Exemplars of the Excellent variety...
Franklin Booth
(1878 - 1948)
Booth was an American illustrator who was famous for his immensely detailed and intricate pen and ink drawings. Interestingly, Booth's style was the result of a misunderstanding. Booth learned by copying the illustrations he saw in books and publications, which he mistakenly identified as ink drawings. In reality, the illustrations were wood-block prints - the common printing technology of the time. As a result, Booth developed an inking style that emulated the multitude of lines that were in the block prints, and inspired countless artists afterward.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Booth
(1878 - 1948)
Booth was an American illustrator who was famous for his immensely detailed and intricate pen and ink drawings. Interestingly, Booth's style was the result of a misunderstanding. Booth learned by copying the illustrations he saw in books and publications, which he mistakenly identified as ink drawings. In reality, the illustrations were wood-block prints - the common printing technology of the time. As a result, Booth developed an inking style that emulated the multitude of lines that were in the block prints, and inspired countless artists afterward.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Booth
Frank Frazetta
(1928 - 2010)
Frazetta was an illustrator who worked throughout the 1960's, 70's, and 80's in book cover illustration. His paintings were mainly used in the Fantasy/Science Fiction/Pulp genres, with several being used for the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Frazetta brought an iconic and action packed style to book cover illustration, with his mastery of the human form in motion, that has inspired generations of artists.
Frazetta had a masterful dexterity, and in addition to his oil paintings, he has created many beautiful ink drawings as well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Frazetta
(1928 - 2010)
Frazetta was an illustrator who worked throughout the 1960's, 70's, and 80's in book cover illustration. His paintings were mainly used in the Fantasy/Science Fiction/Pulp genres, with several being used for the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Frazetta brought an iconic and action packed style to book cover illustration, with his mastery of the human form in motion, that has inspired generations of artists.
Frazetta had a masterful dexterity, and in addition to his oil paintings, he has created many beautiful ink drawings as well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Frazetta
Bernie Wrightson
(1948 - )
Wrightson is a comic book artist known primarily for his exquisite ink drawings. His style is heavily influenced by the works of Franklin Booth, with an immense focus on line density in hatching and cross-hatching. Some of his most well-known pieces come from an illustrated version of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, though he is also well known for his work on the comic book Swampthing.
Explore more of his work at his website, found below.
http://www.berniewrightson.com/
(1948 - )
Wrightson is a comic book artist known primarily for his exquisite ink drawings. His style is heavily influenced by the works of Franklin Booth, with an immense focus on line density in hatching and cross-hatching. Some of his most well-known pieces come from an illustrated version of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, though he is also well known for his work on the comic book Swampthing.
Explore more of his work at his website, found below.
http://www.berniewrightson.com/
Socar Myles
(No date for her, but she's alive and contemporary, probably in her thirties...)
Socar Myles is a contemporary illustrator who works primarily in pen and ink. Her whimsical pieces often focus on animals in anthropomorphic scenes and situations. Her eye for intricacy and detail is unbelievable and one of the reasons that I gravitated to her work when I discovered it almost a decade ago.
Find more at her website below:
http://www.gorblimey.com/
(No date for her, but she's alive and contemporary, probably in her thirties...)
Socar Myles is a contemporary illustrator who works primarily in pen and ink. Her whimsical pieces often focus on animals in anthropomorphic scenes and situations. Her eye for intricacy and detail is unbelievable and one of the reasons that I gravitated to her work when I discovered it almost a decade ago.
Find more at her website below:
http://www.gorblimey.com/
Nate Van Dyke
(Again, no date, but he's contemporary and probably in his thirties)
Van Dyke is a San Francisco based artist most known for his ink illustrations, although, he is versed in a variety of mediums. He has provided work for several video game and entertainment companies over the years. And his style has a rawness in it's application, while still being heavily grounded in technically mastery.
Find more at his site:
https://n8vandyke.wordpress.com/
(Again, no date, but he's contemporary and probably in his thirties)
Van Dyke is a San Francisco based artist most known for his ink illustrations, although, he is versed in a variety of mediums. He has provided work for several video game and entertainment companies over the years. And his style has a rawness in it's application, while still being heavily grounded in technically mastery.
Find more at his site:
https://n8vandyke.wordpress.com/
Jeff Watts
(1970 - )
Watts is a San Diego based gallery artist and teacher. He founded his atelier (a school grounded in traditional methods of teaching art) in 1992 and has trained many well known illustrators in today's publishing and entertainment fields. Watts is most known for his paintings, but he is skilled in a variety of mediums and lists inkwork as one of his favorites. The video below is from one of his atelier's "Friday Night Workshops." If you take the time to watch and listen, you will see him creating a mastercopy of one of Frank Frazetta's ink drawings, as well as spouting an incredibly amount of art know-how that will prove valuable far beyond just the use of pen and ink.
More examples of Watts's work can be found at his website. Though it is difficult to find examples of his ink drawings.
http://www.jeffreyrwatts.com/home/
(1970 - )
Watts is a San Diego based gallery artist and teacher. He founded his atelier (a school grounded in traditional methods of teaching art) in 1992 and has trained many well known illustrators in today's publishing and entertainment fields. Watts is most known for his paintings, but he is skilled in a variety of mediums and lists inkwork as one of his favorites. The video below is from one of his atelier's "Friday Night Workshops." If you take the time to watch and listen, you will see him creating a mastercopy of one of Frank Frazetta's ink drawings, as well as spouting an incredibly amount of art know-how that will prove valuable far beyond just the use of pen and ink.
More examples of Watts's work can be found at his website. Though it is difficult to find examples of his ink drawings.
http://www.jeffreyrwatts.com/home/