When I posted those hilarious and bizarre gun ads just before Christmas, one well-wishing commentor hoped Santa would bring me a clue. Well Santa, many, many thanks... for bringing me a clue to the long lost details of the careers and lives of so many fantastic illustrators! This book will be an indispensible resource - second only to my copy of Walt Reed's Illustrator in America - when I'm trying to locate background info on the artists we showcase here at Today's Inspiration.
For instance, this fascinating anecdote about illustrator Saul Tepper: that's him posing in the reference photo for the illustration he eventually completed (below) for a 1940's issue of the Post. How cool it is to be able to find out now that, when the story asked for a "plump" model, no modelling agency could provide one! And that the artist spent several evenings in Latin clubs trying to find a Hispanic girl who would fit the bill - and was willing to pose for the artist. Neat!
So thanks to that anonymous commentor and thanks to Santa for bringing me the clue I was hoping to get!
Wow, very cool Leif.
ReplyDeleteI was dismayed at the whole debacle that came before this.
Considering how many comments there were on that one singular topic and how little were fore and aft of that topic.
Anyhow...Saul Tepper is one of those elusive fellows whose work I have very little of. I remember seeing an original in Art School during the Society of Illustrators traveling show. I have a copy of it hanging in my studio. Between he and Mead Schaeffer, I think they were my favorites to keep the Cornwell approach to illustration alive. Though Dan Content is no slouch either.
=s=
Haha - Shane, don't ever be dismayed when it comes to shootin' fans. After the first post I did earlier in the year, I was not at all surpised by their enthusiastic response this time around. We'll get to enjoy their high-spirited debating style again later this year, I promise.
ReplyDeleteAs for Tepper, I'm with ya, kid - he's the bomb... but really hard to come by. My pal Jeff owns a beautiful original Tepper and I've been lucky enough to gaze upon it on several occassions and you just never get tired of looking at a Tepper, believe me.
OK, that does it. I'm coming over to your place, Leif, so I can look at all your cool stuff. Don't worry, I'll pick us up something from Tim Hortons on the way ....
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! My door's always open to visitors bearing a hot cuppa Timmy's, Mike!;-)
ReplyDeleteAnd yup, I'm also wondering who Dan Content is, Shane.
wow, this book is amazing! it's going straight onto my shopping list for the husband's artist book collection. thanks (I think!) for posting about it.
ReplyDeleteand by the way, because I am too lazy to go find the old necco wafer post - I finally looked up your sherbert fountains. Really? Sugar through a licorice stick? I don't think I have ever seen one of those in my life!
You are most welcome (I think), sarah :-)
ReplyDeleteRe: sherbert fountains... they seem to still be around, still in their original decades-old, bland yellow paper sleeves. Frankly, I never saw the appeal. They harken back to the days before candy manufacturers realized that kids want super-bright, plastic colours and insanely sour flavours that peel the tastebuds right off your tongue. See also: sponge toffee... a brick of golden yellow styrofoam that tastes like burnt sugar. I feel sorry for the kids of the "olden days". ;-)
okay, well I didn't want to be rude about the sherbert fountains in case you loved them...they sound pretty nasty. But then again, your sponge toffee....is that what's in a violet crumble (or a cadbury...crunchie, I think?) Because if so, I have to confess I actually like the stuff.
ReplyDeleteYup, that's the stuff. My wife likes it too, sarah, you're not alone. Personally, biting into the stuff makes me shiver. To each his ( or her) own, I say! ;-)
ReplyDelete