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Say it ain't so! Drew Struzan retiring?

First by Lost4Words	Sep 4th, 2008 03:41:25 PM
FIRST!
first by slkboxrman	Sep 4th, 2008 03:42:47 PM
and ....who the fuck is drew struzan ?
yes an amazing artist by Rupee88	Sep 4th, 2008 03:42:52 PM
glad to see he isn't a workaholic and can enjoy his golden years. But talk about an incredible body of work.
The Thing by Lost4Words	Sep 4th, 2008 03:45:06 PM
The one sheet for The Thing is killer...
Ah Jesus by Samson_K	Sep 4th, 2008 03:46:03 PM
So - it's all Photoshop from here on in? I don't begrudge the guy his retirement at all - if only there were some people out there that could carry the baton. Struzman has graced an incredible amount of movies - some not very good movies with magnificent posters. Is there anyone else doing that at all these days?
Amazing by Lost4Words	Sep 4th, 2008 03:46:30 PM
I didn't realize he did so many high profile pieces.
I'll miss his shiny orange noses... by Rameses	Sep 4th, 2008 03:46:59 PM
Everyone in his artwork had very shiny orange noses!Great artist though .His Bladerunner poster was a beaut.I bet he comes out of retirement for the next indy movie
The greatest movie poster guy since Saul Bass by palimpsest	Sep 4th, 2008 03:49:14 PM
Totally different styles, but each brought more to the poster than just an image advertising the film. If you're reading this Drew, enjoy your retirement and leave it there. A decision made should stay made.
So who will do the Cloverfield 2 poster? by Baron Karza	Sep 4th, 2008 03:49:49 PM
Me?
He's had an amazing run with his artwork by Bhaald	Sep 4th, 2008 03:54:42 PM
Good luck and have fun with family, you will be missed.
DARK TOWER POSTER by SpawnofAchilles	Sep 4th, 2008 03:56:55 PM
I shot like 5,000 loads when I saw that in The Mist, and I just shot 5,000 more, my balls are empty but I still feel whole
Noooooo! by Mr Nicholas	Sep 4th, 2008 03:57:53 PM
I hate, hate, hate this age of unimaginative, generic Photoshopped posters. They don't tease. They don't inspire. God, I'll miss his work.
This VID sums up the current state of MODERN movie posters... by Rex Manning	Sep 4th, 2008 04:03:39 PM
http://www.funnyordie.com/vide os/47d8df4123
Damn, that sucks by monorail77	Sep 4th, 2008 04:04:00 PM
Hope its not forever.
Amazing work. by mrfan	Sep 4th, 2008 04:05:54 PM
Happy retirement.
Shame he's retiring but . . . by Thall_Joben	Sep 4th, 2008 04:06:45 PM
"Had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Struzan - I found him to be a very humble" Maybe you met John Alvin (a wonderful guy). Drew has an ego the size of a planet - the guy thinks he's Jesus. SERIOUSLY. He could paint great posters, but he could sure use a lesson in humility. He thinks he's giving the world a precious gift with his every brush stroke.
Thall by Quint	Sep 4th, 2008 04:16:00 PM
That might be true, I don't know... but I can't speak to anybody else's experience, just my own. That's how I found him when we met.
Maybe by BurntRectum	Sep 4th, 2008 04:20:30 PM
He knows when he might be quoted.
Love his work by Turd Furgusen	Sep 4th, 2008 04:21:45 PM
"Big Trouble In Little China" is one of the all time greats. It's a shame that art is slowly disappearing from movie posters.....
grueman by Quint	Sep 4th, 2008 04:23:25 PM
About...???
What's that one with the couch? by acamp	Sep 4th, 2008 04:27:25 PM
Don't recognize it.
acamp by arctor	Sep 4th, 2008 04:31:59 PM
better off dead
this makes me a sad panda by chokinonrhodes	Sep 4th, 2008 04:32:53 PM
i have that temple of doom poster framed in my living room. drew would be in my top 10 fav. artists ever. I wish him nothing but the best.
Drew, your website sucks! by loafroaster	Sep 4th, 2008 04:47:26 PM
Hire someone to do your work justice online!
No worries, the guys who can paste floating heads... by Stalin vs Predator	Sep 4th, 2008 04:47:50 PM
...on generic backgrounds are not, repeat, NOT retiring. The industry is safe and in good hands.
Charyoutree! Charyoutree! Charyoutree! by CharyouTree	Sep 4th, 2008 04:48:43 PM
hope they still use that poster if/when the do a Dark Tower movie, I have the BladeRunner one on my wall.
Did his server shut down? by The Winged Doucheman	Sep 4th, 2008 04:49:39 PM
I was enjoying the portfolio pics.
Does this mean more posters like by The Winged Doucheman	Sep 4th, 2008 04:52:56 PM
"My Best Friend's Girl"?
He still did his share of "big head posters" but by TooWhippy	Sep 4th, 2008 04:53:19 PM
maybe that's what the studios wanted him to do?
r.i.p by ReEkOs_RoUgHnEcKs	Sep 4th, 2008 04:54:29 PM

I'm so sorry he wasn't used more lately. by Samus Aran	Sep 4th, 2008 04:58:36 PM
A freaking shame that nobody really used him anymore in the last 20 or so years. I have no idea why people seem to find movie posters that are photoshoped together photos more appealing than Drew Struzens gorgeous paintings. Movie studios are willing to spend millions upon millions to market a movie, but for some reason they arent willing to pay Drew his fee to paint a masterpiece which would be the difintive marketing image of their movie. Shame on whoever snubs him.
Great body of work... by Fletch Gannon	Sep 4th, 2008 04:59:29 PM
Some of the work that I love of his is 'Back to the Future', 'The Thing', 'Star Wars' rerelease...okay I love everything he's done, from posters, to plates, to book covers. Drew you will be missed...enjoy yourself.
Seems This Original Artwork is for SALE by Rando Calrisian	Sep 4th, 2008 05:03:52 PM
Looking in the portfolio, there are price tags on most of the original artwork. $350,000 for the three original Back to the Future Posters. I'll have to check the change in the couch...
With the recent news of the deaths of.... by SubliminalJones	Sep 4th, 2008 05:07:15 PM
Don LaFontaine, Jerry Reed, Bill Melendez and now this, you might seriously consider changing this site's name to Aint-It-Depressing-As-All-Fuck -News.com
that stallone rendition for first blood is horrible by juice willis	Sep 4th, 2008 05:23:02 PM
mongoloidish, eh?
Better Off Dead like a motherfucker, yo! by Kurutteru Yatsu	Sep 4th, 2008 05:42:47 PM
Go that way, really fast. If something gets in your way...turn.
Love Struzan by slone13	Sep 4th, 2008 05:48:54 PM
Loved Richard Amsel even more though...
One of the best by ls420	Sep 4th, 2008 05:56:49 PM
He will be missed
Quint.... by blackhole4140	Sep 4th, 2008 05:57:11 PM
Are there any artists waiting in the wings to carry on for Struzan?
Struzan is the man. by mr.brownstone	Sep 4th, 2008 06:06:11 PM
here's why http://tinyurl.com/5h5zop
I'm hoping... by mr.brownstone	Sep 4th, 2008 06:10:47 PM
That painted movie posters will stay alive for a long time to come... if not forever. There are tons of talented artists out there who I'd love to see try their hand at movie posters. Let's not forget there have been many, many pre-drew painted posters too and most of the guys who did those never got their due slaving away in some graphics department somewhere many of the original paintings destroyed once they had served their purpose. So yeah, I'd love to see some new energy brought in and hopefully revitalize it.
Very sad... by Gilkuliehe	Sep 4th, 2008 06:33:00 PM
I remember staring at this guy's posters for the longest periods of time when I was a kid. I'll always think of him as part of my movie experience growing up. Anyone here has seen those amazing batshit crazy Polish posters? I have a couple books of horror posters and seen some crazy shit... Weird alternate versions of the official posters, sometimes even more interesting and compelling than the original ones. Any expert on Polish posters here?
Didn't by Series7	Sep 4th, 2008 06:35:38 PM
Thomas Jane draw all of those?
@juice willis by ElvisPresLeeHorsleyHarveyOswaldO prahWinFreeJackHorkheimer	Sep 4th, 2008 06:46:33 PM
"mongoloidish, eh?" - In other words dead-on.
What will... by mr.brownstone	Sep 4th, 2008 06:50:04 PM
Struzan's last official poster be? The Mist? That would be strangely poetic.
Transformers by SamBlackChvrch21	Sep 4th, 2008 06:55:26 PM
I love his poster he did for Transformers, it has to be one of the most bad ass pieces of art I have ever seen. I was unable to find a formal double sided poster, but did score a sweet 10 foot vinyl banner version that now hangs in my office.
Alex Ross would do an amazing job... by Dax_Bladerunner	Sep 4th, 2008 07:01:18 PM
If he wasn't so busy in the comic book industry. I'm actually surprised a director or studio hasn't already asked him to do a movie poster before.
Quint by Thall_Joben	Sep 4th, 2008 07:06:02 PM
I hear ya, same here I can't speak to anybody else's experience, just my own. I'll miss his work.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO by Gungan Slayer	Sep 4th, 2008 07:20:10 PM
Damn it NOOOOOOO. Yes, I respect his decision to retire, I mean, he's certainly deserved it and he deserves to spend time with his family....BUT...DAMNT IT. Now we're stuck with shitty photoshopped posters of huge ass heads belonging to actors and other random shit. Struzan, IMO, perfected the art of film posters, and he's full of immense talent. It's fucking damn shame that film studios have moved away from actual art and instead to photoshop. Ah well. Thanks for all the cool posters Mr. Struzan...and hopefuly you'll return to make a cool film poster every once in awhile!
Damn it all. Losing another great talent. by halberd	Sep 4th, 2008 07:28:40 PM
But I second Alex Ross.
blame the Scream 1 and 2 dvds and Scream 3 theatrical by Bouncy X	Sep 4th, 2008 08:05:37 PM
the first movie's poster was simply that female face sorta covering her mouth in fear, part two had the same concept but with courtney cox and neve campbell's faces on either side. though when they hit dvd they both had versions doing the "face in a row" thing. and then when part 3 came out, the theatrical poster used it too. it doesnt change the fact that franchise started the trend but i'm just saying its the dvd covers that did it.
this deserves a NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO by T 1000 xp professional	Sep 4th, 2008 08:15:46 PM
photoshophilles are everywhere and are getting stronger
All Time Favorites by Teddy Artery	Sep 4th, 2008 08:22:47 PM
for me were his Indiana Jones and Bladerunner posters. We'll miss ya, Drew.
Bladerunner & more by Dollar Bird	Sep 4th, 2008 09:01:56 PM
That blue Bladerunner poster is pretty amazing. I sometimes would get frustrated with his (admittedly magnificent) recent work because they sometimes seemed to lack some fire. (Esp on the bazillion books he'd make covers for) But that Bladerunner piece is great. Nice way to end a career of great work. But where's the love for the other movie poster artists? What about Richard Amsel or Bob Peak or all those Japanese artists who did those sweet Star Wars posters in the 80s. (Before Struzan did his own for the re-releases.)
Amsel by Quint	Sep 4th, 2008 09:11:52 PM
I love Amsel. I have his work framed in my house, too. The Re-Release Raiders of the Lost Ark poster is, along with Struzan's final Temple of Doom poster, my favorite of the Indy films. Is he still around?
Amanda... by Dax_Bladerunner	Sep 4th, 2008 09:14:34 PM
That's actually cool to hear. I wonder why he'd want to go uncredited though. I know that he's done conceptual art on a lot of movies. I'd love to know which movie posters he's actually done. About 5-6 years ago, at the Ad agency that I was working, we were working on a project and trying to find someone to paint our concept. I jokingly said "I'd love it if we could get Alex Ross to do it", just assuming that he was way too much $$$. Anyway, our CD said, "lets give it a shot and call him". I couldn't believe it and was all excited about the possibility to work with him on the smallest scale. So, we call... we ask... he say's "sure for $20,000". We say "how about $5,000?" He says "Uh, no". Ouch. And in one brief sentence my geek moment was crushed. Still love the guys work though.
So now posters and trailers will suck by Grammaton Cleric Binks	Sep 4th, 2008 09:29:09 PM
But, since Hollywood is cranking out so much great orignal work now for movies we don't have to worry. Right? Right? Hello, anybody?
re: Amsel and Peak by Dollar Bird	Sep 4th, 2008 09:35:50 PM
Sorry to say, Quint, but they're both have long since passed away. I think Drew is the last one left from that era.
John Berkey... by Pappachubby	Sep 4th, 2008 09:53:00 PM
I feel should be add to the list of great movie poster artists. King Kong 1977, The Towering Inferno, Orca, Star Wars (turned out to be a book cover), All the Star Trek TMP's (but, Paramount had Bob Peak re -do them exactly in the fashionabls airbrush style of the time) etc! Sadly, Mr. Berkey passed away this last spring. It's sad that movie studio's do not do more to hire illustrator's to do the poster art to keep this art form alive.
Oh, and... by Pappachubby	Sep 4th, 2008 09:54:41 PM
I should have added that Struzan is awesome!
and... by Pappachubby	Sep 4th, 2008 10:00:30 PM
happy retirement. (I'm done now...)
IN A WORLD where movie posters were awesome ... by Geekgasm	Sep 4th, 2008 10:03:20 PM
... you had Drew Struzan and Bob Peak, and that's all you needed.
Drew Struzan Art Book by gengrievous82	Sep 4th, 2008 10:25:08 PM
I bought a really nice coffee table book from an art supply store a year ago that has most if not all of Drew Struzan's work. It's on Amazon here: http://tinyurl.com/5mg2f2 Sad to hear he's retiring. Hopefully all the Photoshoppers out there in the movie industry won't totally ruin the art of movie posters.
Temple of Doom poster... by The Eskimo	Sep 4th, 2008 11:20:20 PM
...classic. One of my all time favorites. Nuff said.
Batshit crazy Polish posters yeah! by half vader	Sep 4th, 2008 11:24:59 PM
I love 'em too. So daggy in such a very Polish way. Although the polish poster for Kurosawa's "Red Beard" is just awesome without qualification.
One of my art heroes by Captain Papercut	Sep 4th, 2008 11:33:55 PM
A long time ago, I had the opportunity to spend the day at Drew's studio. He has always been one of my most favorite artists, and he couldn't have been nicer to me. He took a whole day out of his schedule to patiently talk about his art and technique -- and even fixed me a sandwich at lunch. I'm sure after I left, he must have had a good laugh about the hyper art student that came to visit. He had the original Temple of Doom poster art hanging up, and to see it in person was a religious experience for me. He also was just finishing that awesome 10th anniversary Star Wars print (told you this was a long time ago), and if you look closely at the poster, you might see the fingerprint I left on it. Drew might veer into self-importance sometimes, but he was kind and generous when I met him.
Who could follow? Well... by half vader	Sep 4th, 2008 11:43:16 PM
This was every bit as good as the 'official' Indy 4 posters - http://tinyurl.com/6bw427 Hugh also did the fantastic "Star Wars Rocks" - http://tinyurl.com/6ezcft
P.S. That Indy 4 one by half vader	Sep 4th, 2008 11:45:06 PM
was for the Dark Horse comic adaptation...
with Struzan retiring... by geodesigns	Sep 4th, 2008 11:58:28 PM
it's over. The Photoshop era is complete. End of an era. I really liked Drew's work.
I've met him... by Playkins	Sep 5th, 2008 12:21:39 AM
He came in to one of my classes at Art Center. He 's a GREAT guy. He explained his whole process to us. Fascinating to listen to.
Damn, this guy was like a god by NomoredirtyjokespleaseweareYanks	Sep 5th, 2008 12:22:33 AM
His posters had me lost for hours. I had a huge 10ft high Last Crusade poster that my eyes always wandered to.
I love my "Three O'Clock High" poster by beamish13	Sep 5th, 2008 12:39:19 AM
I still think it's arguably his strongest piece
Well... by codymr	Sep 5th, 2008 01:13:19 AM
Good on him. I guess he has made enough money to live comfortably and has decided to call it a day. I will miss his work and am sorry to see him go. There is way to much of that photoshopped fluff around. Struzan understands the power illustration and the finer points of composition.
You have no idea how much... by Marxeffect	Sep 5th, 2008 02:54:37 AM
I want that Big Trouble In Little China poster
Wow! Those posters truly are beautiful! by Motoko Kusanagi	Sep 5th, 2008 03:01:03 AM
Works of art. Just wow.
Oh, and fuck Photoshop! Fuck it to hell! by Motoko Kusanagi	Sep 5th, 2008 03:03:34 AM
Todays posters all have the same amateurish look. Fuck that.
...and Amy Winehouse is still working?! by pokadoo	Sep 5th, 2008 04:02:36 AM
The Goonies is my fave Drew poster!
He was past his best. by Henry Jones Sr	Sep 5th, 2008 04:32:19 AM
It's sad to admit, but he hasn't done a striking or original poster in over a decade. All his recent posters have followed the same formula: black background, panel in the middle, characters arched around the top. The Star Wars Prequels, Harry Potter, Hellboy, Indy IV ... they all looked the same and none were particularly interesting. Maybe he made the right decision.
But ... didn't Drew Struzan pre-figure the Photoshop Era? by NoDiggity	Sep 5th, 2008 05:25:12 AM
From what I've heard, the realistic portrayals of characters were achieved not by eyeballing them artistically, but by projecting images from the films onto the canvas so he could trace them. Perhaps other artists cheated in this way, but the result is a near photographic representation of actors' faces on the posters that probably led to less interest in artistic paintings and more interest in accurately portraying Likenesses of Ego Inflated Actors. And what's the next logical step? Why, using actual photographs instead. I love the poster for Raiders as much as anyone, but this guy was ushering in the Photoshop era. He's just been supplanted by better Photoshoppers with updated technology.
Nothing beats the vintage posters, but don't diss photoshop by Evil Hobbit	Sep 5th, 2008 05:44:16 AM
Posters like the one from the Dark Knight prove that even Photoshop posters can be magnificent.
shame by hoisin	Sep 5th, 2008 06:51:03 AM
The best there ever was and will be
photoshop by Moshi	Sep 5th, 2008 08:47:43 AM
The evil hobbit's got a point. Drew's work is really great, as are a lot of the old painted posters, but there are also a lot of great photoshop artworks. Harry potter, Hellboy. There's also a lot of really poor work out there. But don't blame photoshop. The blame lies in the people art directing this stuff. Seriously, there are a lot of so called art directors who are devoid of any sense of style & completely ruin the image of a movie. Prior to release, often the promo art is the first thing that the public will see of a movie. If it's poorly done it can have a real effect on the future box office takings if it generates bad comments which in the internet age circulate rapidly. Movie studios take note.
DVD by Moshi	Sep 5th, 2008 08:56:56 AM
I forgot to add. Why is it that when a film is released on DVD, the art director in charge of marketing see fit to re work the film's movie art? 99% of the time it's achingly badly done. Why take a good image & muck it up in order to present to the world a cheap looking, ameteurish DVD cover? I understand that it needs re formatting to a smaller image size & dimensions, but in doing so it surely must be possible to avoid it looking like a one eyed schoolboy did the artworking. The DVD is what people keep forever in their home, I for one would like a decent looking box on my shelf.
The Best... by Baron Merlot	Sep 5th, 2008 09:01:06 AM
I always loved this guy's work. He was one of the reasons I became an illustrator.
Re:John Berkey... by Rameses	Sep 5th, 2008 09:02:59 AM
I didn't know Berkey had passed away! {though I knew he was ill}His Kong poster is a classic , though I always think of him more for his very loose {almost impressionistic} style on sci fi art.Big white ocean liner looking spacecraft.His style is interesting to contrast against Struzans really tight controlled airbrush and colour pencil stuff.Does anyone know how Frank Frazetta is doing these days.I know he's suffered several strokes and am expecting to hear the worste any day.
I absolutely love his work by Abominable Snowcone	Sep 5th, 2008 09:45:14 AM
but frankly, apart from Crystal Skull, I can't remember the last thing he did since Crusade. What'd he do 1989-2000s?
Juice by Abominable Snowcone	Sep 5th, 2008 09:50:00 AM
the First Blood art is incredibubble. You're entitled to your opinion on this matter, but frankly it's the wrong opinion :) I love you, Sly! And Drew.
Holy shit I want that BETTER OFF DEAD poster! by HoboCode	Sep 5th, 2008 10:09:44 AM
Never seen it.
Big Trouble poster.... by Grendy	Sep 5th, 2008 10:19:03 AM
I have one that I got when the indie-vid store I moonlighted at (for $$ under the table, no less) went out of business. Matter of fact, I just got it signed to me by James Hong (David Lo-Pan to you heathens) with the following: You are not put on this earth to GET IT Ms. (insert my last name here)! I also have a Temple of Doom poster in my hallway, next to the 50th anniversary of Godzilla and my Pulp Fiction posters. I wish Struzan well, and that he won't really 'retire' all the way. I would love to see some cool Sin City 2 posters from him, ya know?
David Ogden Steirs by Aquatarkusman	Sep 5th, 2008 10:29:45 AM
Actually looks half-human thanks to this artist.
Photoshop may be cool by Abominable Snowcone	Sep 5th, 2008 01:37:40 PM
like the Dark Knight stuff, but Drew was a guy who took characters from movies and artistically incorporated them into posters that, standing alone, are artwork unto themselves in a way that photos and photoshopped images could never be. I remember as a kid looking at these Struzan movie posters (for Indy Jones, Star Wars, etc) and marveling at them the same way I used to marvel at Norman Rockwell's work. I would look at those movie posters before seeing the film and my mind would race, wondering about the upcoming film and what I'd see, based on Struzan's visual clues. The composite characters, the colors, all the elements helped create "moods" for each work. Like how all the Indy Jones posters are washed out in gold / orange-yellow tints. The color of treasure, the color of fire, the color of the sweltering sun at high noon in the peruvian jungle or Cairo or wherever our hero happened to be. Just magnificent stuff. Or there's other work, like the Thing poster shown above. That's just phenomenal. It captures the eerieness, the mystery, the otherworldliness (and arctic coldness) all right there, in the slashes of powder blues and whites, and you don't even see a dude's face. No photoshop can ever do that, EVER. I love that frickin' guy and his work.
Anyone know ... by DennisMM	Sep 5th, 2008 01:42:48 PM
who painted the poster for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture"? It wasn't of the type Struzan or Amsel normally produced, but I remember being impressed by the use of the streaming bar of color from top to bottom. http://tinyurl.com/646w2c I had to take time away from work to look, didn't I? It was Bob Peak, who also did the somewhat similar "Superman: The Movie" poster and "Rollerball"! Fuck, yeah, "ROLLERBALL"! Bob's site: http://tinyurl.com/64q3vo
Had to look again ... by DennisMM	Sep 5th, 2008 01:44:45 PM
and saw "Pennies From Heaven." Jeebus, what a talent.
Photoshop can do anything traditional paints can by alienindisguise	Sep 5th, 2008 04:00:20 PM
It's just a matter of how skilled the artist is so quit kicking the program in the balls. I too heard that Drew traced the actors to get the likenesses perfect but whatever gets the job done. Frazetta traced too so there ya go.
Except give it style ... by DennisMM	Sep 5th, 2008 04:36:19 PM
In the end, Photoshop is soulless. Yes, I know it's an old complaint, but unless PS users are literally painting over the entire photograph, it's nothing like classic poster painting.
Yea Dennis MM, Bob Peak by skimn	Sep 5th, 2008 06:37:10 PM
and Drew are my favorite poster artists of the '70s and '80s..Peak's Apocalypse Now is classic. Wasn't there a low budget sci-fi poster AICN featured about a year ago?
.. that Drew did? by skimn	Sep 5th, 2008 06:37:55 PM
???
Wow Nodiggity, that's one of the stupidest, most naive by half vader	Sep 5th, 2008 09:47:35 PM
fucking posts for a long time. Do you always wade into the TB that will show your arrogance/uninformed viewpoint the most? Way to miss the fucking point and show your ignorance of artists' working methods! If you're no expert fine, just don't go making a pissy post about it that throws a spotlight on your own stupidity...
And NoDiggity, go read "Secret Knowledge" by half vader	Sep 5th, 2008 09:50:36 PM
by David Hockney. Then you can come back here bellyaching about how the old masters were all a buncha frauds. Ya big tool.
secret knowledge by Moshi	Sep 6th, 2008 05:11:20 AM
tracing an image to achieve accurate realism isn't cheating, because painting images for a client isn't a competition with rules, it's a business. Whether it's a 17th century painter or a 21st century poster artist, both are commercial artists, working for a client, to a brief, doing the work to earn a living. Any technique that improves quality & shortens the time it takes to deliver is essential. There's no such thing as cheating. If the old masters used projected images, that's no supprise at all, that's ingenious thinking. They hid the evidence because they didn't want to expose their tecniques, this would help to give them the upper hand. It's no surprise that realistic painting came to a peak in the late 19th century, those artists used photography as reference so they had advantages over earlier painters. David Hockney was very astute to propose his theory. The art establishment reacted predictably by opposing his theories. Long held beliefs are hard to overturn in the minds of stubborn people. Photoshop is continuing in the traditions of commercial artists, it's a time saving tool, & it gives the clients what they want. It's a fashion thing. It is possible to create, in Photoshop, images that have similar qualities as a Drew Struzan painting, but that's not what the studios want at the moment.
What an amazing talent by Broseph	Sep 6th, 2008 06:31:31 AM
it really brings back to my childhood going to the video store with my granparents seeing all these iconic images
Moshi, exactly. by half vader	Sep 7th, 2008 12:11:37 AM
I was being sarcastic in my post to Nodiggity. After an artist achieves a certain level of proficiency (and let's face it, anyone can copy something from a photo or from life, given enough time), the whole "tracing"/projection/using lenses/whatever versus doing it "by eye" becomes redundant. They don't "cheat" because they're incapable, they use techniques that will let them get down to the nitty-gritty, the important stuff. Obviously Drew can draw like nobody's business - the proof is there in his life drawing stuff. When it comes to a commission/movie poster, why stuff around needlessly on a likeness when the main point of his stuff is the balanced, solid compositions and colours - which can change radically from the original photos and also incorporate consistent lighting touches to bind the disparate characters together. As for being photo-based, if the photos were so important to the success, why does Drew's stuff look so much better than most all the other artists who do Star Wars and Indy stuff (talking professionals here, not fan art)? We've all seen those photos a million times, especially in the case of SW. Composition and colour sense, focal point, negative space, etc. And yes, in terms of the old masters, why on earth would you waste your genius spending too much time with some fidgety Medici brat taking umpteen sittings when you could avail yourself of a simple bit of expedition? Speaking of expedition and likewise secrets, we all know they had ateliers, studios full of assistants to get the boring stuff up to scratch and up to speed, prepare stuff and so on, which makes the 'establishment's" kneejerk reaction to Hockney's book/views even more deserving of ridicule. It's only cheating if you never reached that level in the first place. As for decent photoshop stuff, I thought the first Narnia poster had a good 'painterly' quality without being flatly rainbow-hued, and it was very nicely balanced. Good ones are hard to find, but that's true of absolutely ANYTHING. How many awful oldschool-painted posters were there in Drew's heyday? Plenty.
But part of me thinks that he 'retired' because by half vader	Sep 7th, 2008 12:17:24 AM
of increased tampering on the two properties he's known best for. That'd take the wind from your sails. I reckon he's earned the right not to be second & third-guessed on that stuff by now. Could just be me thinking sometimes a silence speaks louder than words but...

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