For some people, illustration gets a bad rap or simply doesn't get the credit it deserves. It's written off as too commercial and low-brow. I think that is absolutely ridiculous. I love Picasso, van Gogh, and Monet as the next guy, but that doesn't mean there is no room in my heart for Rockwell, Frazetta, or Giger. I think it's crazy that the art world took so long to come around and recognize Norman Rockwell for his greatness. James Montgomery Flagg, the artist who created the now-iconic Uncle Sam recruitment poster, once said that, "The only difference between a fine artist and an illustrator is that the latter can draw, eats three square meals a day, and can afford to pay for them."
It seems to me that most of the best illustrators today tend to gravitate toward the fields of science fiction and fantasy literature. However, that just may be how I perceive it since that is my favorite genre of fiction. Anyhow, I wanted to include a list (You all know how much I love lists!) of some of the greats in illustration, in my opinion at least. Where I was able to find them, I included their websites and homepages. So feel free to check 'em out and browse their work.
Norman Rockwell:I was first exposed to Norman Rockwell's work as a young kid. My family had a big book of old Christmas stories and paintings that my parents would bring out every year in December. It was chock-full of Rockwell paintings from the Saturday Evening Post like the one shown here. Since then, I have always loved his work. I was lucky in that our high school had a pretty good art program that I was involved in. Every year we would take a field trip to the High Museum in Atlanta to see whatever exhibition was showing there. One year it was Norman Rockwell's work; it was thrilling to see his most famous paintings in person and appreciate what a master of his craft he had been.
"To us, illustration was an ennobling profession. That's part of the reason I went into illustration. It was a profession with a great tradition, a profession I could be proud of."
—Norman Rockwell
N.C. Wyeth:
I have a real soft spot for N.C. Wyeth. Not only are his paintings amazingly beautiful, but he spent a large part of his career illustrating the adventure novels of my boyhood. I can't tell you how many countless hours I spent in the worlds of Natty Bumppo, Uncas, Jim Hawkins, Robin Hood, and the Knights of Camelot. I was David Balfour in real life: kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, James Fenimore Cooper, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and taken to lands of high adventure, daring escapes, and romantic rescues. What imaginative boy could ask for more? And after seeing Wyeth's illustrations it was clear to me that he understood that feeling just as powerfully as I did. He captured the essence and the electric excitement of these novels and transferred it to the canvas like no one else I have ever seen. It's no wonder that his son and grandson have followed in his footsteps and have also created wonderful art. I was also lucky enough to attend an exhibit of Wyeth's work in high school, this time in a small gallery in Marietta. If only I could have seen his take on the adventures of Kael and Corlienne. If I could have a list of people I could go back in history to meet, than N.C. Wyeth would certainly be on it.
Frank Frazetta:Frank Frazetta is a rockstar. He started off drawing for comic books, funny strips, and even Playboy magazine. He eventually got into movie posters and book covers. He's influenced a diverse group of people ranging from George Lucas to Glenn Danzig. I didn't really discover Frazetta and his work until about a year ago, but he's quickly become the equivalent of Wyeth for my adult, college years. A few years ago I got into pulp fiction pretty hard-core and became an avid Robert E. Howard and Edgar Rice Burroughs fan. Some of my favorite Frazetta pieces are his depictions of Conan the Barbarian, Tarzan of the Apes, and John Carter of Mars. For someone like me who loves these characters and their adventures
dearly, Frank Frazetta's visual style perfectly captures the physicality, mystique, and sexuality of the stories. What is amazing is the sheer speed that Frazetta was able to churn out his work. I wouldn't be surprised if he has amassed a portfolio of tens of thousands of pieces. And the guy is still trucking at age 78! I guess he has had a series of strokes and now has to paint left-handed and a bit slower, but he still has unquestionable talent. Added bonus: he draws some pretty hot chicks!
John Jude Palencar:If not for Mr. Palencar, I might not have ever been exposed to H.P. Lovecraft. For me, that is a terrifying thought more dire than anything Cthulu or Dagon could dredge up. I think I was a freshman in high school when my dad bought me my first collection of Lovecraft tales for a Valentine's Day gift. He told me the only reason he picked that particular book was because he thought I would like the cover illustrations. Well, he was right about that! I fell in love with Palencar's art and Lovecraft's prose instantly. I don't know much about the artist and he doesn't seem to have a website, but I see his work everytime I browse through the sci-fi section at Borders. A lot of his pieces are dark in tone and smack of Hieronymous Bosch influences and that is perfectly fine with me.
Michael Whelan:This guy is just good at what he does. He has done illustrations and book covers for just about all of my favorite science fiction, horror, and fantasy authors. I mean we are talking about Stephen King, Tad Williams, Robin Hobb, Lovecraft, Asimov, and more. That's quite a list if you ask me. My favorite work of his are the pieces he did for King's The Dark Tower series. The truly amazing thing is that Whelan has won 14(!) Hugo Awards over the years and he's even up for another this year.
James Gurney:Like most kids, I absolutely loved dinosaurs growing up. It should come as no surprise that the Dinotopia books were amongst my favorites. The stories are a magical mix of paleontology, naturalism, archaeology, history, and imaginative narrative. And the pictures are just so beautiful and mesmerizing. Best picture books ever in my opinion.
Ralph McQuarrie:Being a huge Star Wars nerd, I am of course a big fan of Mr. McQuarrie's work and concept sketches. To this day I am still amazed at how well he captured George Lucas' ideas and how much of his concepts, from Darth Vader's helmet to the look of Star Destroyers, are reflected almost identically in the films.
Drew Struzan:Just an amazing artist who has created some of Hollywood's most memorable movie posters. He has worked with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg numerous times over the years and has contributed wonderful images for films like Star Wars, Blade Runner, Indiana Jones, E.T., and Back to the Future. Fabulous stuff.
Bernie Wrightson:I first came across Bernie Wrightson's artwork while reading Stephen King's Cycle of the Werewolf in middle school. I can only read that short little book once a year, because the images are so frightening and deliver the fear of the monster so completely. He did some great work for The Stand as well. Wrightson was a co-
creator of the Swamp Thing comic book and has worked on concepts and illustrations for many films and comics, including an illustrated version of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Most of his stuff that I have seen tends to lean in the horror and macabre direction, often depicting rotting corpses and terrible monsters in minute detail. For me, his work in inks is the best. The man knows how to put together ordinary contour lines in an incredible way. And he draws a mean Batman as well.
Tim and Greg Hildebrandt were some of my personal favorites growing up and have been since elementary school. They did cover illustrations for a lot of the books I was reading in those years. Mostly The Lord of the Rings and children's books by Patricia C. Wrede and Bruce Coville. I have always loved their dragons. They also were responsible for the original Star Wars release poster. I had wanted to grow up and draw for a living like them, so I have tons of drawings I did as a kid that I had modeled after their work. Their work was a big part of my childhood and I'm very thankful for that.
Ever since playing the computer game Betrayal at Krondor and reading Raymond E. Feist's novels set in the legendary but realistic world of Midkemia, I have been hooked. Arutha conDoin, Jimmy the Hand, and Locklear are some great characters and I love to re-read about their travels and travails. I guess it helps as well that the cover illustrations are fantastic. It's hard for me to pick a personal favorite because Maitz' work for all the books is fantastic. Which is great, because as far as I can tell, he is the only artist who has tackled the world and characters of Midkemia.
From the moment I saw his paintings, John Howe has always been my favorite Tolkien artist. Don't get me wrong; Alan Lee, the brothers Hildebrandt, and others are 
phenomenal as well, but I am just a Howe loyalist. My favorite part of the LOTR books has always been the moment when Eowyn reveals her true self to the Witch King and immediately dispatches him. And Howe's version of it takes the cake for me. I also love his Balrogs!
H.R. Giger must have had some messed up dreams because he comes up with some crazy visuals for his art. Of course, he's most famous for his conception of the titular monster in Alien, but his talents are far-ranging. He's been involved with numerous films, has done album art for the likes of Debbie Harry and Danzig, and has even designed his own Giger-themed clubs and furniture! I'm sure this guy must be a huge deal in his native Switzerland.
I can't imagine anyone more obsessed with the world of faeries, elves, and goblins than Brian Froud. He's put out several beautiful books of illustrations along with collaborator Alan Lee and worked with Jim Henson to create the look of the worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth back in the 1980's, which will always be two of my favorite childhood films. In addition, Brian's wife did the original model for Yoda for George Lucas.
Perhaps my favorite illustrator of all time is the one that I am fortunate enough to know personally. She is an amazing woman as well as artist. Her work varies from comic books, illustration, portraiture, and even 3-D animation. Time and time again she blows me away with her creative talent and the skill of her work. I hope we can collaborate on creative projects many times in the future. I am sure that someday she will easily be as known and recognized as any of the previously listed artist. And that just might give my writing a much-needed boost.
Well, that's all of them. My favorite illustrators and sci-fi/fantasy artists. They aren't in any particular order; I just listed them as I came to them. I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I did writing it. It took me a while to finish it, but I was able to stroll down memory lane and visit some old friends. My hope is that I might have opened some doors for you, and that you might discover some new interest or pleasure in the artists and artwork just as I have. Cheers!
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