More Pretty Things

This is a continuation of my previous post about the book illustrations I encountered at the archive last week. I feel like many of my readers are art minded so I think these posts are good for everyone, whether you make art or just enjoy it a lot, not to mention Steve so kindly linked to my afore mentioned post from the archive blog and I was very flattered. It increased the number of people visiting my page at least ten-fold.
I will start this one off the way I ended the last one, with a Peter Pan illustration by Mabel Lucie Attwell. Again, this is just sweet and Peter has fun hat.



Cute, yeah? I almost feel like posting just pictures for the next week. . . which would average about a post and a half in the end. These follwoing three illustrations are from Stories of the Arabian Nights by Edmund Dulac, who, as far as I can tell, was quite the prolific illustrator; I have many by him. I find the Arabian Nights ones pretty interesting and a bit funny because all of the women depicted are quite beautiful while the men. . . just aren't. This isn't the first time I have encountered this trend so I want to talk about it for just a second. For some reason, it is always a beautiful girl paired with a goofy looking guy. Betty Boop and Bimbo? How did that happen? But that isn't really even a good example since Betty Boop, although undeniably sexy, posesses an unhuman sort of pretty with her enormous head and strange walk. I could fully opine on why drawn women tend to be more beautiful than the men, but I realize I would rather get to the illustrations. This one just below is another good example of how the artist spent his time on the important details. The woman's clothes and the bird are very detailed but there is no real background, which is no detriment to the illustration.



I love the sense of movement Dulac captured in this following one. I do not need to actually see her move to know perfectly well how she will dance if ever released from the page.



Another quick note about the difference in backgrounds nowadays and the one in this next Arabian Nights illustration. I think that although these painted backgrounds may be sparse, they are also intensely interesting. See how the sky changes shades and how subtle the shawdows of the trees across the lake are? Just gorgeous. Today Jojo, another assistant and student at the archive, showed me a picture from an upcoming CGI movie that I don't really want to mention by name. Yes, it was that scary. I think it important for people to realize that bright colors do not equate to beauty, especially if the main characters get lost in the palette. I like this picture because the tree and bank so nicely frame the couple sitting by the water.



This next one is also by Edmund Dulac from The Bells and Other Poems by Edgar Allan Poe. I have chosen to share it with you because I love how well the fabric and the girl's hair is depicted. While I can't be certain, I am under the impression that she is dead, which causes the focus on the beautifully static fabric to make the illustration all that more dark and depressing. I love to draw the curve and folds of fabric and the way light falls upon it, so naturally I would take a liking to this picture. I can only hope that one day computer animation will find a way to make cloth as gorgeous as this. For those of you who do not frequent the archive, do not think I am being too hard on computer animation, I realize that there is probably little fabric as lovely as this in drawn animation either, but I have seen clothes used to enhance a character, a movement or a mood in drawn animation whereas I am having a very difficult time thinking of an example in CGI films. I think clothes should add to a character, not just cover it. I feel the same way about curtains and windows.



I really like this next one from the same book of Poe's poems because the man is simply a silohuette while the sky has so many shades and colors in it. Again, this composition pleases me.



I don't know why I wanted to show the following Dulac illustration from Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam to you. Something about it must have struck me.



I certainly do know why I wanted to share the following two Dulac illustrations from Sinbad the Sailor with you. I love this first one for the waves. The way the waves have been depicted give them an almost glassy texture, which one does not usually associate with a stormy sea, but I think it works quite well. I also like this picture because of the little man completely suspended above the sea and the tiny pair of legs disappearing over the back wave. Sometime it is the little things that really make a drawing.



It is hard for me to call this next picture all that interesting really, I just really like how nicely the human figures are positioned. They are so elegant and completely natural at the same time. The right placement of head, neck, and hands made this otherwise less than striking illustration really jump out at me.



Now I sadly must go to bed, but I promise to pick up where I have left off with the illustrations and let you know if I happen to do anything else interesting in the meanwhile.