superheroes

Digital Illustrations by OnlyMilo

abduzeedo — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:31:45 +0000

Juan Carlos, AKA OnlyMilo over DeviantArt is an illustrator from Granada, Spain. Juan has some beautiful digital illustrations on his portfolio, from superheros like Batman, his favorite one, to witches and of course some western other subjects.

For more information about OnlyMilo's work visit his website at http://www.ruizburgos.es/ or his Flickr and DeviantArt profiles. It's definitely worth checking them out. But first take a look at some illustrations we have selected for you.

About the author

Abduzeedo is a blog about design. There are all sorts of articles for those who want to look for inspiration. Also you will find very useful tutorials for the most used applications out there, with a special selection of Photoshop Tutorials and Illustrator Tutorials. You can get in follow us via Twitter at @abduzeedo

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Superheroes and Villains in Historical Pictures

PauloGabriel — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:28:35 +0000

I had seen these on the web a few times, but never really got to find the artist behind it. These are some awesome montages of superheroes and villains placed in historical moments, like the World War II. It's pretty amazing how realistic these are. That shows us how good Agan Harahap is.

In his portfolio there's a bunch more great works like these, but I don't actually know if they're all montages. Anyways, after checking these you should visit his portfolio at flickr. I hope you all enjoy these! Cheers. ;)

About the author

Hello, everyone! I'm Paulo Gabriel, designer from Porto Alegre, Brazil, born in 1984. I have worked as a webdesigner since 2006, but websites and blogs have been a hobby for me since 1999. Here in Abduzeedo, I try to bring only the hot stuff for you... and hope that all of you enjoy my posts! For more cool stuff, you may also follow me on Twitter.

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Picasso Superheroes by Mike Esparza

abduzeedo — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:11:55 +0000

We love comic books and superheroes and it's hard to explain why, however we could say that it's one of our first contacts with art, even though they are commercial. Now imagine if a famoust artist like Pablo Picasso were alive and decided to paint about superheroes? That is what Mike Esparza decided to play with, he created a superhero series with the Picasso's Cubist style.

I get a lot of my inspiration from comic books, movies, music and observing other artwork. When I paint, I tend to bend the rules a little, but try to keep my subject recognizable so the audience can still connect with it. Pablo Picasso is a great influence, I’ve always wondered if he were alive today, what would he paint? This past year I’ve had a lot of fun creating a superhero series with a Picasso style twist to them. I do have some super plans for creating more superhero artwork in the near future.

Do not forget to check out Mike's website, there are tons of inspiration.

About Pablo Picasso

Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. He is one of the most recognized figures in 20th-century art. He is best known for co-founding the Cubist movement and for the wide variety of styles embodied in his work. Among his most famous works are the proto-Cubist Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) and Guernica (1937), his portrayal of the German bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. - Wikipedia

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50 Tiny Superheroes Illustrations by Marcio Takara

PauloGabriel — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:27:34 +0000

A few months ago, during my regular visits to DeviantART, I ran into this amazing Brazilian illustrator, called Marcio Takara. I was really stunned by his style: black outlines, with smooth colors and an amazing trace. Many of these portraiting superheroes. Tiny superheroes.

And ok, I lied, because this is not only about his work on tiny superheroes, but also on tiny cartoon and game characters, which are also amazing. This is a really fresh style, and I bet you'll love for its simplicity. For more of Marcio's work, visit his DeviantART portfolio! Enjoy, and cheers! ;)

And of course, my absolute favorite:

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Inspiration: Comics and Graphic Novels - Part Two: Batman

Starchild — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:52:31 +0000

In Part Two of my Comics and Graphic Novels inspiration articles, I will be looking at the caped crusader, Batman. Arguably the most famous superhero without super powers, "he makes use of intellect, detective skills, science and technology, wealth, physical prowess, and intimidation in his war on crime" (Wikipedia, 2008).

Our second look at comics and graphic novels takes us to the most enigmatic hero of them all: Batman. With the amazing success of Superman (see Part One), DC Comics requested more characters for their titles, and artists Bob Kane and Bill Finger came up with the Bat-Man.

Originally intended to wear a domino mask, Finger suggested using a cowl instead of a simple domino mask, a cape instead of wings, and gloves, and removing the red sections from the original costume. With the disguise complete, now the task was to think of alter ego's alter ego. The name Bruce Wayne was devised from the Scottish patriot, Robert the Bruce and former American army general Anthony Wayne.

Much of the inspiration for Batman's look and personality came from the films of that time, including The Mark of Zorro, The Bat Whispers and older characters such as Doc Savage, The Shadow and Sherlock Holmes, for his master detective skills. From then on, Batman's adventures began, starting with The Case of the Chemical Syndicate in the Dark Knight's debut in Detective Comics #27 (May 1939). As the issues rolled on, Batman's character grew and grew with every new villain, but with the war in full flow, DC Comics decided to alter the dark and bleak atmosphere of Gotham City and change it to that of a "bright and colorful" environment, where Batman became the commendable "father" of Gotham.

By the 1960s, Batman's popularity had begun to wane dramatically, thanks in part to the lack of interest in the genre. In order to regain fans, massive changes were made, including the yellow background added to the Batman logo, the removal of characters such as Batwoman, Bat-Mite, Ace and butler Alfred and a redesign of the Batmobile. In 1966, the well-known Batman TV series was released, starring Adam West as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The show was in initial success, with Batman comic sales of nearly 900,000. However, the camp undertone of the show began to wear thin on fans and it was eventually cancelled in 1968. The 70s saw a return to the Gothic feel of Batman, but this wasn't enough, and by 1985, sales had reached an all-time low.

It wasn't until a year later that Batman became reinvigorated, thanks to the famous comic book mini-series Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. With Batman now 50, and witnessing the death of second Robin, Jason Todd, the hero decided to retire his cape and turn to drinking. Without Batman, Gotham became a Dystopia, with crime rife and overwhelming. According to Wikipedia, Bruce retook the mantle of Batman after he encountered a group of gangs known as the Mutants in the alley where his parents were murdered. A new Robin was introduced, name Carrie Kelly. The change of characters and darker feel of Batman had fans buying the comics once more. This was then perpetuated with the Crisis on Infinite Earths series, redefining the origins of the Caped Crusader and one-shot comic Batman: The Killing Joke, starring infamous villain The Joker. Coupled with Tim Burton's Batman film in 1989, Batman had become popular once again, and the fame hasn't waned since.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, 1986

Batman: Knightfall, when Bane breaks Batman's back, leaving Azrael to take the role of Batman.

Azrael as Batman

Without Frank Miller's mini-series, there would be no Batman Begins, and certainly no Dark Knight movies. Batman is one of the few superheroes people can feel especially close to, having lost his parents at a young age, and seeking vengenance, with nothing but his own body and mind, as he possessed no superhuman powers. People may also draw parallels with the change in character between the solemn Batman and the flamboyant billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, seemingly a two-faced character, but made so as to detract any kind of suspicion of a familiarity between the two identities. With the dark undertone of Batman comes some of the best designs, which tie in very well with the popular grunge designs of today.

And who could forget the Joker, Batman's long term counterpart. Some may say one could no longer exist without the other, something I tend to agree with, especially if you've watched the movies.

Related sites

About the author

My name is Starchild, aka Luke Davis, and I'm a student from England. I passed A-Levels in Graphic Design, Mathematics and Further Mathematics and will be studying Computer Science at Nottingham Trent University in October.

I was never an artistic prodigy at an early age, but I still doodled and drew things like any normal child. As I got into high school, however, I began to enjoy art more and more, and managed to get an A at GCSE, probably my greatest achievement to date. It was very hard work, but it was worth it. Initially, I wanted to do Graphic Design at university, but I didn't want to leave my other talent behind, maths, so I decided to make a compromise: do computer science at uni and still continue my graphic design work, but on a casual, freelance basis. With any luck, I'll get spotted.