I did this concept sketch for an unproduced Ralph Bakshi space comedy around 1981. It was kind of a mishmash of Star Wars, Wizards, and Heavy Metal Magazine.
This movie would have been a cult classic! Imaginative realism has never been sexier. ha ha
"Fritz the Cat" (1972) and "Heavy Traffic" (1973) are almost 50 years old now, but for those who don't know, Ralph Bakshi is still at work. He produced a short film (about 22 mins long) entitled "Last Days at Coney Island" and posted it on YouTube in October 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri4iphUqShM
Thanks for mentioning Ralph's continuing creative output. He's an amazing person and artist, and he was fun to work with on this project and the animated film "Fire and Ice." I was surprised he trusted me for this cartoony concept art gig because I hadn't done much work in this sort of style, even though I was a huge fan of R. Crumb, and of course Bakshi's films Wizards, Fritz, and American Pop.
Like yourself, Bakshi is a hero of mine. He is an independent artist, at times making greatly personal and poignant films using animation as his medium rather than live action like Scorcese.
In many respects, the 1970's were incredibly exciting times to be a film-maker because the medium was so wide open and eager to embrace all sorts of exciting experimental techniques.
BTW, this illustration would make such a cool sculpture! With the advent of 3d modeling tools and 3D printing, that might not be such a stretch.
This movie would have been a cult classic! Imaginative realism has never been sexier. ha ha
ReplyDelete"Fritz the Cat" (1972) and "Heavy Traffic" (1973) are almost 50 years old now, but for those who don't know, Ralph Bakshi is still at work. He produced a short film (about 22 mins long) entitled "Last Days at Coney Island" and posted it on YouTube in October 2016:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri4iphUqShM
Thanks for mentioning Ralph's continuing creative output. He's an amazing person and artist, and he was fun to work with on this project and the animated film "Fire and Ice." I was surprised he trusted me for this cartoony concept art gig because I hadn't done much work in this sort of style, even though I was a huge fan of R. Crumb, and of course Bakshi's films Wizards, Fritz, and American Pop.
ReplyDeleteAwesome concept art!
ReplyDeleteLike yourself, Bakshi is a hero of mine. He is an independent artist, at times making greatly personal and poignant films using animation as his medium rather than live action like Scorcese.
In many respects, the 1970's were incredibly exciting times to be a film-maker because the medium was so wide open and eager to embrace all sorts of exciting experimental techniques.
BTW, this illustration would make such a cool sculpture! With the advent of 3d modeling tools and 3D printing, that might not be such a stretch.
Hi James,
ReplyDeletethe signature is JMG.
What does the letter M stand for?