In the style of… Celestino Piatti

September 9, 2013January 24, 2014 | Anna Cull

Sparrow – acrylic on canvas, 200 x 255 mm, 2013

It may seem a strange thing for an arachnophobe to say… but my favourite thing about this painting is the thread of spider silk.

I’ll post my work-in-progress photos later in the week.

Celestino Piatti

The Happy Owls, 1964 and Animal ABC, 1966 Images from http://onceuponabookshelf.com — The Happy Owls, 1964 and Animal ABC, 1966
Images from http://onceuponabookshelf.com

Prolific Swiss artist and designer Celestino Piatti (1922–2007) has an instantly recognisable style. I may be wrong but I’m pretty sure I’m one of his biggest fans. My favourite Piatti quote: “You can draw an owl a thousand times, and never find out its secret”.

In the style of… appears occasionally instead of my regular Shoot it, Sketch it posts. Using my own photographs as a starting point, I’m drawing inspiration from some of the world’s greatest illustrators. It’s not about slavishly copying someone else’s art; it’s an experiment in seeing things differently.

In the style of… Edward McKnight Kauffer

August 12, 2013January 30, 2014 | Anna Cull

Sky Tower – watercolour and acrylic, 295 x 210 mm, 2013. — Sky Tower – watercolour and acrylic, 295 x 210 mm, 2013

Sky Tower – Auckland, 2007. — Sky Tower – Auckland, 2007

Here is Auckland’s Sky Tower ― the tallest man-made structure in New Zealand ― surrounded by little fluffy clouds. The sketch was an exercise in simplicity and contrast. Left to my own devices, I would have added more details and shading, but that’s not really the point of this exercise. I used watercolour pencils and my new Molotow acrylic paint markers (oh what a wonderful world we live in!).

Edward McKnight Kauffer

Posters from 1923,1932 and 1934 Images from www.pickmix.co.uk — Posters from 1923, 1932 and 1934
Images from www.pickmix.co.uk

I’m a little jealous of American-born artist and designer Edward McKnight Kauffer (1890–1954). He studied in Paris, illustrated several of T. S. Eliot’s books (apparently he was Eliot’s preferred illustrator) and designed posters for the London Underground. Not a bad career.

In the style of… Jim Flora

July 29, 2013September 24, 2015 | Anna Cull

CBD 2010 – ink and digital, 280 x 355 mm, 2013. — CBD 2010 – ink and digital, 280 x 355 mm, 2013

Bikes – Christchurch, 2010. — Bikes – Christchurch, 2010

Although I’ve always liked the composition of this photograph, I really wanted to have a bit of fun with the sketch. What better way than by utilising Jim Flora’s dynamic and colourful style?! The linework is ink on illustration board, coloured in Photoshop.

Jim Flora

American artist James (Jim) Flora (1914–1998) is probably best known for his jazz and classical album covers from the 1940s and 1950s. His work includes children’s books, paintings, woodcuts and commercial illustrations. If you’re not familiar with his art, I recommend checking out www.jimfloraart.com and www.jimflora.com. But be warned, his art is not only colourful and humorous, it has also been described as diabolic, sinister and mischievous!

In the style of… Louis Rhead

July 15, 2013March 26, 2014 | Anna Cull

Rendezvous – acrylic and white gel pen, 280 x400 mm, 2013. — Rendezvous – acrylic and pigment gel ink, 280 x 400 mm, 2013.

I had something specific in mind when I started painting the Akaroa Harbour beachfront photo… and this painting isn’t it. Initially I was going to create a highly stylised image using simple shapes and patterns and fairly flat colours ― but sometimes I just can’t help myself… the temptation to layer colours and add texture is just too great. With Louis Rhead’s turn-of-the-century posters in mind (see below), I exaggerated the shape of the trees and the curve of the shoreline. He has also influenced the overall composition, my choice of colours and the romantic styling of the women in the foreground (although mine look more medieval than Art Nouveau).

I may have another go at painting this scene for next week’s Shoot it, Sketch it…

Louis Rhead

Images from http://commons.wikimedia.org

English-born artist Louis Rhead (1857-1926) made a career out of poster design and book illustration in the USA. I love the Art Nouveau influence in these posters dated 1896-1900. The sweeping curves and stylised trees are beautiful. The colours are fantastic too.

In the style of… André François

June 17, 2013June 23, 2020 | Anna Cull

Gold – acrylic on paper, 255 x 305 mm, 2013. — Gold – acrylic on paper, 255 x 305 mm, 2013

Goldfish pond, original photo, 2012. — Goldfish pond, original photo, 2012

The influence of André François’ art (see below) on the way I painted this goldfish pond is subtle but it’s definitely there. I can see it in the brush strokes, the way the colours are applied and the black lines around the leaves and fish. I don’t think the online image has quite the same impact as the painting… because from a distance — despite the texture, bright colours and obvious outlines — the painted fish pond looks real. Really really real! Most peculiar.

André François

Hungarian-born French artist André François (1915–2005) is perhaps best remembered for his cartoons in Punch, Vogue and The New Yorker but I’m more interested in his graphic design work, such as these vintage advertising posters for Citroën and Kodak ― the brushwork, colours and humour are delightful.

In the style of… A. B. Frost

June 10, 2013March 26, 2014 | Anna Cull

Welcome to my first ever In the style of… which will be appearing occasionally instead of the regular Shoot it, Sketch it posts on Mondays. I plan to draw inspiration from some of the world’s greatest illustrators. It’s really Shoot it, Sketch it with a twist ― I’ll still be using my photographs as a starting point but I’ll be drawing/painting them with a particular style in mind. It’s not about slavishly copying someone else’s art; it’s an experiment in seeing things differently. My hope is that it will take my own art in different directions.

At the beach – ink on paper, 140 x 240 mm, 2013.

Drawing this week’s photograph was a bit of a challenge. The rocks and stones were straightforward enough (believe it or not) but it took several attempts before I was happy with the driftwood. And if you’re wondering who A. B. Frost is…

A. B. Frost

American artist Arthur Burdett Frost (1851–1928) is famous for illustrating Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn characters as well as Joel Chandler Harris’ Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit stories but it’s these two illustrations from A Tangled Tale that inspired this week’s sketch. Frost’s compositions and linework are simply brilliant.