The Dynamite Art of Jay Anacleto hardcover collects hundreds of drawings by this talented Filipino artist.
Anacleto’s work here consists of page after page of his intensely detailed cover illustrations of (mostly) scantily clad females of power. His work is meticulous, referenced from photos and then compiled in the drawing stage.
Anacleto is a long way from his early ‘part-time dentist’ days and his days of copying fashion magazine photos in an attempt to teach himself how to draw. The images pulled and extracted here show a wisdom far beyond typical ‘learn to draw’ obsessions; the anatomy is accurate, the compositions balanced and well-rooted in reality. And all drawn with pencil, which in itself is remarkable.
The drawings include covers for Vampirella, Red Sonja, Dejah Thoris, Chaos, and there are loads of demons, wizards, and monsters. In the 191 pages of the volume, we see Anacleto’s original pencils, and the finished covers after colouring.
Unfortunately, Anacleto does not include rough sketches or samples of his reference photos, which would go a long way in showing his work methods. As a result, his process remains mysterious. But there is no denying Anacleto’s abilities to render high detail in pencil, to imagine scenes of sultry atmosphere. His females have strength, dignity, and sexiness.
Dynamite, The Dynamite Art of Jay Anacleto, $39.99 for hardcover of 190 pages. Rated Teen +
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