Wacky Reference Wednesday, No. 198

Tuesday, October 23, 2012


Sometimes — just sometimes — a painting serves as the "wacky" reference for a photo. I couldn't be more flattered. All I can say is that I hope a similar scene appears in the movie — and that there's an electrical outlet in the empty alcove. This isn't the first time Marvel Studios have used comic artwork as inspiration for movie posters. Just look at the Captain America poster based on Steve Epting's artwork.


Iron Man #63 Cover. 2002. Oil on illustration board, 20 × 30″.

This was my very first cover for Marvel, painted a decade ago in my parents' garage (in between shifts at the Olive Garden). I'm glad I didn't sell it. I'll be the one screaming in the audience opening night.

I've featured this painting on the blog countless times, but here's the photo of the Pantheon that served as reference for the armory. It's not every day that I can make a special trip to Italy for a photo shoot, but this happened to be my last day in Rome after a year of study there (part of RISD's European Honors Program). When I took it, I had no idea that in just a couple months, I'd have my first professional gig for Marvel.



For those of you interested in the Wacky Reference Wednesday contest, I've extended the deadline by one week, so you can all use Halloween as an excuse for dressing up.

And finally, if you happen to stop by the comic shop today, Wolverine Max #1 is out, for which I did a variant cover. And if you still have money left over, the original art is for sale at Splash Page Comic Art.


4 comments :

  1. Just want you to know....I am so very proud of you. Your favorite Aunt - still watching out for the sailors.

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    1. Thanks, Aunty! I'm still keeping an eye out for those guys.

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  2. Congratulations, and thanks also for the ongoing "Wacky Reference Wednesdays" series! It's great to be able to point my students to these and tell them, "Look, even Paolo Rivera gets reference for drawing hands!" :-)

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    1. Thanks, Mark! Yeah, I thought I'd know how to draw a hand by now, but I have no shame in using reference.

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