Based in New York Tomer Hanuka is an illustrator and a cartoonist. He works on a range of projects for magazines, book publishers, ad agencies and film studios. In 2008 he won the British Desgin Museum award as part of the Penguin Classics Deluxe Editions. Currently he teaches at the School of Visual Arts and is working on a graphic novel with his twin brother Asaf.

On his blog he shows his illustration process from sketch to final artwork: www.tropicaltoxic.blogspot.com. Find below a selection of his work:

Milton Glaser is one of the most prolific designers of our time. He designed I Love NY, DC Comics Logo and he also founded New York Magazine with Clay Felker to mention a few of his  legacies. The below video he talks about drawing and how it makes us look at things in more detail as well as other related thoughts.

Enjoy the video!

Working from Florida Dan May creates timeless worlds of silence occupied by haunting yet whimsical creatures. Although deeply sad and  eerie, May’s creatures draw the viewer towards them with their friendly disposition.

This last weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Norway – it was a short but sweet trip. We spent our time in the small town of Tofte in a comfortable wooden cabin. Our cabin was neatly placed right next to the Oslo Fijord with an awesome view over the water. Just on sunday I was running through a quite forest which was followed by a lengthily swim in the sea. I could have easily spent couple months there just relaxing and taking my time about my daily sustenance!

I had the time to look through some illustrations and stumbled upon Theodor Ketlesen (April 27, 1857 – January 21, 1914) who is one of the most famous artist in Norway. He was famous for his nature paintings but also for his illustrations of fairy tales, legends and trolls.

Below are some of Theodor Ketlesen illustrations:

S

The author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter S. Thompson, gave birth to Gonzo journalism which is a type of ‘fictional’ journalism. It often includes the reporter in the story and is in the first person. By blending fiction and fact the journalist is able to engage the reader whiles expressing certain facts about a situation. Gonzo journalism tends to favor style over accuracy and often uses personal experiences and emotions to provide context for the topic.

Hunter S. Thomas was good friends with a british artist called Ralph Steadman who provided visual representaiton for Gonzo journalism.  Ralph Steadman has won multiple awards and is renowned for his political illustrations, social caricatures, cartoons and also for illustrating a number of picture books.

Below is a collection of Ralph Steadman illustrations:

Hunter S. Thompson with Ralph Steadman Illustrations: A good collection of Hunter’s life

Blogging in a sense is more about exploration then it is about purveying what you already know. It ebbs me on to find new things and what I find I share and then in turn people share their ideas and knowledge about that topic. A similar thing is happening with our Facebook Group, which has been growing steadily. People are actively discussing/sharing their favourite illustrators and artists.

Ok so yes this is how I found Utagawa Kuniyoshi. He was one of the last great masters of the Japanese ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints. I am aware of Katsushika Hokusai and I have posted about him. What is interesting about Utagawa Kuniyoshi is that I think that there is a correlation to the well known contemporary illustrator James Jean - (note the previous post). 

Here are some of Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s art works:

I thoroughly enjoy the way James Jean takes different organic, physiological, social and emotional elements and with his brilliant imagination mashes them into this wonderful art work. Death defeating life and life defeating death. Social messages illustrated with savvy depth. Ignorant evil. Depicting our struggle through clever metaphors.

You have probably seen some of James Jean’s illustrations if so it’s always worth another look as there are many layers to his art. If you haven’t heard of James Jean you are in for a treat!

I have had a stupendous 2 weeks at work and tonight I lull myself into browsing for illustrations and art – a simpe joy, little effort and a good cup of green tea. This evening I felt Ruud van Empel was a best pick. He is offbeat without any cheap shock, macabre, bazaar or horror themes attached to his work. They are outlandish and curios. Perhaps you could describe the feeling the work emanates as ‘a recollection of an imagined memory’.

Ruud van Empel works and lives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

PS:  Donnie I picked ‘Souvenir 2 baby‘ especially for you

Tip: ‘world 17‘ makes for a great desktop BG! 

How much influence did art, the politicians brand and exposure thereof have in the 2008 American elections?

Is there an integral role between art and politics which can guide us in discovering truth or does art and design in politics walk dangerously close to propaganda?

How much does art and design influence the way people think and act? Or is art an embodiment of people’s perceptions implying that the art is in-fact preordained? The logo of a political brand is then a personification of a symbol or in other words the embodiment of the person it represents – similar comments in the video at the end of this post.

To what degree has art and design influenced the way Americans voted in 2008?

With these questions in mind please take a look at the collection of illustrations, caricatures, logos and video’s relating to the 2008 American Elections. You will notice there is more material on Obama which has nothing to do with my personal views. There was simply more of it. For example there were no real variations of the McCain logo like there was for Obama nor where there video’s talking about McCains brand development.

Enjoy: (Click on the images to see fully)

Obama Brand & Logo Development:
An interview with Sol Sender about the Obama logo and the brand that was built.

Sol Sender – Obama Logo Design Part 1 of 2

Sol Sender – Obama Logo Design Part 1 of 2

Other Videos:

This is a video compilation of varies political expressions

Obama And Pop Culture – CBS News

HipHop Scratching Video

That’s it! I hope you enjoyed!

Jack is a great illustrator and character designer, I have found him inspiring for a very long time. His work is simple and clean but great, a sort of Disney meets Scotty Young. I really liked his work for Image Comic’s Lions, Tigers and Bears, great stuff so be sure to check it out.

He currently does design and concept work for Hasbro and also draws for the comic A.T.O.M.

For more info visit his site http://www.jackademus.com/

I usually like to share some random illustrators I have found during the week and who are really inspirational in their field. Xavier Ramonède is on of these illustrators…. Enjoy..

to see more work visit his site : http://www.sushixav.com/

Happy to have Don Stey join the signature illustration  Blog as an Author

Andrea Innocent is an Australian born illustrator, designer and fashion designer. Her latest work explores Japanese pop culture. Themes investigate traditional Japanese folk tales and Japanese textiles and their meanings. I absolutely love the mix of western and eastern styles.

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$32,500 not quite in your price range then? Me neither…

Boris Vallejo 1978 Tarzan Calendar
5500 USD (maybe at the end of the month.)

Frank Frazetta Devil Rider Painting Original Art (circa 1970)
19 000 USD

Hal Foster Prince Valiant Sunday Comic Strip
11 000 USD

Beatrix Potter (1866-1943)
‘The Rabbits’ Christmas Party’
About 1890
Watercolour

At Sotheby’s London, Beatrix Potter’s original watercolour illustration of the final scene from “The Rabbit’ Christmas Party” was sold for the remarkable amount of £289,250 – nearly five times its presale estimate (est. £40,000-60,000). This has set a new record for book illustration sold at an auction.

The watercolour was one of 20 original illustrations, books, unpublished Christmas cards and letters by Beatrix Potter. They came from her brother, Bertram Potter, which were offered for sale in today’s auction of English Literature and History. The whole collection, which represents the most extensive group of Beatrix Potter artwork to have appeared on the market went for a total of £748,200.

Bertram Potter must be a very happy man.

“Olympia is an oil on canvas painting by Édouard Manet in the Realism style. Painted in 1863, it measures 130.5 by 190 centimetres (51 x 74.8 in). The nation of France acquired the painting in 1890 with a public subscription organised by Claude Monet. It is now in the Musée d’Orsay, Paris.”

and

“What shocked contemporary audiences was not Olympia’s nudity, nor even the presence of her fully clothed maid, but her confrontational gaze and a number of details identifying her as a demi-mondaine or courtesan. These include the orchid in her hair, her bracelet, pearl earrings and the oriental shawl on which she lies, symbols of wealth and sensuality. The black ribbon around her neck, in stark contrast with her pale flesh, and her cast-off slipper underline the voluptuous atmosphere. Whereas Titian’s Venus delicately covers her sex, Olympia’s hand firmly protects hers, as if to emphasize her independence and sexual dominance over men. Manet replaced the little dog (symbol of fidelity) in Titian’s painting with a black cat, which symbolized prostitution. Olympia disdainfully ignores the flowers presented to her by her servant, probably a gift from a client. Some have suggested that she is looking in the direction of the door, as her client barges in unannounced.” Read More…

Olympia by Édouard Manet

This post was partly made as reference for: Mark Ryden

This post marks the beginning of a new category – Comics. In truth I have never really been an avid comic reader. I did once collect Ghost Rider, about 10 comic books in total. However there is defiantly something to be said for the artistic skill that goes into these comics. Here are a couple images from varies comics and publishers.

Above: This illustration is a snip it from the Marvel Superhero Team “Thunderbolts“.

For those of you not familiar with the world of comics, me being one, there is a whole universe that has been created around these superhuman characters. With political faction and superheroes joining each other to form teams and rally against other heroes. Much like Tolkien and his imaginary world of Orks, Hobbits and speaking trees.

Above: Achebe from Marvel Comics: “Reverend Doctor Michael Ibn al-Hajj Achebe’s true identity remains unknown. Stories persist that he was originally a Ghudazian farmer until Ujankan guerillas took refuge in his home, repaying his hospitality by stabbing him repeatedly, burning his farm, and stealing his unfaithful wife. Refusing to die, the farmer sold his soul to the devil for revenge, hunting down and slaying everyone associated with his wife, from close family to casual acquaintances.” Read More…

Above: “A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) is an organization of brilliant scientists and their hirelings dedicated to the acquisition of power and the overthrow of all government by technological means.” Read More…

The stories are rather elaborate. If you go to the site there is a publishers rating for thing like power and intelligence. There is also a user rating. Then you have a full profile breakdown. What color hair, occupation (E.G.: Revolutionary, minister; former farmer, co-regent of Wakanda), Education (E.G: Ph.D. in Law (Yale)), Relatives (E.G: Unidentified alleged wife (deceased)) etc…

There you have it.

Woodcut is a artistic technique in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level while the non-printing parts are removed. The block is cut along the grain of the wood. In Europe beechwood was commonly used and in Japan cherry wood was used.

The surface is covered with ink by rolling over the surface with an ink covered roller. Multiple colors can be printed using this technique – a different block is used for each color.

It did not originate in Japan as some people believe. It came originally from China and was later adopted by the West and Japan.

The most popularized form of woodcut Art is called Ukiyo-e. It originated in Japan and it is probably what you have seen. Ukiyo-e means: “pictures of the floating world”. More specifically Ukiyo-e is woodblock prints (or woodcuts) and paintings. They where popular between the 17th and the 20th centuries. Ukiyo-e were affordable because they could be mass-produced. They were, therefore, meant for people who were not wealthy enough to afford an original painting. The original subject of ukiyo-e was city life, in particular activities and scenes from the entertainment district.

This is probably one of the most famous Ukiyo-e’s. It is called “The Great Wave”. (Why do you look surprised?). Artist is Hokusai and it is part of his subscription series, “Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji,” completed between 1826 and 1833.

Artist: Kobayakawa Kiyoshi Nationality: Japanese, 1896-1948 Title: Eyes, Hitomi, from the series Modern Styles of Makeup Date: 1931.

Evening Snow at Kanbara, Ando Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797–1858)

“Last year Nadia Plesner started a Simple campaign to raise awareness of the ongoing genocide in Darfur and to raise money for the helping organization “Divest for Darfur”.

On February 13, 2008, Nadia received a letter from Louis Vuitton’s, asking her to firmly end the campaign immediately, as they believe one of their products is being portrayed in the illustration.

Nadia Plesner is standing up for her artistic freedom to express her view of the world as she sees it without restrictions from anybody.

On February 20, 2008, she informed Louis Vuitton’s Intellectual Property Director that she intend to continue her campaign to support the victims of Darfur.“

Nadia Plesner startet her own campaige in 2007 to support the Victims of Darfur. 100% of the takings from the t-shirt and poster are donated to Darfur.

To support her please go to: www.nadiaplesner.com

The illustration Nadia is getting suede for:

Where does the word illustration originate from. Often words come from a very different origin then to which it is applicable today.

Etymology of Illustration:

c.1375, “a spiritual illumination,” from O.Fr. illustration, from L. illustrationem (nom. illustratio) “vivid representation” (in writing), lit. “an enlightening,” from illustrare “light up, embellish, distinguish,” from in- “in” + lustrare “make bright, illuminate.” Mental sense of “act of making clear in the mind” is from 1581. Meaning “an illustrative picture” is from 1816. Illustrate “educate by means of examples,” first recorded 1612. Sense of “provide pictures to explain or decorate” is 1638.

This was taken from etymonline.com.

So we looking at “A spiritual illumination”, an enlightening, distinguish and clear in mind etc… all sounding good to me! No hidden darker agenda behind the word.