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E402 Field Trip: Society Of Illustrators
Who said illustration was a lost art?
Society Of Illustrators
I thought my field trip days were behind me. Fortunately, I was wrong. Shortly after drawing class, a rendezvous had been set up at the Society of Illustrators. At first, i thought it would be a guided tour but to my surprise and relief, a perouse was set out. Welcomed with open space, the walls displayed different types of paintings and illustrations.
The first thing I noticed walking into this gallery was an illustration, which was donated by the artist Earl Mayan that put me in a noir-like trance . It’s called, “Sunset Kid” I’m in a room full of suits making chatter while choking on secondhand smoke. A varnished tempera on Whatman board was Earl’s approach for what was to be piece for the Saturday Evening Post, 1952. I like the balance of intense coolness in this picture. The story to accompany this is “Swindler’s Luck” by Ben Hecht. Â Despite the heated smug look on the gentlemen to the rights’ face, cool colors steal the show. What I find powerful about this illustration is the light bouncing of the leather shoes (you know they’re leather) and the smoke throughout the room. Smoke in sight has a shelf life. That much visible smoke in a drawn room would make even the viewer choke. It sure made me gag a little.
A few steps into the corner of the gallery I found myself at the feet of a priest in red going for his crotch. Tim O’Brien drew this cover illustration for Der Spiegel back in 2010. The robe color is perfect. There’s nothing hotter than red and to call this cover heated, would be an understatement to describe the subject matter revolving around the title of this piece. The article was called, “The Hypocrites: The Catholic Church and Sex”. This oil painted masterpiece was dressed upon a gessoed board. It was also donated by the artist himself.
A classic oil on canvas composition was the medium for many ads but this one especially hits home. Entitled, “A Good Start is Half the Journey”, we’re presented with a Cream of Wheat farina advertisement. I loved this piece because I ate farina the same morning of the day I saw this. A timeless inexpensive product that helps jump start your day with wheat filled hotness. My brothers and I use to call it, “breakfast for the soul”. Â Usually, people go up in arms when they learn of historical compensation. In this case, a $5 payday for a photo op for hot cereal in the ’30s wasn’t so bad. I find this advertisement to be rich in design as well as color. You (the viewer) are suppose to shiver when looking upon the 2 children walking through the cold. I did and the colors in the box containing the the face of Chicago chef Frank White center the warmth with minimal effort. I personally feel like they may have added some weight on the chef to give off that feeling on satisfied appetite. Â Edward V. Brewer drew this up in 1926 after Emery Mapes suggested the idea. Mapes worked for the company responsible for producing the farina. None the less, Emery conceptualized the ad while Edward doodled away. As a guy who loves his farina, this Illustration takes the number 2 spot in this lineup. A victory by gracious familiarity. Commerce is up but illustrations are at an all time low these days.
-Sewell
Revised: Visual Quotations
That old saying had to come from somewhere, correct? What old saying may you ask yourself. The true answer is that every saying has an origin. More importantly, we’re surrounded by these known phrases. Some regional while others are international. Since humans learned to speak and conceptualize the world  in their own way, these sayings have become apart of our communicative DNA.
I’ve been a sucker for quotes my whole life. Those one liners from the films and shows along with advertisements. You may hear people quote authors, scientists, actors, actresses, activists, athletes, heroes, villains, children, old people, random people, specific people along with–What I’m trying to say is that everyone has something to say. Some come and go while others stick around like shoulders.
With there being too many quotations to choose from, I went with an all time favorite by Star Wars character, Yoda who’s voiced by puppeteer  Frank Oz. I believe the phrasing was, “Do or do not, there is no try.” I’ve always liked this quote, because it’s a simpler way of saying, there is no half stepping, or all or none. On a side note, Frank is also the voice of Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear from The Muppets but we’re not here for trivia or are we….?
Process: Yoda
- Traffic light colors: #27e833, #CC0605, #fad201 respectively
- Do (go;green) Do not (stop;red)
- No try (slow/partially committed;yellow)
Sources:
Frank Oz and friends-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Oz#Puppeteering
A New Eagle Has Landed
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Old-New  Photo Courtesy of DesignShack
http://designshack.net/wp-content/uploads/amairlines-0.jpg
Its safe to say the world is different from what it was 50 or so years ago. A computer around that time, was the size of an airplane. Radio and television commercials for products ran 1 minute 45 seconds. Now everyone has a computer on their person and the average advertising slot is 30 seconds unless its for a new experimental miracle drug in which near death side effects outweigh the benefits. Another thing that has changed, is the branding and rebranding with old and new companies. Let’s remember that the brand or appearance of a product is as important as the product itself. Where does a long running aerial human transport company such as American Airlines fit in here?
The recently changed logo from American Airlines dates back to 1968. The human existence is in constant evolution. Some companies notice this and translate that truth into an homage to the people in form of a complimenting revamp in consumer goods. The original eagle graphic accompanying the company’s initial has been switched for a 3 dimensional eagle beak integrated with wings that emulate the wings of a plane. Â We have a uniformed “outside the box” view of things nowadays where we can see whats not there and all agree.
This change like this could be risky, and expensive but this is an example of technological advancements and changes calling for restyling. The new fleet is made of a material that wouldn’t mesh well with silver. I’m sure the engineers and designers had a field day with this. Most major brands change their look every 10 years or so and still manage to thrive. I don’t see a change like this hurting the American Airlines brand. If anything, it will succeed to express the ever changing state of America and the rest of the world that it helps us to see.
