Automated Selectivity

One of the reasons we like to look at paintings is that reality is filtered through someone's brain. Painters select the important elements out of the infinite detail that meets our eyes. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdoercYMaTo8RLxPwLdPSoU6mvfXeE_EH_ht1AXHtq9CEGl-_32YQBFmjWtsS_GSY69yZvjwWCicghMIxxQBxSfFPrLi1vxWWyTxaDFL-TjC3ZfUL4pcwkW4IZGbttzclzhYPeoChSsA/s1600/Parker_Night_Call.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdoercYMaTo8RLxPwLdPSoU6mvfXeE_EH_ht1AXHtq9CEGl-_32YQBFmjWtsS_GSY69yZvjwWCicghMIxxQBxSfFPrLi1vxWWyTxaDFL-TjC3ZfUL4pcwkW4IZGbttzclzhYPeoChSsA/s320/Parker_Night_Call.jpg" width="242" /></a><br />Here, Al Parker chooses to show us detail in the hands and face. He sinks everything else into a flat tone. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3uAo7TwytyhAkNNhBLQuc18KPN-10yf-iDZOORrL2d8xErTk4ALX1chE88nqhvRiki8KDvM9plu0ReqAjVvrnszglc2GtKlrMv3-zw1ytR6Vjv5q8nRkyWVAUDmyU-sp0DG94iE0HJU/s1600/Sargent.Street_in_Venice.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3uAo7TwytyhAkNNhBLQuc18KPN-10yf-iDZOORrL2d8xErTk4ALX1chE88nqhvRiki8KDvM9plu0ReqAjVvrnszglc2GtKlrMv3-zw1ytR6Vjv5q8nRkyWVAUDmyU-sp0DG94iE0HJU/s400/Sargent.Street_in_Venice.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />John Singer Sargent could have detailed every paving stone and roof tile in this Venice street scene. Instead he softened and simplified the background areas and put the focus on the faces. <br /><br />This selectivity isn’t arbitrary. The detailed areas correspond with the parts of the picture that we want to look at anyway.  As we’ve seen in previous posts, eye tracking studies have demonstrated the cognitive basis of selective attention. Viewers’ eyes consistently go to areas of a picture with the greatest psychological salience: things like faces, hands, and signs. We’re hard-wired for it.<br /><br />What happens if you combine eye tracking data with computer graphics algorithms to automate the process of selective omission? Would the result look “expressive” or “artistic?” <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpLB4CGsAg5xPqeYjy_bv6Az_D288RCk6rTA0vPToVkCca8AcDVy9ms1zYYeohtvLciT2-wG6xVUTyBKScMZ4fO1h_hArEA3MmmqC_7HO_rucDXsvfl4IVM5H_KgjWY1W9x__renbNug/s1600/Painterly_Abstraction.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpLB4CGsAg5xPqeYjy_bv6Az_D288RCk6rTA0vPToVkCca8AcDVy9ms1zYYeohtvLciT2-wG6xVUTyBKScMZ4fO1h_hArEA3MmmqC_7HO_rucDXsvfl4IVM5H_KgjWY1W9x__renbNug/s320/Painterly_Abstraction.jpg" width="265" /></a><br />(Click to enlarge) In his doctoral thesis for Rutgers University, Anthony Santella did just that. The photographs on the left include a set of overlapping circles showing where most people spent their time looking in each image. The larger the circle, the longer the concentration on those areas.<br /><br />Santella combined that data with a rendering algorithm which simplified other areas of the image. In the top image, note the flattening of the far figures and the arches above them. In the bottom image of the woman, note how the wrinkles in the drapes and the textures in the sweater are rendered with flat tones. But her eyes, nose and mouth are still detailed. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaP_blwOtVG7eMWcJq6_Zi13jzr7DE0iNo5XpwNMW21o0AKn3slIZqyr_6zNDCeWtp3Dm6piQwM4Ta1VT4ZMyKa7TAdgA8Ci1QbqL8MZxxhDtKaWAMURo7RD2LlIiMlcWC2fOj1BWns8g/s1600/Guitarist_Street.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaP_blwOtVG7eMWcJq6_Zi13jzr7DE0iNo5XpwNMW21o0AKn3slIZqyr_6zNDCeWtp3Dm6piQwM4Ta1VT4ZMyKa7TAdgA8Ci1QbqL8MZxxhDtKaWAMURo7RD2LlIiMlcWC2fOj1BWns8g/s400/Guitarist_Street.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />The rendering algorithms can be designed to interpret the source photo in terms of line and color. Or the shapes can modulated in size according to the interest factor. Note how the outlying areas of each rendering is simplified.<br /><br />Whichever rendering style one desires, the output image has a sense of psychological relevance, more so than <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/01/automated-painting.html">rendering algorithms based merely on abstract principles</a> such as edge detection. As a result these computer-modified photographs have a sense of something approaching true human artistry.<br /><br />The results of this interaction between eye-tracking data and computer rendering algorithms suggests a heretical thought: What we think of as a rare gift of expressive artistic judgment is really something fairly simple and logical, something you can teach a machine to do.<br /><br />"THE ART OF SEEING: VISUAL PERCEPTION IN<br />DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF<br />NON-PHOTOREALISTIC RENDERING"<br />by Anthony Santella<br /><a href="http://www.research.rutgers.edu/%7Easantell/thesis.pdf">www.research.rutgers.edu/~asantell/thesis.pdf</a><br />Final two sets of images are courtesy this online graduate thesis.  <br /><br />Previous related posts on GurneyJourney: <br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/12/abstraction-generator.html">Abstraction Generator</a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/01/automated-painting.html">Automated Painting</a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2007/09/al-parker-at-rockwell.html">Al Parker at the Rockwell</a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/11/eyes-have-it.html">The Eyes Have It</a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/01/stroke-module.html">Stroke Module</a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/09/eye-tracking-and-composition-part-1.html">Eyetracking and Composition, part 1 </a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/09/eye-tracking-and-composition-part-2.html">Eyetracking and Composition, part 2 </a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/09/eye-tracking-and-composition-part-3.html">Eyetracking and Composition part 3</a><br />Introduction to eyetracking, <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/02/what-are-you-looking-at.html">link.</a><br />How perception of faces is coded differently, <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/05/never-forget-face.html">link.</a>

Automated Selectivity

One of the reasons we like to look at paintings is that reality is filtered through someone's brain. Painters select the important eleme...

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Men’s Adventure Magazines

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_sVcbOzVQei5bK0DqTWCvdM0yM72d_IRE2yFHtFN52TpfatqKZe3a5-KILTZ2q68Zql4BakZg6LMQglfcfM9NuP2nZOkmpwLs2MXa3ospdQTDILFVCTtW8S3eoLO-81UfiSI_lSHicbw/s1600/Copeland_Charles_Male_1966.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>The late 1950s and 1960s were the era of the male magazine, with names like <i>Stag, True, For Men Only, Saga, Swank </i>and<i> Man’s World</i>. There you’ll find “true” adventure and combat stories—typically about an average G.I. behind enemy lines put in command of a secret army of French gun-toting prostitutes to defeat the Italian army. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_sVcbOzVQei5bK0DqTWCvdM0yM72d_IRE2yFHtFN52TpfatqKZe3a5-KILTZ2q68Zql4BakZg6LMQglfcfM9NuP2nZOkmpwLs2MXa3ospdQTDILFVCTtW8S3eoLO-81UfiSI_lSHicbw/s1600/Copeland_Charles_Male_1966.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbvy2oPXzKpnHa5HUAAfHR6Z8gaAgGCuS4i5o-kFt_eQU0FnVQ6aSixCl9FjAKuUo0le9gyN66C8Jct4AmlFW6vLHXWpHBqcBpFgb4vLVj97gBK1OcM0iVrXaApduk8kwrJ1WRnv-bVg/s1600/Copeland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbvy2oPXzKpnHa5HUAAfHR6Z8gaAgGCuS4i5o-kFt_eQU0FnVQ6aSixCl9FjAKuUo0le9gyN66C8Jct4AmlFW6vLHXWpHBqcBpFgb4vLVj97gBK1OcM0iVrXaApduk8kwrJ1WRnv-bVg/s320/Copeland.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The new issue of Illustration magazine has a spotlight Charles Copeland (1924-1979), one of the illustrators who contributed to the men's pulps.<br /><br />Copeland's work appears alongside other artists who became better known, such as Mort Kunstler and James Bama, and alongside writers who made it in the world of the ‘slick’ magazines and popular novels, such as Mario Puzo and Ian Fleming. <br /><br />Illustration magazine #33 is on the newstands, but you can also order it on the website, or view thumbnail views of the contents. Dan Zimmer and his contributing writers like Lynn Munroe, who wrote the piece on Copeland, produce the magazine primarily as a labor of love, and since few in academia are devoting researchers to the topic, the key interviews with living illustrators who worked 50 years ago are being largely gathered by this magazine. <br />---------<br /><a href="http://issuu.com/illomag/docs/ill33">Illustration Magazine</a><br /><a href="http://illustrateurs.blogspot.com/2011/04/pulps-3.html?zx=e92f95ba9c062939">More about men's pulps at Illustrateur blog</a> (in French)<br />Books:<br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ciframe%20src=%22http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=gurnjour-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0922915814&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr%22%20style=%22width:120px;height:240px;%22%20scrolling=%22no%22%20marginwidth=%220%22%20marginheight=%220%22%20frameborder=%220%22%3E%3C/iframe%3E">It's a Man's World</a> Adam Parfrey<br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ciframe%20src=%22http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=gurnjour-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=3836503123&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr%22%20style=%22width:120px;height:240px;%22%20scrolling=%22no%22%20marginwidth=%220%22%20marginheight=%220%22%20frameborder=%220%22%3E%3C/iframe%3E">Men's Adventure Magazines</a> by Max Collins<br />More about this era of illustration at <a href="http://todaysinspiration.blogspot.com/">Today’s Inspiration </a>blog

Men’s Adventure Magazines

The late 1950s and 1960s were the era of the male magazine, with names like Stag, True, For Men Only, Saga, Swank and Man’s World . There y...

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Bert Untooned

What would <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_%28Sesame_Street%29">Bert</a> from Sesame Street look like if you kept his cartoon proportions but made him otherwise real?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ov-tTe9p-EpY1Es1_Sy_uE9U7BJl-QfLmlbZ1QJuBYGK9tJTJdlIZcD45KqDgYvzoPC0ti9f-FFQbUZWTPXcjQQtaHRi8XxiAeHhfhZCz8rTXQEsAEe3-kiZ224jahhluYWtVlaP6gQ/s1600/WyethOnTheIslandofEarraid.det.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXiPTmUSB85_1m0DL1hVBK_IG8F2Z7cT7bMZCoDuunWPM5NRb7t96fY_D5_JNInaT4QZ4ED188GqgE4FvoJWoMyTBwRAOB-OhGpb40gKKNHeDWZbs5cAWrxlo_vOFuRDjmbQIJIGsqnTE/s1600/Bert_Untooned.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXiPTmUSB85_1m0DL1hVBK_IG8F2Z7cT7bMZCoDuunWPM5NRb7t96fY_D5_JNInaT4QZ4ED188GqgE4FvoJWoMyTBwRAOB-OhGpb40gKKNHeDWZbs5cAWrxlo_vOFuRDjmbQIJIGsqnTE/s400/Bert_Untooned.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />He’s still got those caterpillar eyebrows, bug eyes, top tuft, bulbous nose and wide grin. But when we see all his details and textures, he has an altogether different charm—or creepiness. <br /><br />“<a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=untooning&oe=utf-8&rls=com.yahoo:en-US:official&client=firefox&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1089&bih=523">Untooning</a>” has been a hot internet meme over the last few years, and it raises all sorts of questions about verisimilitude.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ov-tTe9p-EpY1Es1_Sy_uE9U7BJl-QfLmlbZ1QJuBYGK9tJTJdlIZcD45KqDgYvzoPC0ti9f-FFQbUZWTPXcjQQtaHRi8XxiAeHhfhZCz8rTXQEsAEe3-kiZ224jahhluYWtVlaP6gQ/s1600/WyethOnTheIslandofEarraid.det.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ov-tTe9p-EpY1Es1_Sy_uE9U7BJl-QfLmlbZ1QJuBYGK9tJTJdlIZcD45KqDgYvzoPC0ti9f-FFQbUZWTPXcjQQtaHRi8XxiAeHhfhZCz8rTXQEsAEe3-kiZ224jahhluYWtVlaP6gQ/s1600/WyethOnTheIslandofEarraid.det.jpg" /></a><br />A face that has been abstracted can be just as real to us emotionally, maybe more so. Think of African masks. Character designers at CGI animation studios are also very conscious of dialing down the realism on human characters. Too much realism can drop us into the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley">uncanny valley</a>. <br /><br />I think the same thing is true of storytelling paintings, such as this illustration by N.C. Wyeth from <i>Kidnapped.</i> It’s more of a mental image he was striving for. By not showing his eyes, Wyeth makes David Balfour seem more lost in the fog. <br />----------<br />Bert from <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2011/04/21/bert.html">BoingBoing </a><br />See Mario, Charlie Brown, and other Untooned characters at <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/04/untooned-cartoon-characte_n_410448.html?slidenumber=Z9ksyxqowJ0%3D&slideshow#slide_image">Huffington Post </a><br />Related GJ post about <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/12/face-detection.html">camera face detection </a>

Bert Untooned

What would Bert from Sesame Street look like if you kept his cartoon proportions but made him otherwise real? He’s still got those caterpil...

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Lecture April 10 at the Rockwell

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFT8Jc163oo-f9NwuHkuTbw8XadXtnCs4UzD2ZQYag1GGFh6gDQIUYDIsTPRLTUflVkcRvF_3UkuiPj6spMCxDXdApwhd0bFBMIkIcuvjVwbcXfrSADVaeKewNzOAxG6qOcHZtm28eL1g/s1600/Rockwell.Rosie.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFT8Jc163oo-f9NwuHkuTbw8XadXtnCs4UzD2ZQYag1GGFh6gDQIUYDIsTPRLTUflVkcRvF_3UkuiPj6spMCxDXdApwhd0bFBMIkIcuvjVwbcXfrSADVaeKewNzOAxG6qOcHZtm28eL1g/s320/Rockwell.Rosie.sm.jpg" width="245" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I thought I'd pass along the news about an interesting lecture coming up this Sunday, April 10, at the <a href="http://www.nrm.org/2011/03/rockwell-center-talk-brunchimperiled-illustration-j-c-leyendecker-norman-rockwell-and-the-war/">Norman Rockwell Museum </a>in Stockbridge, Massachusetts:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;">"</span>The fascinating transition at <i>The Saturday Evening Post</i> between two star illustrators—J.C. Leyendecker and Norman Rockwell—will be the subject of an upcoming lecture by Dr. Jennifer A. Greenhill.  <span style="font-size: 11pt;"> on Sunday, April 10, starting at 11 a.m. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;">"Dr. Jennifer A. Greenhill, Assistant Professor of <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1302284093_5" style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;">Art History</span> at The University of Illinois in Champaign, will examine the moment acclaimed illustrator J.C. Leyendecker left “The Saturday Evening Post,” and Norman Rockwell took over as the magazine’s star illustrator. The tenor of publishing during World War II, different approaches to “surface” in illustration, and the challenges that abstraction posed for artists working realistically will be explored. After the program, a brunch will be served in Linwood House, the Museum’s 1859 Berkshire cottage. Cost to attend the lecture is $25, $20 for Museum members. Pre-registration recommended by calling <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1302284093_6" style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;">413.298.4100, ext. 260</span>, or e-mail: <span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2999230124118604245&postID=4019545058304209357" rel="nofollow">mgeorgeson@nrm.org</a></u></span>." More information at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/">this link to NRM.org</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Image: </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Rosie the Riveter," Norman Rockwell. 1943. Cover illustration for "The Saturday Evening Post," May 29, 1943. Private collection. ©1943 SEPS: Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN </span>

Lecture April 10 at the Rockwell

I thought I'd pass along the news about an interesting lecture coming up this Sunday, April 10, at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbr...

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Sky Conscious

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpRRPIUFh2N25ctuZ1sf-rPsV52z-MI3pD2zVtLaj7YhqjYO67mn68sAzMK7eu4qEJ8-nXAvv264AK9341S1fm7Mw2tKhbC68dth_gMNCwLT90paWMQLkyvJii6IA8B06B1ynGH6qVGk/s1600/Anderson_Susie.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Here’s a fine head painting by the American artist Harry Anderson, known for his illustration and gallery work in opaque watercolor, (also known as tempera or gouache).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpRRPIUFh2N25ctuZ1sf-rPsV52z-MI3pD2zVtLaj7YhqjYO67mn68sAzMK7eu4qEJ8-nXAvv264AK9341S1fm7Mw2tKhbC68dth_gMNCwLT90paWMQLkyvJii6IA8B06B1ynGH6qVGk/s1600/Anderson_Susie.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpRRPIUFh2N25ctuZ1sf-rPsV52z-MI3pD2zVtLaj7YhqjYO67mn68sAzMK7eu4qEJ8-nXAvv264AK9341S1fm7Mw2tKhbC68dth_gMNCwLT90paWMQLkyvJii6IA8B06B1ynGH6qVGk/s400/Anderson_Susie.sm.jpg" width="298" /></a><a class="cssButton" href="" id="publishButton" target=""><div class="cssButtonOuter"><div class="cssButtonMiddle"><div class="cssButtonInner">Publish Post</div></div></div></a><br />Rather than point out all the excellent handling of edges and drawing, I want to point out the sky behind the head. It’s a very pale, low-chroma blue, almost matching the value of the light side of the form. What’s wonderful about the sky is how it steps back and provides a setting for the interesting area of the picture.  <br /><br />Harry Anderson once said, “I imagine you might say that I am definitely sky conscious,” <br /><br />"I can’t tolerate skies that force themselves on the viewer’s attention. Ordinarily the sky should be a foil for the rest of the design. It must retire, but many artists fail to grasp this truth. The source of light is always the lightest area in a picture. On a bright day this is the sun itself, when a white expanse in full light might be lighter than the sky, but on a gray day the sky is the source of light, and in this instance, the sky will be the lightest note—lighter even than pure white objects.”<br />------<br />“Harry Anderson Discusses his Painting in Tempera,” American Artist, May, 1956<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leifpeng/sets/1603970/">See more Anderson images at Leif Peng’s “Today’s Inspiration” Flickr Sets.</a>

Sky Conscious

Here’s a fine head painting by the American artist Harry Anderson, known for his illustration and gallery work in opaque watercolor, (also k...

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Stoops in Illustration

The new issue of Illustration magazine has a feature on Herbert Morton Stoops (1888-1948). Stoops had a long career in adventure and military illustration.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLaTNv3U-ZnSG_TDKogl8kmGln_GLEb6CWYDYblk1rOSuQfzOAyab12hXr4F1nBPYvidwBOWmoj_Zsr06I7EYzAGdanc1Q2QfGfQdLPLshSc-JyLT7DW2PR77eLlIeMXN_5D6IUsx4nU/s1600/Stoops2.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLaTNv3U-ZnSG_TDKogl8kmGln_GLEb6CWYDYblk1rOSuQfzOAyab12hXr4F1nBPYvidwBOWmoj_Zsr06I7EYzAGdanc1Q2QfGfQdLPLshSc-JyLT7DW2PR77eLlIeMXN_5D6IUsx4nU/s400/Stoops2.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />He painted covers for Blue Book magazine for 13 years. The article was written by Colonel Charles Waterhouse, USMC, himself a notable painter of military history.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhACXXV361rl8cyM4VKn5cxcFtW2_p3i8hL6Fit1tyLiqLTekU4Uy_rcrcq_o1ri3goo0RzLT_LwOLiMR4RYQAiX9bKyQqONcO81A5zwus2jaUToCAoib9uXyf0FYqJ3XTyXabmkyCPnA/s1600/Stoops.1.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhACXXV361rl8cyM4VKn5cxcFtW2_p3i8hL6Fit1tyLiqLTekU4Uy_rcrcq_o1ri3goo0RzLT_LwOLiMR4RYQAiX9bKyQqONcO81A5zwus2jaUToCAoib9uXyf0FYqJ3XTyXabmkyCPnA/s400/Stoops.1.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br />Illustration #32 also has articles on “Ed Balcourt, Artist and Artist Representative,” and “The Artists of Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators” which looks at the covers for a series of mystery books. <br /><br />As always with Illustration magazine, the articles are lavishly illustrated with fine color reproductions, and you can preview the entire issue online.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.illustration-magazine.com/">Illustration Magazine</a><br /><a href="http://issuu.com/illomag/docs/ill32">Flip-through of current issue </a>

Stoops in Illustration

The new issue of Illustration magazine has a feature on Herbert Morton Stoops (1888-1948). Stoops had a long career in adventure and militar...

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Dean Cornwell Paints

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's some archival footage of American illustrator Dean Cornwell at work as he paints an illustration.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="290" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Cs7VY16nTA0" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe> </div><div class="module clearfix" id="description"><div class="datawrap"></div><div class="datawrap"></div><div class="datawrap">The oil painting is from <i>The Robe,</i> by Lloyd Douglas: "And now, with a deft maneuver, Marcellus brought the engagement to a dramatic close."  Click on the image below for a very large scan of the final artwork (Thanks, Joe).</div><div class="datawrap"><br /></div><div class="datawrap"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2RP6wxLI9tdHxgbgNBQshES6-_aB72sw7wVAYoiPmzEBjUC37wf-dg__e-s8yRX15anNiSC6FyfqXVRsS775uCnzzNzGODyd-5HsBJVJXfEZ-7TjVdXlC1Q8EcUJDjI0-TDiGrIV-C3M/s1600/Cornwell.TheRobe.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2RP6wxLI9tdHxgbgNBQshES6-_aB72sw7wVAYoiPmzEBjUC37wf-dg__e-s8yRX15anNiSC6FyfqXVRsS775uCnzzNzGODyd-5HsBJVJXfEZ-7TjVdXlC1Q8EcUJDjI0-TDiGrIV-C3M/s400/Cornwell.TheRobe.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="datawrap">The footage was shot by Frank Reilly in 1947, part of his "Artists at Work" series. According to Reilly himself, the purpose of the film "is to impress upon us the accomplishments of those among us now and to perpetuate their memory for the inspiration of those who are to follow.” <br /><br />Thanks to Mr. Reilly, and thanks to the individuals and institutions who have preserved Reilly's legacy. If anyone knows where the original motion picture film copies are, please let me know.<br /><br /><i>Correction, March 5, 2013: </i>According to one of Cornwell's grandchildren, "Dean was actually ambidextrous and could actually paint with both hands and apparently sometimes did so simultaneously (I would guess only if it wasn't great detail). Not a lefty; an ambi."<br />-------<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Cornwell">Dean Cornwell on Wikipedia</a></div><div class="datawrap"></div><div class="datawrap"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs7VY16nTA0">Direct link to the video on YouTube</a></div><div class="datawrap">Previously on GurneyJourney:</div><div class="datawrap"><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2011/02/meet-harvey-dunn.html">Meet Harvey Dunn</a><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_941987965"></span>Dean Cornwell in Illustration Magazine </a></div><div class="datawrap"><span id="goog_941987966"></span></div></div>

Dean Cornwell Paints

Here's some archival footage of American illustrator Dean Cornwell at work as he paints an illustration. The oil painting is from The R...

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Meet Harvey Dunn

Here’s a two-minute video with archival footage of Harvey Dunn (1884-1952) as he paints a western character.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DdGAR5zaipw" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br /><br /><b>About the video</b><br />In the late 1940s, illustrator and teacher Frank Reilly visited the studios of the premier illustrators of his day and filmed their working methods. He used state-of-the-art color film equipment, and in some cases, sound. He filmed Dean Cornwell, Arthur William Brown, F. R. Gruger, Bradshaw Crandall, William Oberhardt, and Harvey Dunn. He called the series “Artists at Work.” The films have been lost for many years, and a few of them have recently resurfaced. <br /><br />The purpose of the Artists at Work series, according to Reilly himself, was “to create a permanent collection of films that will be available to schools, societies, and museums.”<br /><br />In June, 1948, <i>American Artist </i>magazine interviewed Reilly about the project. According to <i>American Artist,</i> Reilly said the series “is intended to impress upon us the accomplishments of those among us now and to perpetuate their memory for the inspiration of those who are to follow. Eventually the collection will be entrusted to some museum or foundation or society where it can continue indefinitely to serve the purpose of its founder. This is a strictly non-profit educational venture, Reilly investing in it thousands of dollars of his own savings and will never receive a penny of the income from rental fees charged for showing the films...The enterprise has been set up legally to assure its operation on this wholly altruistic basis.”<br /><br />I’ve added a brief narration and some sound effects to this silent film. I would like to thank the teachers, institutions, and individuals who have helped preserve and share Mr. Reilly’s wonderful gift to the world of art.<br /><br /><b>Links for further reading</b><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdGAR5zaipw">Direct link to this video on YouTube</a><br /><br />Harvey Dunn is featured in a major new book written by illustration historian Walt Reed of <a href="http://www.illustration-house.com/">Illustration House Galleries.</a> You can find out more about the book called <i>Harvey Dunn, Illustrator and Painter of the Pioneer West </i>available at the publisher, <a href="http://fleskpublications.com/blog/?p=505">Flesk Publications</a>, or the <a href="http://www.sdstate.edu/southdakotaartmuseum/">South Dakota Art Museum museum</a>. And<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Harvey-Dunn-Illustrator-Painter-Pioneer/dp/1933865199/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297958036&sr=1-1"> the book is available only in limited quantities at Amazon</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://illustrationart.blogspot.com/2010/12/harvey-dunn-1884-1952.html">Post about Dunn on David Apatoff’s "Illustration Art" blog.</a><br /><a href="http://www.linesandcolors.com/2011/01/04/harvey-dunn/">Post about Dunn on Charley Parker's "Lines and Colors" </a><br /><a href="http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/dunn.htm">Biography of Dunn on Jim V's BPIB</a><br />Walt Reed’s Illustration House<br /><a href="http://www.sdstate.edu/southdakotaartmuseum/explore/Collections/Harvey-Dunn/index.cfm">South Dakota Art Museum website on Dunn</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Dunn">Wikipedia on Harvey Dunn</a><br />Previously on GJ:<br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/01/reilly-and-beyond.html">Reilly and Beyond</a>

Meet Harvey Dunn

Here’s a two-minute video with archival footage of Harvey Dunn (1884-1952) as he paints a western character. About the video In the late 194...

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Why is There No Illustration History Textbook?

Blog reader Corey sent me the following question:<br /><blockquote>“I just graduated with my BFA, but I never got much of an education on illustration. Through your blog and others I've been slowly discovering artists like Howard Pyle, Winsor McCay, R.O. Blechman and on and on. It's been a pot luck of art history for me. I've been looking for a more comprehensive collection of illustrators, so I can create some sort of time table for all of these artists and see the landmarks I might have missed. I cracked open my big art history book from school today to see what I could find, but they accidentally skipped over the illustrations and comics. Could you recommend for me a good book on the history of illustration?”</blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivipGgctivHF5J_bT0CzyaPUIRsaK_6hIPUPRxfHeWt386jsibSCxlO6O-8DS2JiQIASj8gWB-zX9WvarH4zHLLe_eVkF8dcEjlAqOA1LYkZMadAfb0FJHYa_KO7KszlA-8fbfTHDKfg8/s1600/American_Illustration_History.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivipGgctivHF5J_bT0CzyaPUIRsaK_6hIPUPRxfHeWt386jsibSCxlO6O-8DS2JiQIASj8gWB-zX9WvarH4zHLLe_eVkF8dcEjlAqOA1LYkZMadAfb0FJHYa_KO7KszlA-8fbfTHDKfg8/s400/American_Illustration_History.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Dear Corey,<br />The short answer is that to my knowledge there is <i>no</i> good standard illustrated textbook on the history of illustration, at least not in the USA. Why not? There are comprehensive histories of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Enchanted-Drawings-Animation-Charles-Solomon/dp/0517118599/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297715593&sr=1-1">animation</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Short-History-Movies-Bruce-Kawin/dp/0205537553/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297715638&sr=1-1">movies</a>, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Comics-Illustrated-History-Comic-Strip/dp/1595821732/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297715686&sr=1-1">comics</a>, but there isn’t one on illustration. There should be. It would be a big project, but it’s a book that needs to be written.<br /><br />There are a few books that come close. Walt and Roger Reed of the<a href="http://www.illustration-house.com/"> Illustration House</a> gallery of illustration have created several editions of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Illustrator-America-1860-2000-Walt-Reed/dp/0060554886/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297712131&sr=1-1"><i>The Illustrator in America,</i></a> (starting in 1960, and updated in 1980, and 2000). This is an excellent and authoritative survey of American illustration in the form of illustrated mini-biographies. Although there’s an essay at the beginning of each decade, the book doesn’t try to lay out the full story and draw all the connections.<br /><br />Another book comes very close: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/years-American-illustration-Henry-Clarence/dp/0394414748/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297712078&sr=1-1"><i>200 Years of American Illustration,</i></a> by Henry C. Pitz, published by the Society of Illustrators. It’s a catalog for a 1976 exhibition, so it’s 35 years old. It’s mostly a showcase of artwork, and mostly in black and white. Although the chapters on history are good, they’re just a fraction of the book, and they don’t attempt to tell the complete story in the way Gardner, Janson or Gombrich gave their account of art history. And you're right: those older standard art histories overlook comics, animation, and illustration, and it's not accidental. It's just plain blind.<br /><br />There’s also the Susan Meyer's book “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Great-Illustrators-Susan-Meyer/dp/0883656450/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297712176&sr=1-1"><i>Great American Illustrators</i></a>,” which spotlights ten great illustrators, mostly from the Golden Age. And of course there are many books on individual illustrations, especially on Rockwell and Wyeth.<br /><br />Illustration historians Fred Taraba and Dan Zimmer are putting the finishing touches on <a href="http://www.theillustratedpress.com/home.html">41 Illustrators and How They Worked,</a> a sort of companion volume to the classic <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Forty-illustrators-they-Creative-library/dp/B0007F2EPM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297715847&sr=1-1"><i>40 Illustrators and How They Worked</i></a>, from the 1940s. I’m eager to see the first one, and highly recommend the second, though neither attempts to be an overall historical survey.<br /><br />A complete history of American illustration needs to be compiled and written. There’s a grand opportunity for a publisher and a writer (not me—I don't know enough).<br /><br />I’d be interested in comments from the Group Mind. How would you define the scope of the book? What should it include—or not include—from following list<span style="color: #cc0000;"> (Note: poll results from 140 blog readers follow)</span>: magazines <span style="color: #cc0000;">(121),</span> books <span style="color: #cc0000;">(126)</span>, newspapers<span style="color: #cc0000;"> (84)</span>, humorous illustration <span style="color: #cc0000;">(70)</span>, pulp <span style="color: #cc0000;">(90)</span>, pin-up <span style="color: #cc0000;">(85)</span>, children’s books <span style="color: #cc0000;">(100)</span>, pen and ink <span style="color: #cc0000;">(105)</span>, comics <span style="color: #cc0000;">(80)</span>, concept art <span style="color: #cc0000;">(79)</span>, advertising and packaging art <span style="color: #cc0000;">(100)</span>, movie posters <span style="color: #cc0000;">(107)</span>, art prints <span style="color: #cc0000;">(48)</span>, mural work <span style="color: #cc0000;">(31)</span>? <br /><br />How far back should it go? Should it include illustration from all countries? Did I overlook an important book to recommend to Corey?<br />------<br />Recommended books: <br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Illustrator-America-1860-2000-Walt-Reed/dp/0060554886/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297712131&sr=1-1"><i>The Illustrator in America</i></a> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Great-Illustrators-Susan-Meyer/dp/0883656450/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297712176&sr=1-1"><i>Great American Illustrators</i></a>,<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivipGgctivHF5J_bT0CzyaPUIRsaK_6hIPUPRxfHeWt386jsibSCxlO6O-8DS2JiQIASj8gWB-zX9WvarH4zHLLe_eVkF8dcEjlAqOA1LYkZMadAfb0FJHYa_KO7KszlA-8fbfTHDKfg8/s1600/American_Illustration_History.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Illustrator-America-1860-2000-Walt-Reed/dp/0060554886/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297712131&sr=1-1"><i>The Illustrator in America,</i></a> <br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Great-Illustrators-Susan-Meyer/dp/0883656450/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297712176&sr=1-1"><i>Great American Illustrators</i></a><br /><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Forty-illustrators-they-Creative-library/dp/B0007F2EPM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297715847&sr=1-1"><i>40 Illustrators and How They Worked</i></a></i><br /><a href="http://www.theillustratedpress.com/home.html">41 Illustrators and How They Worked (not yet published)</a><br />Also, <a href="http://www.illustration-magazine.com/"><i>Illustrator Magazine</i></a> provides regular articles on the history of the field.<br />Previously on GJ:<br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/03/academic-and-illustration-museums.html">Academic painting and Illustrations in public museum collections </a>

Why is There No Illustration History Textbook?

Blog reader Corey sent me the following question: “I just graduated with my BFA, but I never got much of an education on illustration. Throu...

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Activating Your Imagination

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xQbusBfblLwAzPSgMD7ItrEjv_A4GoYDAprmEh7tvuD7NPgGmukt3jptTw879uX2XFf1wiRfpuvej_nYIFlAIj8nWOOv1gTX-rWJCbXjWjZyHRp_Q3B2Ncjz_m9WB7hRRClgAzvhTNk/s1600/Mucha.SlavEpic.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>A student in an academic atelier recently asked me the following question:<br /><br /><blockquote>Dear James, </blockquote><blockquote>Do you have any advice on how artists can keep their imagination active while studying things like anatomy and observational drawing of casts and models? <br /><br />I've noticed recently that I've become really scared of sketching things off the top of my head, which I used to do without much thought. <br /><br />I find myself thinking "where's my photo reference?" or nitpicking every little flaw in a throwaway sketch when I should just be trying to have fun.   <br /><br />Sincerely, Stumped Imaginatively</blockquote><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xQbusBfblLwAzPSgMD7ItrEjv_A4GoYDAprmEh7tvuD7NPgGmukt3jptTw879uX2XFf1wiRfpuvej_nYIFlAIj8nWOOv1gTX-rWJCbXjWjZyHRp_Q3B2Ncjz_m9WB7hRRClgAzvhTNk/s1600/Mucha.SlavEpic.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xQbusBfblLwAzPSgMD7ItrEjv_A4GoYDAprmEh7tvuD7NPgGmukt3jptTw879uX2XFf1wiRfpuvej_nYIFlAIj8nWOOv1gTX-rWJCbXjWjZyHRp_Q3B2Ncjz_m9WB7hRRClgAzvhTNk/s400/Mucha.SlavEpic.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br />Dear Stumped,<br />You said it! This is a common feeling! Every pro has had it from time to time. <br /><br />Anyone who works in the field of concept art or science fiction or fantasy has a passion to turn our dreams into something tangible. But most of the time the images always start out as hazy and hard-to-capture. The reality of the model or the photo is much more compelling.<br /><br />When you set out to paint a scene from the imagination, like the scene above from the Slav Epics by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonse_Mucha">Alphonse Mucha</a>, you’re facing a whole different bunch of challenges than you would if you were painting a portrait or a landscape from observation.<br /><br />Here are some suggestions to keep your imagination active, and to develop your ability to draw scenes totally out of your head. <br /><br />1. When you do a painting from the model, for a change from the usual straight observational approach, try to imagine a story driving the pose. Add something to bring out the story: paint a forest background, a set of angel wings, or re-imagine the figure as a robot.<br /><br />Howard Pyle used to have his students do that. He said: "Don't paint the model," Instead, "make a picture." <br /><br />2. Keep a sketchbook just for image generation, rather than observation. Use it not only for creature designs and other stuff from your head, but also for quick copies from whichever old masters you like.<br /><br />3. Try not give in to the desire for photo reference too quickly. Keep an idea in pure sketch stage as long as possible. Shoot (or better yet draw) your reference studies to fit your mental image as much as possible. Dean Cornwell used to project up his rough poses and mental-image composition onto the final canvas before he sought out models.<br /><br />4. Learn to draw a mannequin figure out of your head. The Famous Artist’s Course from the ‘50s has a good mannequin formula made up of tapered cylinders. “How to Draw the Marvel Way” has another good system. Copy the figure work of comic art masters like Winsor McCay, Hal Foster, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Jack Davis, or Mort Drucker. These systems help improve your imaginative drawing so that the ‘nitpicker’ guy in your head shuts up. <br /><br />5. Work on memory drawing. Observe a face or a figure or an architectural façade and try to reproduce it only from memory later in your sketchbook. This is superb training for good imaginative work. <br /><br />6. Since you’re in an academic program, remember that the original 19th C. Ecole and the ateliers weren’t just about drawing what you see. The students did a lot of sketch practice for the Prix de Rome, which was all about doing multi-figure compositions from the Bible and Greek mythology. Those students could draw the cast or the figure brilliantly, but they were always experimenting with sample multi-figure story assignments.<br /><br />7. Remember the words of Howard Pyle: "You should not need models. You know how a face looks. How an eye is placed and the form of it and you should be able to draw it from your knowledge. That is very difficult with students from other schools. They say ‘That is a good draughtsman.’ Yet ask him to draw without the model and he is utterly helpless. He has learned nothing of real value, for you cannot draw until you can be independent of the model. And so I would advise you to draw your figures and carry them as far as you can without the model then get the model to correct by.”<br />---------<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonse_Mucha">Alphonse Mucha and his Slav Epics on Wikipedia</a>

Activating Your Imagination

A student in an academic atelier recently asked me the following question: Dear James,  Do you have any advice on how artists can keep their...

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Bronze Torch Holder

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ds7DszUlYiK0a3EwZ-MF-G-X2-frFHWoUVZXljlQ8UQghGWIYXdO8WNHdm5Q5Nldw1e3w_sibkCwd8jw2A4tpCztHPqc6GxWAzF9tA69hYwpaiSwSGbnURDrvPAqOF233ur7A1j0v5A/s1600/Bronze_Torch_Holder.1887.Mag.Art.Siena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>I just had a weird intuition that one of you out there in Blogland needs some reference for a dragon torch holder. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ds7DszUlYiK0a3EwZ-MF-G-X2-frFHWoUVZXljlQ8UQghGWIYXdO8WNHdm5Q5Nldw1e3w_sibkCwd8jw2A4tpCztHPqc6GxWAzF9tA69hYwpaiSwSGbnURDrvPAqOF233ur7A1j0v5A/s1600/Bronze_Torch_Holder.1887.Mag.Art.Siena.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ds7DszUlYiK0a3EwZ-MF-G-X2-frFHWoUVZXljlQ8UQghGWIYXdO8WNHdm5Q5Nldw1e3w_sibkCwd8jw2A4tpCztHPqc6GxWAzF9tA69hYwpaiSwSGbnURDrvPAqOF233ur7A1j0v5A/s400/Bronze_Torch_Holder.1887.Mag.Art.Siena.jpg" width="280" /></a><br />Maybe you’re a concept artist or a fantasy illustrator or a set designer. Maybe you’re working on a design for a castle of vampires or a lair of dragon tamers. Anyway, here it is for the taking. The piece is from Siena, Italy, and I found it in on page 395 of an 1887 edition of the Magazine of Art. <br />----<br /><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=dKYvAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR36&dq=magazine+of+art+1887&hl=en&ei=9UpMTdLdA8GcgQf_paHiDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CEQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=bronze%20torch%20holder&f=false">Download the 1887 Magazine of Art</a> from Google Books

Bronze Torch Holder

I just had a weird intuition that one of you out there in Blogland needs some reference for a dragon torch holder. Maybe you’re a concept ar...

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Fitz and Van

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXdtTGtdne7vZLgf78FYXfo8lemHEY8oTXpoLw7Qz0TuVqQUIJAa0DbYn4B0UB7_Ko56JHvqifkp2o40N3Log8rvopFXst2iK9Brum1wLVH5EIUxnGP0Bm-c-R-kWPA-bCQOtSNyE2po/s1600/AF+59+CATALINA+CONVERT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Many of the car ads that appeared in the magazines and car brochures in the 1960s were gouache paintings done by a duo named Fitz and Van. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXdtTGtdne7vZLgf78FYXfo8lemHEY8oTXpoLw7Qz0TuVqQUIJAa0DbYn4B0UB7_Ko56JHvqifkp2o40N3Log8rvopFXst2iK9Brum1wLVH5EIUxnGP0Bm-c-R-kWPA-bCQOtSNyE2po/s1600/AF+59+CATALINA+CONVERT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXdtTGtdne7vZLgf78FYXfo8lemHEY8oTXpoLw7Qz0TuVqQUIJAa0DbYn4B0UB7_Ko56JHvqifkp2o40N3Log8rvopFXst2iK9Brum1wLVH5EIUxnGP0Bm-c-R-kWPA-bCQOtSNyE2po/s400/AF+59+CATALINA+CONVERT.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />“Fitz,” was short for Art Fitzpatrick. He painted the cars, while “Van,” or Van Kaufman, did the people and backgrounds. <br /><br />An article authored by Arthur St. Antoine, Editor at Large, Motor Trend has some interesting technical notes. For example:<br /><br /><blockquote>"To produce his famous “wide” look, Fitzpatrick traced photos of the new car, cut the tracings into pieces, then ‘stretched’ the car into bolder proportions. <br /><br />‘We wanted pictures that were different,’ Fitzpatrick says. ‘Impact is the name of the game, so we went with predominately front views—even cropping the cars so they looked too big for the page.’ <br /><br />The two artists would then trade the image back and forth, Kaufman (who passed away in 1995) adding the people and the backdrops (often featuring such exotic locales as Monte Carlo, Corfu, and Acapulco), Fitzpatrick painting the car and tying it all together with the color and reflections of the scene.’</blockquote><br />Fitzpatrick said: ‘I’ve always maintained that a picture of a car moving doesn’t mean a thing. They all move. You have to convey something about the car psychologically. It’s all about image. That’s the reason people buy cars.’<br />————<br /><a href="http://www.motortrend.com/classic/features/c12_0509_classic_art_art_fitzpatrick/index.html">Motor Trend article about the collaboration </a><br /><a href="http://www.pontiacsonline.com/FITZ%20AND%20VAN.htm">Image from Pontiacs Online article</a> (lots more there)<br /><a href="http://fitz-art.com/">Fitz-Art.com</a><br /><a href="http://www.edahlstrom.com/Ed_Ahlstrom_Site/Home.html">Thanks, Ed Ahlstrom</a><br />Previously on GurneyJourney: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/05/chrysler-personalities.html">Chrysler Personalities</a>,  <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2007/12/car-names.html">Car Names</a>

Fitz and Van

Many of the car ads that appeared in the magazines and car brochures in the 1960s were gouache paintings done by a duo named Fitz and Van. “...

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Howard Pyle: Crux of Instruction

If you like the American illustrator Howard Pyle and you’re looking for something to listen to while you paint, you might enjoy this reading I did years ago about Howard Pyle as a teacher. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqjucvyCuMLIBpCtIKLfeYI4Ku59b-pNGmOnsIEs0KSkHbnM7rZXzxWSnfacxYiiocaf5Mh4HlS7eR_vWgNU8eN-HpWYdd32O-IUiFEU64WFsVCxo41t2VWV68YhH7A8YJplamEGuP2A/s1600/Pyle1902AEBphoto.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqjucvyCuMLIBpCtIKLfeYI4Ku59b-pNGmOnsIEs0KSkHbnM7rZXzxWSnfacxYiiocaf5Mh4HlS7eR_vWgNU8eN-HpWYdd32O-IUiFEU64WFsVCxo41t2VWV68YhH7A8YJplamEGuP2A/s320/Pyle1902AEBphoto.jpg" width="244" /></a> <br /><br /><object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F8700731"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F8700731" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object>  <a href="http://soundcloud.com/james-gurney/howard-pyle-the-crux-of-instruction">Howard Pyle: The Crux of Instruction</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/james-gurney">James Gurney</a> <br /><br />I’d give anything to have been a fly on the wall of his summer school, as long as N.C. Wyeth wasn't walking around with a fly swatter.<br />-------<br /><a href="http://soundcloud.com/james-gurney/howard-pyle-the-crux-of-instruction">Direct link to Soundcloud file</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brandywine-tradition-Henry-Clarence-Pitz/dp/0517164310">The Brandywine Tradition by Henry Pitz on Amazon</a><br />The exhibition <a href="http://www.delart.org/exhibitions/howard_pyle.html"><i>Howard Pyle: An American Master Rediscovered</i></a> will open November 12, 2011 at the Delaware Art Museum<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqjucvyCuMLIBpCtIKLfeYI4Ku59b-pNGmOnsIEs0KSkHbnM7rZXzxWSnfacxYiiocaf5Mh4HlS7eR_vWgNU8eN-HpWYdd32O-IUiFEU64WFsVCxo41t2VWV68YhH7A8YJplamEGuP2A/s1600/Pyle1902AEBphoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>Image of Pyle from the<a href="http://howardpyle.blogspot.com/2010/02/howard-pyle-bookmark.html"> Howard Pyle Blog by Ian Schoenherr </a>

Howard Pyle: Crux of Instruction

If you like the American illustrator Howard Pyle and you’re looking for something to listen to while you paint, you might enjoy this readin...

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Bama’s Monsters

When James Bama was a six years old, he went to see the classic Universal monster movies: Wolfman, Frankenstein and Dracula. “They were seriously done and beautifully crafted,” Bama said. He was so scared afterward that he had to sleep in his mother’s bed.<br /><br />When he later became a professional illustrator, he got the the assignment to illustrate the plastic model box covers. He used movie stills as reference for Frankenstein, the Wolfman, and Dracula. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FLduAVvCcUcCRuH9rdAUhD7zyisUQzC3vSTKmp-iFREwq1-xaZCrOg9QfRoVvAAdRJQJQUXWadtkxERfzugWgCKMwArjJ9IWLrrW8A4vdtdz2G0Atih1n1rO_55B_xHv5HRfa9aQaAg/s1600/Aurora_Bama_Monster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FLduAVvCcUcCRuH9rdAUhD7zyisUQzC3vSTKmp-iFREwq1-xaZCrOg9QfRoVvAAdRJQJQUXWadtkxERfzugWgCKMwArjJ9IWLrrW8A4vdtdz2G0Atih1n1rO_55B_xHv5HRfa9aQaAg/s400/Aurora_Bama_Monster.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />But parents complained that the actual plastic models didn’t live up to the painted covers. So starting with the Mummy, he worked instead from reference photos of the completed models. Despite the truth in advertising, the painting based on the actual model might not be quite as successful at presenting the fantasy. <br /><br />In all, Bama did 23 model covers, contributing to the Baby Boomer’s monster craze of the 1960s.<br />------<br />Images from:<br /><a href="http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/25082">Monster Kid </a><br />Full story and large color reproductions in: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/James-Bama-American-Brian-Kane/dp/0972375880/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1293546328&sr=1-1"><i>James Bama, American Realist</i></a>, published by Flesk Publications.

Bama’s Monsters

When James Bama was a six years old, he went to see the classic Universal monster movies: Wolfman, Frankenstein and Dracula. “They were seri...

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Imagining Flower Fairies

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZxfBZPMg2srurDGCY02gxB6UuRtdvPXY2k9z8ShKzWR4Op7htsq3bTMpKEzhkgeG_gjxshFRQoKlGwPHVmeGqYapcGEs2SI9lAebWnjo08_ziIcFjiV0xdzP37yciKCyCYbz2ArNhv5w/s1600/Cicely_Mary_Barker.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZxfBZPMg2srurDGCY02gxB6UuRtdvPXY2k9z8ShKzWR4Op7htsq3bTMpKEzhkgeG_gjxshFRQoKlGwPHVmeGqYapcGEs2SI9lAebWnjo08_ziIcFjiV0xdzP37yciKCyCYbz2ArNhv5w/s200/Cicely_Mary_Barker.gif" width="145" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhAbrBTq5AaAnCLonKiH0oLzpaSniqLojC4iXXNO5ZRPa-9UkxOEaNGlW_9-5kW4j3PQA1QSUP13Ua1x6Kx-WXKJBISs3sUbZgx2370kyybsMc9QVhPJu0RfnkqOoPoqy009XW1jLTnRI/s1600/The_Poppy_Fairy-Cicely_Mary_Barker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>When Cicely Mary Barker (1895-1973) moved into a Victorian house in south London, she had a studio built out back in the garden. Meanwhile her sister ran a kindergarten in one of the rooms of the house.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhAbrBTq5AaAnCLonKiH0oLzpaSniqLojC4iXXNO5ZRPa-9UkxOEaNGlW_9-5kW4j3PQA1QSUP13Ua1x6Kx-WXKJBISs3sUbZgx2370kyybsMc9QVhPJu0RfnkqOoPoqy009XW1jLTnRI/s1600/The_Poppy_Fairy-Cicely_Mary_Barker.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhAbrBTq5AaAnCLonKiH0oLzpaSniqLojC4iXXNO5ZRPa-9UkxOEaNGlW_9-5kW4j3PQA1QSUP13Ua1x6Kx-WXKJBISs3sUbZgx2370kyybsMc9QVhPJu0RfnkqOoPoqy009XW1jLTnRI/s400/The_Poppy_Fairy-Cicely_Mary_Barker.jpg" width="248" /></a><br />The kindergarten provided a steady supply of child models for Barker’s Flower Fairy characters. The children wore costumes that were stored in a trunk in the studio. Barker made the fairy wings from twigs and gauze, taking the elements apart after each picture to be recycled into future costumes.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Zq81ctKoXhlm7KXlmBB61Apoe2OEPGDFlOP7FGomRv_y_ErE3ZctBY8uOAbnsigHs4EYbolVwoPp8bUOyy3MtnblMyHhZLWfSF-wcw0g-8x-wxGGLqk2Q7SlQeu1XXpBHugBpMgbnX_E/s1600/columbine_flower_fairy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Zq81ctKoXhlm7KXlmBB61Apoe2OEPGDFlOP7FGomRv_y_ErE3ZctBY8uOAbnsigHs4EYbolVwoPp8bUOyy3MtnblMyHhZLWfSF-wcw0g-8x-wxGGLqk2Q7SlQeu1XXpBHugBpMgbnX_E/s400/columbine_flower_fairy.jpg" width="288" /></a><br />All of her fairies were based on specific kinds of flowers. The plants were painted from observation in her own garden and from the botanical collection at Kew Gardens.  <br />------<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Flower-Fairies-Special/dp/0723266263/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1292879338&sr=1-1"><i>Complete Book of the Flower Fairies</i></a>, at Amazon, published by Warne.<br />Photo of CMB and more complete bio at <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://lookingglassreview.com/assets/images/Cicely_Mary_Barker.gif&imgrefurl=http://lookingglassreview.com/html/cicely_mary_barker.html&usg=__lydNcz9lUmWqHk1XWyFcexZNvMQ=&h=250&w=182&sz=23&hl=en&start=12&sig2=8virRDFT7OEVDU9T6eJH6Q&zoom=1&tbnid=hXXshuygyj1ObM:&tbnh=141&tbnw=103&ei=q0UOTaW2E4Odlge0tOysDg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcicely%2Bmary%2Bbarker%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dcom.yahoo:en-US:official%26biw%3D1005%26bih%3D608%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C555&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=600&vpy=248&dur=4770&hovh=200&hovw=145&tx=70&ty=134&oei=e0UOTduLNYL6lwfU28TUCw&esq=2&page=2&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:18,s:12&biw=1005&bih=608">“Through The Looking Glass Children’s Book Reviews”  </a>

Imagining Flower Fairies

When Cicely Mary Barker (1895-1973) moved into a Victorian house in south London, she had a studio built out back in the garden. Meanwhile h...

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Fearlessness

Here are some wise words from the landscape painter Birge Harrison, about 100 years ago.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBeZGM3bT2csPS6voQxHxiqvKKXD9yKz4Z0S5orxlgVtBsScNs9D8niuSwviIqS34rro7b-tZ2uhu-iXCNdXPfScOCvm4wLQaXOPo36IdVcWBLivuJVEUst-71RfBRhI42oFebdIE813E/s1600/Fearlessness.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBeZGM3bT2csPS6voQxHxiqvKKXD9yKz4Z0S5orxlgVtBsScNs9D8niuSwviIqS34rro7b-tZ2uhu-iXCNdXPfScOCvm4wLQaXOPo36IdVcWBLivuJVEUst-71RfBRhI42oFebdIE813E/s400/Fearlessness.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgUPHpd5b2QzZj87WNdSMrtJJ6gztBKt9ZVt2Ui4ZuO2Mp1w1eppGYfvZTbwXKrhsCUuxf6yYb1YbmuQZ7jgC9-boJYUW6g3opN4po5XKnrmBx_8b1pICDLBRh0zSCYvHOsZD13nNpNHP/s1600/Coll.JC.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgUPHpd5b2QzZj87WNdSMrtJJ6gztBKt9ZVt2Ui4ZuO2Mp1w1eppGYfvZTbwXKrhsCUuxf6yYb1YbmuQZ7jgC9-boJYUW6g3opN4po5XKnrmBx_8b1pICDLBRh0zSCYvHOsZD13nNpNHP/s1600/Coll.JC.sm.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />But what is fearlessness in painting? Is it the same as courage? It is the opposite of timidity? What fears must each of us overcome? The fear of starting, of finishing, of failing, of not selling? <br /><br />One thing I tell myself is that I can’t get hurt if I try something bold or different. So what if it doesn’t work out? I won’t sprain a finger. I might just wreck a piece of paper. <br /><br />Fearlessness comes to mind when I’m working in pen and ink or watercolor. These two media require absolute commitment, or conviction as Harrison might call it. I also think about fearlessness when I’m embarking on a composition, to urge myself to avoid playing it safe--to push things to extremes. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgUPHpd5b2QzZj87WNdSMrtJJ6gztBKt9ZVt2Ui4ZuO2Mp1w1eppGYfvZTbwXKrhsCUuxf6yYb1YbmuQZ7jgC9-boJYUW6g3opN4po5XKnrmBx_8b1pICDLBRh0zSCYvHOsZD13nNpNHP/s1600/Coll.JC.sm.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgUPHpd5b2QzZj87WNdSMrtJJ6gztBKt9ZVt2Ui4ZuO2Mp1w1eppGYfvZTbwXKrhsCUuxf6yYb1YbmuQZ7jgC9-boJYUW6g3opN4po5XKnrmBx_8b1pICDLBRh0zSCYvHOsZD13nNpNHP/s1600/Coll.JC.sm.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgUPHpd5b2QzZj87WNdSMrtJJ6gztBKt9ZVt2Ui4ZuO2Mp1w1eppGYfvZTbwXKrhsCUuxf6yYb1YbmuQZ7jgC9-boJYUW6g3opN4po5XKnrmBx_8b1pICDLBRh0zSCYvHOsZD13nNpNHP/s1600/Coll.JC.sm.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Maybe fearlessness is really another word for letting loose that wild impulse, the artistic imp. We all have it, and it has to be let out of the cage more often, especially if the judicious, analytic part of us is the one usually holding the pencil. But fearlessness isn’t the same as recklessness. Both chaos and control must be at work together.<br />-------<br />The excerpt is from <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=ySoUAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=birge+harrison+landscape+painting&hl=en&ei=weIITY-8Bo-u8AaSncVM&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false">Landscape Painting by Birge Harrison, 1910, available as a free PDF on Google Books.</a><br />Drawing by J.C. Coll. <a href="http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/coll.htm">More about Coll at BPIB.</a>

Fearlessness

Here are some wise words from the landscape painter Birge Harrison, about 100 years ago. But what is fearlessness in painting? Is it the sam...

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Stymied

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEUHKSzHucSk6zZC3X77wzWMkr7MEETY7m3eczezpj21bSc5gwNdB1HJm1KH7LoCmop2BAdJYkIz_ZIu43l8Rnu6SKnicjmhs9xoc7yIlAKXiW3VRajIlUAkMrrjuReWgmmOkstxWvkPH/s1600/Stymied.Det.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>“Stymied: A Cornish Sketching Tragedy” by Ernest H. Shepard in 1925.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnX-SeBx3kxudJ9f5_Ma_9-NTqoAFO5tisaD5JkjuSOiNs16CgTi_-6MN0D-VA47KJvrevVlw9i5KZ3Bcymz-kcjmwiCPV5o33E5YC59WJCMByfmt7qwDEsfY8jcp2U_wGmCGqqNCON2mK/s1600/Sketching_Tragedy.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnX-SeBx3kxudJ9f5_Ma_9-NTqoAFO5tisaD5JkjuSOiNs16CgTi_-6MN0D-VA47KJvrevVlw9i5KZ3Bcymz-kcjmwiCPV5o33E5YC59WJCMByfmt7qwDEsfY8jcp2U_wGmCGqqNCON2mK/s400/Sketching_Tragedy.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br />Shepard, better known for his Winnie the Pooh illustrations, was also a frequent contributor to the British humor magazine Punch. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEUHKSzHucSk6zZC3X77wzWMkr7MEETY7m3eczezpj21bSc5gwNdB1HJm1KH7LoCmop2BAdJYkIz_ZIu43l8Rnu6SKnicjmhs9xoc7yIlAKXiW3VRajIlUAkMrrjuReWgmmOkstxWvkPH/s1600/Stymied.Det.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEUHKSzHucSk6zZC3X77wzWMkr7MEETY7m3eczezpj21bSc5gwNdB1HJm1KH7LoCmop2BAdJYkIz_ZIu43l8Rnu6SKnicjmhs9xoc7yIlAKXiW3VRajIlUAkMrrjuReWgmmOkstxWvkPH/s320/Stymied.Det.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />There’s a lot of knowledge and experience behind those apparently scribbly lines. <br />-----------<br />Previous GJ Post about <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/07/eh-shepards-academic-studies.html">Shepard’s training in the Royal Academy.</a><br />From <a href="http://www.amazon.com/FUN-FANTASY-DRAWINGS-ERNEST-SHEPARD/dp/B00194ES0E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1290955707&sr=1-1">“Fun and Fantasy,” Drawings from Punch, Methuen & Co. London, 1927.</a><br />For a good illustrated bio, see <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Work-H-Shepard-Wisdom-Pooh/dp/0416867707/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290955824&sr=1-1">The Work of E H Shepard, by Knox, 1980.</a><br />Thanks, Dave!

Stymied

“Stymied: A Cornish Sketching Tragedy” by Ernest H. Shepard in 1925. Shepard, better known for his Winnie the Pooh illustrations, was also a...

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Illustration's Fall Issue

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWToAK0FbsxydnYVkmzR4u9T4u8K6slxqEpyIrrcdAV_-7s9uoRiHSkKkk6ahaa_hLzPYXy7MIFAveURFWdQUlfJU545k7CeFarDE69onCu5vKzjPVb91cUBONZ_Mqt8NqQ8ibI84KcfPu/s1600/illustration-magazine-31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>The new Illustration magazine has three juicy articles on mid-century American illustration. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmFav2NRElY3ArI1WxClUVJxRQwH7njIYjVrmzIw_G6JFfEY8PxDZUny4FgL5Q3IDbU5nHtY1AXCNZeMrxchWkqSCo2W5E6WBbqOz__83nC9fGtCk0BJnmf3r4KFw4T6MRwbpPAw4IAhT/s1600/Clark_Hulings_Ville_Franche.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmFav2NRElY3ArI1WxClUVJxRQwH7njIYjVrmzIw_G6JFfEY8PxDZUny4FgL5Q3IDbU5nHtY1AXCNZeMrxchWkqSCo2W5E6WBbqOz__83nC9fGtCk0BJnmf3r4KFw4T6MRwbpPAw4IAhT/s1600/Clark_Hulings_Ville_Franche.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWToAK0FbsxydnYVkmzR4u9T4u8K6slxqEpyIrrcdAV_-7s9uoRiHSkKkk6ahaa_hLzPYXy7MIFAveURFWdQUlfJU545k7CeFarDE69onCu5vKzjPVb91cUBONZ_Mqt8NqQ8ibI84KcfPu/s1600/illustration-magazine-31.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWToAK0FbsxydnYVkmzR4u9T4u8K6slxqEpyIrrcdAV_-7s9uoRiHSkKkk6ahaa_hLzPYXy7MIFAveURFWdQUlfJU545k7CeFarDE69onCu5vKzjPVb91cUBONZ_Mqt8NqQ8ibI84KcfPu/s320/illustration-magazine-31.jpg" width="246" /></a><br />The first explores the work and career of J. Frederick Smith (1917-2006), who painted and photographed glamorous women. His first-hand account describes his fast-paced lifestyle, and the challenges in getting the right models for the photo shoots. This article alone has 70 reproductions, including excellent scans original art, photo reference, tearsheets, and behind-the scenes photos.<br /><br />Another article chronicles the career of Clark Hulings, one of the great illustrators of paperbacks and album covers in the 1950s and ‘60s, before his love of travel led him to a career (that he’s still pursuing) painting gallery canvases of picturesque destinations. <br /><br />The coverage rounds out with the story of the life of John Fleming Gould, who painted pulp art and car renderings. All three articles benefit from the first-hand voice of the artists themselves.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmFav2NRElY3ArI1WxClUVJxRQwH7njIYjVrmzIw_G6JFfEY8PxDZUny4FgL5Q3IDbU5nHtY1AXCNZeMrxchWkqSCo2W5E6WBbqOz__83nC9fGtCk0BJnmf3r4KFw4T6MRwbpPAw4IAhT/s1600/Clark_Hulings_Ville_Franche.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmFav2NRElY3ArI1WxClUVJxRQwH7njIYjVrmzIw_G6JFfEY8PxDZUny4FgL5Q3IDbU5nHtY1AXCNZeMrxchWkqSCo2W5E6WBbqOz__83nC9fGtCk0BJnmf3r4KFw4T6MRwbpPAw4IAhT/s400/Clark_Hulings_Ville_Franche.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The magazine announces two other exciting developments. First is the imminent arrival of “Masters of American Illustration: 41 Illustrators and How They Worked,” by veteran illustration historian Fred Taraba and publisher Dan Zimmer. This promises to be a worthy successor to the classic book “Forty Illustrators and How They Worked.”<br /><br />The other is the announcement of “The Illustration Gallery,” part of the Illustration catalog, a new place to buy and sell original works of illustration art.<br />--------<br /><a href="http://www.illustration-magazine.com/index2.html">Illustration Magazine</a><br /><a href="http://www.tarabaillustrationart.com/">Taraba Illustration Art</a><br /><a href="http://www.clarkhulings.com/">Clark Hulings.com</a> (Image above: "Ville Franche")<br /><a href="http://www.askart.com/askart/s/j_frederick_smith/j_frederick_smith.aspx">J. Frederick Smith on AskArt </a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Forty-illustrators-they-Creative-library/dp/B0007F2EPM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1290016060&sr=1-2">40 Illustrators and How they Work </a>(The 1940s classic from Amazon.com) <br /><a href="http://www.illustration-magazine.com/GALLERY/contact.html">The Illustration Gallery</a> contact info.

Illustration's Fall Issue

The new Illustration magazine has three juicy articles on mid-century American illustration. The first explores the work and career of J. Fr...

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Matania at Work

Archival newsreel film footage brings to life the working process of Italian/British historical illustrator Fortunino Matania. <br /><br /><br /><iframe frameborder="1" height="264" name="pathe_flash_embed" scrolling="no" src="http://www.britishpathe.com/embed.php?archive=17416" width="352">&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Your browser does not support iframes.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;</iframe><br /><br />You can click the image above to link over and see the film.<br /><br />It shows Matania directing costumed models, who pose as he draws them directly into the finished illustration. He adds the missing elements, such as settings and horses, from his imagination.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueYJCXNK7EPPgUoeV1mdnzV6sH3qAmcNeP8_1FWKsUjvTUG0skMR5NnpBSwGKC1N_APVkPcN0bhNufTBjcu3aH3tQvV7j9cZeKbxyH5c0VwGS6Dzh6gkKVCPlela0KzEaWpC2ZCfpnqQL/s1600/Matania.Models.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueYJCXNK7EPPgUoeV1mdnzV6sH3qAmcNeP8_1FWKsUjvTUG0skMR5NnpBSwGKC1N_APVkPcN0bhNufTBjcu3aH3tQvV7j9cZeKbxyH5c0VwGS6Dzh6gkKVCPlela0KzEaWpC2ZCfpnqQL/s320/Matania.Models.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><br />Ever the showman, Matania puffs from his cigarette as he draws, jumping up from his chair to joke around with the model. The film ends with him working away, surrounded by a a Bohemian throng, with one of them strumming a guitar.<br /><br /><br /><br />(<a href="http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=17416">Link to British Pathe,</a> where you can watch a small-scale preview or pay to get a full-rez download)<br />Previously: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/05/matanias-models-and-props.html">Matania's Models and Props</a><br />Matania: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/03/matania-without-net.html">Without a Net</a><br />Image: "<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrk7yYL_ninnHW0Ol16fmLkOFh5zafr1yUv67CApQEPjTuQh_8CeAjYIV6sBFI9xUcJbvJIh2XY401xolG8ULxwYhCteaUFIgl33RwBCG7cmSYvYBwdEQ2LGdhSsQBySIPkvUP-EXDT4wT/s1600-h/IMG_2538+copy.JPG">Goodbye Old Pal" (Man comforts dying horse) </a><br />Thanks, <a href="http://danieljamescox.blogspot.com/">Daniel  </a>

Matania at Work

Archival newsreel film footage brings to life the working process of Italian/British historical illustrator Fortunino Matania. &lt;p...

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Dorne’s Drapery

This drawing by Al Dorne appears in the Famous Artists Course, accompanied by the following caption: “A fine example of the stresses and tensions which show up in clothing when the figure assumes certain positions.”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkRNc0hXfgaV3jUH0bbe9wD5tTdK1JRWDVt1tiMmAbMbnO_Isd6UXYKQyi77UdP_Mq8tnBbSxQLl6-rlAij5z_VXBCHkNOCnmffPZihcseC27vLABAGMaKiyVVbF17YlBD74dK5HOxQH0/s1600/Dorne_Folds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkRNc0hXfgaV3jUH0bbe9wD5tTdK1JRWDVt1tiMmAbMbnO_Isd6UXYKQyi77UdP_Mq8tnBbSxQLl6-rlAij5z_VXBCHkNOCnmffPZihcseC27vLABAGMaKiyVVbF17YlBD74dK5HOxQH0/s400/Dorne_Folds.jpg" width="287" /></a><br />“Note the way the overalls are bunched into deep half-lock folds in the back of the knee and at the hip joint. On the buttocks, the top of the thigh and the knee, the material stretches tightly over the underlying forms.”<br /><br />I would add a couple more observations. The folds radiate from points of tension (shoulder, butt, knee, and elbow). Since most modern, fitted garments are constructed to be relatively wrinkle-free for a standing figure, a seated or kneeling figure creates areas of compression where the material has no choice but bunch up.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVktkN6YQkHmGuxVDOXGEO2pme3-oEKw3HCVcUaUWCGBpJ8BmNtNJP4H1wUK2Pxfi7asVO05y7Rx1IOnwPv2-zDURltysYKU6h5tfEByK8Bdq7bs1XrtwXDebKy9IQKNDlec4hexMwnHob/s1600/Dorne_Folds.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVktkN6YQkHmGuxVDOXGEO2pme3-oEKw3HCVcUaUWCGBpJ8BmNtNJP4H1wUK2Pxfi7asVO05y7Rx1IOnwPv2-zDURltysYKU6h5tfEByK8Bdq7bs1XrtwXDebKy9IQKNDlec4hexMwnHob/s400/Dorne_Folds.2.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Folds also radiate from the seams where the arms meet the shoulders on both of these figures. Those folds often don’t continue across the seam because of the contrasts in thickness and fabric grain direction from one side of the seam to another.<br /><br />All of these effects are softened in knit fabrics (such as T-shirts), which stretch in all directions, as opposed to woven fabrics, which stretch only on the bias.<br />-------<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famous_Artists_School">Famous Artist's School </a>on Wikipedia

Dorne’s Drapery

This drawing by Al Dorne appears in the Famous Artists Course, accompanied by the following caption: “A fine example of the stresses and ten...

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