The History of Illustration...

John Minton is my chosen illustrator.

I am drawn to his style of drawing, an ink artist and intrigued by his varying techniques. I hope to broaden my methods through this course, this study will help me.

1917-1957. English painter, illustrator of books, stage designer and teacher. So I start by looking with this self portrait. Dull muted colours, with a pool of sadness in his eyes. As someone who struggled with his mental health throughout his life, I can see that he has reflected this deep rooted sadness in this painting. Method: Oil on canvas. 

I love this simple illustration taken from 'Time and Away, A Notebook in Corsica' by Alan Ross and John Minton 1947. A book designed to bring the Mediterranean to post war Britain, a rediscovery....“It was rugged travel; the hotels where we stayed were basic and often dirty. We lived on bread, cheese, figs, pastis and wine. The bus journeys were slow and suffocating, with long stops for no particular reason. One day we would be languishing in the humid heat of an estuary, the next exhilarated by sweet mountain air, waking to forests and mountains.” 

This book is filled with black pen and ink lines and bold blocks of watercolour. The sea is a block of blue, matching the gentleman's shirt. The sun in the sky is made real with lines of ink and colour, reflecting off the boats on the sea line, effectively made with a block of bright white. I see heat and warmth falling on the town in the background, peaceful enough for a nap. Look closely and I see the two figures sleeping on the beach. Relaxed and carefree. Perfect for Britain at the time, war over and adventures needed to be had. 

These drawings are simple. Fun. Abstract in nature. 

Sunflower, 1948. An enormous bulging headed sunflower taking centre stage. Ink and watercolour on paper, again effective simple lines. Few dots and lines placed in the sunflower head, yet to me it still looks heavy and full of seeds. Light coming through with blocks of white again, so interesting how he has used white in such a way to portray sunlight. Think dark line for reflection.  Blue, blue sky, roughly painted in. Ink sunflowers in the background. In the far right corner you see the dying sunflower, no colour needed, the brown of the soil is enough to show that this sunflower has reached the end of its life, struggling in the heat perhaps. This painting is rough and free. This strikes me as undated, modern, relevant and alive. A teacher at the time, I can see this style and colourful style being a positive influence to those he taught. I am using this picture as inspiration to be looser in my work and to include colour as I develop. 

River Thames, for 'Flowers of Cities' published in 1949, a book of London. Ink on paper. This is the style I feel drawn to try for my illustration, this is my inspiration.  I've looked closely at this drawing as a black and white piece in contrast to the colour above. Non of the lines are perfectly straight, yet the buildings look tall and solid. The lines are thick and simple. The sky is a series of lines, yet the weather appears to be fine. Shadows are built up using line on line. Again, inspiration to be less concerned with perfect detail of my own work. This drawing is not dated in its style, it is very current and could easily be dated as a modern day sketch to the unwise.

My take on John Minton...

A holiday snapshot. An Italian balcony. A hot sunny sky, I used fine lines coming down from the clouds to reflect heat. Bold ink shadows. Ripe vine tomatoes growing in a pot, so ripe they are starting to fall.Two cups of tea placed, people are taking a rest  close by. Buildings in the background to show life beyond this balcony. I wanted a peaceful, warm scene. 

I wanted to create a scene, so typical of Minton. Ink on paper.  I thoroughly enjoyed this drawing. 

Sketch Book...

Initial ink doodle...

Contemporary Illustrator

I can't wait to take a close look at the work of London based designer and illustrator Lucia Emanuela Curzi, my chosen contemporary . BA in Media Design and additional study at the London College of Fashion. Fashion and beauty illustrations featured in Vogue, (where I first spotted her work), The Sunday Times, Harrods, Harper's Bazaar, Estee Lauder, Yves Saint Laurent and Mac Cosmetics, Tiffany.

Lucia Emanuela Curzi prefers working by hand using ink and watercolour, pastels and acrylics on paper for the originals.

Fun and bold blocks of colour and black in lines. Illustrations used in advertising and also textile design. 

I see four colours in the design, blue, yellow, orange and pink with a think black mark creating the eyebrow yet cleverly curving around the female eye to create definition, this illustration is about the eye. Simple. Effective. 

'A Royal Illustration' featured in 'inStyle' Germany. The original ink on paper. This illustration is used in print in an article about the media comparisons of Meghan Markle  to the Duchess of Cambridge on her wedding day to Prince William who was compared to Diana on her wedding day to Prince Charles. These comparisons are led by thoughts on the fashions they wear and how this communicates their personalities. The Duchess of Cambridge sits comfortably within the card of the Queen of Hearts, with Diana set behind her on an unmarked card looking towards her. Powerful. The media is constantly comparing women against each other. Perfectly communicated here. 

Cartoon in style. Bold black lines start the sketch. Bright pink blush cheeks. tiny hands. Bright red and decorated hearts on the tea cup and along Kate's crown, clear and obvious. She is now the new Queen of Hearts...and no longer Diana who is pictured classic in style, decorated in diamonds, not a single heart. Very symbolic of today's women obsessed media with a strong concentration on fashion and status. 

A small room showing fun and sparkle, the use of pink down the left wall ,the sparkle in splashes of white. The use of blue to the right shows me light, perhaps a window. Ink lines drawn for the coffee table and chair. The rug is roughly drawn in. In fact is is the colour in this picture that does the talking, not so much the lines. Ultra modern, vibrant, feminine.

My take on Lucia Emanuela Curzi...

I chose to go for an up to date, fashionable theme, heavily covered in the media lately. The marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. I tried to enjoy the process, I found it tricky trying to copy somebody else's style. This is actually my third attempt, the previous two were too heavy, too detailed and as a consequence over done.  Focusing on the couple themselves I used blocks of colour. Method: Ink and watercolour. 

Sketch book...

Initial sketches and designs...

Comparing the two...

Actually, after looking at many images of both artists I can see similarities in technique, black ink lines, watercolour, vibrant colours against black. Fine lines. Simple methods yet so strong and effective. 

John Minton's work still seems alive and has a modern edge. 

Lucia Emanuela Curzi's work is fashionable and ultra modern, I guess as it is so modern and relevant to today, will this style of work age quickly? Time will tell. 

John Minton presents an entire picture, a background, you need to study the whole page and look for the clues in the background, they are there even if not in great detail.  Curzi's is very focused, with little to no background, concentrating on the main event, perfect for advertising a product. 

John Minton looked at the world, books, travel destinations and interpreted them. 

Curzi looks at fashion and media culture.