What a guy. Love that "Kriby Ditko Finger" shirt, paying recognition to 3, largely and criminally under-recognized imagineers. The families of Jack, Steve and Bill must be smiling and should all get a copy.
Huh? We hear about those guys all the time, they have documentaries, they have credits in major movies, they are widely recognized by not just comic people but the world. Y’all need to branch out.
@@mikeledger2614 Yes, that's true NOW. Unfortunately in their lives, they were not acknowledged as the legends they truly were. Lee and Kane took the credit for years. So it's something that many who fight for artist rights will bring them up as people who were screwed over.
The way you draw The Thing from a model and use the exact same rock formations each time is genus! Not sure if other artist do that or not but it really is a great idea.
I really like how Alex is open about his process, especially about the use of references. There are many artists who think that using references is "cheting", which is a lie, references are essential on the process of drawing
4:20 That’s something I feel a lot of artists struggle with. Finding something that’s theirs that they can work with without feeling like they’re ripping, stealing, or cheating.
My favorite FF aesthetic is the 1960s one. And I'm very glad that Alex Ross has created this retro sci fi vibe for them. I see his drawings and the respect and admiration of Jack Kirby's work is evident. Thank you, Alex Ross.
Even for those of us that really appreciate his ability as an artist, it can't be overstated enough- his talent is lightyears beyond his closest runner up.
I'm not even a comic book person but holy cow this is so impressive. The ability to take something from your mind and then create it in 3d space and then recreate it drawn is just awesome. Not to mention it looks really great.
Although I am not a good speaker of the English language, the amount of information that Mr. Ross exposes in this video is stunning and interesting, very useful for comic lovers, students and even for those who admirer classic art
My dear comics and arts lover mates and friends, you all are highly gentle. Your words are what I need to keep me studying more and more this so useful and, why not, funny in a good sense, language. The road is long but the prize is Worthy.
Alex Ross artistic skills don't stop with what he can do with a brush and paper. I'm impressed that he is so versatile with his art. I was wondering how he got his gray tones. It never occurred to me that it was colored pencil.
I don't do this often - but my gosh, I bow to a master. Full on dedication! Yes I know, Gurney modeled dinosaurs, and Whelan sculpted some of the creatures in his paintings. Making and sowing the costumes 😳... Wow! Got to love it when an individual gets into the niche the love, and get to pull out all the stops! Awesome dedication👍
This is a very interesting process. I've seen also Richard Corben using his own made scuptures so he could render them properly and lit them, so he obtained very believable shadows on the final page. The work Alex did for FF is truely amazing, even if, IMO, it still seems to me maybe too much complex and detailed at times, but no one can say this man has no dedication. He's truely a great artist.
Not only did he perfectly capture the models, with precise detail and accuracy.. HE CREATED IT! Making custom action figures like that is difficult. That's a whole skillset in itself. If you're curious, I would highly recommend checking out channels like Craig Warrack, who makes amazing custom figures, many of which are based on marvel characters.
As I said before, Mr Ross, your inking technique is gorgeous, it's even so beautiful that you should ask for a black and white version to be published, but it could not have been used fifty or sixty years ago, as you wonder. You can afford this kind of inking because of today's technology and the precision of scanners and the quality of modern coloring and printing. It's a great opportunity that unfortunately the comic book industry couldn't take advantage of back then. That's why inking was created, to allow the reproduction of the line in the most readable way possible. And since the paper used was poor, some artists even had to use thicker inking than they wanted to in the first place. Many details were lost when artists of that time inked very finely and it was difficult to print stories made only in pencil, although some did, even if the result was not optimal. Thank you for offering us a different work but whose quality remains always maximum. Your way of reinventing the inking technique can be inspiring to many other artists, and push them to experiment their way of inking, just as you have inspired many artists with your painting technique and your interpretation of realism, dynamism and storytelling.
I had no idea Alex Ross had a RUclips channel, and dang, he’s even more of a legend than I thought! Incredible work. Awesome getting to hear about the process.
Alex is my favorite artist because of how the characters look like pictures of real people. His Marvel work gives off that golden age feeling while still being contemporary. And of course the same feeling with the Justice League drawing
God damn the talent of this man. He makes by hand, some of the most brilliant action figures/model figurines, only to use them as a reference to make his top tier art. Then he just puts them in his shelf and admires them. He is the King of all nerds, and I'm just in awe over here-looking at my warhammer minis and wondering what I've done with my life.
Alex. You are awesome! Thank you so much. I started sculpting a while back, but I hit a mental block as I couldn't figure out how to sculpt the bodies how I wanted. I did figure I'd just sculpt head's, and resculpt ready made bodies instead, and you have just shown me that even professionals have the same as me only working with head's, and just redoing ready made bodies. Thank you, 😊 you have made my day what I've seen here is incredible I hope to be as good as you some day, and as you said put life in my work 😊
You have inspired me and my wife since childhood, she is so inspired by you she can draw nothing else but your style of capturing real peoples likenesses. Truly, you are magically gifted sir. I would die a happy man to have me immortalized in your art.
Alex Ross elevated the comics medium decades or two ago.. and you're still elevating it. Love the Kirby, Ditko, Finger T-shirt you rockin'! You're an inspiration!
Ever since kid, I was huge fan of Alex Ross's artwork, its so realistic and takes me back to Jack Kirby and Ditko's classic style also making sure to keep his own style.
Your work in ff full circle is amazing. Before it was amazing but the coloring in the art in that book is one step beyond your normal stuff. It's really extremely amazing
Dude are you kidding me?!? This man is so damn talented. He makes art before he draws it... Why aren't your figures for sell!!! You know how many people would kill for an Alex Ross designed head sculpt?!?!
I noticed Ross’ Thing “brick” consistency at a recent exhibit of his art. They had on display those life-sized busts of different characters in his style that were sold like 20 years ago, along with his paintings of the matching character nearby. It took me a minute to realize that the rocks that made up The Thing were consistent in the paintings and the sculpture!
I don’t know how I didn’t see this channel sooner. I bought one of Your comics 20 years ago because it was so beautifully artistic. I have wondered about your work ever since but I just have not seen this channel. Thanks for sharing your style and work with us. I will be watching every one of your videos. I will be copying the best things from you to add into my style. I have a pottery studio and I sculpt faces on everything I fire. I have never thought to sculpt my characters for my illustrations to make my characters more realistic. This will make my illustrating go so much smoother. Thank you for showing me such cool tricks. I am going to start collecting your books.
I never realized how young you were, I remember the first time I ever heard of Alex Ross was his designs for Spider-Man (2002) that were in the ps2 game. Up until I had seen this video I always assumed he was some old man that was wise beyond his years with an unlearnable talent. It really is inspiring seeing that Alex is just maybe 50 years old.
Omg I totally started doing the same thing and now I'm obsessed with making my own figures. Your my hero Alex. I'm on an extreme budget so I start out with either Titan Hero Series or the DC 12 figures. The titan toys especially have very limited articulation but the amount of detail is amazing. I'm currently working on a Juggernaut out of a Bane toy and a Mysterio out of a 12 inch Buzz Lightyear toy from the new movie. So thrilling to find out you Alex, my hero is doing something similar at the same time as me. Enthralled with your work, go sixth scale, haha.
Absolutely love this video, great reference to Lost In Space (that was one of my first thoughts). The colouring, everything etc about this looks great. Really looking forward to getting my copy of the book
this is brilliant, the idea to make your own figures for reference makes them HIS Fantastic Four. i see a lot of artists doing similar with 3d sculpting programs, but there's something more accessible about having the reference right there in your hands. like when i see the book on shelves i can instantly recognize Ross' version of the characters (which, of course are his interpretation of Kirby's versions). i've always loved Ross' work, but this is next level
I've been away from comic books for a long time. I didn't realize that Alex Ross does more than just covers. I bet his work in between those covers is amazing.
I just started reading comic books recently. The first thing I dove into was Kingdom Come. Amazing book that I will definitely read again. The second thing I read through was issues 41-50 of the original Fantastic 4 run, which ran through the inhumans and through the Galactus trilogy. I absolutely loved every moment of each book, and to see that one of the creators of Kingdom Come is doing the Fantastic 4 and doing it Kirby-style with his own personal twist is just sooooo exciting. The art in this video alone won me over. I'm 100% checking this out.
... ALEX ... This looks Great , always been a fan of your work . I'm 5 years older than you , so , I love the " New Old School " approach . Today's Books don't have .. " IT " . Also , I really enjoyed your Immortal Hulk stuff .. the cover of issue # 21 , ( the general looking at multiple Screens of the Hulk's previous Battles .. ) .. just guessing .. BUT .. I thought some of them were " based " on previous covers .. for instance .. Hulk # 120 ( Hulk vs Tank ).. Trimpe .. Hulk # 169 ( Hulk vs Bi Beast ) Trimpe.. Fantastic Four # 25 ( Hulk vs Thing ) Kirby .. Tales to Astonish # 91 . ( Hulk vs Abomination ) .. Kane .. Hulk # 197 ( Hulk vs Man-Thing ) .. Wrightson .. just to let you know that I recognized them , that it did not go unnoticed . Looking forward to whatever you do next .
Oh wow. Didn’t have any idea you made models for your art. I have always been a big fan of your work sir. Thank you for your contributions. You are right up there with Stan Lee
Alex Ross provided art for the special edition release of Unbreakable, he's also in the special features on the discussion of comic books. The card inserts of Bruce Willis are amazing.
Please.. I hope you would released an action figure based on your art.. Us the fans would blow our mind for those awesome Alex Ross artwork based action-figure..
"I didn't have the references at hand all the time so I sculpted them".
What a legend.
If there will be a 4 hour documentary of Alex Ross' explaining his process, I wouldn't even complain. Masterful in every single way!
1
Alex is one of the few classic artists left, after we lost George Perez. His passion for his work and his love of these characters is wonderful.
Don't forget Mister Gary Frank. My two favorite comic artists.
Jim Lee, John Cassidy, Mark Bagley too
Alex is in a league of his own, but there are plenty of amazing artists out there, don't sell them short
Walt Simonson is still with us
We lost Neal Adams this year.
Your dedication to rock continuity on The Thing is most impressive. I wish other artists were as dedicated. 😄😄
I agree that artist should be dedicated but also, Alex is well paid for his work
@@milhouse777 Indubitably.
@@milhouse777 well, we can say that he gets what he gives, doesn't he? 😆
Most comic artists work on very tight schedules
@@OdisseuBR I hope so, most of the comics artists, don't
This book is gorgeous, and those models are amazing!
What a guy. Love that "Kriby Ditko Finger" shirt, paying recognition to 3, largely and criminally under-recognized imagineers. The families of Jack, Steve and Bill must be smiling and should all get a copy.
Kirby.
Ditko....
I think only Disney uses the term "Imagineers". It's a registered trademark owned by Disney.
Huh? We hear about those guys all the time, they have documentaries, they have credits in major movies, they are widely recognized by not just comic people but the world. Y’all need to branch out.
@@mikeledger2614 Yes, that's true NOW. Unfortunately in their lives, they were not acknowledged as the legends they truly were. Lee and Kane took the credit for years. So it's something that many who fight for artist rights will bring them up as people who were screwed over.
The way you draw The Thing from a model and use the exact same rock formations each time is genus! Not sure if other artist do that or not but it really is a great idea.
Id say most probably don't because of time constraints
I really like how Alex is open about his process, especially about the use of references. There are many artists who think that using references is "cheting", which is a lie, references are essential on the process of drawing
4:20 That’s something I feel a lot of artists struggle with. Finding something that’s theirs that they can work with without feeling like they’re ripping, stealing, or cheating.
My favorite FF aesthetic is the 1960s one. And I'm very glad that Alex Ross has created this retro sci fi vibe for them. I see his drawings and the respect and admiration of Jack Kirby's work is evident. Thank you, Alex Ross.
Even for those of us that really appreciate his ability as an artist, it can't be overstated enough- his talent is lightyears beyond his closest runner up.
I'm not even a comic book person but holy cow this is so impressive. The ability to take something from your mind and then create it in 3d space and then recreate it drawn is just awesome. Not to mention it looks really great.
Although I am not a good speaker of the English language, the amount of information that Mr. Ross exposes in this video is stunning and interesting, very useful for comic lovers, students and even for those who admirer classic art
Wow Marcos your English is great!
Your English is better than people who speak English.
I can say your english is a lot higher than above average, Marcos!
My dear comics and arts lover mates and friends, you all are highly gentle. Your words are what I need to keep me studying more and more this so useful and, why not, funny in a good sense, language. The road is long but the prize is Worthy.
Totally agree with everyone! Excellent English and totally agree with your opinions!
Alex Ross artistic skills don't stop with what he can do with a brush and paper.
I'm impressed that he is so versatile with his art.
I was wondering how he got his gray tones. It never occurred to me that it was colored pencil.
I don't do this often - but my gosh, I bow to a master. Full on dedication! Yes I know, Gurney modeled dinosaurs, and Whelan sculpted some of the creatures in his paintings. Making and sowing the costumes 😳... Wow!
Got to love it when an individual gets into the niche the love, and get to pull out all the stops!
Awesome dedication👍
Painting, drawing, sculpting, and SEWING!
An artist, a painter, a sculptor, & a seamstress. Talk about a renaissance man.
Every frame of this man does is an authentic master piece.
one of the few comic book legends still alive, I'll try to get my hands on a copy, everything looks so beatiful
Spotted! The BEST comic book artist of all time! ♥️ Love your work so much Mr. Ross that I have one of them tattooed onto me. Truly a special talent!
This is a very interesting process. I've seen also Richard Corben using his own made scuptures so he could render them properly and lit them, so he obtained very believable shadows on the final page. The work Alex did for FF is truely amazing, even if, IMO, it still seems to me maybe too much complex and detailed at times, but no one can say this man has no dedication. He's truely a great artist.
Not only did he perfectly capture the models, with precise detail and accuracy.. HE CREATED IT! Making custom action figures like that is difficult. That's a whole skillset in itself. If you're curious, I would highly recommend checking out channels like Craig Warrack, who makes amazing custom figures, many of which are based on marvel characters.
Alex Ross was one of the few that really brought superheroes to life in his art it was like seeing live action depictions
You cant be more old school than this. What an artist!
Those FF4 Models he made are works of art😍🥰
As I said before, Mr Ross, your inking technique is gorgeous, it's even so beautiful that you should ask for a black and white version to be published, but it could not have been used fifty or sixty years ago, as you wonder. You can afford this kind of inking because of today's technology and the precision of scanners and the quality of modern coloring and printing. It's a great opportunity that unfortunately the comic book industry couldn't take advantage of back then. That's why inking was created, to allow the reproduction of the line in the most readable way possible. And since the paper used was poor, some artists even had to use thicker inking than they wanted to in the first place. Many details were lost when artists of that time inked very finely and it was difficult to print stories made only in pencil, although some did, even if the result was not optimal.
Thank you for offering us a different work but whose quality remains always maximum. Your way of reinventing the inking technique can be inspiring to many other artists, and push them to experiment their way of inking, just as you have inspired many artists with your painting technique and your interpretation of realism, dynamism and storytelling.
Gorgeous art, Ross keeps evolving and testing new grounds, beautiful work
I had no idea Alex Ross had a RUclips channel, and dang, he’s even more of a legend than I thought! Incredible work. Awesome getting to hear about the process.
This man is a true artist. Love his art.
I could listen to him talk about his work for hours
Alex is my favorite artist because of how the characters look like pictures of real people. His Marvel work gives off that golden age feeling while still being contemporary. And of course the same feeling with the Justice League drawing
Absolutely Beautiful, just got your fantastic four.
With 4 thumbs up, I wanted to add a 5th thumb up, but I could not disrupt the number “4”.
God damn the talent of this man. He makes by hand, some of the most brilliant action figures/model figurines, only to use them as a reference to make his top tier art. Then he just puts them in his shelf and admires them.
He is the King of all nerds, and I'm just in awe over here-looking at my warhammer minis and wondering what I've done with my life.
Got the book Saturday. Love it, so cool to see your Kirby fusion. I hope it inspires more to do the same. Really appreciate seeing your take.
Hearing him speak about how he put this book together makes this a special peice, a true collectors item
Alex. You are awesome! Thank you so much. I started sculpting a while back, but I hit a mental block as I couldn't figure out how to sculpt the bodies how I wanted. I did figure I'd just sculpt head's, and resculpt ready made bodies instead, and you have just shown me that even professionals have the same as me only working with head's, and just redoing ready made bodies. Thank you, 😊 you have made my day what I've seen here is incredible I hope to be as good as you some day, and as you said put life in my work 😊
You make a sculpture of what you want to draw and then draw it? This makes me respect you even more.
You have inspired me and my wife since childhood, she is so inspired by you she can draw nothing else but your style of capturing real peoples likenesses. Truly, you are magically gifted sir. I would die a happy man to have me immortalized in your art.
i just love how alex ross accidentally became the greatest action figure customizer , amazing multi mediumal artist. very inspiring , i love your work
Just when I thought this man couldn't get any more talented.
Alex Ross elevated the comics medium decades or two ago.. and you're still elevating it. Love the Kirby, Ditko, Finger T-shirt you rockin'! You're an inspiration!
Ever since kid, I was huge fan of Alex Ross's artwork, its so realistic and takes me back to Jack Kirby and Ditko's classic style also making sure to keep his own style.
So glad you didn't go digital and kept all your hardwork traditional. Still one of the greats.
Your work in ff full circle is amazing. Before it was amazing but the coloring in the art in that book is one step beyond your normal stuff. It's really extremely amazing
Dude are you kidding me?!?
This man is so damn talented.
He makes art before he draws it...
Why aren't your figures for sell!!! You know how many people would kill for an Alex Ross designed head sculpt?!?!
I noticed Ross’ Thing “brick” consistency at a recent exhibit of his art. They had on display those life-sized busts of different characters in his style that were sold like 20 years ago, along with his paintings of the matching character nearby. It took me a minute to realize that the rocks that made up The Thing were consistent in the paintings and the sculpture!
I'm not a comics guy - but I'm blown away by this guy's talent, creativity and artistic integrity. It's a joy to see...
Whoa! I've never seen this approach to comic book illustration before! Incredible stuff.
Never would have thought an artist would be a customizer for action figures. That’s awesome, I dabbled in that for a lil while.
Alex you raise the bar of skill so high. Amazing.
Just discovered your channel today, Mr. Ross. As someone about to get back into art and drawing, it's super inspiring. Thank you!
You are very welcome
I don’t know how I didn’t see this channel sooner. I bought one of Your comics 20 years ago because it was so beautifully artistic. I have wondered about your work ever since but I just have not seen this channel. Thanks for sharing your style and work with us. I will be watching every one of your videos. I will be copying the best things from you to add into my style. I have a pottery studio and I sculpt faces on everything I fire. I have never thought to sculpt my characters for my illustrations to make my characters more realistic. This will make my illustrating go so much smoother.
Thank you for showing me such cool tricks. I am going to start collecting your books.
I never realized how young you were, I remember the first time I ever heard of Alex Ross was his designs for Spider-Man (2002) that were in the ps2 game. Up until I had seen this video I always assumed he was some old man that was wise beyond his years with an unlearnable talent. It really is inspiring seeing that Alex is just maybe 50 years old.
This level is dedication is unreal
You, sir, are an extraordinary artist. The expression "every picture tells a story" applies to everything you do.
Omg I totally started doing the same thing and now I'm obsessed with making my own figures. Your my hero Alex. I'm on an extreme budget so I start out with either Titan Hero Series or the DC 12 figures. The titan toys especially have very limited articulation but the amount of detail is amazing. I'm currently working on a Juggernaut out of a Bane toy and a Mysterio out of a 12 inch Buzz Lightyear toy from the new movie. So thrilling to find out you Alex, my hero is doing something similar at the same time as me. Enthralled with your work, go sixth scale, haha.
Absolutely love this video, great reference to Lost In Space (that was one of my first thoughts). The colouring, everything etc about this looks great. Really looking forward to getting my copy of the book
I’ve always appreciated your art and how it shows these characters as humans just like any other person
I LOVE his style, JUSTICE is beautifully done
Alex, your art skill and work ethic are So Next Level! That FF book looks amazing and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy!!
this is brilliant, the idea to make your own figures for reference makes them HIS Fantastic Four. i see a lot of artists doing similar with 3d sculpting programs, but there's something more accessible about having the reference right there in your hands. like when i see the book on shelves i can instantly recognize Ross' version of the characters (which, of course are his interpretation of Kirby's versions). i've always loved Ross' work, but this is next level
Totally awesome. I cannot WAIT to buy this and get it read. Every piece of art I see from it is mindblowing.
I could listen to you all day, Alex. inspiring.
Man I just want to hang out and create with this guy. I bet he could spark so much creativity in the people around him
I've been away from comic books for a long time. I didn't realize that Alex Ross does more than just covers. I bet his work in between those covers is amazing.
I love this. Thank you for sharing the experience.
I just started reading comic books recently. The first thing I dove into was Kingdom Come. Amazing book that I will definitely read again. The second thing I read through was issues 41-50 of the original Fantastic 4 run, which ran through the inhumans and through the Galactus trilogy. I absolutely loved every moment of each book, and to see that one of the creators of Kingdom Come is doing the Fantastic 4 and doing it Kirby-style with his own personal twist is just sooooo exciting. The art in this video alone won me over. I'm 100% checking this out.
I love the fact he essentially "kit-bashed" an existing Hulk action figure for Ben Grimm "The Thing" reference sculpt.
... ALEX ... This looks Great , always been a fan of your work . I'm 5 years older than you , so , I love the " New Old School " approach . Today's Books don't have .. " IT " . Also , I really enjoyed your Immortal Hulk stuff .. the cover of issue # 21 , ( the general looking at multiple Screens of the Hulk's previous Battles .. ) .. just guessing .. BUT .. I thought some of them were " based " on previous covers .. for instance .. Hulk # 120 ( Hulk vs Tank ).. Trimpe .. Hulk # 169 ( Hulk vs Bi Beast ) Trimpe.. Fantastic Four # 25 ( Hulk vs Thing ) Kirby .. Tales to Astonish # 91 . ( Hulk vs Abomination ) .. Kane .. Hulk # 197 ( Hulk vs Man-Thing ) .. Wrightson .. just to let you know that I recognized them , that it did not go unnoticed . Looking forward to whatever you do next .
Wow...amazing talent.👏👏👏 My favorite artist ever.
The effort shows, really enjoyed Full Circle! Thanks Alex!
Absolutely amazing as always! My copy of the book is on the way. I would love to see even more of the creation process.
Great video of how you work and the lengths you go to for the look you want. Great eye and amazing results.
alex, you should sell these! Would love to have the alex ross versions of the characters.
Product of a Rare generation of organic and dedicated Artists!!
This is awesome. Such a great tribute to Jack, from one master to another.
I enjoy your comic style and seeing this now, shows me how dedicated you are!. Thank you.
So awesome! Incredible artist. Really enjoyed this vid, thanks!
Man, you are the best!! I really love your work
Oh wow. Didn’t have any idea you made models for your art. I have always been a big fan of your work sir. Thank you for your contributions. You are right up there with Stan Lee
Super love the process. Alex is a true legend.
This is fascinating. I love this new iteration of your style. Can't wait to get this book!
"This is hours of work, because I've got nothing else to do." cracks me up.
Great artist, amazing story teller to match.
Just bought and read Full Circle! Absolutely astounding 👏
Thank you sir
Alex Ross provided art for the special edition release of Unbreakable, he's also in the special features on the discussion of comic books. The card inserts of Bruce Willis are amazing.
Alex Ross is such a legend. Bravo sir!
i love that "CMYK" style , master work!
Simply amazing. Thank you sir.
Fantastic job Alex I'm picking this up this weekend. Hopefully you can do another F.F. story and work With Steve Rude on it .
Man this guy was really dedicated to his work and craft
This is some of the best advise you can get. Totally awesome.
Please.. I hope you would released an action figure based on your art.. Us the fans would blow our mind for those awesome Alex Ross artwork based action-figure..
As always, great information !
The dedication you put into your art is amazing.
It would be great if we could get a video about your writing process for the story
You are one of the best in your field. I salute you!
Bless you for going deeper into technically.
My copy of this book cannot get here quickly enough. One more week!
As a sculptor, this is really awesome. I never thought to do it this way, but now I have an idea to do something similar but with Doctor Doom.
What an absolute craftsman.