I have mentioned both Don Kenn and Edward Gorey on this blog before. In today’s post, I thought I would share a few images from both artists that show the details that go into their art. In my attempts to illustrate images inspired by these two artists, I’ve found that the intricately detailed line art is actually harder than it appears at first. Your lines must have a consistency that fits with each other line on the page, while at the same time creating dimension, shadow, distance. In short, the entire image is dependent on lines, instead of more conventional means of composition.
Gorey illustrated a number of children’s books that he authored himself; most are incredibly short and have been gathered into several collections, the best-known of which are probably Amphigorey and Amphigorey 2. He passed away in 2000, and was, among other things, known for his fondness of cats and the New York Ballet; at one point in his life he attended every single performance of the ballet for several years. He often wore heavy rings and fur coats, and was a bit eccentric. The following images will hopefully showcase his art well.
Don Kenn is a Scandinavian artist who does most of his work on Post-it notes. The illustrations largely represent hidden or not-so-hidden terrors near oblivious people.
