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Take an exclusive look at the wonderful art of Drew Struzan from his new book Oeuvre!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. Drew Struzan is the master. I know that, you know that, anybody with more than a smidgeon of love for film knows that. His iconic poster work is truly breathtaking and is so closely tied to the magic of the movies for me that it’s not much of a jump for my brain to consider him amongst the ranks of Spielberg, Lucas, Tippett and Muren.
You may remember I interviewed the man for the release of his last book, The Art of Drew Struzan. If you missed it, click here. That book was fantastic in that we got to see his process from rough first passes, sketched ideas to final product.
His new book Drew Struzan: Oeuvre isn’t as focused on the process, but on his work itself. And not just his movie work. There’s book covers, band art, commercial art pieces and much more all bound within a beautiful hardcover book.
The book ships tomorrow and in celebration I have a few exclusive pieces of art to share with you.
Below you’ll see a variet of pop culture as recorded through Struzan’s brilliant eye. From The Muppets to John Rambo and everybody’s favorite adventuring archeologist you’ll get a little taste at the kind of work showcased in the wonderful book! Enjoy!
Simply amazing. That kind of talent baffles me, it really does. Hope you guys enjoyed the look at Mr. Struzan’s work and I can’t recommend picking up Oeuvre enough. Such a great collection of the man’s art; a must own for any movie/pop culture fan!
-Eric Vespe
”Quint”
quint@aintitcool.com
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Readers Talkback
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his compositions are pretty generic or too symmetrical (the superman aside) but his style is one of a kind.
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and i'm surprised there isn't a Struzan filter in photoshop to give design interns the ability to totally ape this kind of stuff with photos
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Makes me a bit depressed that despite all my efforts, no amount of work and practice will equal that raw level of visual talent.
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I've had this book for years! I just checked and it said first North American edition, copyright 2004. I understand if it's been out of print, but what's all this "new" business?
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Brainless troll.
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...something tells me we'll never have a coffee table book of floating head posters.
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Oct. 3, 2011, 11:18 p.m. CST
The bottom-left image in the Indy poster (Indy punching the Nazi)...
by Nasty In The Pasty
...is recycled from a Dave Dorman cover to an Indiana Jones comic book (Fate Of Atlantis, issue #4). Shame.
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The Dorman cover and Struzan's poster use the same Last Crusade publicity still. And yes, Struzan traces using a projector; I think in the past he's sort of admitted it (he kind of has to to meet deadlines of only a couple weeks or days). It's more of a shortcut than a cheat, since you still need actual draftsmanship skills to pull it off. For someone who can't pull it off, see Greg Land or Matt Busch.
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I believe this is a new edition with added art and comments from Struzan. Think of it like the 2011 Edition.
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Oct. 3, 2011, 11:37 p.m. CST
Amen bbird. The photo reference is neither here nor there.
by white_vader
Anyone can copy, given enough time. After enough years, that sort of thing is a formality once you've developed your skills enough. What separates artists lke Struzan is bringing LIFE to those likenesses, and his unequalled command of composition and colour. He's used the same photo reference numerous times, but they're not at the mercy of the originals when he re-lights them or re-colours them to fit the different composition. Anyone who thinks it's just about grappling with a likeness is on the wrong wavelength. And probably got all outraged like the stuffed shirt/critics contingent when someone dared to suggest the old masters used optics to help capture likenesses. Pfft. Talk about missing the point.
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Is by-the-numbers deadsville. He toils/makes a lotta dough in Struzan's shadow. "Visions" indeed! The hubris!
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Oct. 3, 2011, 11:39 p.m. CST
It also has to do with marketing and approved likeness issues.
by white_vader
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Oct. 3, 2011, 11:42 p.m. CST
Struzan will hold the photo in his hand while he sketches out the likeness --
by MooseMalloy
-- God what a cheater! Fool.
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Oct. 3, 2011, 11:46 p.m. CST
He should have done the box art for the Star Wars Blu-ray set. He would have done a much better job.
by Mr. Pricklepants
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... thanks to the recommendations on this very site. I may have to pass on this one due to budget concerns but I'll think about it. It does look great.
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For the feedback. Much appreciated!
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Oct. 4, 2011, 12:36 a.m. CST
He does'nt do it for money. he does it to spread love around the world
by BoRock_A_Boomer
Ay least that's what he said in that weird interview on THE MIST dvd. Does anybody remember Richard Amsel. He came before Struzan and did the 1st Indy poster. he died of aids.
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Really? The book I bought at SDCC 5 years ago for $35 bucks (hardcover) is NEWS tonight? Wow. Crack reporting. Hey! Did you know that Water is wet?
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Damn :-( Always wondered what happened to him, I had his RAIDERS poster on my wall, next to Struzan's, for years. I couldn't decide which I liked best, it changed from day to day. He too was a great talent
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Compare it to subsequent RAMBO posters and weep
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That's him running away in front Superman.
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I was lucky enough to score a signed copy of the 2004 edition which has pride of place on my bookshelf. Totally inspirational and for me, like a lot of 30=somethings, is like a time capsule for our favourite 80s movies.
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Oddly has trouble reading. Or clicking on any of the images. New version. Updated artwork and notes from Struzan. Crack reading, dick!
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I always preferred Amsel's work. He was more inventive and his work brought out the personality of the characters more. Struzan feels too photographic and cold. He's obviously very skilled but it takes a different kind of talent to really bring things to life.
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I try and try to get excited for the new Superman movie but every time I see something by someone who actually understands the character I'm forced to realize how disappointing the reboots in film and print are. Screw the new Aloha From Hawaii Elvis / Jim Lee Superman. And screw Snyder and Nolan's pointlessly redesigned, grumpy Superman. Glad there's people like Struzan out there to remind me what real art looks like. If my wallet wasn't hemorrhaging money I'd totally pick this up.
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I think the problem with some of Alvin and Struzan's work is when it gets too photorealistic. This may be the fault of marketing departments, or it may be that they have just gotten too good at recreating likenesses. But the looseness of their earlier work is what gave it life.
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If you were young 'ish' in the 70s-80s this guy is a fucking legend ... he made my mind spin on countless cinema posters and VHS box covers in video rental shops. Great times.
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...was one of my favorite artists as well. I haven't seen anything from him lately. I agree on the Greg Land comment though - all his stuff looks too much like the photos he uses - all stiff, no life. The 'First Blood' poster above is beyond amazing: simply iconic. Everything is photoshopped bullshit now. Tragic.
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http://www.geekchunks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/unused_cowboys_aliens_poster.jpg Im suprised they didnt go with that one as the movie was supposed to be abit of a nod to Spielbergs SF movies and had Ford...a Drew regular guess they didnt want to reveal the aliens, plus wanted Craig centre stage (not Ford looking like Indiana Jones) pity....people may have mistaken it for Indy 5 and and actually gone to see it
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Quint was rattling the cage so much I thought this was some totally brand new book while all along thinking...isn't that already sitting up on my shelf? Still, it'd be interesting to see how much new work is in there. Looking at the cover, the piece from the Walking Dead promo is one of them.
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Just looked it up. Tom Jung! He brings back the nostalgia too! Star Wars, Bakshi's Lord of the Rings, The Empire Strikes Back...
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OH YES!!!
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From his recent work I highly rate his Phantom Menace poster ... everything just sits right and works. All time ... I can't see past the original Back To The Future poster ... just has something magical and special about it that made me instantly want to see the film.
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I'd have to say The Thing. It's a rare instance of him doing something simple and slightly expressionistic. I don't like his ensemble arrangements, they are very formulaic. I just noticed how bad that Superman image is - that figure in the foreground holding his head looks cut out and stuck on, the perspective is just wrong. Gah. It sounds like I hate him tho - I don't. I still have my Star Wars t-shirt transfer he did.
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I read Struzan's last book, and it's really sad. He loved his art, and was insanely talented, but was thwarted left and right by idiotic art directors and marketing firms that insisted he cut and paste elements from numerous posters together ("frankensteining"), which is why so many of his posters have heads that don't match the bodies. Design by committee is always a nightmare for an artist, and Struzan never received the respect he deserved. The last 4 or 5 movie posters he did (which were AWESOME) were never even used, because the studio's insisted that crappy photo montages created in Korean sweatshops are "what the people want". Paintings were just "too old fashioned". What morons.
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Yeah, the story behind the 'Thing' poster is fantastic and really shows his ability and skill under pressure with limited time.
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Blade Runner. http://www.drewstruzan.com/illustrated/portfolio/?fa=large&gid=685&mp&gallerystart=1&pagestart=1&type=mp&gs=1 It's the Blade Runner image that best captures the personality of the characters and the mood of the film. Years ago (way before Final Cut was released) I went back and forth via email with Drew, asking about this image and how to get it as a poster (it was not available at the time). What an incredibly nice guy. I was so pleased to see this image revived and used on the Final Cut Blu-ray packaging. If I'm not mistaken, I believe it's Ridley Scott's favorite image for the film as well (?).
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anyone who thinks Stuzan's work is 'photographic and cold' has his head up his butt. His work has so much blood running through it… very warm and full of life. Other criticisms (e.g., too photorealistic) fail to take into account that movie poster art is not just art, but marketing as well. Struzan's best work balances these competing priorities pretty well, I think. Some of his posters sell the underlying film better than any other marketing effort could.
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is still stunning. I remember seeing it in theaters when I was a kid before the movie came out and wanting to see The Thing just based on the poster. And even though the movie is unbearable, his poster for Cutthroat Island is awesome and gives a flavor of what it would have been like if Drew created posters for the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (which he would have been perfect for)
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this one: http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1020/188768.1020.A.jpg and i also prefer Drews original version to the 'tweeked' Final Cut one: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-opSprGZ2b6o/TgI8Xw5IDEI/AAAAAAAAJGQ/Ts9ThmmjdSA/s1600/blade-runner-movie-poster1.jpg
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Oct. 5, 2011, 2:52 p.m. CST
m6y - what are your thoughts on Drews Cowboys/Aliens poster?
by CARTMANEZ
see my post above for info
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