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Home / Rough Work Concept Art Doodles and Sketchbook Drawings by Frank Frazetta

Rough Work Concept Art Doodles and Sketchbook Drawings by Frank Frazetta

Entry updated 26 July 2021. Tagged: Artist, Comics.

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(1928-2010) American illustrator, born Frank Frazzetta; he dropped the 2d "z" to create what he thought would exist a ameliorate professional name. A native New Yorker, he studied at the Brooklyn University of Fine Arts and, at the age of sixteen, began drawing professionally for Comics. He worked on the comic strips Cadet Rogers in the 25th Century, Flash Gordon, and (for nine years) Li'fifty Abner, and briefly drew his own comic strip, Johnny Comet. He also contributed to comic books published by DC Comics, EC Comics, and other companies; ironically, the nigh popular Superhero that he drew, DC's the Shining Knight, had his body nearly completely covered by armour, in stark contrast to the loinclothed barbarians that would come up to define his pop image.

Although Frazetta would continue doing art for comics in the 1960s, including work for Mad magazine and Warren Publishing's Creepy and Vampirella, his life inverse in 1962, when a job passed to him by his friend Roy Krenkel launched his career in sf art. His first assignments were encompass illustrations and interior fine art for books by Edgar Rice Burroughs being republished by Ace Books and Canaveral Books; his renderings of Burroughs'due south Tarzan commencement showcased his flair for painting muscular, blank-chested heroes. Dissatisfied with the payments he was receiving from Ace, Frazetta moved over to Lancer Books, which offered him the opportunity to paint covers for books past other authors, including an atmospheric portrait of skulls and demons rise in a mist for Jack Williamson's The Reign of Wizardry (March-May 1940 Unknown; 1964) and an uncharacteristic portrayal of clothed adventurers confronting apelike creatures and giant mushrooms for the 1964 edition of John Wyndham's The Hush-hush People (twenty July-14 September 1935 The Passing Show as by John Beynon; 1935 equally past John Beynon; rev 1964 as by John Beynon Harris, introduced by Wyndham; text restored 1972 United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland as by Wyndham). Just Lancer more significantly assigned Frazetta to paint covers for several republications of Robert East Howard's Conan books, and his sombre but energized paintings of Howard's barbarian, by all accounts, greatly contributed to the graphic symbol'southward renewed popularity. Bolstered by the immense popularity of his Tarzan covers, Frazetta had already received the Hugo Award equally Best Professional Artist in 1966, and his as well-received interpretations of Conan cemented his reputation as a definitive creative person for works of Heroic Fantasy.

Soon, Frazetta was well on his fashion to becoming sf art's offset genuine superstar: he had already begun accepting assignments to paint posters for major films, including the genre titles The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) and Mad Monster Political party? (1967); he and his wife set up a company to sell other posters he had designed; he started painting for a number of calendars; and in 1975, he published the get-go two compilations of his artwork, The Frazetta Treasury (1975) and The Fantastic Fine art of Frank Frazetta (1975), to be followed by many similar volumes. (The checklist below, even with acknowledged exclusions, yet may be incomplete.) He connected to pigment book covers, including boosted volumes by Burroughs and Howard, and publishers paid high rates for his services, realizing that he now had a large post-obit and that his distinctive covers would boost their sales; if Frazetta was non available, publishers would recruit authors to imitate his style. Frazetta's paintings were also appearing on record albums by artists like Herman's Hermits, Nazareth, and Molly Hatchet.

In the 1980s, Frazetta involved himself in several new projects: he helped to pattern and produce an animated fantasy film by Ralph Bakshi, Fire and Water ice (1983); he established a gallery, Frazetta'south Fantasy Corner, to market his and others' artwork; and he lent his name to a series of iv novels, Frank Frazetta'southward Death Dealer, inspired by his ideas and paintings only written by James R Silke. His increasingly rare book covers included several volumes of the 50 Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future series of original anthologies. A number of health issues limited his productivity during the concluding two decades of his life, which were too tarnished past an embarrassing family feud involving his son'due south apparent try in 2009 to steal a number of his father's paintings. But the ageing Frazetta was also receiving a host of honors: two Chesley Awards for full general artistic achievement (in 1995 and 1998), lifetime achievement awards from the Writers and Illustrators of the Time to come (1997) and the World Fantasy Awards (2001), and the Spectrum Grandmaster Honor in 1995. He was even the subject of a documentary film, Frazetta: Painting with Fire (2003).

Frazetta'south vigorous paintings of heavily muscled heroes, usually brandishing weapons as they confront human and inhuman foes, are notable for their dynamic sense of movement (in contrast, maybe, to piece of work by Boris Vallejo and other later, smoother illustrators who are oftentimes said to have inherited Frazetta'due south mantle); he is famous, too, for his lush broad-hipped women, often chained or menaced merely shown as often as threatening Amazon warriors. Old accusations that his work was sexist or cheaply melodramatic at present seem irrelevant, since his spirited and powerful fashion of artwork has now been then universally celebrated. Today, even though most all of his work involved fantasy, Frazetta remains a figure of incalculable importance to the unabridged field of sf art: while previous artists had been popular, none of them had ever become the sort of celebrity, and brand name, that Frazetta became, and his name has essentially become an adjective to draw a style of art that remains strongly associated with works of heroic fantasy. A list of all the artists he has influenced would found an entry in itself. He was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2014. [PN/GW]

Frank Frazetta

born New York: 9 Feb 1928

died Fort Myers, Florida: 10 May 2010

works

This listing excludes calendars, most cocky-published items, comic book reprints, and strange-linguistic communication compilations.

  • Thun'da: King of the Congo (Adel, Iowa: Russ Cochran, 1973) [graph: illus/atomic number 82/Frank Frazetta]
  • The Frazetta Treasury (No place of publication given: Frank Frazetta, 1975) [graph: pb/Frank Frazetta]
  • The Fantastic Fine art of Frank Frazetta (New York: Rufus Publications/Peacock Printing, 1975) [graph: introduction by Betty Ballantine: pb/Frank Frazetta]
  • Frank Frazetta, Book 2 (New York: Bantam/Peacock Press, 1977) [graph: edited past Betty Ballantine: pb/Frank Frazetta]
  • Frank Frazetta, Book Three (New York: Bantam/Peacock Printing, 1978) [graph: edited past Betty Ballantine: pb/Frank Frazetta]
  • Frank Frazetta, Book Four (New York: Bantam/Peacock Press, 1980) [graph: edited by Betty Ballantine: hb/Frank Frazetta]
  • The Comic Strip Frazetta (New York: Pure Imagination, 1980) [graph: atomic number 82/Frank Frazetta]
  • Frank Frazetta: The Living Legend (Marshall Creek, Pennsylvania: Dominicus Litho Print, 1981) [graph: atomic number 82/Frank Frazetta]
  • Frank Frazetta, Book Five (New York: Bantam/Peacock Press, 1985) [graph: edited by Betty Ballantine: atomic number 82/Frank Frazetta]
  • Small Wonders: The Funny Animal Art of Frank Frazetta (Princeton, Wisconsin: Kitchen Sink Press, 1991) [graph: pb/Frank Frazetta]
  • The Frazetta Portfolio 1993: A Gallery of Six Full-Color Prints (Northampton, Massachusetts: Tundra, 1993) [portfolio: na/Frank Frazetta]
  • Frazetta: Illustrations Arcanum (Roseville, California: Verotik, 1994) [graph: pb/Frank Frazetta]
  • Frazetta: A Retrospective (New York: Thorner Printing, 1994) [graph: book of paintings exhibited at New York'due south Alexander Gallery in 1994: hb/Frank Frazetta]
  • Icon: A Retrospective by the Grand Master of Fantastic Art (Grass Valley, California: Underwood Books, 1998) [graph: edited by Arnie Fenner and Cathy Fenner: hb/Frank Frazetta]
  • Legacy: Selected Drawings and Paintings by Frank Frazetta (Grass Valley, California: Underwood Books, 1999) [graph: edited by Arnie Fenner and Cathy Fenner: hb/Frank Frazetta]
  • Attestation: A Celebration of the Life & Art of Frank Frazetta (Grass Valley, California: Underwood Books, 2001) [graph: edited by Arnie Fenner and Cathy Fenner: hb/Frank Frazetta]
  • Drawings and Watercolors of Frank Frazetta (Grass Valley, California: Underwood Books, 2004) [graph: edited by Arnie Fenner and Cathy Fenner: hb/Frank Frazetta]
  • Rough Work: Concept Art, Doodles, and Sketchbook Drawings (Overland Park, Kansas: Spectrum Fantastic Art, 2008) [graph: edited by Arnie Fenner and Cathy Fenner: hb/Frank Frazetta]
  • Telling Stories: The Comic Art of Frank Frazetta (Nevada City, California: BlackBart, 2008) [graph: edited by Edward Mason: hb/Frank Frazetta]
  • Frazetta: Funny Stuff (San Diego, California: Yoe Books!, 2012) [graph: edited and designed by Craig Yoe: introduction by Ralph Bakshi: hb/Frank Frazetta]
  • The Frazetta Sketchbook (Lakewood, New Jersey: Vanguard Productions, 2012) [graph: J David Spurlock credited as co-author: hb/Frank Frazetta]
  • Frank Frazetta: Art and Reminiscences (Neshannock, Pennsylvania: Hermes Press, 2013) with Frank Frazetta Jr [graph: biography: hb/Frank Frazetta]

nearly the artist

  • James A Bail. Frazetta: The Definitive Reference (Lakewood, New Bailiwick of jersey: Vanguard Productions, 2008) [graph: illustrated bibliography of Frazetta's artwork: pb/Frank Frazetta]

links

  • The Unofficial Frank Frazetta Fantasy Art Gallery
  • Frank Frazetta at Ragged Claws Network
  • Internet Speculative Fiction Database
  • Picture Gallery

previous versions of this entry

  • Internet Annal

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Source: https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/frazetta_frank