Engaging essays on a wide-variety of illustration-based subjects by knowledgable authors, scholars, artists, and students can be explored here.
Picturing Ramona: Illustrations to Helen Hunt Jackson’s Novel of California
Michael K. Komanecky | February 25, 2025 - This essay delves into the history and cultural significance of Helen Hunt Jackson's novel, Ramona, and the illustrations that strengthen the story's characters and narrative.
Bascove’s Shifting Perspective
Steven Heller | March 7, 2022 - Bascove’s work was in high demand among those art directors who appreciated the strength of her black print technique.
Norman Rockwell: The Rising Tide - Live Webinar
Stephanie Haboush Plunkett | September 13, 2021 - This event is organized by the Appraisers Association. September 20, 2021 | 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
The Red Rose Girls: An alliance for artistic success
Barbara Rundback Venus van Ness | March 8, 2021 - During an era when women were expected to get married, raise children, and manage a household, Elizabeth Shippen Green (1871-1954), Jessie Wilcox Smith (1863-1935), and Violet Oakley (1874-1961) chose to pursue careers in the arts.
Tattooing and Cultural Appropriation
| February 24, 2021 - A Brief History and Analysis of Tattooing in the United States from 1790 to 2020.
Constructing New Meaning in Children’s Books: The Work of Faith Ringgold, Jerry Pinkney, and Vashti Harrison
Lee Price | February 23, 2021 - This essay focuses on the ways Black creatives have utilized the medium of children’s books to construct positive imagery, meaning, purpose, and pride.
Accidentally Swedish: Josef Frank’s Design Theory in His Pattern Design
Paloma Diaz-Dickson | February 16, 2021 - Josef Frank was an Austrian-born Swedish architect, furniture designer, and textile designer. In addition to his professional practice, Frank wrote extensively about design.
The Hidden Emotions in M.C. Escher’s Artwork
Dongyan Xu | February 16, 2021 - Contrary to M.C. Escher’s statement that his work contains no hidden meanings, the artist’s experiences, emotions, and worldview are reflected in the artwork he made throughout his life.
The Drawing Methods and Techniques of Peter Paul Rubens
Siyuan David Zhou | January 14, 2021 - A study and explanation of Rubens’s drawing techniques through an interpretation of his drawings.
Belonging to the Realm of Ideas: A Look at Goya In Comparison to the Modern Day Illustration Practices of Andrea Kowch, Amy Cutler, and Shaun Tan
Jordan Cannon | January 14, 2021 - Francisco Goya utilized fantastical elements to critique, communicate, and introspect. Today, Kowch, Cutler, and Tan exhibit these same focuses within their art through the development of their own magical realities.
How Recent Technology Impacts Audiences and Artists: A Study on Social Media and Big Data.
Yuanyuan Zhou | January 13, 2021 - Social media's influence on audience preference of artworks, and how big data inspired artists to create new designs.
How Modern Illustrators Inherit the Chinese Traditional Art Style
Haochen Zhao | January 7, 2021 - Three Chinese illustrators incorporate aesthetic values from Chinese traditional art in their works.
Thomas Nast: The Rise and Fall of the Father of Political Cartoons
Stella Wei | January 7, 2021 - Known as the father of political cartoons, no other artist wielded more power in influencing public opinion of American politics during the 19th century.
Instagram, Illustration, and Internet Connection: The Shift of an Industry and Search for Community Through Visual Imagery Online
Lexi K. Nilson | January 6, 2021 - Modern illustration spills beyond the printed page, and a vast majority of the visual imagery we see and interact with lives on the Internet.
Santa in Illustration
Venus van Ness | December 21, 2020 - Images of Santa Claus in the 1800s do not portray the round, jolly, bearded man that we know today. Throughout the latter half of the 19th century, images of Santa morphed through a variety of looks.
Moving Pictures: A Conversation with Pixar Animation Artist Tim Evatt
Rich Bradway | November 20, 2020 - Tim Evatt is a 13-year veteran at Pixar Animation. His inspirations were "golden age" illustrators like Norman Rockwell, Dean Cornwell, and J.C. Leyendecker.
Enchanted: Illustrated Fairy Tales
Jesse M. Kowalski | September 23, 2020 - Images depicted alongside centuries-old children's stories reinforced the message conveyed within the tales.
Dan Smith: Rediscovered Star of the World
Alex Bialy | May 27, 2020 - This essay examines the remarkable career of a prolific Golden Age illustrator of full-page Sunday newspaper supplements and painted Western subjects.
Mary Hallock Foote: An Artist in the Old West
Richard J. Boyle | April 11, 2020 - This essay by noted art historian and author Richard J. Boyle examines the life and career of Mary Hallock Foote, whose illustrations and writings drew upon her life experiences on the frontier during the late-19th century.
Victor Livoti: Illustration’s Best-Kept Secret
Jeff Christoffersen | March 13, 2019 - A glimpse into the career of a prolific illustrator who painted hundreds of paperback book covers.