My Favorite Non Burroughs Frazetta Painting

I know that everybody who loves Frazetta has seen this image a millyum times. But I want to remind you how really good it is. 

I'm not a rabid Frazetta fan who cherishes every last skoodle (sketchy doodle) that he does, and in fact much of his stuff leaves me cold. But his Edgar Rice Burroughs stuff is some of the best illustration in the world, and his Howard stuff is good. The Egyptian Queen in its incarnations below is my favorite non Burroughs/Howard painting of Frazetta's. 

The Warren cover, above, was later reworked by Frazetta to its state shown below. That version is the signed limited print that hangs in my studio, inspiring me to be a better artist.

I think the concept sketch, below, is also very beautiful.

Preliminary Cover

This is one of the preliminary cover sketches that Gil Kane sold to me back in the early 80s. Below it is the printed cover itself. This sketch is pretty small, a little over half the size of the printed cover. He told me he would doodle a batch of preliminaries and then stat them up to artboard size and then use a lightbox to transfer the design, 

Where Was This Used?

This Wally Wood piece has always fascinated me, partly because I have no idea where it was used originally. I've had this printed piece for years, but there's nothing on the back—yet it's on nice paper stock, like it was part of an inexpensive portfolio set. My memory fails me as to where I got this. Anybody (BookSteve?) have any idea as to its original intent? Maybe an Avon page? 

Oh, Berry Me Knot Beneath My Bed

45 years ago today, folk songs were all the rage:

Mighty Good Artwork

For those of you who might tune in to this blog, but not be following Pogo in Pandemonia, I want to let you know that Walt Kelly's artwork is getting mighty good over there (not that it isn't always, but right now in that continuity it's MIGHTY good). And a lot more to come.

Crimson Conquest

I don't think J. C. Leyendecker did very many book designs, but one way or the other this is a favorite of mine, a 1908 edition.

Dance of Death

Here's a fun one right out of the ol' morgue. A Dance of Death alphabet, designed by Hans Holbein the Younger way back in 1526, a time when death seemed to always be near at hand.

Then and Now

At one point in the early 80s I was completely without funds. But when I saw the Celestial Arts publication of Carl Bark's Uncle Scrooge McDuck, I just had to have it. The so totally cool bonus was this signed print. I scrounged up pennies, I dug through old pockets, I did odd (really odd) jobs. I didn't have enough money for food, but I finally came up with enough for the book and print. It was $200 back then, I've heard that the value is 10 times that now. I missed a few meals then, but I still have this now.

Handful of Studies

Sir William Russell Flint was a fine illustrator and painter, yet many of his reproduced works were of his seemingly endless figure studies. Plenty more of Flint to come, but here a handful of studies. 

Other Plates?

Alex Nino fans: Do you have any scans or links of other plates from portfolios that you can share?

We Is Doomed

Forty-five years ago this morning:

My Favorite Kate

There are a lot of Kates in showbiz, but Katherine Hepburn is/was my favorite (though don't get me wrong, the others are pretty nifty too). This Kate has been portrayed a lot over the years, all displaying her great character.

My Favorite Kate

Richard Amsel was a terrific portrait illustrator and I certainly like his take on Kate:

Not sure who this artist is, but it's a nice charcoal:

Wally Wood's take on Kate and Bogie is nice. This is from Panic, so it doesn't have the wit of Harvey Kurtzman, but Woody's art is funny and wonderful:

My Favorite Kate

Could We Have Another Booth Please?

Why, yes of course. Right this way . . .

Booth in the Corner

Who doesn't love Franklin Booth's artwork? It's interesting to read this candidly written blurb of his work from a 1920s book of pen and ink masters. Though these are nice, it's too bad that they couldn't have used some better examples of his work. 

Beyond Oz

John R. Neill helped make the Oz books the success they were. Baum's stories were good, but Neill's artwork helped define the characters. Here he illustrates Evangeline by Longfellow in a 1909 edition, one hundred years ago. He was pretty good beyond Oz.

Beyond Oz