comix addix: TomKellyART

Sunday, January 28, 2018

TomKellyART

"Arisia: GL Power"

I am a big fan of TomKellyART (one of the artists I follow on DeviantArt).

While not every piece appeals to me (as would be true of any artist), he has an extensive gallery, and by far I like the vast majority of his pieces.

I most enjoy the vector and art deco-ish design pieces he creates as cover illustrations or pin-ups.

Of course, I have selected mostly super-hero examples in the gallery below but he has pretty good range so I recommend checking out his full gallery for yourself.

I like the silhouette suggestions of each figure with background details to clarify the context/identity of the character.

I find his design choices generate a logical element for my brain to chew on while the whole composition reveals the core emotional context of the character.

"Constantine: Black Flag"

For example, the "Constantine: Black Flag" design has the British flag at the bottom (Constantine's a Brit) with its vertical bar extended upward to create an inverted cross shape at the bottom (a sign of the devil).

In the upper left quadrant there is arcane symbology suggesting alchemy and demon warding, and there is a vampiric face (a screaming open mouth with fangs) in the upper right quadrant with more textual symbology over the face ("666") and along the cross bar of the flag ("villain" & "devil") suggesting Satanic forces.

Finally, there is the small figure in stark white with Constantine's characteristic cigarette smoke rising from the figure. The size of the figure in contrast with the darker reds and black "evil" elements suggests the enormity of the task Constantine has before him fighting horrific supernatural forces on behalf of humanity.

MORE of my FAVORITES: