Mirko Hanák (June 26, 1921 - November 4, 1971) was a Czech painter, graphic designer and illustrator, who was famous for his particularly distinctive illustrations and lithographs with natural themes. He died relatively young of leukemia. His fine illustrations portray a loose style, belying the amazing technical expertise of a great draftsman. Apparently using watercolor on rice paper, coming in with exquisite detail with finer brushes.
Jon Klassen has a wonderful, unique style. He's done some amazing design work for Coraline and animation work for Royal Bank of Canada and their Blue Water Project among other wonderful things. Check out his stuff.
Here's a few links to some wonderful art I really enjoyed (via drawn!). Check it out!
Femke Hiemstra (Netherlands) does wonderfully surreal paintings on found objects (usually wood or old books). Her subjects seem to pop out of a children's book from a darker world, sweet but slightly disturbing. Read her info section on her site for more.
Saul Bass - "Design is thinking made visual"
Kawase Hasui, (1883 – 1957) was a Japanese woodblock printmaker widely regarded as one of the greatest artists of the shin hanga style, known especially for his landscape prints. His simple graphic style with elegant play of colors and light evokes his yearning for simpler, older times.
I am particularly fond of Lowbrow Art or Pop Surrealism. Pictured above is Mark Ryden's Allegory of the Four Elements. Here are a few of my favorite "lowbrow" artists, in alphabetical order:
Heinrich Kley (1863 – 1945) was a German caricaturist, editorial cartoonist and painter. His drawings comprised quick, loose, pen-and-ink sketches that captured an amazingly realistic and robust form. Known for his sometimes darkly humorous pen drawings, published in Jugend and the notorious Simplicissimus in Germany, Kley was an inspiration for a number of early Disney productions, notably Fantasia, as Disney was quite a collector of his work. Kley's work was also a big inspiration for me in my youth.
Ryohei Hase, from Tokyo, Japan, is a digital painter whose subjects are a surrealist, nightmarish fantasy. He does it all painting freehand in Photoshop.
Dan Krall is an illustrator, character and background designer, and animator and he has a wonderful chldren's book. He's responsible for the amazing look of Cartoon Network's Chowder, Camp Lazlo, and much or the look of the movie, Coraline (among many other amazing feats).
Mark Verhaagen's digital illustrations are wonderful! Master of form, color, and composition. Go get inspired.
Thank you, Barbie Miller, for your wonderful blog, Golden Gems! "A collection of little golden books and other vintage & modern illustrations meant to inspire and delight." That's exactly what it is. Consider me inspired.
A very nice collection of public domain children's illustrations and more at Grandma's Graphics.
