David E Wilkinson - Artist

I will be making a rare public appearance this Saturday at Wall To Wall Sound and Video - Franklinville, NJ to celebrate . I will be there to promote The Violence Movie, a little project we did for fun a lifetime ago that just seems to endure.

Please check out “Wall to Wall’s” page for all the details. There will be all kinds of rare VHS being released, giveaways and more.

If you are in the NJ area and have ever purchased my work in the past, feel free to bring it by. I will be happy to sign it free of charge.

RIP Renato Casaro, legendary Italian poster designer and artist. Like many great artists, you might not know his name but you probably have seen his amazing work.

Such a sad story. So many artists / creators who not only struggle to have their work seen but are so desperate to do so, are ultimately taken advantage of. They become willing to sacrifice their rights to what they have created just to have it seen and appreciated. Perhaps make anything they can from it financially to make ends meet. “Starving artists” as they have been referred to.

This story of Superman is also amazing in that something so iconic, enduring and hopeful would be born of something so tragic.

I like many artists, can relate to being put in this position. Back in 2012 after creating my KISS portraits, Gene and Paul liked them so much they wanted to acquire the rights to my work. As soon as Gene saw it, standing there holding the canvas in his hand he saw dollar signs. He said so to Doc McGhee who was standing nearby.

Dealing first with Epic Rights Management and then Live Nation, their offers continued to be well below any reasonable value for them to own my work and in-turn license it out for others to use as thry saw fit. Somewhat insulting IMO as they referred to it simply as a “design” so they could justify the offer as “ that is what they pay for a “design”. I believe what I created was more than that and I know that is what Gene saw in it. Some have called it “iconic” but that is a term I humbly hesitate to use to describe my own work.

They tried to sway me by painting proverbial pictures of my work on official KISS merchandise as well as promises of better offers on future work once the value of my current work was proven.

Unlike Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, I was not in the financial situation they were and with a near 20 year career behind me with my work on countless products sold worldwide, neither the money they were offering nor the visions of my work on official KISS merchandise were enough for me to sell the rights to my work away. So I declined. Had I been right out of art school, looking to make a name for myself and build my portfolio? I probably would have accepted the offer.

I have never had a second thought about this decision. As cool as it would have been to see my work on official KISS merch, it also would have been a constant reminder of how I allowed myself to be taken advantage of. I know what the value of my work is. I can only IMAGINE how Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster felt as they saw all their character was to become and how many other people were to become rich from it as they would receive nothing only to finally be acknowledge decades later and still not receiving near what they deserved. Its sad.

As artists, our work comes from us. It comes from the soul. Just as Joe Shuster’s came from a broken heart. These pieces I created all came from a life long love of KISS. They are a part of me. Something that will outlive me. The result of my not selling it off was that I have been able to continue to share it will you / the world my way and on my own terms. The response I have received along with seeing the fans from around the world appreciate it, display it as part of their collections, use it as wallpaper for their phones or profile pictures and even have it tattooed on their bodies has been a highlight of my career. That has been worth far more than any monitary offer I received from the band or seeing them and others exploit it for the rest of my life.

Thank you all for your continued appreciation of my work.



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“I invented Superman the day after we buried my father. That was no coincidence.” 🕊️💥

I was just a teenager when my father was murdered during a robbery at his small shop. There were no superpowers. No one came to save him. That moment shaped my life forever. That very night, I locked myself in my room and began writing a story—about a man who *could* protect his loved ones. A man no bullet could stop. That’s how Superman was born… not from fantasy, but from grief. 💔🖋️

But nothing came easy.

No one wanted our comic. Editors laughed at the idea of “an alien in a cape.” For years, Joe Shuster and I knocked on every door, hungry and desperate. We skipped meals just to afford envelopes and stamps to send out our pitch. 💸📮

When someone finally said yes to Superman… we were paid $130. That was it. We signed away the full rights to the character. The world got a hero. We got a heartbreak. As Superman soared, Joe and I could barely pay rent. I fell into depression. For decades, we fought in court to be recognized as the true creators. 🧾⚖️

It took over 40 years for justice to knock. Not until the 1970s did DC Comics offer us a modest pension and began crediting us publicly. But by then, Joe was blind… and living in near poverty. Behind the hero’s smile was our silent tragedy. People saw Superman. No one asked who was bleeding behind the ink. 🖤🖌️

“Everyone sees the superhero. No one sees the man who drew him out of pain. Sometimes, the real heroes are the ones who endure in silence—with no cape, and no applause.”🦸‍♂️✊

– Jerry Siegel, co-creator of Superman

Was always taught in art school to get good photo reference when drawing BUT, to only use it as “reference” and not to simply “copy” what we saw. In those traditions, I found this very interesting. “Hat tip” to Michael Uslan for doing the leg work on this.

Joe Shuster said that his depiction of Superman came from photos and drawings in what were known as "muscle magazines" of the 1930's.

He wasn’t kidding! I was kind of surprised how closely he copied the reference material…including the name “Superman”.

I think what really struck me is seeing where those iconic shorts which so many other super heroes who followed really came from.