CARTOON BLOG

Showing posts with label faeries. Show all posts

Not Without Charm

Andrew Lang was the go-to man for fairy tales in the early 1900s, and his spectrum of color fairy books are classic, not only for the tales gathered from around the world, but also for the beautiful fairy tale art by H.J. Ford, Lancelot Speed and others.

This is a 1930 edition of The Red Fairy Book with the cover and several illustrations by Frederick Richardson, who also did some beautiful work on Queen Zixi of Ix, which you can see over on Mr. Door Tree's blog site. Here, Richardson's illustrations are not as lush or rich as those by some of his contemporaries, but they are certainly not without charm, especially the cover. The rest of this edition was filled in with the original Ford and Speed pen drawings. I'm including one of Ford's at the bottom of this post.

Fantasy Postcard

The last time we saw Raphael Kirchner's work on this site was over a year ago, and it was a cool series for Flo Ziegfeld's theatre. Here, Kirchner has created a lovely fantasy postcard, utilizing a technique that appears to be a form of pointillism, a time-consuming effort that seems rare in commercial illustration.

Raphael Kirchner — postcard design — 1910

Fireside Fairytales

This is a fanciful image that can weave seductive daydreams for me.

Imagine a vast library and this might be but one chamber, and these are the world's greatest illustrated volumes of faerie lore (with perhaps some special volumes from 'the other side').

This is what it says on the advertisement for the print:

Join the wizard Ladnar and his wife Eleanor by the fireside as they tell of their adventures in the magical land of Ohm. Their listeners come from both sides of the magic mirror, and include the chocolate-loving Draglings™ (small house-dragons), Dagmar and Dewey.

If this catches your fancy, you probably will want to click here to go to Randal Spangler's Fantastic Art Realm, where you can purchase any number of fanciful prints of his work. He's got some other really cool views of the expansive library and some houses you'll probably want to live in.

The Fairy's Birthday

Back for a moment to W.Heath Robinson, a favorite illustrator of many.

What a nifty piece here entitled The Fairy's Birthday from December of 1925, showing a nice variety of tiny folk coexisting with the faerie folk. I could truly enjoy an extended visit to this realm, though I'd want to bring all my drawing materials and a good digital camera. Hmm. I've been needing a vacation . . .

But if I couldn't go, I'd give my ticket to Larry MacDougall. Though, come to think of it, I think he travels there all the time.

Below, a really nice portrait of WHR by a contemporary of his, whose name I don't recall (and can't decipher from the inscription).

A MidSummer-Night's Dream—part 6

Here is my final installment of illustrations by W.H. Robinson for the wonderful full-of-wonder 1914 edition of A MidSummer Night's Dream — certainly one of the highest watermarks of the golden age of book illustration.

Bottom. Why do they run away? This is a knavery of them

to make me afeard.

Titania

I'm sorry to say that my edition is missing 2 of the color plates, so easily lost, as they were just tipped in lightly. Still, we've seen aplenty, thus cease our sorrow.

And so, good night unto you all.

A MidSummer-Night's Dream—part 5

Another folio of some of William Heath Robinson's finest work.

Oberon. Flying between the cold moon and the earth,
Cupid all arm'd.

Helena. I'll follow thee, and make a heaven of hell,

To die upon the hand I love so well.

A MidSummer-Night's Dream—part 4

Full from my fav'rite book, this folio but contain the gem of my eye.

Sorry, when I start reading Shakespeare, I start talking like him. What I'm trying to say is that these particular illustrations contain perhaps my favorite of the favorite, though still with more to come.