Exercise: The history of illustration

In this first exercise of the course I have been asked to do so some research about the work of past and contemporary artists, and to reflect on how the field of illustration has changed over the past 50 years.

I will choose one from a list of illustrators and analyze some of the work that I like more and  then make a comparison in style and historical context with a contemporary illustrator that I like.

I will reflect on the following questions:

• Do I think that the work of the chosen illustrator is old-fashioned? If yes, what are the key elements that make it look so?
• What elements of my chosen contemporary artist attracted me?
• How did each artist produce their illustrations? What materials did they use?

I will then create an illustration in the style of each artist.

Method of Approach

• Read about the six illustrators, and make a diagram containing keywords related to their life and work.
• Choose the one I prefer and explain why
• Choose a contemporary illustrator I like and make a comparison in style and materials used. Comment the two styles.
• Draw two illustrations in a similar style of the two illustrators

Research

I knew none of the six illustrators,So I went on reading their biography and checking their work.For each illustrator I made a diagram on a piece of paper with related keywords. I use this method when brainstorming and I read that in this course there is a similar method called spiderweb.

This is the outcome

I chose John Minton because I really like his moody atmosphere,line drawing and  way of expressing feelings. I, like him, feel also uncomfortable towards abstract art. John Minton used mainly watercolor and ink for his art.

Two of his pieces I liked

                                 John Minton portrait and Jamaican Scene (1952)

The self portrait shows great care in the color palette and attention to details. The brown and grey tones of the face contrast well with the lightly brighter colors of the shirt.  I particularly like the ear, a part of the human body which is sometimes neglected in artistic work. The painting is also expressing feelings. In the Jamaican Scene, I like the careful hatching and simple but effective composition. Based on the perspective positioning of the palm tree, the viewers standing point is very close to the first canoe and possibly on land. The canoe in the back is rendered as a silhouette with little to no details to make it understandable that it is located in the background.

My Chosen Artist and Comparison

An artist I began following recently is Marcelo Frusin, from Argentina. He cooperated with writer Brian Azzarello in the creation of the western comic book series “Loveless”. Unfortunately there is not much material about Frusin, but I really like his style. He relies intensively on black tones and silhouette figures, creating a very good atmosphere without excessive details. When I discovered him, I had a western plot that I was scriptwriting and wanted to try a more simple style with a major focus on mood. One of my weak spots is confidence in lights and shadows, and I think that following his style is helping me.

 

“Loveless” issue n.1, cover by Marcelo Frusin,2005. “Time was away”, cover by John Minton, 1948.

There are many differences between these two book covers. In Frusins illustration emphasis is on drama and action. These can be especially noted in the foreshortening of the gun,the facial expression of the main character and in the movement of the three gunmen. The sentence “Behind every bad man is a badder woman” adds a sense of mistery to the red silhouette of the woman in the background. This illustration has been created in digital. On the other hand, Minton’s cover gives a sense of a peaceful atmosphere.The colors are warm and the values are only rendered in black. A series of lines in the sky, together with the highlights on the sea, give the impression of a sunny day. I do not find Minton’s cover particularly old-fashioned, except maybe from the text font, and I think that this illustration could be suited for a modern travel book. I think he used watercolors and ink, but I’m not sure since I still don’t have a good background of traditional medium.

Drawing my illustrations: illustration 1

I will draw two illustrations, one in black and white and one in color.

I will take inspiration from John Minton’s Jamaican Scene to draw a tropical island. It will be a night scene. I will use hatching for the clouds, in order to give a more greyish color, and for the sea. This will be something new for me, as I never use ink hatching for the sky, so i look forward for the result. My visual goal is to create an approaching storm and windy weather.

So the first thing I will do is to sketch down the scene. Like many pencillers, I use an “X” to mark areas that need to be filled in black. I will also write down some notes as reminders. I will not go in details with pencils as much of the scene will be filled in black.

I framed the image a little higher to have more space for the sky. I then started inking the contours of the palm trees and the clouds, leaving the sky for last.

I started working on the details for the trees and the vegetation on the beach. I use white strokes to define the tree trunks and the highlights.
This has been a lengthy but very enjoyable process. I then inked the sky and used small white dots to create the stars.

The final layout.

Drawing my illustrations: illustration 2

For my second illustration, I will take inspiration from the cover of “Loveless” that I previously posted. The genre will be western and scene I have in mind will be an ambush during the night. I will start with a quick sketch.

I will not go into details with the horse rider. She will remain a silhouette and filled in black. Together with perspective, this helps to distinguish the foreground from the background. These are the finished pencils. No need to go further in this case because this scene relies more on heavy black tones and colors rather than details.

 

Inking and flattering.

 

Final Layout

I am particularly satisfied with the final result, especially with the colors of the sky. While coloring I´ve been reflecting on the following issue: obviously human skin is not bluish, unless in sci fi or fantasy characters, but this is a night scene so the tones of the environment should be cooler and tending to blue-green. But then, should I have used similar tones, like a dark green,  for the hair as well?