Engaging essays on a wide-variety of illustration-based subjects by knowledgable authors, scholars, artists, and students can be explored here.
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.
Fashion Illustration from the 16th Century to Now
Sarah Goethe-Jones | March 12, 2019 - Fashion illustration not only captures nuance through gesture, but transforms the graphic representation of a garment into an object of desire.
Making Meaning of Illustration
Michele Bogart, Ph.D. | October 8, 2018 - Thoughts on illustration from the Rockwell Center Society of Fellows' blog series on illustration.
Thoughts on Illustration from the Rockwell Center Society of Fellows
Stephanie Haboush Plunkett | October 1, 2018 - Thoughts on Illustration from the Rockwell Center Society of Fellows' blog series on illustration.
Design and Illustration in the Record Business
Michael Goldstein | August 10, 2018 - An introduction to the designers and illustrators who advanced the importance of album covers and record packaging in the modern music era.
Producing Album Cover Art for Clients in the Music Business
Michael Goldstein | July 19, 2018 - Album covers have benefited from the talents of the people who have worked on them, the tools they had available, and the dynamics of the “Popular Culture” at the time they were created.
Children’s Book Illustrators in the Golden Age of Illustration
Corryn Kosik | June 26, 2018 - A look at some of the most influential illustrators working in 19th and 20th century England during the Golden Age of Illustration.
Inside Pulp Magazines: Detective Mysteries, Weird Tales, and Fantastic Adventures
Jesse M. Kowalski | January 11, 2018 - Printed on cheap paper, pulp magazines were an inexpensive alternative to "slicks" like "The Saturday Evening Post."
Remembering Uncle Andy
James Warhola | April 27, 2017 - Illustrator James Warhola comments on the exhibition "Inventing America: Rockwell and Warhol," organized by Norman Rockwell Museum.