From the library of Jacky Winter
Friday, October 17th, 2008In our latest installment of 'Notes from an Agent', I thought we would take a stroll over to the JW bookshelf, the small white 'Lack' unit that sits near our meeting table. We try to set aside time every week or fortnight to review illustration folios in person, for both established illustrators looking for feedback, or young startups seeking advice and guidance. While there is always unique advice that we feel we can offer, the conversation usually reaches a point where I start pulling books off the shelf and just say 'Look, most of what I am going to tell you can be said much more eloquently in this..."
To this end, I try to make sure that our library is adequately stocked with whatever relevant industry books have recently been published. Our current collection looks something like this:
Over the next weeks I will be doing some brief reviews of these books that I hope will be of assistance to our readers. In the meantime, I thought I might share this gem with everyone:
This book, 'Cartooning and Commercial Art' was given to me by a good friend before starting the agency, and is currently proudly displayed among our vintage field guides on top of the infamous bookshelf.
Written by E.C Matthews and Phillip Albaum, and Published by wonderfully titled, 'World Publishing Company' of Cleveland, Ohio in 1941, the book claims to be "A New Encyclopedia of Commercial Art and Advertising Crafts, Complete with Layouts, Lettering, Monograms and Fashion Design. Studies in Anatomy and Expression by the Great Masters."
The contents are divided into 'Elementary Drawing', 'Cartooning', 'Figure and Fashion Drawing', 'Lettering', 'Monograms and Vignettes', 'Advertising Layout', 'Layouts in Use', and 'Selling Your Work'
The type specimens are of particular interest...
...and then there are your obligatory layouts done by hand.
While in some parts, people might consider this book somewhat of a novelty, I can't help but think how some of the artists who I admire the most (Chris Ware for example) probably owe a great deal of their craft to similar teachings that are found here.
Steven Heller has noted in his recent writings the recent surge in 'Art-Brut' in contemporary commercial illustration, and as a field, current fads in illustration seem to always be a backlash reaction to the previous ones. To that end, is a re-emergence of 'Craft' going to be the next big thing? Regardless of whether one decides to go down the dangerous path of following a visual trend, I can't help feeling that now is a more important time than ever to revisit books like these in ones professional development.