What does everyone see in Adam Hughes

[Allison Sohn-migration]

I'd like to take a moment to post some more "non-boob" art, to remind folks that theres more to Adam than the Girlie stuff. However, Adam is an artist for hire, and he draws the job he is hired to do, and often its boob-centric.

[Stronguy]

I think it'd be one thing if Adam's art was priced high, and it was sitting around un-sold. People could say "who does he think he is, asking so much? He obviously isn't that good if people aren't willing to pay that price". But when the art is priced as it is, and sells within moment of it being made available, you have to say "well its not for me, but I guess some folks like it enough to gobble it up at that price."

 

Welcome to the boards, Allison!

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if a lot of people didn't like Adam's work the demand wouldn't be there... prices would be lower. However, it's just the opposite... Adam could draw all day long every day and not keep up with the demand. When you go to a con and have to body check your way through 500 people making a mad dash just to get a chance to get on Adam's list there's got to be something going on.

 

Also, as you pointed out, although 90% of his paid work is good girl art he's not a one-trick pony. IMO some of his best work has been the non-good girl stuff. These days it's hard to find an artist that can switch gears so quickly and keep the same quality time after time.

[Allison Sohn-migration]

Here's an interseting twist, on the "all he does is unrealistic women" angle:

 

those three covers above? I have them priced really low, in terms of Adam's average cover price. And I can't move that art to save my life. So, I have to ask; whats worse:

 

...That Adam draws women with large breasts?

 

...Or that people only want to buy Adam's artwork when it features women with large breasts?

 

Do you rail against the guy for drawing what people want? No one wants to buy Ma Kent, Lex Luthor or Jor El, even though they are technically sound, emotionly strong pieces. But I had a list of almost 20 people that all wanted a shot at the Supergirl cover. Does Adam say "I'll draw non-sexy covers, even if it compromises my ability to pay the rent" or does he say "i've got to keep food on the table, and I know people will buy my art if it features a hot babe in latex."

 

Do you blame Adam for a career built around attractively drawn women, or do you instead question the people that want that sort of thing?

[comix4fun]

I heard someone say "Hot Babe in Latex"....and ran here.

 

What did I miss?

 

C

[Wonderworldcomic]

Adam of course draws attractive figures and does great cover designs, but in the early 1990s, I first noticed how he drew his characters' expressions. Most young artists of that time had only a couple of face types to draw- talking or fighting. I liked Adam's work early on like I admired Alan Weiss in his facial drawings.

 

side note- Alan W. had told me that he had studied year book headshots to draw characters distinctly.

 

Best,

Rich

[heartened]

Here's an interseting twist, on the "all he does is unrealistic women" angle:

 

those three covers above? I have them priced really low, in terms of Adam's average cover price. And I can't move that art to save my life. So, I have to ask; whats worse:

 

...That Adam draws women with large breasts?

 

...Or that people only want to buy Adam's artwork when it features women with large breasts?

 

Do you rail against the guy for drawing what people want? No one wants to buy Ma Kent, Lex Luthor or Jor El, even though they are technically sound, emotionly strong pieces. But I had a list of almost 20 people that all wanted a shot at the Supergirl cover. Does Adam say "I'll draw non-sexy covers, even if it compromises my ability to pay the rent" or does he say "i've got to keep food on the table, and I know people will buy my art if it features a hot babe in latex."

 

Do you blame Adam for a career built around attractively drawn women, or do you instead question the people that want that sort of thing?

 

Personally I would question the people who want that sort of thing. It only barely resembles the hobby that I grew up loving, and the motivation seems far removed from superhero/nostalgia/books. I think Adam's work is quite good, and the non-babe stuff is probably better from an artistic standpoint than the babe-stuff (the above images, especially the last, being a perfect example).

 

If folks want soft porn, that's their right. People will draw what sells. And we all know sex sells. It just saddens me that the majority of the hobby (at times) seems to be going this route, and it's just not the type of collecting that interests me, nor that I'd be proud of.

 

But, "live and let live" is appropriate in this circumstance, and who are we to judge others' collecting focus? Whatever makes them happy and remain in the hobby is fine with me. I know many of these collectors and they are genuinely great guys who love our hobby.

 

Allison, good to see you here. Incidentally, what are the prices on the above 3 covers? Curious. And what is the price escalation when a hot babe is involved?

 

[mrpunch0]

Allison, good to see you here. Incidentally, what are the prices on the above 3 covers? Curious. And what is the price escalation when a hot babe is involved?

Try looking here.

 

 

[heartened]

Thanks. Since I'm not used to modern art, it's funny to see that the published final art looks so different than the drawn art. Take, for example, the Luthor cover. The pencil/ink version is devoid of all the newspaper images on the walls, and all the lighting/shadowing. Although I love the final image, the OA looks bland in comparison. This is not unique to AH, just a byproduct of the way books are produced today.

 

[Stronguy]

Thanks. Since I'm not used to modern art, it's funny to see that the published final art looks so different than the drawn art. Take, for example, the Luthor cover. The pencil/ink version is devoid of all the newspaper images on the walls, and all the lighting/shadowing. Although I love the final image, the OA looks bland in comparison. This is not unique to AH, just a byproduct of the way books are produced today.

 

That is so true. I've often said todays published OA looks like pages out of my 4 year old's coloring books.

[Mister Trent]

I'd like to take a moment to post some more "non-boob" art, to remind folks that theres more to Adam than the Girlie stuff. However, Adam is an artist for hire, and he draws the job he is hired to do, and often its boob-centric.

 

 

Who does the coloring for these images?

 

I must admit, I thought these pieces looked superb until I saw how they exist as originals.

 

The b&w art is certainly very accomplished, but cries out for the lovely colorings you showed in the post I quote from above.

 

 

[Frederic9494]

The b&w art is certainly very accomplished, but cries out for the lovely colorings you showed in the post I quote from above.

 

It would be nice if AH and others that use Photoshop to add images/texture/colors would produce a single color stat that would be sold along with the B&W OA. So that collector would have the choice of displaying it in full color or BW only (with the garanty that these stats would not be mass produced )

 

I'm sure they could sell these OA set for a premium

[Allison Sohn-migration]

First; Adam does all his own coloring.

 

Second, each piece of original art, when sold, is accompanied by a color print out (12 by 19 inches) of the finished color piece.

 

All of the art is completed to a varying degree; some OA is far more complex while others seem very bare-bones. Here is a really nice example of a piece rendered in Ink, ink wash, and graphite, next to its photoshopped color piece:

 

 

And this done in just graphite:

 

 

And this has a city scape so detailed, people assumed Adam photoshopped a real city in, when he in fact drew it:

 

 

And on the very rare occasion, Adam will still fully paint a piece, so that the color image you see is actually what you are buying:

 

[Mister Trent]

As originals, those detailed examples are much nicer.

 

I guess I'm too old-school orientated (especially with regards to the home-grown stuff I collect from here in the UK), where the originals existed as pencils, inks and colors, e.g.:

 

[irchooker]

So, I have to ask; whats worse:

 

...That Adam draws women with large breasts?

 

...Or that people only want to buy Adam's artwork when it features women with large breasts?

 

Do you rail against the guy for drawing what people want?

 

Personally I would question the people who want that sort of thing.

 

Just something to consider, but the collecting mentality of many is: iconic or representative image by an artist. They collect a Bob Layton Iron Man, a TEX Ghost Rider (and I'm guilty in both cases). If I do the same with Adam Hughes, I come up with 'female'.

 

It's a serpent biting it's tail situation. If Adam were working on a Flash book for the past X years instead of the long anticipated Wonder Woman book, if Adam did covers on Superman and Flash instead of Wonder Woman and Catwoman, we would say that a representative Adam Hughes piece is the Flash.

 

We want Curt Swan Superman, by far the representative character. But Curt also pencilled every issue of M.A.S.K., somehow we aren't interested in that one.

[Frederic9494]

First; Adam does all his own coloring.

 

Second, each piece of original art, when sold, is accompanied by a color print out (12 by 19 inches) of the finished color piece.

 

All of the art is completed to a varying degree; some OA is far more complex while others seem very bare-bones. Here is a really nice example of a piece rendered in Ink, ink wash, and graphite, next to its photoshopped color piece:

 

 

And this done in just graphite:

 

 

And this has a city scape so detailed, people assumed Adam photoshopped a real city in, when he in fact drew it:

 

 

And on the very rare occasion, Adam will still fully paint a piece, so that the color image you see is actually what you are buying:

 

 

Thanks Allison for the explanations...and stunning examples !

 

It's nice to know that a color print is given with each B&W piece.

 

 

[Big Daddy]

Did my post in Comics General inspire you to start this thread? Like I said over there, I know what hot women look like, and AH does not draw them. There is some kind of mass delusion going on in the comic book/art world.

 

 

It's nothing a trip to your eye doctor won't fix.

 

 

If I want to see hot women in the real world I will read Maxim, or watch Skinamax, or pick up any of a hundred magazines with photos in them....

 

If I want to see an artist's stylized rendering of what he see's in his mind's eye as a gorgeous woman I will pick up any of a hundred works by Frazetta, Stevens, Hughes and a bunch of others....

 

Then again this thread is useless without pics....

I see what you mean now...she's not hot at all...

 

C

 

That's an awesome piece.