I suggest you go and remind yourself of what the actual artwork looked like. This is amateurish compared to the art we did get on the boxes.

 

I know, but is undoubtedly the same feeling, I consider that single point beyond technique.

 

Stop... And those box arts that were in Diaclone and Micro-Change and then automatically migrated to G1, is this his work or from a Japanese artist?

 

How fun it is to see this 35 years after they came out.

 

Now see, those are high quality artwork with an art style I would like to see return. When people say they want artwork on modern toys of the same quality as the new Devastator vs. Omega Supreme, I have to strongly object. It may be "80s style" but it certainly isn't 80s quality.

I don't think he did any of that Diaclone artwork. I'm not seeing it connected to him anywhere.

Transformer Prints – Mark Watts Art

He only did the artwork for the toys shown here as far as I can tell. He's not being associated with any of the artwork not shown here.

 

It's neat because it looks like the old janky G1 art when there weren't "control models" or any of that fancy shit and the artists just drew the fucking toy and tried to make it look cool.

 

I'm not usually one for vintage - except I am all about that original box art. The Transformers never seemed stranger or more alien to me than the unearthly geometries of that bold boxiness. More alien in aesthetic than even the Bayverse's insectile look. In that insects are common, but if I'm supposed to image these are real creatures, they'd have to be from an awfully different kind of place to end up looking like that, or set it a standard of beauty.

 

You got that right! Most of the Diaclone art were "re adopted" to include the faction sigils and recolored to reflect the toys (Perceptor being one of the exceptions) eventual Hasbro incarnations.

Until iirc Season 2-3(Jetfire and the DX Autobots/Insecticons/Jumpstarters/Coneheads) were like "originals" non Diaclone art modifications.

I'll try getting some images on the JP art(from my other Mooks and TFC box files. that never made it to the boxes where G1 Megatron was fighting Ultramagnus together with Convoy.They were more lively fluid than the classic but albeit stiff look by Mangiat.

These were amateurish? Mangiat and the rest who painted these murals came from the bygone era of classic art style which they applied in automobile advertisements (Yup, they did automobile advert among other things). Hb gave them the theme and they let their imaginations flow into the canvas.

 

35 years have past and Mr. Watts is still Gggeeeeeeeeee1 accurate! Major props to the guy, a legend in my book.

 

I would love to have professional prints / copies of all of the box art.

 

I agree. People say that G1 character designs would look unrealistic if they were adapted to live-action form, but in truth, that "unrealness" is exactly what makes them alien and "beyond your wildest imagination".

 

This is ALL KINDS of AMAZING!!!

The lucky owner of this commission is VERY lucky  

 

Diaclones Jumpstarters box arts.

 

Am I the only one who wants to see Mr. Watts do a piece depicting the first year Beast Wars toys battling it out?

 

Was this an Oops? Emphasis on the bold red. 

 

My childhood just went 'squee'. Simply the best IMO.

 

that's just awesome, I'm nostalgic for it already.

 

I have to say... I never enjoyed this guy's art.

Even as a 10-year-old kid back in the day, I could tell the difference between original Japanese art and the US box art, which almost always lacked panache.

That is to say, I was a child, and I still knew it sucked.  

zmog

 

Sorry. I didn't call the two box-art battles from 1985 that I posted amateurish. Those are ones I think are of high quality when it comes to 1980s box-art. I'm coming across negative against him here, but I just don't care much for the new art. Going through the character art on botchthecrab.com, I'm pretty sure he did the late 80s artwork as well even though they are not on his website as having been done by him. He definitely improved a lot by 1987 but there are noticeable tiers to the quality of his artwork.

 

I remember once around 1985 I was in a toy aisle. One one side were the Constructicons individually carded.

Directly opposite them on the other side was the KO Diaclone "Six-In-One Construction Set" which cost less than half the price for a full set. The box-art of each Constructicon was basically the same, except looking carefully, you could really see how the box-art on the Diaclone set was much more subtle, carefully painted, and comfortable. I was a bit perplexed why a KO would have superior art (not to mention that killer image of Devastator combined). At that point, it hadn't occurred to me that some guy was basically copying the original artwork... except more rigid, and with thicker, clumsier lines.

I bought the KO set.  



zmog