 What I enjoy most when I receive a private commission is latitude. By that I mean the commissioner gives me a pretty free hand in determining the elements used in the art being commissioned. In this example, long-time collector Benno Rothchild suggested I create a piece featuring a character who first appeared in comics in 1939: The Spirit. A great character who still has an ardent following, the series was renowned for, among many other things, the clever opening splash page of each story, which often incorporated the lettering into its design. I'm a lover of movie posters from the 1930s and '40s—especially the serials that played in theaters during those years—so I decided to make The Spirit a star of the silver screen.
 Jim asked Sandy about the above sketch
Sandy: Not much to say about this piece cause all the details are lost in the misty corridors of my memory. Got a call one day when I was still in NYC from a company developing roll playing games, ala D+D. They wanted me to do the illustrations/character designs for the project. It was to have a crime noir, 1930's setting. This all sounded good and I drew up this rough, following a detailed description of the scene. Sent them a xerox (yes, that long ago.) They loved it. Raved about it. And I never heard another word from them or about the project. So it goes.  Jim asked Sandy about the above drawing
Sandy: Another romantically inspired drawing (as was the previous Clea piece.) This is based on a sketch I did for a girlfriend a loooong time ago. I drew upon it when, years later, I was asked to do a "jungle girl" pin-up (for an issue of "Jungle Girl" comics, was it?) Took the sketch and turned into a finished pencil piece. How this primal fantasy still smolders in the hearts of modern day fans!  Jim asked Sandy about the above drawing
Sandy: John Gutenkanst of Avalanche Pizza used to help the local food pantries stock their larders when they ran low, encouraging people to drop off canned food at his store as donations. He asked if I would contribute an illustration for an ad he was taking out in the Athens News to draw attention to the drive. This was the result. |
BLOGaboutPlunkett-fan Jim Harris interviewing Sandy about past and present projects. Archives
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