Fabian Fröhlich | Fantastische Illustrationen | Fantastic Illustrations

Posts tagged “Bastei Lübbe

Three Lost Oil Paintings, 1993

 

Oil on cardboard, approx. 50 x 60 cm each.

The first and the second painting were accepted as pulp cover illustrations by Bastei, but sent back for some minor alterations. Together with the third painting they got lost in the mail. I only have these xerox copies left.

 


Cover Illustrations for the Horror Pulp Series Dämonenland, 1992–94

And again, just because of the bat.

These four paintings were uncommissioned illustrations that were bought by Bastei and used for already existing pulp novels with fitting titels.

More about the horror series Dämonenland here and here.

Overview of all Dämonenland novels at gruselromane.de.

 

 

 

 

 


Innenillustrationen für die Heftromanserie Professor Zamorra, 1992/93

Bd. 516, "Im Netz der Mörderspinne"

When I started to to illustrate the pulp fiction series Professor Zamorra I drew, besides the color cover images, some black-and-white illustrations (for 28 novels). Usually I created the drawings according short descriptions by the author, like, for example, the two regular characters in the drawing on the left: a black-skinned gnome performing magic and the “Laughing Death” juggling with his heart, surrounded by the battlefield of Verdun:

“Band 516: Wenn Du ihn Dir zutraust, zeichne den schwarzhäutigen, verwachsenen Gnom in seiner bunten Kleidung, mit Schnabelschuhen, beim Zaubern – wenn nicht, Don Cristofero und vom Gnom vielleicht nur eine am Bildrand angeschnittene Hand. Der Gegenspieler, mit welchem der Gnom es zu tun hat, gegen den er antritt, ist der Lachende Tod: ein heiter grinsendes Skelett, von Kleidungsfetzen umgeben und mit seinem Herzen jonglierend. Ringsum ein angedeutetes Schlachtfeld: Verdun, 1. Weltkrieg.”

 


Illustrations for a John Sinclair Anniversary Paperback Edition, Part 1 (Vol. 1–4), 1992

John Sinclair, Der Blutgraf

Bd. 2/7

In 1992 I started to illustrate the John Sinclair paperback edition . Each book included 8 pulp novels from the original horror booklet series by Jason Dark (Helmut Rellergerd).

When the first commission came, I had to deal with it under intense time pressure, because the decision to publish the books with illustrations was made at the very last moment. I had to do 32 drawings within two weeks, reading and research (in the pre-internet days!) included. The interior illustrations replaced the original color covers but were created independently from their predecessors.

The original drawings for the the first four books are missing, I have only a few copies and the books left.

Till 1999 I illustrated 21 John Sinclair paperbacks with 169 drawings. More in part 2, 3 and 4 .

Overview of all John Sinclair books at gruselromane.de.

 


Cover Illustrations for the Pulp Series Professor Zamorra, Part 1, 1991–94

Professor Zamorra, Lucifuge Rofocale

Satans Amulett

Almost half of my pulp novel cover illustrations (26 paintings) were used for the Horror/Fantasy/SciFi series Professor Zamorra. My first published color illustration was Fenrirs Wacht (painted in 1991, published in 1993). Except this gouache all pictures are oil paintings on cardboard, approximately 40 x 50 cm. In most cases the novels were inspired by prior pictures. The covers illustrations for vol. 546, 590 and 596 were based on short descriptions the main writer back then, Werner Kurt Giesa, gave me.

My favourite among these twelve paintings is the one for Satans Amulett, influenced by the brothers Hildebrandt and their use of warm and cold light sources within each picture.

Twelve more Professor Zamorra cover illustrations here.

 


Illustrations for the Pulp Series Dämonenland , Part 1, 1991–93

One of two application illustrations for Dämonenland. In 1991 I was in my "long nose period".

In 1991 I applied as second illustrator, besides Thorsten Krächan, for the horror pulp series Dämonenland (Demon Land), and I got the job, actually my first one. The series was a new edition of the best horror pulp novels originally published by Bastei and others within the last 20 years. The series was compiled and mentored by the editor Michael Schönenbröcher.

In the first year my drawings were really not that good, in 1992 they got better, and in 1993 my manner changed quite suddenly. In retrospective, I can only guess that happened in part because I discovered Virgil Finlay around that time, an illustrator I admired and still admire deeply and whose combination of cross hatching, pointillism  and pure black and white areas served as a role model for my own technique.

Till the end of the series in 1996 I drew round about 160 illustrations. More here.

Overview of all Dämonenland booklets at gruselromane.de.