'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' artist Dorothea Taylor talks must-own SteelBooks, the Marvel universe and what's next (Exclusive)
It goes without saying, the Black Panther franchise is easily the biggest and most representative of the culture so when Wakanda Forever finally hit theaters and broke records, the countdown immediately started up for when the world could own the legacy late iconic actor Chadwick Boseman started.
From securing multiple Academy Award nominations including Angela Bassett’s Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actress to starting Black History Month with this must-see film arriving February 1 on Disney+ - it’s truly a celebration of Black excellence. To make things even more exciting? How about this week’s arrival of the mind-blowing and must-own Black Panther: Wakanda Forever SteelBooks? If you’re a little late to the party, just know… Marvel Studios' Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray with exclusive collectible editions and also streaming on Digital.
The only way to properly geek out over this massive rollout is having the opportunity to speak to famous artist Dorothea Taylor about her eye-opening design, getting her Marvel Universe stripes and digging a bit deeper into the art culture with - of course - Attack The Culture. Tap in.
Hitting the rewind button for a quick moment, how would you explain the overall feeling (possibly a mixture of excitement and pressure) to be attached to such a highly-anticipated film?
Dorothea: Honestly my overall feeling when I got the Black Panther Wakanda Forever project was a mixture of extreme joy followed by an overwhelming sense of anxiety. There’s always some fear and pressure involved in living up to an assignment of this magnitude. I was so honored that Marvel Studios and Disney had showed their faith in my ability by selecting me.
The Black Panther is such a major part of the Marvel Universe. I understand how demanding and intense the fans can be, how emotionally invested they are. The Black Panther franchise is unique in that it resonates with fans of the superhero genre - Marvel fans specifically, as well as Black people in general. Some of the folks who went to see BP wouldn’t necessarily go see just any superhero movie. So the fan base has a wide spectrum. The first movie introduced us to not only a Black superhero but also a Black nation that was all about Black excellence. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Black Panther is the number 1 Marvel film, ever! Black Panther 2 had been highly anticipated from the moment the first one wrapped. So pressure is an understatement. There was a lot to live up to and lots of fans to appease.
The artwork is simply stunning and brings another epic element to owning the physical versions of the film. You previously mentioned wanting people to feel the soul and spirit of the film with the steelbook and my goodness - did you ever! Based on your own scale, how close did you get to creating your vision and reaching your goal?
Dorothea: Thank you for your kind words. I think the interesting thing about being an artist is that there is always an initial vision in your head. Interestingly when I put it on paper... well these days it has more to do with drawing on a computer... sometimes the outcome veers away from what I envisioned. It’s kind of like having a dream and trying to describe it once you wake up. It’s a little fuzzy. I think the more I work the closer I get to the vision in my head but I don’t think I ever capture that vision 100%. As in most things I create, I look at the final piece and see things I might have done differently. Like most artists, we continue to tweak the work the more we look at it and would probably continue to tweak it if we didn’t have a deadline.
Marvel Studios' Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray with these exclusive collectible editions and also streaming on Digital.
While of course I am going to be partial to you, we must admit - Orlando Arocena really held his weight with his version as well. Was it friendly competition between the two of you or was there any part of collaboration between you both - being brilliant artists and sharing two different but amazingly unique steelbooks. Spoiler: True fans will have to own both because they’re both stunning!
Dorothea: Definitely, Orlando Arocena is a gifted artist, and he has illustrated probably over a dozen SteelBooks. I feel he is a modern-day master and he’s such a great design thinker. Discovering his work and developing an admiration for his creations was my introduction to The Poster Posse, the agency that represents him and more recently me. I came on board nearly 2 years ago. When I saw the type of things he and the Posse were doing, I was determined to try to get added to their roster of over 60 talented international artists. The Posse is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The agency was founded by husband-and-wife team Don and Rebecca Thompson because they wanted to help artists find opportunities. Orlando was one of the original 8.
I started the project in September. In the beginning, I created over a dozen concept sketches that go in a different direction than the one you see in the final case. For one thing I was concepting for all things Wakanda and Talokan. The scope changed a bit mid-October when Orlando was brought on board. Needless to say, I was excited. The new plan included 2 SteelBook designs by two different artists. We did a brief Zoom call with our rep, Rebecca Thompson, to discuss our approach. We landed on the idea of making the 2 SteelBook set, a collaboration that would work together and compel fans to buy both of these limited-edition cases. The direction we landed on was a “face off” of sorts so that when they sit on a shelf, Namor and Shuri would face one another. While the idea may look competitive, our actual goal was to find ways to connect them together as companion pieces. There are similarities between the two designs like the blue and gold dominant color palette, the large profiles of the leaders of Talokan and Wakanda with a medallion like treatment behind their heads that speaks to their respective cultures. Mine is inspired by African patterns and Orlando’s is inspired by an Aztec calendar. So the idea was never to compete or even create in a similar style, it was to bring our unique styles but with some sense of continuity.
I never get tired of saying how grateful I am to Orlando. He was very encouraging, humble, and always willing to share his knowledge with me throughout the process. It was a special treat to team up with him.
While this Marvel project is an excellent way for people to become familiar with your work, would you talk about your love for the art and design culture? Your designs range from Chance The Rapper and Donald Glover to icons like Serena Williams, Muhammad Ali and LeBron James.
Dorothea: I have a lot of interests. I love tennis, music and sports in general. I find that I like to illustrate people who fascinate me and have an impact on the culture. I created illustrations of people like Donald Glover, Chance the Rapper, Serena Williams, Muhammad Ali and LeBron James because I like what they stand for. They are all great ambassadors for their craft but they don’t play it safe and they stay true to themselves.
You’ll also notice I have several different illustration styles that I feel are all sides of me. In my design business I like to offer a number of approaches so that the studio has a range beyond just one look. That way the studio can be a one stop shop. We once had a project where the client thought of hiring 6 different artists and we were able to convince them we could handle the entire project.
What was the process like for creating your beautiful Wakanda Forever steelbook? Was it a step-by-step procedure where each iteration and design was examined and approved or did you have full free range to create?
Dorothea: Again, thanks for the kind words. I started the process with pencil sketches that I created in Procreate on my iPad. The sketches were presented to Disney first and then Marvel. When I first started the project in September there weren’t a lot of assets or imagery available. Because the plot and details of the film were quietly kept, there were almost no images of the Black Panther suit. In fact, when I started, I wasn’t even sure who would be wearing it.
After Disney choose a few concepts they liked, I did color renditions. I also created a new Black Panther 1 SteelBook at the same time so there was some thought given to making these 2 SteelBooks more similar. I absolutely love the direction we ended up going in with 2 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever SteelBooks using 2 different artists. It’s a brilliant initiative and I’m so glad that Best Buy was receptive to it. It’s very cool that they offer both of these limited edition SteelBooks exclusively for a limited time.
Once the decision was made to move in this new direction it was back to the drawing board. As I started narrowing in on the design and proceeding to color, I had to get approvals from Disney, Marvel Studios, the movie creators and finally the actors for likeness approvals. I created parts of the design in Adobe Illustrator, started illustrating the portraits in Procreate and finally assembled it all in Photoshop.
What type of environment did you put yourself in for this creation? With Attack The Culture focusing heavily on hip-hop lifestyle and music, do you thrive with musical sounds in the background when you create - notably on a project of this magnitude - or do you prefer the silent approach?
Dorothea: I do like to have something playing in the background while I’m working. Sometimes I like to listen to music like an R & B playlist on Apple music but lately I find myself listening more to audio books. (I think for this piece I listened to “The Personal Librarian” a true story about Belle, a Black woman who worked for J.P. Morgan and became one of the most powerful people in the art and book world at a time when women and more importantly Black people, weren’t considered for those type of roles.)
I find that listening to audio books is my way of multi-tasking and submerging myself into another world while I use the right side of my brain to create. To me the time flies by and I find myself working for hours on end without realizing so much time has gone by.
How did this creation differ from your normal routine?
Dorothea: I’m always working on multiple projects at the same time. When I worked on Wakanda Forever I was also working on a SteelBook for Black Panther 1. This project required a lot of vetting and approvals, understandably so considering its magnitude, so I wasn’t mad at that.
After seeing something as groundbreaking as your steelbook, do you feel you’ve officially earned your Marvel Cinematic Universe stripes? It feels like there’s more of this needed for the culture and of course the Black Panther fanatics which will find ways to frame this artwork and keep the legacy thriving for generations to come.
Dorothea: Creating an original piece of art for the Marvel Universe is a huge feather in my cap. This is my second assignment for Marvel. I’d like to think I’ve earned my stripes, but I’m not opposed to taking on another assignment or two to make it official.
Marvel Studios' Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray with these exclusive collectible editions and also streaming on Digital.
