We're excited to present the Master Study of Frank Frazetta by Daniel Ibanez in Rebelle! Known for his dynamic characters and intense fantasy scenes, Frazetta's art is a cornerstone of 20th-century illustration. In this study, Daniel brings Frazetta’s legendary style to life on a digital canvas, blending classic and modern techniques.
If you loved Daniel Ibanez's recent John Harris Master Study, you're in for another treat. This time, Daniel takes on the legendary Frank Frazetta, one of the most influential illustrators of the 20th century. Known for his dynamic characters and captivating, larger-than-life scenes, Frazetta's work has left a lasting mark on fantasy art. In this latest Master Study, Daniel blends Frazetta's bold figures with Harris’ epic, atmospheric backgrounds, bringing new life to the iconic style on a digital canvas. Prepare to be inspired by this exciting fusion of classic and contemporary artistry.
Watch the previous Master Series of John Singer Sargent and J.C. Leyendecker by Daniel Ibanez on our YouTube channel.
Frank Frazetta
Frank Frazetta (1928–2010) was a highly influential American artist, best known for his fantasy and science fiction illustration work. His paintings of muscular warriors, scantily clad heroines, and fearsome creatures became iconic and set the standard for fantasy art.
Perhaps his most famous work is his interpretation of Robert E. Howard's "Conan the Barbarian." Frazetta's depiction of Conan as a powerful, primal figure with dynamic poses and intense expressions became the definitive visual representation of the character, influencing all subsequent portrayals.
When looking at Frazetta’s work, the signature musculature, the color palette and the marks making the texture will surely devour a lot of attention. The pose, the gesture, it is all so riveting. Let’s explore all this with Daniel Ibanez during this second part of his Harris – Frazetta Master Series.
Find the full master study on our YouTube channel: youtu.be/RGMhPCwcEho
The Form
A human figure has been an object of artists' interest for centuries. When we think of a figure form, we often think of cylinders, spheres, or cones. But with Frazetta, we need to look for pears or boulders, things that are less symmetrical and bolder and fleshy. Whether you are drawing a muscular hero, a strong tiger, or even a pile of rocks, Frazetta’s way of constructing feels weighty, filled with gravity, and power. Everything is full of potential energy. Look at these references and try to sketch a few of them. Do you see where the body's energy is coming from? Compare it to the modern character designs and how they portray power or muscularity.
Looking at Frazetta’s figures, there is no modern analog to it. His work is just very powerful that way. In the reference image of women with a tiger above, the power of the hand and spear erupts out of the shape of the hip and the torso area. Frazetta has a sense of where the power comes from in the body. And the figure is just standing there holding on to this majestic tiger almost as if she is holding it back effortlessly.
The Power of Ink Sketching
Sketching truly holds the essence of artistic mastery. Looking at the preliminary work of Frank Frazetta, his ink sketches are particularly admirable. If you've ever visited a museum and seen the works of the old Masters, you'll understand. Their cartoons, doodles, and under-sketches, these preparatory drawings, execute a level of confidence that’s mesmerizing. The way they build an entire composition from these initial lines is nothing short of astounding.
Pick an ink brush and let’s try the same – to sketch. Our goal here is to use a very limited amount of strokes to create maximum impact. Try to get a grip on the typical gestural body. With Rebelle, you can do both, work with various media but also practice the wet-on-wet techniques as Frazetta does with inks.
Tip: In the master series video, Daniel tries the ink quill dipped in Indian or Chinese ink, where those delicate little lines build value through cross-hatching. Try it as well.
When working with traditional inks, a lot of artists will have one jar of ink and another jar of water and they work with different dilutions to create different values. Sometimes they premix different dilutions for various intensities of Grays ahead of time. But can this be achieved with digital inks somehow? It works out beautifully in Rebelle, as similar to Watercolors, you can adjust levels of water on your ink brushes as well. This might be a great chance to play with tools and techniques you would be hesitant to try in the traditional setup.
Figure Drawing Like Frazetta
For this exercise, Daniel did not choose a strong sorcery character, but a male and female combination to fully understand Frazetta’s approach. The female character does not have the typical fleshy fullness but still, it is quite difficult to draw it. It is so different from what we see to be mainstream fantasy and superhero characters these days.
The male character’s stance is quite interesting to redraw. Focus on the weight of the pose, the balance, and the proportions compared to the female character. Once satisfied with the pencil sketch and the composition, move to color blocking. The Oils or Express Oils are highly recommended for this part.
Harris – Frazetta Illustration
Often, you can see a big geometric shape in the background of Frazetta’s work. If we look at the work of John Harris from our previous study, it is obvious geometric shapes are typical for both artists. That’s also a reason for this combined study. The goal is to create one epic design when combining both worlds.
Frazetta’s work was often used as a cover art, therefore you can see a big striking image with a lot of negative space in the background with room left for titles and text. On the other hand, Harris´ beautiful atmospheres could work as a background design for a combined artwork.
Even though you work on your own design, keep in mind this is a master study. Try to incorporate Frazetta’s blending of the gradients between tones, and softer transitions even if you might prefer raw brush strokes there. It is a great practice to meet the different expectations of your clients.
Here are some examples of Harris – Frazetta inspired art by Daniel Ibanez:
Frank Frazetta's work remains a cornerstone of fantasy art, and his influence is felt across multiple generations of artists and in various entertainment mediums. His ability to bring imagination to life with such vigor and intensity has left a lasting legacy. We hope this study brings encouragement to try a new approach, a new medium, or composition.
Happy Painting,
Escape Motions Team
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Daniel Ibanez is a fine artist and illustrator who works out of beautiful Colorado. He grew up plein air painting mountain landscapes and western imagery. He has a love of painting the human figure, portraits, and landscapes. Daniel has worked on films, comics, video games, and tabletop games. While his range of subjects is diverse, all of his work is rooted in his traditional art background. He has been an oil painter since he was 13 years old. His work covers a wide spectrum of subjects, from sci-fi illustrations to alla prima landscapes. He has a digital portrait painting class with Domestika and a growing YouTube channel for tutorials and demonstrations. Find him on Instagram and say hello!
