During my absence from this site I had an opportunity to look
around in my files and storage boxes. I found some things I had completely
forgotten about. This includes two pens that Frank used when drawing the famous
Canaveral plates in 1963-1964.
The story starts in 1982 during a summer visit. Ellie was
shopping and the kids were out of the house (some were still living at home
during this time). Frank was looking for a sketchbook where he taught Roy
Krenkel how to draw cats. He was frustrated in his efforts. This was before the
new large studio was added to the rear of the house and everything was crammed
into a very small studio space just off the living room. We went upstairs and
Frank literally dove into the hall closet. He came out with several sketchbooks
of varying sizes. We brought them downstairs and placed them on the dining room
table. I always make a note of what is on the walls every time I visit. The
walls were always changing. Today we were surrounded by a couple of Kubla Khan plates, a Warren oil of the Lady
with Scythe, the two page Cindy is
Saved comic book story, a Wally Wood robot illo, several Nina panels, and a
large Krenkel cityscape of Old Aquilonia (which Frank received from Roy as a
wedding gift). Frank quickly flipped through the books. One book contained two
dipping pens/crow quills. Frank looked at them and started to ponder why they
were there. He quickly remembered. He told me that these were two of his favorite pens and that
he used them to draw the Canaveral plates. He wanted to preserve them in case a
special project came up. He completely forgot about them. The sketchbook had a few pages
containing very loose pencil/umber thumbnail studies for some of the later
Canaveral drawings. Frank said that a lot of pens had nibs that fought him as
he worked. They were scratchy and had a harsh feel in the hand. These, he said,
were like oil being spread on glass….silky smooth. He used brushes as
well, of course. But he said that brushes didn’t give him as much trouble as long as
he bought good quality. Pens were just more finicky, he said. In later years
Frank would constantly complain at the deterioration of quality in art
materials, especially the paper and ink.
I was in stunned silence at the table. The Canaverals have always been my all-time
favorite Frazetta pieces. They are unmatched and glorious. Each one is a little
piece of perfection. I have written about them extensively over the past twenty five years. Most people have never seen one in person. The three
Frazetta Museums never had one on display. They are rare and highly coveted. It
was a joy to discover and see these pens preserved by time and hidden upstairs.
A pure serendipitous discovery.
After a few moments, Frank took a sip of coffee and simply tossed
them at me. "Take them", he said. "Let me clean them up a bit
for you." “Not a chance, Frank”, I quickly said. “I
want that ink left on them for posterity. This is real history.”
The tools of the greatest draftsman who ever lived. It takes ones breath away.
I love that these pens have Frank’s fingerprints preserved in ink on the
surface. They have all those wonderful marks of use all over the surface. The
nibs are encrusted with dried ink. Just glorious.
(C)2014 DocDave Winiewicz
PS: Of course, careful readers are wondering if Frank found the
sketchbook he was looking for. Yes, he did. It contained pages of Frank showing
Roy how to draw a cat’s body, then his head, then his whiskers and ears. Very
detailed. Roy’s efforts were on the adjoining page. The book also
contained some quick Krenkel cityscapes. I believe one is included in Frank
Junior’s
book, but it is improperly credited to Frank. It is a Krenkel. Another
sketchbook was loaded with pencil studies for the Lord Of The Rings plates.
There was a great scene with Smaug the dragon that never made it as a finished
plate, just an unused idea. Where is all this stuff now?
