VIRGIL FINLAY ART FOLIO

I hold Virgil Finlay's art in very high regard. His imaginative, ethereal illustrations and stunningly meticulous technique is rarely matched.

While his work spanned numerous genres in many different books and magazines, along with Lee Brown Coye and Margaret Brundage, I find his contributions WEIRD TALES to be among his finest.

This fanzine, published about two years after Finlay's death by Trek Publications of Texas showcases fine examples from across his subjects. Hard to see from this scan is the slick paper wrap-around cover and the interior pages printed on heavy card stock.

See more about Virgil Finlay HERE.

MORE FINLAY FANTASY

Last week I posted a portfolio of the great Virgil Finlay's illustrations from FAMOUS FANTASTIC MYSTERIES magazine.

Here is an article from STARLOG #14 (June, 1978) that provides a biographical look at one of the masters of fantasy art. It was written by Gerry de la Ree, who at 97 years of age, is a renowned author, art collector, and small press publisher who is noted for his art books, including one on Virgil Finlay. The article explains Finlay's technique with stipple.

CORRECTION: In my post last week, I mentioned Finlay's use of Coquille board. Finlay instead produced most of his work on scratchboard.

VIRGIL FINLAY PORTFOLIO

I became familiar with Virgil Finlay through CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN magazine. Publisher Calvin T. Beck published several of Finlay's illustrations, who must have recognized his enormous talent. 

One has to remember that in the early 1970's, computers and search engines and the ability to view images by the hundreds of thousands were a decade away. So, imagine my surprise when I came across THE BOOK OF VIRGIL FINLAY, published by Flare Books in the summer of 1976. Needless to say, I had become entranced with Finlay's fantasy and horror illustrations and snatched it up without hesitation. It remains today in my personal library.

Born in Rochester, New York, Virgil Warden Finlay (July 23, 1914 – January 18, 1971) began his career in the pulp magazines, most notably appearing regularly in WEIRD TALES, as well as various science-fiction and fantasy publications. His immediately recognizable style was accomplished using the techniques of stippling and cross-hatching with pen and ink. He also used pebble-grained Coquille board to great effect.

The following collection of images are from his work with FAMOUS FANTASTIC MYSTERIES. These samples clearly show his unique talent.

See more of Virgil Finlay's work HERE.