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George Pratt (artist)
Encyclopedia
George Pratt is an American
painter
and illustrator
known for his work in the comic book
field.
, Texas
, and moved to New York
to study drawing and painting at the Pratt Institute
.
Pratt's first published comics work was for Marvel Comics
' Epic Illustrated
#20 (1983). Since then, his work has appeared in Heavy Metal
, Eagle
, and many other publications. He has also inked other artists' work and created painted covers for DC Comics
.
In 1990, DC published Pratt's first graphic novel, Enemy Ace: War Idyll, which was nominated for both the Eisner Award
and the Harvey Award
. Enemy Ace: War Idyll has been translated into nine languages and at one point was on the required reading list at West Point. The book won the France Info Award for Best Foreign Language Graphic Novel, and the British Speakeasy Award for Best Foreign Language Graphic Novel.
Pratt's painted graphic novel Batman: Harvest Breed (DC) was nominated for two Eisner Awards.
The Wolverine
: Netsuke limited series for Marvel won Pratt the 2003 Eisner Award
for Best Painter/Multimedia Artist.
As of the late 2000s, Pratt is working on the book See You in Hell, Blind Boy: A Tales of the Blues, based on his research of the Mississippi Delta
. With Steven Budlong and James McGillion, Pratt made a documentary film about his Mississippi travels, also called See You in Hell, Blind Boy. The film won Best Feature Documentary at the 1999 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival.
, Henry Holt
, Warner Books, Mojo Press
, and Random House
, among others.
Pratt has exhibited his work many times at the Society of Illustrators
, and is featured in the Society's compendium The Illustrator In America: 1960-2000 (written by Walter Reed).IT is best described by its geat colors and effects too.
Pratt has illustrated cards for the Magic: The Gathering
collectible card game.
, the School of Visual Arts
, the Savannah College of Art & Design, Virginia Commonwealth University
, and currently at Ringling College of Art and Design.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
known for his work in the comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
field.
Biography
In 1980, at the age of 19, George Pratt left his native BeaumontBeaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to study drawing and painting at the Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
.
Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' Epic Illustrated
Epic Illustrated
Epic Illustrated was a comics anthology in magazine format published in the United States by Marvel Comics. The series lasted for 34 issues, from Spring 1980 to February 1986....
#20 (1983). Since then, his work has appeared in Heavy Metal
Heavy Metal (magazine)
Heavy Metal is an American science fiction and fantasy comics magazine, known primarily for its blend of dark fantasy/science fiction and erotica. In the mid-1970s, while publisher Leonard Mogel was in Paris to jump-start the French edition of National Lampoon, he discovered the French...
, Eagle
Eagle (comic)
Eagle was a seminal British children's comic, first published from 1950 to 1969, and then in a relaunched format from 1982 to 1994. It was founded by Marcus Morris, an Anglican vicar from Lancashire. Morris edited a parish magazine called The Anvil, but felt that the church was not communicating...
, and many other publications. He has also inked other artists' work and created painted covers for DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
.
In 1990, DC published Pratt's first graphic novel, Enemy Ace: War Idyll, which was nominated for both the Eisner Award
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
and the Harvey Award
Harvey Award
The Harvey Awards, named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman and founded by Gary Groth, President of the publisher Fantagraphics, are given for achievement in comic books. The Harveys were created as part of a successor to the Kirby Awards which were discontinued after 1987.The Harvey Awards are...
. Enemy Ace: War Idyll has been translated into nine languages and at one point was on the required reading list at West Point. The book won the France Info Award for Best Foreign Language Graphic Novel, and the British Speakeasy Award for Best Foreign Language Graphic Novel.
Pratt's painted graphic novel Batman: Harvest Breed (DC) was nominated for two Eisner Awards.
The Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
: Netsuke limited series for Marvel won Pratt the 2003 Eisner Award
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
for Best Painter/Multimedia Artist.
As of the late 2000s, Pratt is working on the book See You in Hell, Blind Boy: A Tales of the Blues, based on his research of the Mississippi Delta
Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history...
. With Steven Budlong and James McGillion, Pratt made a documentary film about his Mississippi travels, also called See You in Hell, Blind Boy. The film won Best Feature Documentary at the 1999 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival.
Illustrations
Pratt has done cover and interior illustrations for books published by Bantam BooksBantam Books
Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by Random House, the German media corporation subsidiary of Bertelsmann; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. Kramer, and Ian and Betty Ballantine...
, Henry Holt
Henry Holt
Henry Holt , was a book publisher and author.Henry Holt was born in Baltimore, Maryland on January 3, 1840.He graduated from Yale in 1862....
, Warner Books, Mojo Press
Mojo Press
Mojo Press is a now-defunct small press which primarily published science fiction, horror, and western books and graphic novels between 1994-1999.-History:...
, and Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, among others.
Pratt has exhibited his work many times at the Society of Illustrators
Society of Illustrators
The Society of Illustrators is a professional society based in New York City. Founded in 1901, the mission of the Society is to promote the art and appreciation of illustration, as well as its history...
, and is featured in the Society's compendium The Illustrator In America: 1960-2000 (written by Walter Reed).IT is best described by its geat colors and effects too.
Pratt has illustrated cards for the Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
collectible card game.
Fine art
Pratt's work has been exhibited at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts.Teaching
Pratt taught for seven years at the Pratt Institute. He has also taught painting and illustration at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic ArtJoe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art
The Kubert School, formerly the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art or Joe Kubert School, located in Dover, New Jersey, is a three-year technical school that teaches the principles of sequential art and the particular craft of the comics industry as well as commercial illustration...
, the School of Visual Arts
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
, the Savannah College of Art & Design, Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
, and currently at Ringling College of Art and Design.
External links
- Pratt page with art samples at Allen Spiegel Fine Arts
- Young, Robert. "George Pratt Interview excerpt from The Comics Interpreter #2"
- Herman, Ben. Negative Pop (2002).
- Solinas, Antonio. "Turpentine and Guns: The World of George Pratt," Comics Code.
- Hurtz, Jeremy. "Chapel Hill's Hidden Comic Genius," Daily Tar Heel (Feb. 2, 2001).