I feel like I am still developing as an artist, so I was a little unsure of where to categorize myself in the artworld. The artistic fields I am most interested in pursuing are illustration and comics, so I chose to base my diagram on the history of those two fields, as I hope to one day find myself if this part of the artworld. Both of these fields are a form of applied arts that involve a pairing of image to some sort of text. My diagram shows illustration and comics as branching off from this common root, each starting with two prominent figures of each field, both considered the “fathers” of the respective craft.
Illustration became popular with the growing prevalence of publication during the Industrial Revolution throughout the mid to late 1700s and 1800s (History, Illustration History). Howard Pyle is considered one of the leading figures of American illustration, and his work was a major influence for future American illustrators. He worked mainly during the late 19th century and produced many magazine and book illustrations, working as both an author and illustrator (Howard Pyle, Illustration History). Many of his works were for fiction and children’s books, both of which I am personally interested in illustrating for. One of Pyle’s students was N.C. Wyeth, another famed American illustrator. While he produced many illustrations for magazine publications and advertisements, he is remembered best for his book illustrations, particularly those of the Treasure Island series (N.C. Wyeth, Illustration History). Again, I am very interested in book illustration, particularly for children’s books. I also included Norman Rockwell on this diagram because of his importance and influence as an American illustrator. His work is some of the most famous in illustration, and I aim to reach a level of skill that he displays in his art. The next three artists that branch off of illustration are artists that are I personally admire and have careers that I am working towards. Beatrix Potter is known for her work as an author and illustrator during the late 19th to early 20th century, and an inspiration to me. She has produced many of her own children’s books, most notably Peter Rabbit, and also studied the natural sciences, which have a major influence on her work (Beatrix Potter, Illustration History). I am inspired by her as a female illustrator, particularly with how she made a career for herself during a time when it was difficult for women to do so. I also find inspiration in nature and often use it as a subject in my work. The next artist I included was Edward Gorey, who worked throughout the mid to late 20th century. He too wrote and illustrated many books and is noted for his dense ink drawings with macabre themes. My concentration is drawing so his work is very inspiring to me, and I hope to create works similar to his. The final artist I included in the illustration branch is Jerry Pinkney, who continues to illustrate to this day. He too writes and illustrates many children’s books, and his work mainly consists of very detailed watercolor illustrations. As a child I read many books of his, and I still enjoy his books today. He is an example of a modern artist who has achieved a career in illustration that I am aiming for.
For the branch of comics, I once again began with a figure that is considered the father of the medium. Richard Outcalt created The Yellow Kid, which is credited for being the first American comic. It ran during the late 19th century and led to a major growth of comics in America. Following him was Winsor McCay, known for his strip Little Nemo in Slumberland. Each strip portrayed the fantastic dreams of a little boy, and used dynamic composition and panel work to add to the whimsical feel of the strip. I admire his work for the way it played with the form of comics and used it to create beautiful images. Later came Chester Gould, creator of Dick Tracy. This comic was the beginning of the crime and detective genre and was a major influence for comic books. Gould blended story and image wonderfully, something I want for my own comics. His work was influential for superhero comics, an important figure of which was Jack Kirby. He was an artist and writer for Marvel and is known for creating Captain America, the Fantastic Four, and X-Men. Superhero comics are a major staple of both the comics world and American culture, and thus I feel that he is an important member of the comics world and an inspiration to me as an artist. Robert and Aline Crum inhabit a very different sphere of the comics world, but are still incredibly significant to the medium and me as an aspiring creator. They were apart of the Underground Comics movement, which was defined by comics that challenged dominant culture of the 60s and 70s and avoided censorship of any kind. Both Robert and Aline were major figures of the movement and modern comics in general; their comics were largely autobiographical and featured the uglier side of human nature. I admire their efforts in going against the sterilization of comics during the era of the Comics Code, and I also feel a personal connection to my own comics in the way they wrote largely about their own experiences. Finally, I included Bill Watterson and his strip Calvin and Hobbes. I grew up reading this strip, so it has a lot of influence on my own art and comics. I feel like he is a modern comic creator who has the most influence on me personally.
In my diagram, the branches of illustration and comics come together, and from that a leaf representing me comes out. I want to convey how both fields have had an impact on my art and are what I hope to make in the future. In addition, I included a bird labeled “ukiyo-e” to represent the Japanese art movement. My diagram focuses mainly on American and Western art, but I feel that ukiyo-e prints are an important part of art that is often paired with text. Many prints could be considered illustration because of how words are used within the image itself. Ukiyo-e prints and other Eastern art also has an influence on my art, and I conveyed this by having the bird perch upon the foundation of Western art that I am mostly exposed to. Although I am still developing as an artist, this diagram shows how I hope to grow and what I hope to achieve in my art.
Works Cited:
“History.” Illustration History. Norman Rockwell Museum. https://www.illustrationhistory.org/history
“Howard Pyle.” Illustration History. Norman Rockwell Museum. https://www.illustrationhistory.org/artists/howard-pyle
“N.C. Wyeth.” Illustration History. Norman Rockwell Museum. https://www.illustrationhistory.org/artists/nc-wyeth
“Beatrix Potter.” Illustration History. Norman Rockwell Museum. https://www.illustrationhistory.org/artists/beatrix-potter
As a fellow artist who loves to do illustrations, I am amazed that there are many American illustrators I am not aware of besides Jack Kirby and Chester Gould mainly because of their mainstream cartoons. Unfortunately, when it comes to your comic artist inspirations, none of them were Hanna-Barbera or Chuck Jones. They were a good inspiration that made the famous American cartoon characters, Tom and Jerry and Bugs Bunny! Could be just preferences but cartoons aren’t my ideal, anyway. But I digress, comics are the first step to a new art movement for our current digital era! After all, they are: globally known in all ages, easily accessible with our current advanced technology, and the community is growing rapidly as we know it with all these new comics coming every single day.
This is mainly a suggestion but if you are interested in comics and illustrations with a bit of Japanese ukiyo-e, why not look at Japanese cartoons commonly known as anime with their version of graphic novel known as manga? It is the same as comics but in Japanese’s ways. I highly recommend you check out the amazing works of Japanese illustrations and manga!
I can relate that I also don’t know where I stand too, and what would be my style of art is. But I do believe that through time and consistency of creating, we would be able to develop our own style of art through time. Illustration to me is iconic. Illustration is everywhere and everyone has seen some type of illustrative art. I believe illustration is one of the most important and fundamental art styles in the world. I don’t read a lot of comics, but I do know comics has made a huge impact in pop culture from the 19th century, till the present day. Nice informative essay!
I like how your diagram is clear and simple but yet shows the relationship between each artist and category. I too feel like I am still in growing and do not know for sure what to determine myself as. I also like how you made it clear on what you like the artists and what makes you look up to them.