Cover Illustrations for the Pulp Series Professor Zamorra, Part 2, 1994–2002
Almost half of my pulp novel cover illustrations (26 paintings) were used for the Horror/Fantasy/SciFi series Professor Zamorra, published by Bastei. You can see the first 12 examples in part 1.
The covers for vol. 620 and 759 were painted without an explicit commission, but with regard to certain characters from the series; the subsequent novels were inspired by the images. Vol. 703 and 720 (and two others I leave out) were cover illustrations I originally created for Zaubermond, they were used by Bastei for the second time. The illustrations for vol. 688, 681, 700, 749, 759, 789, 798 und 799 were based on descriptions by the main author, Werner Kurt Giesa. These descriptions could be detailed or vague, for example “something with wolves, please” (vol. 749) or “The novel is called Weresnail on a Rampage – you can do what you like, but the weresnail should resemble Jabba the Hut.” (vol. 789) (Weresnail, yes. The novel was meant as a horror parody.) Sometimes I omitted details I considered dispensible on my own authority, in the case of vol. 668, for example, a car in front of the colosseum.
Some of the novels were written by other auhors than Werner Kurt Giesa: Claudia Kern (vol. 720; with WKG: vol. 703), Timothy Stahl (vol. 749), Martin Kay (with WKG: vol. 789), Andreas Balzer (vol. 798, 799) and Christian Schwarz (vol. 863).
My last Professor Zamorra cover, Schwingen des Todes (Wings of Death), painted in 2002 after I had come back from a New York vacation, was published in 2007. Since I had started to work as an assistent curator for the Stately Museums Kassel in 2002, i was lacking time. Or maybe I just got lazy.
Werner Kurt Giesa died in 2008. This picture gallery is dedicated to him. I owe him a lot.
Übersicht über alle Professor-Zamorra-Romane bei gruselromane.de
Cover: © Bastei Lübbe
Illustrations for the Horror Pulp Series Dämonenland , Part 2, 1994–96
From 1991 till 1996 I drew about 160 illustrations for the horror pulp series Dämonenland, published by Bastei (more here). In the beginning I shared the job with Thorsten Krächan, after he had left I did it exclusively. In addition, four oil paintings were used as cover illustrations.
Overview of all Dämonenland booklets at gruselromane.de.
Innenillustrationen für die Heftromanserie Professor Zamorra, 1992/93
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.”
Cover Illustrations for the Pulp Series Professor Zamorra, Part 1, 1991–94
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
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.