Recently going through some of my old trading cards I stumbled on my 1994 Marvel Masterpieces set. All my love for The Brothers Hildebrandt came flooding back. I loved their short comment on the back like,
“We found that we literally had to develop a new style to paint this set, to convey the extremes of the intensity for the characters!”
Just the kind of stuff to get a young illustrator charged up! The brothers started painting professionally in 1959 and worked solidly since, illustrating for posters, books, adverts and, of coarse, trading cards. I was sad to read that Tim died in 2006, but the duo’s work will definitely continue inspiring illustrators for years to come. See more of their work on their website.