Wacky Reference Wednesday, No. 170
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Labels: Covers / Penciled / Pin-Ups / Spider-Man / Wacky Reference Wednesdays |
Peter Parker Studies. 2010. Pencil on bristol board, 11 × 17″.
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After drawing some initial studies for Peter Parker, I was asked to make a slight change to the hairstyle. I usually draw him with messy, close-cropped hair, but I tried to streamline it for animation. The result left him looking a little older (and old-fashioned) so Joe Quesada shared his own take for inspiration. I cleaned up the studies and proceeded to the turnaround, which I'll share tomorrow.
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| Left: Joe Quesada visits RISD and critiques one of my earliest covers for Marvel. Right: His hairstyle guides for Peter Parker |
Quesada has been giving me advice for quite some time. In 2002, he hired me via email after a cold submission. In 2003, he drove himself to Providence to lecture at RISD and see my senior show, which opened the following day. (Then he drove back—a 6-hour round trip at least.) He even had Kevin Smith call in the middle of the lecture to speak with an audience member (you know who you are). To say I am grateful does not begin to describe the appreciation I have for the man who not only gave me a job and a career, but whom I had revered as an artist since childhood. In 2010, when he asked me to participate in this project, I jumped at the chance.
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| The initial sketches |
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| The final character studies before proceeding to turnarounds |
And in case you couldn't see it in the photo above, Quesada is holding my cover to Fantastic Four #500 (which is technically my first collaboration with Mark Waid). Quesada actually guided me through this cover as well, providing a rough compositional sketch that I used as a framework. I can't find the sketch at the moment, but if and when I do, I'll be sure to share.
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Fantastic Four #500 Cover. 2003. Oil on masonite, 12 × 18″.
This is a photo of the actual painting, not the printed cover.
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I have wondered about if Marvel gave guidelines about Peter's hair, since the short style he had through the 60s and 70s makes him look like kind of a tool in a modern setting. The longer, swept back bangs do make him look younger.
ReplyDeleteAlso, could you enlighten me on the definition of a "cold submission"?
(I tried Googling it and kept getting links to erotic Harry Potter fanfics)
Is it just a portfolio sampler you sent to certain address or e-mail inbox and hope somebody looks at it? How is it different from an unsolicited submission?
Yep, it's just another way of saying "unsolicited." I went to the Marvel office to meet editors, but he was not among them. I got his email, however, and he responded the next day. From what I hear, this was an uncommon occurrence.
ReplyDeletedude, did you have wolverine sideburns back then or is that a shadow?
ReplyDeleteGreat work as always!
been a fan of yours for a while and i think your DD run is going to put you in line with the greats!
congrats!
(love the site btw)
Thanks! And yes, those are my chops. That's what I would look like if I didn't shave every day.
Deletei quit shaving when i was like 25/26.
Deletesince then i think i've only shaved maybe a handful of times.
i recommend a full beard to those that haven't tried it.
you will respect it.
I've done it. Too itchy for me.
Delete