Illustration Friday - Tales and Legends

This is a scene from the 1931 movie Dracula starring Bela Lugosi. I originally posted this last October. I have been putting in extra hours at work this week, so I was unable to create a new piece of art for this week's prompt. Charcoal on paper.

Maxfield Parrish: Wrap Up

This is my last post on Maxfield Parrish.

Although Parrish is well known for his color work, his early illustrations were in black and white and used lithographic crayon. The following illustration was for Washington Irving's History of New York by Diedrich Knickerbocker (1899). You can see all of Parrish's illustrations for History of New York in the wonderful Children's Book Illustrators Gallery at http://www.nocloo.com/. I love the beautiful, delicate range of values and shading in these illustrations. Although Parrish used lithographic crayon, I think similar results could be achieved using charcoal.



I also really like Parrish's monochromatic work. Here are two examples. The first is called Winter, and the second is called Harvest. I love the moods that Parrish creates.

In February, I plan to study N.C. Wyeth.

Maxfield Parrish and Symmetrical Balance

Prior to studying Parrish, I was under the impression that symmetrically balanced designs tend to be boring. I think Parrish shows this need not be the case. Here are a few examples where Parrish uses symmetrical balance as a design technique. Parrish apparently liked symmetrically balanced designs, since he used them frequently.

Very Little Red Riding Hood (1897)

Jello Ad (1922)

Two Pastry Cooks (1921)

Now that I am attuned to symmetrical balance, I am noticing it more often. My son Christopher loves the I Spy books. As we sat together reading the other day, I noticed that the cover of Can You See What I See? Once Upon a Time is for the most part symmetrically balanced.



I am keeping this design technique in the back of my mind. I am waiting for the right occasion to try it out.

Maxfield Parrish and the Use of Pattern

In 2008, I plan to study one illustrator or artist per month. For each artist, I will ask myself the following questions:

• What aspects of this artist's work appeals to me?
• What aspects don't appeal to me?
• Does this artist use techniques that I want to use in my own artwork?

In January, I studied Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966). Parrish was a highly successful American illustrator. I read the book Maxfield Parrish by Coy Ludwig (1973), which I recommend. Wikipedia's entry on Parrish provides a good overview of Parrish's life and work and has references for further reading.

Parrish is well-known for his landscapes and unique colors. These aspects of Parrish's work appeal to me least. Instead, I am drawn to his graphic work. I particularly like his use of:

1. Pattern in design.
2. Symmetry in design.
3. Lithographic crayon.
4. Monochromatic color schemes.

Here are two examples of Parrish's use of pattern. This first illustration is called The Idiot (1910), and the second one is called Man in an Apple (1911). Both were covers for Collier’s Magazine. Notices how Parrish primarily uses pattern, rather than value, to effectively render the folds in clothing. The patterns also add a decorative element to the design.

I have already put this technique to use in my Illustration Friday entry for stitch.

I'll discuss Parrish's use of symmetry, lithographic crayon, and monochromatic color schemes in future posts.

Illustration Friday - Plain

According to my Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, Plain People are members of any of various Protestant groups (as Mennonites) esp. in the U.S. who wear distinctively plain clothes and adhere to a simple and traditional style of life excluding many conveniences of modern technology (as motorcars)

This pastel painting of an Amish woman is based on a painting I did last summer while visiting my parents in Vernon, New York. The subject is an Amish woman figurine. You can see the original painting here.

EDM #154 - Draw or Paint a Lemon

More colored pencil practice. Prismacolor pencils on Strathmore 400 Series Drawing medium paper.

Birthday Greeting

Today is my brother's birthday. Happy Birthday, Tom!

Black Sharpie marker and Marriott black ball point pen on a Canson 5" x 7" greeting card.