SKS Props
Sr Member
My first costume of 2017 is one that I have wanted to make for years Frank Frazetta's Death Dealer! Frazetta has been a huge influence in my artistic career going back to well before I was even a freelance illustrator. It only seems fitting that with my skill set I bring one of his masterpieces to life.
So like I said I have been looking at Frazetta's art since I was a little kid first seeing his works on the old Conan book covers. Way back then I knew his style and implied form was something special. 4 years ago I went to Wizard World Chicago and got the unique opportunity to see 22 of his original painting on display...it...was...amazing!
I had wanted to visit the Frazetta museum for years but hadn't ever gotten around to it and didn't think I would ever have a chance to see these works up close. The highlight to the room was Death Dealer. I absolutely loved this painting and even owned a 1970's print but to see it in person was emotional. I knew then that I had to make this character real and now is the time.
I have been doing research on and off for years saving pictures of every sketch, statue, or painting I could find trying to complete this character. The biggest issues surrounding Death Dealer is that you never see the front of the helmet and that every time Frank painted him he looked a little different. The saving grace to all of this is a statue created by Randy Bowen in the 90s. Frank supplied Bowen with a sketch of what he thought the helm would look like if not obscured by the shadows. I have been basing my reference off of those sketches as well as Bowen's sculpture to bring Death Dealer's helm to life.
Because of my love for Frazetta's work and my dedication to prop building I extremely excited to take this on. This project means more to me than any other I have built to date. I hope you all enjoy the process and thank you for taking this journey with me.
Update -- 7/25/17
Completed cosplay I'm really happy with how this all turned out!
So like I said I have been looking at Frazetta's art since I was a little kid first seeing his works on the old Conan book covers. Way back then I knew his style and implied form was something special. 4 years ago I went to Wizard World Chicago and got the unique opportunity to see 22 of his original painting on display...it...was...amazing!
I had wanted to visit the Frazetta museum for years but hadn't ever gotten around to it and didn't think I would ever have a chance to see these works up close. The highlight to the room was Death Dealer. I absolutely loved this painting and even owned a 1970's print but to see it in person was emotional. I knew then that I had to make this character real and now is the time.
I have been doing research on and off for years saving pictures of every sketch, statue, or painting I could find trying to complete this character. The biggest issues surrounding Death Dealer is that you never see the front of the helmet and that every time Frank painted him he looked a little different. The saving grace to all of this is a statue created by Randy Bowen in the 90s. Frank supplied Bowen with a sketch of what he thought the helm would look like if not obscured by the shadows. I have been basing my reference off of those sketches as well as Bowen's sculpture to bring Death Dealer's helm to life.
Because of my love for Frazetta's work and my dedication to prop building I extremely excited to take this on. This project means more to me than any other I have built to date. I hope you all enjoy the process and thank you for taking this journey with me.
Update -- 7/25/17
Completed cosplay I'm really happy with how this all turned out!
Attachments
Last edited:
