Illustration, And Mark—Making: Class Teaching Notes

1. Illustration,
An “illustration” is a visualisation or
depiction made by an artist, or
illustrator, such as a drawing, sketch,
painting, photograph or other kind
of image of things seen, remembered
or imagined.
Printing is currently the most usual
process for reproducing illustrations,
typically with ink on paper using a
printing press. Illustrations can be
artistic images illustrating perhaps
text, poems, fashion designs, stamps,
magazines or books; its aim however
is to elucidate or decorate by
providing a visual representation of
something described in (the) text.
Illustrations can also represent
scientific images of flora, medicine
or different processes, a biological
or chemical process or a technical
illustration to provide information
on how to use something.
Illustrations can be executed in
different media such as gouache,
watercolours, pen and ink, oils,
charcoal, collage, photography or
usingprinting techniques such as
lino or woodcuts, silkscreen or
etching.
Poem illustration, Janos Orban.
And Mark—Making
Fashion illustration, David Downton.
Book Illustration, Oliver Jeffers.
Botanical illustration.
Technical illustration, sewing machine instruction
guide.
Photo illustration, Alfred Hitchcock poster.
Collage, Angelica Paez.
Eleanor-Jayne Browne
| Printmaking Teaching Notes | Illustration, And Mark—Making
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2. Mark—making is a term used to
describe the different lines, patterns,
and textures created in a piece of
artwork. It applies to any art
material(s) used on any surface(s),
not only paint on canvas or pencil
on paper; for example a dot made
with a pencil, a line created with a
pen, a swirl painted with a brush,
these are all types of mark—making.
they have been found do not have
signs of ongoing habitation and they
are also often located in areas that
were not easily accessible. One
theory believes that the paintings
were a way of communicating with
others, whilst another ascribes them
with a religious or ceremonial
purpose.
Decorated initials, The Lindisfarne Gospels.
Altamira Bison, Cave of Altamira, Spain.
Illustration however did appear in a
decorative form as delicate biblical
illustrations in western religious
manuscripts.
Mixed media mark—making, charcoal, paint,
tape.
Illustrated Marginalia, Flight of the Witches
Manuscript, Martin Le France, 1451.
Art pens used to create varying marks and strokes.
Illustration— A Brief History
The earliest illustration examples
can be traced back to the paintings
found on cave walls and ceilings of
the Aurignacian period about
40,000 years ago in the El Castillo
cave in Cantabria, Spain. The exact
purpose of the cave paintings is not
known, but evidence suggests that
they were not just decorations of
living areas, since the caves in which
Book illustration arrived formally
after the invention of the printing
press but woodcut illustrations were
already common in Japan and China
to accompany hand written books.
Miniature illustration The Christ in Majesty,
Aberdeen Bestiary.
Woodblock prints were initially
used as early as the 8th century to
Known as illuminated manuscripts
disseminate texts in Japan, especially
these religious illustrations added
Buddhist scriptures; however until
decoration to the written text and
the 18th century, woodblock printing
included such elements as borders
remained primarily a convenient
(marginalia) decorated initials and
method of reproducing written texts.
miniature illustrations. In the
most strict definition of the term,
an illuminated manuscript only
refers to those decorated with gold
or silver, but in common usage the
term is now used to refer to any
decorated or illustrated manuscript.
Illustrated Japanese Buddhist scripture.
Eleanor-Jayne Browne
| Printmaking Teaching Notes | Illustration, And Mark—Making
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3. In 1765, new technology made it
possible to produce single—sheet
prints in a whole range of colours.
Printmakers who had previously
worked in monochrome (1 colour
or shades of one colour) and painted
the colours by hand, or had printed
only a few colours, gradually came
to use full polychrome (a variety
of colours) printing to spectacular
effect. The first polychrome prints,
or nishiki—e, were calendars made
on commission for a group of rich
patrons in Edo, where it was the
custom to exchange beautifully
designed calendars at the beginning
of the year.
In England many famous illustrators
such as William Hogarth, who
concentrated on socio—satirical
themes; William Blake, who is best
known for his religious engravings;
and George Cruickshank, who
facilitated a speedier process and the created the illustrations for Charles
ability to reach a wider audience.
Dickens’ books embraced these
printing techniques and published
many seminal works.
moistened, the etched areas retained water
and an oil—based ink could then be applied
and would be repelled by the water, sticking
only to the original drawing. The ink would
finally be transferred to a blank paper sheet,
producing a printed page). Such methods
A Rake's Progress, Plate 8, William Hogarth,
engraving, 1735.
Portrait of Luca Giordano, etching, 18th century.
Woodblock print, triptych, Three Women In A
Boat On Leaf—Strewn River Detail, Nishiki—e
on paper.
The 17th and 18th centuries were an
important time in the history of
illustration as printing methods such
as etching (the process of using strong
acid to cut into the unprotected parts of a
metal surface to create a design in intaglio.
With intaglio printing, the image is incised
into a surface, and the incised line or
sunken area holds the ink), engraving
(the practice of incising a design onto a
hard, flat surface by cutting grooves into
it) and lithography (prints were
created by drawing an image onto the
surface of a smooth lithographic limestone
plate with oil, fat or wax. The stone was
then treated with a mixture of acid and
gum arabic thus etching the portions of
the stone which were not protected by the
grease—based image. When the stone was
Songs of Innocence and of Experience: The Tyger
(Plate 42), William Blake, relief etching, 1794
circa 1825.
Portrait of Marie Josephine Louise of Savoy,
artist unknown, engraving, 18th century.
Jenny Lind as Amina in Bellini's 'La Sonnambula',
lithographic print, circa 1847.
Eleanor-Jayne Browne
'The Bloomsbury Christening', (for 'Sketches by
Boz' by Charles Dickens), George Cruikshank
etched illustration, circa 1830s.
| Printmaking Teaching Notes | Illustration, And Mark—Making
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4. The late 1800s and early 1900s are
considered to be the golden age
of illustration with numerous works
frequently appearing in books and
magazines, both in Europe and the
US. where a multiplicity of styles
developed and drew influences from
the art of the time, as well as the
Arts and Crafts Movement and
Art Deco.
Due to the convergence of a number
of factors in the US. including newly
developing printing techniques (1880s
a half—tone process and 1900 full—colour
reproduction), paper production
becoming cheaper, railways facilitating
distribution and a population which
was expanding and becoming
wealthier, magazines such as Harper’s
Monthly took advantage of these
circumstances to build enormous
circulations— and they needed art
work for their pages. Meanwhile,
publishers, particularly of children’s
books, also found that the new
techniques and new markets could
make their business highly profitable.
May Day, Kate Greenaway.
Peter Rabbit first edition, first printing and Peter
Rabbit first edition illustration, December 1901.
First issue of The Studio Magazine, an illustrated
magazine of fine and applied art, cover by
Aubrey Beardsley, 1893.
Walter Crane, considered to be
the most influential and prolific
children’s book creator of his
generation, was at the forefront of
the golden age, along with Kate
Greenaway, with their traditional
romantic illustrations influenced by
the pre—Raphaelites. British
illustrators became very popular
and of particular note are the
watercolours created by Beatrix
Potter for her Peter Rabbit series.
In total contrast to the “nursery”
genre, the mysterious stories written
by the German Brothers Grimm
were heavily illustrated with dark
images by Arthur Rackman; and
influenced by the style of Japanese
woodcuts, Aubrey Beardsley's
black ink drawings emphasised the
grotesque, the decadent and the
erotic. Beardsley was a leading
figure in the Aesthetic Movement
and his contribution to the
development of Art Nouveau was
significant, despite the brevity of
his career.
February 1894 Poster for Harper’s New Monthly
Magazine, Edward Penfield, 5—colour lithograph,
published January 1894.
“Blow, blow, little breeze, And Conrad’s hat seize.”
Illustration originally from Snowdrop And Other
Tales, The Brothers Grimm, illustration Arthur
Rackham, published 1920.
Jonquil Masquerade, Walter Crane, 1899.
How Sir Tristram Drank of the Love Drink,
Aubrey Beardsley, 1893—1894 and How Sir
Launcelot was Known by Dame Elaine, Aubrey
Beardsley.
Eleanor-Jayne Browne
At this time, artists were suddenly
given the chance to make enormous
sums of money and this attracted a
number of talents. Traditionally
there was very little possibility for a
painter to make a career through art
galleries and exhibitions mainly
because if wealthy Americans bought
art at all, they bought European art.
Moreover, there was no stigma
attached to working as an illustrator,
as there can be within the fine—arts
community. In fact, artists were
happy to see their work disseminated
to such a broad public and Americans
came to appreciate the illustrations
that accompanied their magazines,
newspapers, advertisements and
books.
| Printmaking Teaching Notes | Illustration, And Mark—Making
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5. Illustration's heyday began its decline
shortly after WWI and witnessed a
significant change during the 1930s
when advances in photographic
reproduction and the advent of
colour photography began to push
illustrators aside— once again new
technologies and new commercial
needs asserted themselves. Ironically,
illustrators of the Golden Age had
inspired a younger generation of
artists, however these younger artists
had to compete not only with the
established masters of magazine
illustration, but with the growing use
of photography and its influence on
advertising. While it provided
artists with new “spaces” for their
work, it also demanded fresh,
contemporary styles that reflected
the jazz age and other changes
taking place in the world in general.
Economic hardships stemming from
the 1920s and 30s brought all kinds
of “golden ages” to an end and
increasingly illustrators depicted
poignant scenes of suffering and
poverty. Some illustrators such as
Robert Henri, both artist and
teacher, became key players in the
new art movement Social Realism
which was committed to American
“art” reflecting American “life”
including the pretty, the ugly and
the in—between. This realism
manifested itself in many forms and
whilst the visual styles differed, the
message was the same.
Cut The Line, depicting the launch of a US. Navy
Tank Landing Ship, Thomas Hart Benton, 1944.
As the world began to recover from
WWII western economies boomed
and consumerism began to spread.
Neyret fashion advert, illustration, 1930s.
People began to lead a new kind of
life, which meant treating yourself
During WWII illustrators' work
well. The 50s were a decade marked
was centred on propaganda posters
by economic growth: many new
and flyers. Propaganda was used by
brands and products came to life,
many countries to increase support
increased leisure time lead to fast
for the war and commitment to an
food restaurants and the movies; and
Allied victory. Patriotism became
housewives smiled whilst cleaning
the main theme of advertising and
their all—new electrical gadgets.
large scale campaigns were launched
to sell war bonds, reduce rumours,
promote efficiency in factories and
maintain civilian morale.
this utopia was reflected perfectly
in the work of Norman Rockwell.
The Runaway, Norman Rockwell, 1958.
In keeping with the zeitgeist, an
alternative aesthetic sprung up in
the form of Push Pin Studios,
whose bright and witty, often heavily
outlined images packed with historical,
cultural and artistic references and
innovative uses of type appealed to
a new audience. Founded by
Seymour Chwast, Milton Glaser,
Reynold Ruffins and Edward
Sorel, this collective is one of the
most famous graphic design and
illustration studios in the world and
has influenced a variety of artists
whilst contributing to the field with
its bi—monthly publication, “Push
Pin Graphic” which ran from
1955—1981.
Poster for Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits,
Milton Glaser, 1975.
Servis Washing Machines Advert, 1950s.
During this time the average US.
salary increased by 50%, a middle
class arouse, credit cards were
introduced, babies were booming
and men supported their families by
working long hours in office jobs.
Everyone seemed to live a dream
come true— happy and content and
Women of Britain, Come Into the Factories,
British WWII propaganda poster.
Eleanor-Jayne Browne
Cover design, Push Pin Graphic, Issue N. 36:
The Thirties, Seymour Chwast, 1962.
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6. The “groovy graphics” created by the
Push Pin set continued to blossom
into the 1970s when “Flower Power”
became mainstream; however from
the 1970s onwards the increased use
of photography, once again, forced
illustration to take a back seat and
lose its place in the market, and
photography became the dominant
medium used in the media world
and, it also took over the art scene.
But does this mean the end of
illustration? No, instead it can usher
in a new era, and an opportunity,
where conceptually, illustrators and
designers can share and exchange
visual ideas, methods and strategies
for conveying information and
telling stories. Traditionally,
illustrators have been segregated
from designers despite their
disciplines converging; therefore it
seems logical that there should be
integration at certain stages— even
with the computer, designers need
to “know” drawing whilst illustrators
should be “literate” with type.
Obama election poster, Shepard Fairey, 2008.
It provided a different outlook on
Obama imagery, which up to then
was heavily based on photographs,
continuing a tradition of politically
charged art.
Fairey’s style is very current, he has
played a seminal role in street and
Westinghouse lightbulb advert, Woman's Day
graffiti arts, and it engaged the
Magazine, April, 1971.
demographic that the Obama
campaign was targeting (which is
Double Exposure Photography experiments,
Illustration methods and styles
Dan Mountford.
the demographic that can make
throughout the 20th century have
images or stories become viral).
shifted incrementally along with
The increasingly digital nature of
And, attesting to its importance the
changes in art and technology and
the media world, as well as the
Smithsonian Institution’s National
the late 20th century can be viewed globalised nature of today’s market
Portrait Gallery acquired Fairey’s
as a bad period for illustration. For
have allowed illustrators and their
hand—finished collage in stencil
example, illustration at the turn of
next of kin— the “graphic artist” to
and acrylic on paper with the word
the century was the primary visual
take the reign again. The past
“hope”. Fairey’s success has breathed
storytelling medium, but the rise in
decades have seen a focus on the
new life into (political) illustration
the popularity of photography has
digital graphic arts and with its
rendered it “supplementary” and
continued expansion, graphic artists and opened a new creative door for
the Obama campaign. Fairey was
with so many digital “illustrative”
are not only gaining momentum in
further commissioned to create a
options available today along with
the media (and other) world(s) but
the increased preference for digitally also in the art field. Who can forget similar version of his image for
concocted imagery, painted and
Shepard Fairey’s image of Barack Time Magazine's 2008 Person of the
drawn illustrations are often viewed Obama taking over social media sites Year.
as relics from the past.
and becoming the key image of his
campaign in 2008? Fairey’s stencil
portrait of Obama in red, blue and
white with the word “Hope” across
the bottom has become an iconic
image in the world of modern
politics, and beyond.
The circulation of the image was
rapid: from posters, to stickers, to
mugs and t—shirts and its presence
online went viral. But why did this
image become iconic so quickly?
Fashion illustration, Patrick Nagel, 1980s.
Eleanor-Jayne Browne
| Printmaking Teaching Notes | Illustration, And Mark—Making
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