The Methods of Bob Peak

Tuesday, December 26th, 2017

A short time ago, we did a post praising the excellence of ‘Step-by-Step Graphics‘ magazine, a now out-of-print magazine which was once the premier source for illustrative art instruction.

Although these magazine are now difficult to come by, we’re truly lucky that many aficionados have taken it upon themselves to preserve these fantastic articles for future generations of aspiring artists. Once again, we owe thanks to our friend Matt Dicke for scanning this particular issue of Step-By-Step Graphics that we are featuring here today, which outlines the working methods of the late, great Bob Peak.

For the younger readers in our crowd who may not yet know who Bob Peak is, you will undoubtedly recognize his work. Bob was a giant in the industry. Superman, Apocalypse Now, Black Stallion, The Wrath of Khan, Excaliber… Bob Peak is responsible for some of the most quintessential movie posters of the 80s, and his work has helped shape the look of the modern movie poster to this day. His flamboyant style, and prolific output are still unparalleled in the industry.


For old and new fans alike, if you haven’t picked up a copy of ‘The Art of Bob Peak‘, we highly recommend the book. At a whopping 380 pages, and edited by Bob’s own son, it is the definitive guide to Bob Peak’s work. You can check out a review and flip through we did some time ago in the video below:

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5 Comments

  1. Avatar

    Brilliant! I love Bob Peak, and this in-depth look is great. I wish Step-by-Step were still around. Thanks for sharing!

  2. Avatar

    All 42 of Fred Taraba’s articles for STEP BY STEP’s “Masters” column are compiled in the massive 432 page hardcover book “Masters of American Illustration: 41 Illustrators and How They Worked,” available now from The Illustrated Press: http://bit.ly/2BIABSZ

  3. Avatar

    I bought several Step-By-Step magazines in college which survived being tossed out because of awesome articles like this. Can’t say that for some of the other art magazines that have vanished from my studio over the years.

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    Glad these scans struck a cord Dan. I mean who doesn’t love Bob Peak! Thanks for the nod. I wish more artists did these articles and what were done were more available to artists today.

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    Bonjour, savez-vous si dans le livre il est inscrit le choix des couleurs, la technique ect… sur Apocalypse Now ?Ou est ce que je pourrais trouver ses informations.