The WolfieToon at "DISCIPLINE & DESIRE" this week is my meager tribute to one of the finest illustrators to have graced a book cover, the late Frank Frazetta!
(Self portrait of the artist as a young man)
There are critiques and tributes to Frank all over the web, and I'll give you a couple of links below, but just in case you're not sure who he is, here are some images.
First, one of my favorites, I believe the name of it is "Great Form."
Frank loved golf-- he loved being able to make a living at the easel-- he loved his wife Ellie and his kids and life in the suburbs-- and evidently he loved female bottoms!
(Might be some kinda symbolism there...)
Frank began his career doing comics-- including a stint as one of Al Capp's "ghosts" on "Li'l Abner," as well as romance comics and public service ads!
(I think that guy kinda looks like young Frank and the gal like Bettie Page! I wonder if that was deliberate?)
(He NEVER gets winded! Get it, Guys??)
But Frazetta's biggest claim to fame came from the work he did in the 60's and 70's, book covers and illustrations for paperback runs of the "Conan" series--
And the "Tarzan" adventures--
And "John Carter of Mars" and company--
And more, including "Warren" comics magazines-- the publishers of "Famous Monsters of Filmland"-- which had anthologies of scary stories and a voluptuous vampire from outer space!
And here's one of Frazetta's paintings for a series of books about Victorian era antihero "Flashman!"
Frank did a later version that I think could find a nice home over with Mike and Season at their "BLOSSOM AND THORN" BLOG!
I'm not sure why Michael and Season came to mind looking at this... but...
Hope you enjoyed these, and many thanks to art lovers all over the web for sharing these images!
You can click these links for a splendid Frazetta obituary at "JONSIBAL DESIGN WORKS" BLOG, which includes a trailer for a documentary called "Painting With Fire," and an entry about Frank and his wife Ellie that I love from the "ILLUSTRATION ART" BLOG!
There is a quote-- I thought it was by Frazetta, but I haven't been able to confirm that-- about the delicious joys of rendering female buttocks. It went something like, "It's hard to explain the fascination. On the canvas, it's really just two spheres interacting, but I love it. I could draw bottoms all day!"
Y'know, I feel the same way!
