A small ink drawing I did for Steven at Hey Oscar Wilde! It's Clobberin' Time!, a wonderful blog devoted to drawings of literary figures, both character and authorial. I've been a big fan of Robert E. Howard's Conan stories for a little while now, (Jose Villarrubia turned me onto the books and some of the early comics) and I'm really particular about which depictions of Conan I like and which I don't. I feel like a lot of illustrators just draw a really muscle-bound guy, a lot like the Schwarzenegger Conan. That's totally fine, but not really what I think the character is about. A much smaller sect of illustrators is able to tap into the actual character and draw something that is more along the lines of Howard's descriptions. Frazetta did it, Buscema did it, Brom does it, Gary Giani did it, and Tomas Giorello (who does the current Conan series) does it pretty well.
I always, always picture Conan just covered in scars, old and fresh. He's the toughest guy in the world, but never one to shy from a fight and certainly not a guy who's going to worry about parrying every minor hit. Conan is strength and impulse more than technique in his younger days, and I imagine he's had his face smashed in more than once.
I hope to do something Conan related eventually.
Exactly my stance on Conan! The guy's dirty and grim just like the world he lives in. But it being Howard's world it's filled with the ease of the fantastic, which gives the whole thing it's awesome atmosphere. Ya know it.
ReplyDeleteSO COOL!
Couldn't agree with your take on Conan more. I could tell by looking at your headshot of him that you "get Conan" -- at least to my way of thinking.
ReplyDeleteNice work. I've bookmarked your site for future visits.