andrew Miller, whose help at this stage was invaluable.

  Special thanks to Bruce Mitchell, costume designer and fabricator extraordinaire, who created a functional costume prop for Ajax’s arm, and to Isaac C. Singleton Jr., who modeled it for me in costume to better paint the character. Thanks to the artists who created the original models and sculptures for the Timeless world that helped in the creation of the final paintings: Philip Metschan, Rachelle Danielle, Robert E. Barnes, John Duncan, Dan Whitton, Kurt Kaufman, Frank Zeng, Karel Charles Murray, and Lucas Aceituno and Alison Kellom. To the amazing artist and sculptor Dan Jones of Tinkerbots, who allowed me to feature one of his fantastic vehicles in one of the paintings.

  Warm thanks to my Rangers: Dylan, Emelia, Drew, and Shawna. Thanks to my captain and cast of characters: John B., Sterling, Brian, Leilani, Justine, Octavio, Chris, Nozomi, Leslie, Nicole, and Anaida; and the Kohlman, the Morris, the Barnes, the Merck, and the Burstein families, along with all the folks who toiled in costumes during the hot summer days to help me create the characters in the paintings.

  My deepest gratitude to my artist friends who helped me by contributing additional design and paintings that brought the world to life: Brynn Metheney, Marc Gabbana, Noah Klocek, Tang Heng, Noëlle Triaureau, Josh Viers, Robert Chew, Wade Huntsman, Wendell Dalit, Naveen Selvanathan, Brian Matyas, Armand Serrano, John Nevarez, Yoriko Ito, Paul Lasaine, Randy Gaul, D.J. Welch, Karla Ortiz, Colin Fix, and Iain McCaig.

  I want to thank all my friends and colleagues who supported me through this journey. To my parents for their love and support, and to my friend Johnny May, who reminded me to take care of myself as I pushed myself relentlessly this last year.

  And finally, I want to thank my wife, Sharon, and my son, Dylan. You two were my pillars of strength and my well of inspiration that fueled the vision. Your love, patience, and unending support made it all possible. Thank you both for giving me the adventure of a lifetime.

  About the Author

  Photo by Sharon Curtis Baltazar

  ARMAND BALTAZAR was born on Chicago’s North Side, not far from the famed Wrigley Field. After attending the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Armand began a visual storytelling career in feature animation as a background artist, visual development artist, and art director for DreamWorks Studios, Walt Disney, and Pixar Animation. He currently resides in Northern California with his family, creating the art and stories for the epic adventure series Timeless. You can visit him online at www.armandbaltazar.com.

  Credits

  Cover art © 2017 by Armand Baltazar

  Logo by Jason Cook

  Cover design by Amy Ryan

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