Marvin Martian

VIRGIL ROSS
Marvin Martian (circa 1990)
original drawing
pencil and colored lithographic crayon on 13.5" x 16.5" animation sheet, image size: 12" x 14.5"

These original drawings of Warner Bros. cartoon star Marvin Martian were created by famed animator Virgil Ross. The artist depicted Marvin in six (6) poses the style of a model sheet. Marvin first appeared in 1948's Haredevil Hare directed by Chuck Jones, and since then he has appeared in a number of WB cartoons, including his most celebrated, Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century (1953).

Virgil Ross' career in animation started in 1920 with Winkler Studios, and he later joined Walter Lantz, where he rose from in-betweener to animator and worked with Tex Avery. In 1935, Ross and Avery moved to Warner Bros. where they created the first Bugs Bunny animated cartoon, A Wild Hare (1940). After stints with Warner Bros. directors Chuck Jones and Bob Clampett, Ross began a long association with Friz Freleng’s unit in 1942, where he animated over 230 cartoons. After Warner Bros. closed the animation division he worked at a number of studios and again with Friz Freleng at DePatie-Freleng Studio. He remained a talented artist well into retirement, and this handsome original drawing was created when he was in his eighties. The artist signed his original "Virgil Ross" at lower right