Vintage Visions

Roy G. Krenkel

1918 - 1983

Roy Gerald Krenkel often referred to as simply RGK, was an American illustrator who specialized in fantasy drawings and paintings.

His artwork revealed the strong influence of artist Norman Lindsay, in addition to Franklin Booth, Joseph Clement Coll and J. Allen St. John.
In 1963, Krenkel won the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist. Before serving in World War II he studied with George Bridgman at the Art Students League of New York.

After WWII, he attended Burne Hogarth's classes at the Cartoonists and Illustrators School, which became the School of Visual Arts. There he met a group of young cartoonists, including Joe Orlando, Frank Frazetta and Al Williamson.
Krenkel sometimes collaborated with Frazetta and Williamson on pages the trio drew for EC Comics particularly in Weird Science, Weird Fantasy and Weird Science-Fantasy.
He did several illustrations for science fiction magazines.
Notable are his 23 paperback book cover paintings as well as frontispieces for Edgar Rice Burroughs or other fantasy writers published by Donald A. Wollheim.

Krenkel also created preliminary roughs which Frank Frazetta modified and used to paint covers for Warren Publishing Creepy & Eerie magazines. Krenkel drew one page "Creepy's Loathsome Lore" and "Eerie's Monster Gallery" stories as well as inks and rough layouts for "H2O World" with collaborator Al Williamson.

During the 1970s, he illustrated both covers and interiors for Robert Howard's The Sowers of the Thunder and The Road of Azrael published by Donald M. Grant.
It was at this time Krenkel created seven special paintings for a limited edition portfolio to illustrate the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Krenkel also contributed to several science-fantasy fan publications, including Richard A. Lupoff's Xero, the Burroughs-oriented ERB-dom and Amra, devoted to the works of Robert E. Howard.

Recommended: Complete Bio on Roy G. Krenkel

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