Illustration Design History

Before cameras were invented, creating a a children’s story, a medical textbook, an graphic design meant images by enormous billboard, a technical website, The Golden Age of hand to accompany written text. Digital or any of thousands of other forms of images now dominate graphic design, but visual communication. Illustrations are comic books got their start • An then used a pen or brush most designers will tell you that hand used to define and clarify ideas or to give in the late 1930s, ushering in the to go over the penciled art in ink, drawing and illustration skills are just them new or additional meaning. Golden Age of comics that lasted until adding depth and . as important now as they were long ago. the early 1950s. Iconic characters such • A added to every Many colleges believe it, too—that’s why Try It Start an online or physical collec- as Superman and Wonder Woman frame. Only then could the artwork most accredited college design programs tion of illustrations from various books were introduced during this time, go to the printer. start off with a semester or two of draw- and magazines. Include a wide variety of although many others came and went ing and illustration. illustrative techniques and make note of as comic creators experimented with Although comic superheroes Illustration is the art of creating images how each one is used. You can use these characters, formats, and themes. declined in popularity in the 1990s, that help explain or enhance a written to help you generate ideas for your own Producing comics was a collabora- they have rebounded since then, message. That message might be part of projects. tive effort—it generally took five or and the and graphic more artists to bring a story from idea novel industry—in print and

Fig. 3–X. Sometimes a to finished art. Here’s how the process online—is thriving today. Perhaps hand-drawn image worked: surprisingly, little has changed stands out among all A writer generated an idea for the in a comic book’s initial creation the digital imagery, and • might even have more comic, then wrote a . processes: it’s still a hands-on, character. • A penciler—who was generally team-oriented industry. Although Jacqui Oakley (illustration and a skilled illustrator with strong much of the work is now digitized, lettering) and Rachel Page (art storytelling abilities—drew the illustration is still at the heart of it. direction and design), Cover design for Big Water by Andrea artwork frame by Curtis, 2018. frame, roughing in Hand inked on paper and colored digi- tally, 5 ¾" x 8 ¼" (14.6 x 20.96 cm). the space needed for speech balloons, narration, and sound effects. • The penciler handed the art off to a let- terer, who hand-let- tered all the speech balloons, captions, and narration.

Fig. 3–X. In addition to comic books, Captain Midnight appeared in a radio serial, short , newspaper strips, and a television show. Dan Barry (penciler and inker), Fawcett Publications, Inc., Captain Midnight in the Cross- Country Crime, from Captain Midnight, Vol. 10, No. 57, November 1947.

64 Chapter 3 Image Creation for Design 65