----------------------IS a'Gallery----------------------

IS a'Gallery
Curators: Carina, Emily, and Jake
"We show work from all different time periods, including modern, and works from an assortment of artists."

Directions to IS a'Gallery

Cover Street, Riverside California

The Exhibition

JUST BECOVERS an exhibition by IS a'Gallery

Todd Mcfarlane
Hipgnosis
 Frank Frazetta
IOSHVA

Micheal Whelan
Mark Ryden
Bernhard Willhelm

Drew Struzan
Ralph Steadman
Emek

This month, IS a'Gallery is having an exhibition focused on cover artists. What type of cover artists? We decided to focus on movie, CD, and book cover artists and even one artist featured in a magazine. These three types of  art have similar themes in that they are all covers. The art produced by these artists is used to catch the customer's eye so that they may buy the product. The art may also entirely focus on showing what the product is about. These artists are chosen to represent an entire book, movie, or CD. When we were selecting these artists, we looked for artists that actually had their artwork used on a movie cover, a CD cover, or a book cover first and foremost. Cover art is a way for the average person to actually own the artwork of an amazing artist. 

Todd McFarlane

"TEN THOUSAND FISTS"

by Todd Mcfarlane

2005

75 cm x 45 cm

Ink, Hand Drawn

(CD Album Cover Art)

-Born in Alberta, Canada in 1961.

-Always had a passion for comic books and after playing baseball in college, he tried to get into the comic industry. He sent out over 700 pieces of his artwork and was rejected over 700 times.

-He was eventually picked up by marvel and worked his way to the top of marvel comics. He ended up doing most of the first spider man comic.

-He split from marvel with several artists and created Image Comics where he produces his own comic called Spawn.

-He made spawn into an action figure series and a live action movie.

-This popularity led Disturbed to request McFarlane to animate their mascot, The Guy, who is on the cover of this CD.

-The Guy started out as just a grinning face with pointy teeth until McFarlane animated him.

-I chose this CD cover because it was the beginning of an image that Disturbed has become known for. The Guy is their logo on most CDs to date.

-Statement: “My ability to deliver a good product is my greatest strength,” said McFarlane. “I'd like to be remembered as a guy who turned out some quality comics and toys, while doing a few different things even if it wasn't the easiest road to follow.”

Hipgnosis

“The Division Bell”

Hipgnosis Design Group

Photograph

5”X7”

1993

Hipgnosis specialized in creating cover art for albums of rock musicians and bands like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Scorpions and many other bands. When they first started out, Powell and Thorgerson, the creators, adopted their name from graffiti they found on the door to their apartment. Their approach to album design was strongly photography-oriented. For the photograph, Hipgnosis erected two large metal heads, each the height of a double-decker bus, in a field near Cambridge. The sculptures were positioned close together, and photographed in profile, to give the illusion that they were not only talking to each other, but to present the viewer with a third face. The sculptures were devised by Keith Breeden, and constructed by John Robertson.

Frank Frazetta

"Sea Witch"

by Frank Frazetta

22 x 15 inches

1967

Oil Painting
(CD Cover Wolfmother)

-Born in Brooklyn, New York, 1928

-Frazetta went to the Brooklyn Academy of Fine Arts until the age of 16.

-He did many comics like Flash Gordan, Li’l Abner, and Little Annie Fanny, as he worked on developing his personal style.

-He took a Z out of his name so it wouldn’t sound ‘Clunky’.

-Most of his work is not commissioned but the commercial industry tries to get permission to use it for whatever book cover, movie poster, or calendar they are producing.

-Sold an original comic painting for $380,000 which is a record for a single page of American comic-book artwork.

-He produced a movie called “Fire and Ice” that featured his art but the technology at the time didn’t fit very well with his art animated.

-His most famous covers are for Molly Hatchett (death dealer)(dark knight), Conan the barbarian, the old Tarzan novels, and Wolfmother’s debut album.

-Died last year, May, 2010.

-I chose this painting because I like the band and never knew about Frazetta until I looked up the album artwork. I think that if I did that, then other people would of as well and learned about Frank Frazetta. After I looked him up, I realized it wasn’t the first time I had seen his artwork since my Mom has some old Tarzan books with his art printed as the cover.

-Statement: “What I do is create images, period.”

IOSHVA

"A Book Like This"

September 8, 2007

IOSHVA

Ink Hand drawn

300x300

For the Band Angus and Julia Stone

IOSHVA is a creative director and digital designer with several years of agency experience, he has completed works for a variety of a national and international clientele, working on both print and new media campaigns. As an artist IOSHVA has been involved in several group exhibitions over the years, he has also presented two solo shows. Along with his ARIA (AUSTRALIAN RECORDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION) Nominated for the best cover art in 2008. IOSHVA was also presented an accredited GOLD ARIA award for his design contributions for new Australian music sensations Angus and Julia Stone. He works independently from his studio based at Avalon in Sydney. He provides print design services, and a variety of new media applications including website designs-Development and e-commerce solutions suited for small business and individuals print design/graphics.

The album was designed by Ioshva, who is the brother to the band’s drummer; Mitchell Connelly’s who also happens the band’s photographer. So that’s two sets of siblings working on the album. The band also direct their own film clips too. The illustrations however were done by Caroline Pedler from the UK, who has done a few children’s books.

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Micheal Whelan

"The Way of kings"

by Micheal Whelan

2010

24 x 36 inches

Acrylics
(Book Cover for Brandon Sanderson "The Way of kings")

-An artist since 1980.

-He has a B.A. in painting from San Jose State University.

-He is a heavy hitting cover artist with 350 book and album covers for people like Stephen King, the Jacksons, and Meatloaf.

-He focuses on fantasy based covers and has won numerous awards in that field like Best Professional artist for locus magazine.

-A member of the graphic Artists Guild.

-As an illustrator, he usually incorporates part of the book into the cover and creates a scene or story in of itself.

-I like this piece because it represents the book very well with many elements from the book included into the painting. I feel as if I can step onto one of those plateaus and be swept away into the story.

-Statement: “The dignity of the artist lies in his duty of keeping awake the sense of wonder in the world.”-G.K. Chesterton. ---- This is a quotation Whelan uses to sum up his artist statement.

Exaample:

This is the last of the Gunslinger series by the author Stephen King but Whelan, as an illustrator followed the whole series for cover art. As their were more books, King went back to Whelan for a new cover.