Game art copied from elsewhere

[Juan F. Ramirez]

Seen on twitter today:

https://twitter.com/zx_spectrum_30/stat ... 16961?s=19

[Alessandro]

Who knows. One thing is for sure, coal power stations look pretty much the same everywhere

[Juan F. Ramirez]

One of works of the excellent artist Ralph McQuarrie, probably the best Star Wars illustrator, shows a far Mos Eisley:



When I first saw next inlay I couldn't avoid thinking of the above picture:



The unknown game artist probably was inspired by McQuarrie art when drew the far city on the plain.

[Rorthron]

I suggested before that the cover of Movie looked like it was influenced by Casablanca. Actually it looks more like a direct copy of a different Bogart film, Dark Passage (which I misidentified in my previous post)

Movie cover



Still of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in Dark Passage (1947)



Here are the side-by-side details:



The head of the detective has been completely redrawn, and there are some minor differences, which could be changes by Bob Wakelin or could mean the source image he used was a different frame from the same scene. But to me the resemblance seems quite good, especially of Lauren Bacall, so I think there is the good chance this (or something similar from Dark Passage) was the source image.

[Rorthron]

Here is another Bacall image from Dark Passage, which is a slightly closer fit.

[Ersh]

Dark Passage is one of my all time favourite movies.

Direct copy, minor differences? I'm sorry, I just don't see it. I may not be the greatest artist but I feel I'm at least somewhat competent in seeing references and I can't find any similarities between the photo of Bogart and the detective, sans wearing similar clothes. The angle of the body is wrong, there are no matches in the folds of the fabric, the lapel is totally different, they don't even share the same lighting. Any old '40s reference photo may've been used, if any.

[Rorthron]

Dark Passage is one of my all time favourite movies.

Direct copy, minor differences? I'm sorry, I just don't see it. I may not be the greatest artist but I feel I'm at least somewhat competent in seeing references and I can't find any similarities between the photo of Bogart and the detective, sans wearing similar clothes. The angle of the body is wrong, there are no matches in the folds of the fabric, the lapel is totally different, they don't even share the same lighting. Any old '40s reference photo may've been used, if any.

I think we've been here before.

Once again I disagree.

[Ersh]

You're free to disagree. If you could at least elaborate on what's supposed to be a "direct-copy" here.

Here's the reference Wakelin used, it's from an old pulp mag cover. Not sure what the original artist used for reference (if any at all), couldn't find any matches amongst '40s publicity/film-still shots.

[Rorthron]

Here's the reference Wakelin used, it's from an old pulp mag cover.

Good find. That's obviously the source (or there's a common source).

[Rorthron]

It's by Jim Steranko:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandler:_Red_Tide

[Ersh]

Jim Steranko is a very accomplished comic book author, though that doesn't rule out he used a reference of some sort. The use of reference material is common in all fields but there are some artists that do without.

If you're using a reference it's for angles, perspective, lighting and the sort. They should match, that's why artists use them. For an example, you don't look at a hand from one perspective and draw it in an another, if you were then there would be no point in having a reference.

Of course people also use references for how to draw the design of things (cars, clothes etc.). But spotting those sources are hard as any picture of said item could've been used.

[8BitAG]

The Maltese Falcon is certainly the major influence, with Mary Astor inspiring the female character. I believe that the male character is pretty much a self-portrait.

[Ersh]

Yes, I can see that as an influence as well.

[8BitAG]

The Maltese Falcon is certainly the major influence, with Mary Astor inspiring the female character. I believe that the male character is pretty much a self-portrait.

Certainly that's the opinion of Michael Gonzales:

"For a moment I just stared at him, as the man himself flashed me one of his trademark Kodak smiles. With his jet black perfect hair, G.Q. wardrobe, sunglasses and spit-shined boots, he was iceberg smooth. “How you doing over there,” Steranko said in his world’s greatest showman voice. I shyly glanced at him and back at the Chandler cover when I suddenly realized that the picture of that mean streets private dick was actually a self-portrait."

https://crimereads.com/the-groundbreaki ... -steranko/

[Rorthron]

As [mention]Audionautas[/mention] pointed out in the cover artists thread, the first Return to Eden cover looks like it was based on (or inspired by) an image of ROM the Spaceknight.

[Juan F. Ramirez]

This cover from Zeppellin. The main soldier image reminds me of an historial pic of one of the israeli-arab wars in the XXth century (Yom-Kippur, etc).



I've tried several times but found nothing. I'm sure I've seen that pic before about that conflict.

Anyone thinks the same?

[Packobilly]

The amount of information you show at one time is overwhelming!

In the 1980s, copyright was not as strict, apparently...

[toot_toot]

I think it might have been an issue of Retro Gamer, or maybe it was a website, but Bob Wakelin went into detail on the inspiration for his game covers, including the reference images he used. He was quite open about taking it from other sources as I got the impression the covers required a fairly quick turnaround, so he was happy using other source material.

I had the opportunity to meet him at a retro gaming event and he was really great, very glib and down to earth. He seemed to be amazed that people revered his artwork when it was just a paying job to him, but I told him that I usually bought an Ocean or Imagine game just based on his artwork. Ocean would typically start advertising a few months in advance with a lovely full page advert for a game, then the game would be released into the shops usually before it had been reviewed. But you were so hyped up for the game that you bought it anyway. That meant I bought a couple of real stinkers like Highlander, but it was still worth it for the cover! I also remember being really disappointed when I finally saw Miami Vice in the shops and the cover wasn’t the Bob Wakelin artwork as in the advert, but just a photo instead, so I didn’t buy it. Glad I missed that one!

[Rorthron]

The cover of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is unsurprisingly cobbled together from various movie posters. It looks likes a repainting of the same scenes, rather than a direct cut and paste.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom cover



Raiders of the Lost Ark movie poster



Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom movie poster



‘The Hero is Back’ movie poster for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom



Details









The picture of Kate Capshaw does not quite look like an exact copy. It might have been tweaked by the artist, but most probably is copied from a slightly different image.



I haven’t worked out the source for the scene on the bottom right.

[Ersh]

Nice finds!

I think this promo photo of Kate Capshaw was the reference here:



Also I found the bottom right reference on a promo leaflet seen here:

[Rorthron]

Nice finds!

I think this promo photo of Kate Capshaw was the reference here:



Also I found the bottom right reference on a promo leaflet seen here:

They look like the ones.

[Rorthron]

As i mentiond in the cover artists thread, the cover of Deus ex Machina was, according to Mel Courcher, based on an image he took of a woman he met outside the Automata office, Nina von Palisanderholz:



Mel Croucher tells the story here (p 46):

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... eQLppVrTeP

[Alessandro]

Well since she was photographed on purpose for the game cover, I wouldn't call that "copied from elsewhere"

By the way, "von Palisanderholz" means "(made) with rosewood" in German. The surname sounds fabricated. A quick search on Google did not make anyone come up with that surname.

[Rorthron]

Well since she was photographed on purpose for the game cover, I wouldn't call that "copied from elsewhere"

If the image was used as a reference, then strictly I suppose it is still "copied", but you're right that it is a different case from the others in this thread. In any case, it seems more likely to be be a modified print of the photo than a painted copy. I just thought it was interesting, anyway.

By the way, "von Palisanderholz" means "(made) with rosewood" in German. The surname sounds fabricated. A quick search on Google did not make anyone come up with that surname.

Yes, thanks for the detail. It sounded made up to me. I have a suspicion that the whole episode might have been "embellished" in Croucher's account.

[Juan F. Ramirez]

[mention]MarkRJones1970[/mention] tweeted this today:

https://twitter.com/MarkRJones1970/stat ... 65984?s=20

I'm sure it's been commented before, it's one of the clearest examples of copying-art