Frank McCarthy loved art as a kid. He liked superheroes and he would try to draw them. He got some good education in high school through the Art Students League where he learned and came to appreciate anatomy of the human form. McCarthy then attended the Pratt Institute and went to lectures given by John Gannam, Al Parker. Harold Von Schmidt was another speaker McCarthy went to listen to which I find interesting because this is the same illustrator that I was inspired by for one of the weekly paintings. It’s pretty cool to see that another illustrator that is inspiring to me and I have probably been influenced in a similar way. McCarthy illustrated many movie posters and magazine and book covers. He was a master at illustrating action, particularly the pinnacle of the action where he would paint the most climactic part of a narrative. McCarthy was able to capture action even better than a camera could in 1960. When he came across the opportunity to go freelance, he took it and spent the rest of his illustration career painting western scenes. He influenced people through his action paintings and was able to show how an illustrator could do what a camera couldn’t, while still maintaining realism.
Frank McCarthy influences me to make what I like to work in a world that values simplicity. It is obvious in his paintings that McCarthy liked realism, but the camera could already capture things in life realistically. Instead of abandoning what McCarthy loved doing, he added elements to enhance his illustrations and take them beyond the skills of a camera. He brought something different to stay relevant and interesting, but he didn’t let the need to stand out from the crowd dictate what he ultimately liked doing. Now that I see how McCarthy made something like this work for him, I feel hopeful that I might really be able to find a way to merge my interest in manga art with my interest in realistic animal art and make it work in a unique way that people will be able to use and still do everything I love.