It would be nice to have the game and calendar framed next to it.

Love the art, looks a bit like rockwell's.

way cool topic alex...

Those advertising artists were incredibly bad ass and I love looking at their work. It must have been a really great time to be an illustrator back then, especially if you could do pin ups.

Thanks for sharing!

Interesting comparison between the calendar page and Arrow Head backglass. I have the machine but was unaware of the calendar pinup so I learned something new today. Always a plus! Thanks, Alex

Not if I get there first.

Not so sexy, but how about the Williams Space Mission backglass being inspired by a famous oil painting of the Apollo/Soyuz linkup

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No pressure, just copy some past artwork and publish it for another hobby. Works for stern )

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Alex,

I did get a Shay backglass for it which will be a huge improvement since the ink is probably 50-60% gone on the original. The machine is currently in storage and in need of a thorough shopping which I hope to get done this summer. I'll try to remember to post a few photos here when its finished.

Then there are instances where a game artist was "inspired" by their peers. Somebody at Playmatic clearly admired the style in which Gordon Morison drew gestures and poses.

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Gottlieb Jumping Jack (1973) and Playmatic Harem (1974)

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Gottlieb Atlantis (1975) and Playmatic Fairy (1975)

I beg to disagree, that is hella sexy.

At least that was a redraw though, and not a literal copy and paste.

One of the best Williams themes and the artwork is fantastic.

Blackout is a clear swipe from Jim Steranko's cover to Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD from 1968

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The commercial art world of up until the 1980s is pretty interesting. There was a definite hierarchy and status according to the work an artist did, with backglass artists probably falling somewhere below comic book artists. Both of these fell below pulp illustrator, paperback illustrator, newpaper ad artists, ad agency designers, and book and magazine illustrators (in roughly that order). Comic strip artists were an exception up until the 1970's and made more money than just about any of their peers and were even personalities if their creations did well.

Swiping was endemic, and most artists kept massive files of compositions they liked or thought would be useful. In some instances entire works of art, comics, etc, can be found to be derived from stock images an artist has compiled. I have to believe that for most backglass artists, pinball work was probably a VERY small part of their work, and the most efficient way to pump out the job would be to refer to other works.

Then again, in every field, there are artists who just love what they do, excel at it, and their work reeks of originality and fun. It would be great to see how much pinball art is from swipes, though.

Viza's War head to head vs. Frank Frazetta's Berserker

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This topic is great!

Good stuff. I just want to add that it isn't necessarily a horrible thing either in some cases. There's a line between referencing and plagiarism which can be really blurry. Everyone wants to be original, but it's also very difficult to create any piece of art that is 100% original with absolutely no influence from any other artist. Everyone still references each other/photos today, it's just that we have Google images instead of piles of catalogs/magazines/advertisements to find inspiration from.

Totally agree. "Swiping" in the comic world was clearly an art form, although many (including Bob Kane, the "creator" of Batman) clearly crossed the line. I'm very much on the fence on everything mentioned here. The Arrowhead (for gawd's sake, even the shape of her toes are identical), Blackout, and Space Mission all cross the line, in my opinion. Space Mission I give a bye to, because I believe NASA commissioned the art and, frankly, it verges on public property.

Speaking of Frazetta--I've always been quite certain that's Frazetta's Buck Rogers on Embryon. Given the images handy, I say it's an updated homage. Uniform is the same color combo (blue sleeves, red vest), same cap, same goggles, etc. I always wondered if I spent the time looking, would I find the exact pose (it's very Frazetta-like).

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You and I are of the same era then.

I grew up with Apollo and it's my thing.

I'll never sell my Space Mission.

Sucks the US has to pay the Russians to shoot us into space on a rocket and in a capsule designed in the 60's.

I was born in 77, I grew up with Star Wars, not Apollo. But I know sexy when I see it!

Just a kid

I was 5 years old watching Armstrong walk on the moon on our new 19 inch color tv.
but the landing was in black and white.

I'll never forget it.

Nobody will ever forget where they were that night.

Awesome post keep em coming. This is almost as cool as the chicks playing pinball thread that was out a ways back!!!

Another Frazetta fan! Although, who isn't?

It does look like one of Frazetta's less dynamic poses. The kind he would utilize in a painting where the hero is standing relaxed, while females are swooning at him, laying on the ground.

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Speaking of H.R. Giger....

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Later,
EV

Paul Faris (Paragon, Lost World, etc) admitted he was inspired by Frank Frazetta. In the Lost World backglass, compare the horse to Frank's work.

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Favorite subject of mine too! Things were a little more loosey goosey. Main artist Boris Vallejo and CAZA who came up with some iconic stuff in the 70's. I like to think that underpaid artist that had to deliver just appreciated these guys. But I wonder if they ever tried to reach out to their mentors. I know that the "real" artist's career's lasted much longer.
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A '71 Williams Stardust was the "inspiration" for this '74 Satomi Arrangeball machine.

And here's the pics:image-516.jpgimage-337.jpg

I do not have any photos handy to scan (or swipe off the internet),
but if you look at WMS Firepower, it is obvious that C.Mitchell
did some swiping from Marvel's Jack Kirby,
especially on some of the PF plastics (figures).
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Sorry unable to find any specific Kirby work to reference at the moment,
but if you are familiar with his work it should be obvious
where the Firepower inspiration came from.
maybe google it or see this link
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=jack+kirby+artwork+poses&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=LqsXU82vGYP9ygOA7YCwDQ&ved=0CC0QsAQ&biw=1920&bih=1009

Very interesting thread thanks AlexF

Agree, good thread Alex.......

Alex : yes very good post
actually this thread should probably get re-posted over at the "ALL" forum,
since the art swiping/inspiration covers both the E/Ms and solid state games.

I think you are right about this swipe/inspiration for Double Barrel.
I also would bet good money that George M. was also looking at some 40-50'S pin-up cheesecake artwork or men's rag, when coming up with the models for the two cuties on the PlayField
for WMS Oh Boy, as well as the two gals in the forefront on that game's BackGlass, especially the gal on the right corner, looks like a swipe/trace from a photo.

oh boy
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The gals posing on the PF look natural
but the gals pictured on the BG look awkward in their poses?!?!
hard to believe they were drawn by the same artist.

Play refreshed, my friend.
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Cosmic Gunfight was released in 1982. The TV show Galaxy Rangers was produced in 1986. Would it be fair to say that this is one of those rare instances when the pinball theme inspired a TV show or movie?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_the_Galaxy_Rangers

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^^^^^^That's just plain old theft

Yeah, but at least you can't see his "red rocket" on the pinball version.