I've made so many purchases on ebay over the past year that I really need to start the Today's Inspiration Countdown to Christmas early this year... so please bear with me. I'll try to keep it interesting for everybody. For starters, here's a new find by the oft-requested Harry Anderson ( 1906-1996).
Walt Reed's "Illustrator in America" tells us that Anderson was allergic to oils, so what you see here is either watercolour or gouache, which Anderson learned to blend like oils. While Anderson was a major contributor to advertising and national magazines like the Saturday Evening Post for many years, he seems to have found his calling in painting religious subjects for the latter part of his career.
A fellow who was on the TI list for a while, Jim Pinkoski, has a Harry Anderson tribute page on his website that focuses on that part of Anderson's career. Jim actually met Harry Anderson and has many photos of the artist in his studio and at his home.
If I remember correctly from my History of Illustration class, he used his own "split-brush" technique where opposite sides of the same brush would be loaded with a different color of gouache. I've never actually seen it demonstrated.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was at Illustration House early this October I was marvelling at a piece done by Harold Anderson, but thing about it was it felt more like a Rockwell piece than I was used to seeing. Walt Reed mentioned that there were actually two illustrators by that name. Harry Anderson and Harold N Anderson.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.askart.com/askart/a/harold_n_anderson/harold_n_anderson.aspx
Both were quite talented regardless.
You're dead-on, anon - I in A mentions that Anderson learned to "blend on the brush" his gouache to mimic oils.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes indeed, Shark, the other (Harold N.) Anderson (1894-1973) had a more Rockwellian look to his work, IMO too.
There was a nice profile of Anderson in Illustration #12, in case anyone missed it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.illustration-magazine.com/latest12.html
There are thumbnails provided (too small to read), but in case anyone wanted to track it down, I thought you might appreciate knowing what the cover looked like.
Bill Angus
Very cool, Bill! Thx for that!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure.
ReplyDeleteThere's a short article in that issue by comic artist Steve Rude about his meeting(s? - it's been a while since I read it) with Anderson. He discusses the 'blend on the brush' technique a little bit (IIRC, that was one of the reasons Rude contacted Anderson in the first place).
Bill Angus
One more thing...
ReplyDeleteHere's a site with a pretty nice article an collection of Anderson's work.
http://www.americanartarchives.com/anderson,harry.htm
Actually, it's a pretty nice site for lots of illustrators.
Bill Angus
You tha man, Bill - I forgot about the Steve Rude/ Harry Anderson connection - mentioned way back in the Steve Rude sketchbook, right?
ReplyDeleteAnd yes indeed, the American Art Archives is a good resource - I had a nice note from the guy who set it up a while back.
You tha man, Bill - I forgot about the Steve Rude/ Harry Anderson connection - mentioned way back in the Steve Rude sketchbook, right?
ReplyDeleteThat I don't know - I never picked up the Rude sketchbook - but it seems as likely as not.
Bill Angus
Hi
ReplyDeleteIt's old news but that is Harold not Harry.
The Harold Anderson of the older gent holding the boys hand was part of the Society's Permanent Collection.
Eric
Collections Mgr.
Society of Illustrators
Steve Rude did in fact learn the Harry "blending" technique (Steve calls in the "Harry Technique". He has a workshop coming up. I know he only accepts a few students at a time as he likes to give individual instruction, but if you are interested in learning from him you can check and see if there are spots left: http://www.dillmans.com/dcaf/2012/steve-rude.html
ReplyDelete