Wolfmen!

I've just finished the wraparound cover illustration for the 72nd issue of Scary Monsters magazine.  For those who've wondered why this blog is "Scary Terry's World," -- this is why -- for more than a decade, I've been providing art for this mag, and since Scary and Terry conveniently rhyme, the nickname was inevitable! 

After years of painting these covers in acrylics on illustration board, pasting up copy on an overlay and shipping it all to the publisher in a big bulky cardboard box, I'm now experimenting with new ways to work, and making the final cover in Photoshop -- delivering the piece electronically.  Yes -- I know it's a shock to some, but I'm digging this 21st century technology.  

For this werewolf themed cover, I searched the web for images of Oliver Reed in the Hammer Studios movie, Curse of the Werewolf, and used a flopped version of a frame from the film for my preliminary drawing -- also referencing other stills and promotional photos for details.  The Lon Chaney Jr. Wolfman images came from still-frame screen images.

I started with pencil drawings on vellum -- shown here in their original black and white state.  The next step was scanning them and playing with color and contrast in Photoshop.  For Lon's Wolfman, I gave the linework a rich brown treatment, with a pale yellow in the highlights.  For the Oliver Reed Werewolf, I went with a deep blue, and then using the airbrush tools, added pinks, purples, reds and yellows under the linework.

The final step was to combine the images and add copy, logo and plug in the mag's mascot, Sam Scare.  

Click on the images for a larger view!

Next on the drawing board -- finishing up a few commissions, drawing a band gig poster and starting a major new project that'll keep me occupied for six months at least....

More vintage comics

The vintage Sunday comics I posted leading up to the release of Big Funny proved so popular, that I'm going to post a few more.  Today we have Prince Valiant from June 17, 1945, and the Terry and the Pirates strip from the same day (printed on the reverse of the Val).  I especially like this Val.  Look at the compositions, the visual storytelling and the character acting on this page -- spectactular!  The second panel is one I've used in my MCAD comics classes to show how to make every element in a panel serve a purpose.

I'm also sharing a Skippy strip from 1930.  Percy Crosby was a fascinating character -- and if you love comics like I do, you'd really enjoy Jerry Robinson's book about Crosby and his art -- if you're lucky enough to track down a copy of this long-out-of-print volume....

This Skippy comes from a Sunday comic section that is literally falling apart.  I'm going to try to scan the rest of it, to preserve what I can from it -- it's sad to see the brittle paper crumbling as it ages.  The actually paper is far more yellowed than this Photoshopped scan would suggest -- and the creases in the paper are an unfortunate blemish that I couldn't remove.  Check back over the next couple weeks, as I'll post more strips as I get them scanned and cleaned up....

And feel free to leave a comment, folks.  I'd like to know what you think about the content of this blog, and what else you'd like to see here. 

Dinosaurs!!!!

There are a couple great dinosaur posts over on Mr. Door Tree's always wonderful "Golden Age Comic Book Stories" blog -- a big batch of Charles Knight paintings -- and Joseph Clement Coll's illustrations for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World."  

In response, here's a promotional image for Willis O'Brien's silent film version of "The Lost World."  I didn't even recall how I came to own this vintage still -- but from the pencilled price tag on the back, it seems I paid a whole two bucks for it -- lucky me! 

A Bilko bonanza!

Since the post office is honoring early television shows with their TV Memories stamps, I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and share these images of Phil Silvers as Sgt. Ernie Bilko. Yes -- all stuff from my crazy collection.  From a coloring book to a Camels ad* -- we're covering all the bases!  Enjoy!

* By posting this vintage cigarette ad, I am in no way endorsing the use of tobacco products -- I'm quite opposed to it actually.  It's here for it's historical (and hysterical!) value.

Kirby-Vision!

This great website has been posting some of my Jack Kirby-inspired drawings -- along with the work of many talented artists -- all doing their Kirby thing.  Click HERE to see.

What does a WInkerbean taste like?

I'd forgotten about this breakfast cereal until I stumbled across this ad in an '80s Chicago Tribune Sunday comics section I'd saved.  I think I actually bought a box or two of this stuff.  I don't recall what it tasted like, but I do remember liking the idea of the box covered in comic strips!

The Greatest SYMBOLS in Comics!

Dig this early Marvel Comics ad!  Unlike most in house promo ads, which re-used existing art, this seems to have been drawn especially for the ad.  Art by Kirby (and Ayers?) -- from Sgt. Fury #1!