Thank You Bernie Fuchs

The greatest illustrator of the past 50 years passed away this week. Mr. Fuchs is the reason I always wanted to be an illustrator. He was the inspiration. His light, his design, and the beauty he conveyed to the canvas was unchallenged by other illustrators for over 40 years. He blurred the line between fine art and illustration in much the same manner as N.C. Wyeth did earlier in the 20th Century. He'll always be the best, and will be missed.
























Fuchs and Tiger Stadium.
Only he could capture the beauty + character of the place.

This image from Sports Illustrated and many more of Fuchs' paintings and artwork can be seen at The Telluride Gallery of Fine Art.

Here is a great article from the Washington Post about his life.

And a couple of blogs that get to the heart of Mr. Fuch's talents + contributions:
Drawn! Today's Inspiration Illustration Art

Questions:
Can illustration be considered fine art?  Does the commercial aspect of the work detract from its merit as a work of art?  Is there a difference between Fuchs' painting of Tiger Stadium and, say, a painting from Monet's Rouen Cathedral series? How are they similar and different?

iTunes Style Photoshop Illustration

This is cool, especially the background. Very versatile.

Question: What are some applications for this background?  What about the figure treatment, how could you apply that to another project?

Integration

I'm trying to figure out if I can somehow integrate all I am learning and working on in EDU 560 Technology class with my EDU 688 Secondary Curriculum class.

From a backward design standpoint, I want to end up with a Photoshop/CS3 assignment, but I want to get there via some art history to give it some scope and meaning. I'm thinking Toulouse-Lautrec , Warhol, Raushenberg,... I want there to be more than technical skill learning, but also building understanding of design and of the role applied art has held in art history. A theatre poster project? Book cover? A mixed media aspect? BTW- I'm open to ideas!

Kellogg's Job

I'm about to start the final art phase of an illustration job for Kellogg's, promoting their products as a good source of fiber to schools. PopTarts, who knew?! The marker comps I worked on have been approved. Now I will begin all the final vector illustrations -- due on Tuesday the 22nd (my wife Janet's birthday). So really, it's due on Monday!

Digital Inking Tutorial - Intuos - Illustrator CS3

Rendering a spacegirl in Illustrator