P. Craig Russell - Lady Death Pinup

I'm positive everyone has an artist that they absolutely want in their collection but could never find the right piece or the opportunities kept passing you by. Mr. Russell was in this category for me for a very long time. Every time I found a piece I wanted it was already gone. Every time I found one at auction I was outbid. I chalked it up to fate and stopped looking for a while.

And then I came across the Kickstarter campaign for his Symbolist Fantasies book and lo! There was a spot for a commission available! I clicked that button as fast as I could and reserved my spot. Then I went back and read the fine print. Mr. Russell would draw your choice of any of his most popular characters including Doctor Strange, Sandman, Elric, etc. Not a bad deal at all, all are incredibly iconic under his brush and would make a fine centerpiece in my collection. But... I wanted something different. I really enjoy asking artists to tackle characters they may have never drawn or even seen before and see how their imagination runs wild. So I took a shot in the dark and asked Wayne (the excellent gentleman managing his art and book publishing) if Mr. Russell might be interested in taking a stab at Lady Death? No, not Death from Sandman or the deity Thanos pines for. You know, Lady Death, the 90's Chaos Comics character. Wayne said he'd pass the request along and to have a backup plan ready just in case. I patiently waited for his response.

And much to my amazement he agreed to do it! And quite happily as well! I sent along reference material and my only request was to have fun and go nuts with it. Around 7 months and some change later I finally have the piece in hand and he did indeed go nuts with it. It's incredible. The inking is the most layered and textured work I've seen in person. The signature P. Craig Russell lines, details and whimsical shapes and critters are all there. I'm extremely happy with my choice and overjoyed that he had a great time with it. And I'm positive it'll be the first and last time he tackles Lady Death.

As he has done with all the other commissions from the campaign, a short video was recorded in which he chats about his thoughts and process while working on the piece. It's absolutely worth a watch, especially if you'd like to hear this most distinguished of comic book artists say "vaginal folds." Many, many thanks to both Wayne and Mr. Russell for making this a highly enjoyable and rewarding experience.

https://www.waynealanharold.com/watch/v/lady-death