BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978) Prelim Art by Frazetta

Although I rarely draw anymore - and I never could paint worth a damn - I attended art school back in the dim history of my youth, so I'm always appreciative of good illustration and fascinated by artists' processes. This cool find is legendary fantasy illustrator Frank Frazetta's color rough for his fourth Battlestar Galactica painting, which was used by Universal and ABC to advertise the "War Of the Gods" two-part epic episode.

I've re-posted the finished painting and the ultimate TV Guide advertisement below for comparison.

Original Frazetta BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978) TV Guide Ads

A couple months ago, when I was going back through the entire blog replacing images that had disappeared, I realized that I had never posted these first three Battlestar Galactica ads, published in TV Guide in 1978 to support the premiere ("Saga Of A Star World") and subsequent two-part follow-up ("Lost Planet Of The Gods"). One of my first posts on this blog did showcase Frank Frazetta's original paintings for this ad campaign, but I never got around to scanning and posting the actual advertisements that I clipped and saved back when I was 15.

I did scan and post several of the other Galactica ads, and even Frazetta's for "War Of The Gods," but missed these - and then, I was without a functioning scanner for a year or so, and apparently forgot that I'd missed them.

Anyway, I've got a new, working scanner now, so I'm remedying the situation. Click on the images for slightly larger views.

I'm planning on having 2012's first Space Babe posted before the end of the week, and will hopefully fall back into regular posting again as the month goes on. Happy New Year!

More BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Art by Frazetta

I finally found a scan of the original painting by the late, great Frank Frazetta for the TV Guide ads used to promote the Battlestar Galactica two-parter, "War of the Gods." See the printed ads HERE.

As I noted when I posted the actual ads, by this point, Frank seems to have actually seen the series, or was at least provided with some costume reference, because, unlike his initial Galactica paintings, Apollo, Starbuck and Sheba appear to actually be wearing outfits that approximate the uniforms on the show (I bet Richard Hatch wished he had a build like that).

You know, I love Patrick Macnee, but wouldn't it have been cool if count Iblis had looked like this?

Frazetta BATTLESTAR GALACTICA TV Guide Ads (1978)

Back in the early days of this blog, I posted an article about the paintings that the late, great fantasy artist Frank Frazetta painted for ABC/Universal to promote the original Battlestar Galactica series in TV Guide magazine back in 1978. I had forgotten, though, that along with his paintings for "Saga of a Star World" (pilot), and "Lost Planet of the Gods" Parts I & II, he also contributed another dramatic painting for the mid-season two-parter, "War of the Gods," which guest starred the great Patrick MacNee as the diabolical Count Iblis. (Of course, as all good Galacticans already know, Macnee also provided the opening narration and the voice of the Imperious Leader for the series, as well.)

It appears that Frazetta may have actually seen a few episodes by the time he painted this later piece, as the costuming is closer to the actual Colonial uniforms seen on the show. Of course, his Iblis looks more like an evil wizard off a sword & sorcery paperback cover, but there's no denying the stratospherically high coolness factor of the piece.

Frazetta's BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978)

Back in 1978, someone at either Universal or ABC actually had the smart idea of commissioning renowned fantasy illustrator Frank Frazetta to paint three pieces to be used in promoting their expensive new science fantasy epic, Battlestar Galactica. These three paintings were used as the basis for TV Guide ads promoting the first three episodes ("Saga of A Star World," "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part 1," and "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part 2."), although they were subsequently used on book covers, etc.

What I love about these pieces - even beyond the fact that they exist at all - is how Frazetta interpreted the universe of Galactica through his own sensibilities and style. Clearly, very little in these paintings accurately reflect the cast or production design of the actual series, yet, to me anyway, they capture the epic scale that Glen Larson and his crew were trying so hard to accomplish on their television budget.