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ILLUSTRATION ART
illustrationart.blogspot.com
21
Celebrating great art in humble places: the glorious talents of the artists who illustrated stories, advertisements and comics in the 20th century.
#61528 in All

A WEEK OF GRUGER, day 4

In 1928, Gruger was assigned by the Saturday Evening Post to illustrate a long and tedious detective story.  Rather than draw another dozen pictures of English gentlemen sitting around tables in...

2 days ago

A WEEK OF GRUGER, day 3

On Tuesday a commenter suggested that Gruger "paints with a pencil." Here is a good example of that effect:Illustration for the Civil War tale, “The Crystal Chandelier”  Saturday Evening...

2 days ago

A WEEK OF GRUGER, day 2

In 1928,  F.R. Gruger was so popular that the Saturday Evening Post published a cartoon by another artist about ways "Gruger could guard his famous technique from the hundreds of ambitious y...

3 days ago

A WEEK OF GRUGER

Nobody talks much today about Frederic Rodrigo Gruger (1871-1953), but years ago, Time magazine proclaimed Gruger "the dean of U.S. magazine illustrators." Norman Rockwell looked up to Gruger...

4 days ago

THE SONG OF THE CYNODONT

Cynodont250 million years ago, before death negotiated its current rhythm with life, death nearly wiped out all life on earth in a fit of exuberance.During the Permian Extinction, 96% of all marine s...

5 days ago

A.B. FROST, BETWEEN THE LINES

The great A.B. Frost (1851 - 1928) drew a story about a man who wanted to learn hypnotism.  At one point, the man foolishly decides to practice on his wife:Frost was a master at using the gaps b...

26 may 12

WARRING WITH TROLLS, part one

 "To live is to war with trolls"  --Henrik IbsenLegendary graphic designer Milton Glaser invented the famous "I Love New York" rebus and donated it to the city he loves.Glas...

14 may 12

MARK ENGLISH

Eddie Bauer catalog cover, 1982The career of famed illustrator Mark English can be divided into three phases.His first job was picking cotton in the fields around Hubbard Texas for $1.50 per day.&nbs...

27 apr 12

GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY

In 1810 the great painter Francisco Goya was commissioned to paint a portrait of King Joseph Bonaparte. Goya didnt like King Joseph, who Napoleon had placed on the Spanish throne by force, but Goya n...

24 apr 12

ONE LOVELY DRAWING, part 40

Artists who cant draw have become emboldened by the excuse that traditional drawing skills are less relevant today.  The focus of art has shifted, we are told, from visual appearance to intellec...

24 apr 12

PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST IN TIMES OF CHANGE

You think youve got career problems?  Russian artist Zinaida Serebriakova launched her career just as the world was starting to unravel.Self-portrait as a young art studentZinaida turned 21...

15 apr 12

THE OTHER LESSON FROM THE SUPERMAN CHECK

Everyone knows the story of how two Cleveland boys, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, created the character of Superman and, short of money, signed all their rights away to a corporation for $130.  ...

07 apr 12

FRANKLIN McMAHON 1921-2012

Franklin McMahon, the last of the great illustrator-reporters, died last week at age 90.McMahon worked in a bygone era when newspapers and news magazines relied on artists to add class and grace to t...

18 mar 12

THE CARTOONISTS REVENGE

 Everyone knows what it takes to have a successful career.  A college education is essential.  A graduate degree is even better (preferably in a field such as technology, business or f...

27 feb 12

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

14 feb 12

EMPTY ARMS

You hardly ever see pictures of men carrying women in their arms these days, but once upon a time such pictures made up 71.32% of all illustrations in womens magazines.  John GannamReaders of&nb...

07 feb 12

ONE LOVELY DRAWING, part 39

Howard Pyle illustrated more than 125 books.  Of those books, he wrote 24 himself.  Of those 24 books, one-- Pepper and Salt-- contained 90 of his illustrations. Of those 90 illustrati...

28 jan 12

BEFORE BOB PEAK WENT HOLLYWOOD

Illustrator Bob Peak was probably best known for his movie posters.  As far as I am concerned, thats unfortunate.  James Bond: The Spy Who Loved MePeak has been described as "The Father...

27 jan 12

HOWARD PYLES WEEKLY DRAWING SESSIONS

All images courtesy of the Delaware Art MuseumHoward Pyle, the father of modern illustration and one of Americas most important painters, died just over a century ago.  To commemorate the annive...

27 jan 12

ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH

Its too early in the season for the star of Bethlehem, so that glow in the sky last week could only have been the neon lights from "the most prestigious art show in the Americas," Art Basel M...

16 dec 11

NEW BOOK FROM STERLING HUNDLEY

Award winning illustrator Sterling Hundley has come out with a collection of his art, Blue Collar / White Collar.The book melds Hundleys commercial illustration, his gallery art, and his thoughts on ...

29 nov 11

ERICH SOKOLS PRELIMINARY SKETCHES

I have previously written about my admiration for illustrator / cartoonist Erich Sokol, whose brilliant work appeared in Playboy Magazine.  A collection of his work recently published by Residen...

21 nov 11

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ART

Last weekend I gave a lecture at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge Massachusetts.  The following is an excerpt from what future generations shall call my NRM Manifesto (unless the NRM la...

18 nov 11

THE SLAV EPIC

 I spent the past week in Prague where I was working on the World Forum on Governance.  Away from my books and art materials, I resigned myself to skipping this weeks post.However, the cult...

14 nov 11

0NE LOVELY DRAWING, part 38

This woodcut by Lynd Ward scared the crap out of me when I was a boy: Ward (1905-1985) became known in the 1930s for his "wordless novels" comprised entirely of woodcuts.  (His firs...

21 oct 11

THE OLD QUESTION FINALLY ANSWERED: "WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ILLUSTRATION AND FINE ART?&#...

This is the second-- and I promise, the last-- excerpt from my recent talk at the Norman Rockwell Museum.  I submit the following thesis for dispute and contradiction.  Next week I will go ...

20 oct 11

PRELIMINARY SKETCHES BY BERNIE FUCHS

I love the wildness in these preliminary sketches by illustrator Bernie Fuchs:They were done quickly, and with some violence:They look completely unfettered.  Not a traffic light in sight. ...

20 oct 11

LECTURE ON ILLUSTRATION: SEPTEMBER 24

For those who live near the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, the Museum was kind enough to invite me to come present my views on illustration.The museum is one of the premier res...

18 sep 11

CHRIS PAYNE

Detail                                      &...

15 sep 11

ONE LOVELY DRAWING, part 37

I love this drawing by Harrison Cady of a small house standing in the way of urban progress:from the Kelly Collection of American Illustration  (24" x  20")Cady was famous for simpl...

06 sep 11

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