Art is all about practice, and I practice all the time! My father used to marvel at the fact that I didn’t need any impetus to do art, I just do it. This month I’ve focused on improving my line and brushwork with ink. In this week’s ROCKETEER I show you what I’ve been up to, including a short video, detailing my practice pieces for the month of May. You can read this week’s newsletter here.
In this week’s ROCKETEER I discuss the differences between the pulp and contemporary fantasy genres. I also present a reading list of my favorite pulp fantasy stories and where to find them. (All of these magazines can be found online for free.) Read my Substack here.
In this week’s ROCKETEER I talk about how I came to write my illustrated new pulp novelette, Landscape of Darkness. It’s also about something I call Neotopia which is another way of talking about the Age of Aquarius. I’ve been waiting for Aquarius to dawn since the late 1960’s when I became aware of the musical, Hair. Phew, it’s been a long wait but I’m glad it’s finally arrived. According to astrologers, this new age will be quite different from the previous Age of Pisces. And that’s fine with me!…
I have been in love with black and white interior illustrations for a long time. In the late 1980’s when publishers started pushing for color wherever they could, I refuted the claim that black and white illustrations were uninteresting and uninspiring. At that point it was rare to see interior book art in anything but children’s books and graphic novels anyway. But I never gave up on interior illustrations for all types of stories. Now that they’ve begun to come back around it’s nice to see stories illustrated again. But…
I’ve been obsessing lately about Frederick C. Davis’ “Moon Man” stories from the mid-1930’s. That all came about through a series of synchronicities, the kind that make you think you have something important sitting in your lap. I’m a big fan of Davis’ writing in “Operator No. 5,” another 1930’s series. I like him so much I wanted to read more of his works. I noticed that he had a crazy character with a globe on his head that reminded me of Spiderman’s “Mysterio.” But this seemed a bit different…
I just finished a pulpy commission for a fellow writer of science fiction, Sarah Anderson. She wanted an alternate cover for her new book, as well as something she could use for postcards. I was happy to oblige and here is the result. I have to admit that it’s fun to paint people with dramatic expressions. Screaming and running from a creepy monster…what’s more pulpy than that? You can find out more about Sarah’s new book here. Next, on this week’s ROCKETEER I talk about how I conceptualized my award-winning…
It’s been a busy couple of days here at the studio. First, I finished up a fun pulpy commission for a new book release. On Wednesday, in The Rocketeer, I wrote about the connection between Westerns and Space Opera (with picture examples!) Read The Rocketeer: “Westerns in Space” Today, I received a few more books in the mail for my growing Robert Leslie Bellem reprint story collection. I’ve several new paintings planned, and of course new books on the way. In the midst of tremendous world-wide chaos, life can be fun! Count on it!
I don’t often review books, mainly because I’m either too soft a touch or, if the book is too bad, I don’t want to talk about it. But here is a case of something well worth a review, not just because the book it’s good, but because it’s historically important. Roy V. Hunt: A Retrospective is a treat, both for pulp fanatics and for artists. You can read my review here.
Fritz Lang’s visuals for Metropolis (1927) fascinate me. The story is pure socialist creed, but the imagery remains powerful even after nearly 100 years. I remember seeing the re-mastered version with Queen’s soundtrack during college. And I’ve seen the anime remake as well as enjoying Queen’s 1984 video– “Radio Ga-Ga” –immensely. (An interesting year for that video to appear on the scene, in my opinion.) Michael Wm Kaluta created outstanding images for a remake book of Metropolis some time ago. It was his drawings that inspired the title of my…
Well Space Explorers, it’s time for a couple of Buck Rogers posts. Why…? Mainly because he’s one of the first space heroes and one we still love today. There’s just something about the guy…I’m sure everyone has their reasons for being a fan. I love the early strips from the late 1920’s. They still have enough “wow” appeal to make them enjoyable reading today, nearly 100 years later! So here you go, two little tidbits of Buck Rogers’ lore. One will be familiar and one will not. Happy daydreams! Read…