Quite some time ago I thought about starting a series where I would take at least one day of my week to endeavor into the art process of the old masters in the form of master studies. Being particularly drawn to imaginative realism (what most people call "Fantasy Art') it is not remarkable that the first name that comes to mind when considering the old masters is Frank Frazetta.
This was the beginning of 🔥Frazetta Friday🔥.
Frank is considered a pioneer of modern fantasy illustration. Though being largely self-taught, he began taking drawing classes at the Brooklyn Academy of Art at just eight years old.
After the Golden Age of Illustration wrapped up in the 1920s, plenty of young artists kept their creative juices flowing for decades to come. One of these folks was J. Allen St. John, who left his artistic mark on Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan and John Carter series. He basically passed the torch to a fresh batch of talent, including Frank Frazetta and other influential figures like Jeff Jones, the Brothers Hildebrandt, and Boris Vallejo. These up-and-comers played a key role in steering illustration into exciting new directions, away from the usual spots like newsstands. Most of them had their sights set on the world of fantasy art, whether it was for things like paperback book covers, magazines, movie posters, animated flicks, tabletop role-playing games, and, eventually, even video games.
My painting study of Frank's Sun Goddess:
Sun Goddess was a painting Frank completed as a cover for the #7 Vampirella comic book in 1970.
According to the Frazetta Art Museum, "The Sun Goddess" is a Frank Frazetta artwork painted around 1970. Some people interpret it as a celebration of the women's movement of the 1960s and 1970s, while others see it as a precursor to the New Age goddess worship of the 1990s. However, Frazetta himself didn't emphasize any particular intellectual or symbolic message when creating the artwork. He believed that trying to intellectualize art could interfere with its impact, and he painted primarily to entertain and evoke emotions. Any deeper meaning that viewers found in his art beyond the visual itself was a welcome bonus for him. Frazetta focused on conveying emotions in his work rather than specific symbols or messages.
Below you can check my video process from start to finish on completing the master study painting of Frank`s Sun Goddess. Naturally, you'll have my commentary too as there are many things to learn from a great master of art, some of which may escape your eye if you just see me painting.
This is it for today`s episode, guys! I hope you enjoyed it and decided to stick around for the upcoming episodes of the series! 😜
Talk to you soon! Bye! 🙏
Galiant
P. S. Thank you for being around liking and commenting! I had such a blast hearing from you on my last post! It's great to have you here! 🤗