Saturday 7 January 2012

Steve Yeowell - Wedding Day Dots

Hats off to the legendary Steve Yeowell who gives us this wonderfully melodramatic, Lichtenstein-inspired cover for prog 1765. The cover, featuring Dante and, of course, a sobbing Jenna lends itself brilliantly to the work of famed pop art visionary Roy Lichtenstein.

Initially, however, the cover was simply a heart wrenching scene from the story, with the pop art idea introduced later. Here's master draughtsman Steve's perfect pencils for the image...
Followed by some typically clever inking...
Next are the flat colours. It was at this point that the Lichtenstein idea was mooted. Steve says "The Lichtenstein idea was suggested by Tharg after seeing the final cover colours..."
Below is a copy of the dot screen version Steve did at the mighty one's request. However, Steve continues "Later Tharg asked for a layered version of the un-filtered cover so the production department could put together the cover now in print..."
And below is that final printed version.

Of course 2000AD has a long tradition of riffing on established artist's work. From memory, I've put some below. We've had Gustav Klimt by Duncan Fegredo...

Gilbert and George and Andy Warhol by Dave Hine...


Banksy by Jock...
This wonderful surrealist Dredd by the (much missed) Mick Austin...

And of course, this year's cover winner, D'Israeli's Hokusai cover.

Can you think of any more?

Many, many thanks to Steve Yeowell for sending the images, it's great to see a 2000AD artist doing a pastiche of an artist who used to pastiche comic artists!

5 comments:

  1. What, Mick Austin's dead?!? Fuck no!!! he was the cover artist of the very first 2000ad I ever bought! A Dredd head shot, think it was mid-500's, 540-odd, maybe? I should dig it out, now...

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  2. Oh, no, my mistake! I see he's just left comics for the greener pastures of (ahem) "fine" art. Well, good for him, I hope he's following his muse...he was a great, idiosyncratic comic artist, though...that Anderson story with the whales--where the other Psi Judge (forgotten her name--Corey, was it?) kills herself in sympathy with the plight of the last dying humpback whale...fuck, that was a masterpiece. Mick Austin's brushwork was just sublime on that piece.

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  3. Oh no, I killed Mick Austin!

    Sorry about that Vollsticks, I meant 'much missed' from the comic, not from our astral plane!

    You're right though, he is a magnificent artist. His brushwork was beautiful and he gave us some cracking covers. If the one you've got is the 'Vote Dredd' cover of Prog 916 then I'm sooo jealous! I loved the grumpiness of Dredd on that image, it was my message board avatar for years.

    Sorry again for the shock!

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  4. Mick Austin has been interviewed for the February edition of the Meg'.

    Ace post as ever.

    What a great blog!

    Matt Badham

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    1. Wow, thanks Matt!

      I really, really liked his work back in the day. Thanks for your kind comments too.

      Keep up the great work in the Meg!

      Pete.

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