Eronen, Matti :: Carl Barks

Carl Barks' early comic book cover draft: "Cutting Tart with Harp" - from 6/1955

Artist: Carl Barks (All)

2 Comments - 1,062 Views - 4 Likes

Carl Barks' early comic book cover draft: Cutting Tart with Harp - from 6/1955 Comic Art

Additional Images:

Kim Weston Markings 217 cover study

Kim Weston Markings 217 p1-2

Kim Weston Markings 217 p3-4

Kim Weston Markings 217 p5-6

Previous Item:
In the Realm of the Gilded Man pencil drawing for 16x20" painting

Next Item:
Uncle Scrooge #63 1965 House of Haunts page 10 (His Shining Hour)

Artwork Details

Title:	Carl Barks' early comic book cover draft: "Cutting Tart with Harp" - from 6/1955
Artist:	Carl Barks (All)
Media Type:	Pencil
Art Type:	Cover
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	1,062
Likes on CAF:	4 5
Comments:	2
Added to Site:	1/30/2022
Comic Art Archive:

Description

a Quick update from 3/2022: now it looks, after Joakim Gunnarsson's extensive research work that this pencil draft dates into June 1955, and it is not that early (1949-1952) what I have first thought with Kim Weston. But this has been really fun detective work and our earlier study is here below:

Normally I am trying to avoid decisions based on feelings, but how to deal with arts? ;-)
So, when I saw this artwork, I was in the middle of freediving deep training camp, then trying to focus on diving, and excluding the rest of the world. Not 24/7 internet-connected, I also noticed this artwork was then available already over 24 hours, so I thought first gosh, it's gone.
But luckily nobody picked it, maybe due to its high price tag (ok, some months later Barks' cover draft from the 1960s was sold even at a higher price, and there exists much more his covers drafts from the 1960s).

But back to emotions: this was a screaming buy for me! At least in my eyes, it was from Barks' golden period :-). But I wasn't sure about that of course, and due to that intensive freediving training, and later a competition, I had only later time to study what did I bought. Then I browsed through all Barks' WDC-covers and simply excluded away year-by-year possibilities.

This was very fascinating research work and Kim Weston was in great help, here is presented in the additional photos his research about this, I hope CAF is presenting high enough resolution pictures so you could read it.

So, it was evident that this cover draft was done before WDC #�179 cover (submitted 11/1954), most illustrative similarities found from 1951-52 covers, and based on Kim's research work it can be dated back even into 1949! Most likely this artwork is from 1949-1952, please check the details from the attached photos.

I have also bothered Geoff Blum, Joakim Gunnarsson, S�ren Marsner, Glenn Bray and few others with this, to have their views. A very valuable addition came from Glenn, he told that in 1971 when he ordered the very first Disney Duck oilpainting from Barks, then there was not left any Disney comics cover drafts, Barks has sold all of them. That is linking what Geoff Blum wrote about this artwork into his article in Another Rainbow's CBL that the black pencil lines were added 20 years later by a request of a fan (the purchaser I guess, most likely Stephen Eberhart). So, it makes sense, 1971-20 = 1951, and having a bit of space for rounding error. Later in 1982 Volker Reiche made an inked cover from this and it has been published few times:
https://inducks.org/story.php?c=DC+JB+++57

It looks this is among the oldest surviving Barks' pencil comic book cover drafts.
Maybe the oldest is known as "Rubber Glove Finger Balloons" from 8/1954 with just rough pencil draft lines (in blue I guess) and then the following looks to be the "Dollar Smoke Signal" from 3/1955, having similar blue line pencil drafts there.
And there is of course few inked and published covers from the early 1950s, but there even exists a book about them, as you know ;-)
Here is a good link to study more Barks' cover drafts:
https://www.seriesam.com/barks/art_dcr.htm

However, the story of this artwork is not ending into this... stay tuned! ;-)

Social/Sharing

About the Owner

	Matti Eronen
Joined:	March 2017
Last Login:	September 2025
Website:	http://Illusi0n.com
Country:	FINLAND
On CAF:	Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

Contact the Owner

Use can use a contact form to send an email to this gallery owner,
but, you must be logged in to use this feature.

Comments on this Artwork

You must be logged in to make comments.

Monty B
Member Since 2006

1 - Posted on 1/30/2022

Lovely piece!!! It's almost always good to listen to your gut feeling in matters of art... :-))

Wolfgang Woesler
Member Since 2012

Posted on 4/15/2022

Wow, what a wonderful piece of the Good Artist, it has everything I love about Carl Barks, you are a lucky guy, Congratulations!

All
	Chris Johnson 9/5/2025 8:31:00 PM
	Paul P Spiderversity 9/5/2025 8:26:00 PM
	Aaron O 9/5/2025 8:13:00 PM
	Chris Lutes 9/5/2025 7:43:00 PM
	Andy E 9/5/2025 7:42:00 PM
View All


	Casey A 9/5/2025 7:30:00 PM
	Matt Kennedy 9/5/2025 7:25:00 PM
	James Posey 9/5/2025 7:19:00 PM
	Indy Jones 9/5/2025 6:46:00 PM
	JN 80 9/5/2025 6:37:00 PM