Woodsy,
As February was too cold to work on models in the cellar, I did a few more quick gouache sketches based on a 1950s Japanese Picture Transfer book.
Subjects should be self-explanatory; I'm calling the series "Transportation '57."
I like how the original artist turned these iconic vehicles almost into abstract forms, and I tried to capture this simplicity in my 5" x 8" recreations.
Hope you like them.
Rob C
USA
These are great, and really capture the feel of the originals. They certainly look as though they are from the 1950s.
ReplyDeleteThanks man! There is something about the primitive nature of 1950s toy art from Japan (and later, Hong Kong) that resonates with me. Probably a deep old memory of having these types of toys in my own early childhood.
DeleteBut when the "real" artists came in, in the US and the UK, and painted all those amazing box art illustrations for plastic models, I fell in love with that genre, and still think it is a high point of commercial art. SFZ
I love those old designs! I've collected a lot of Japanese Captain Scarlet art images from eBay. Many are Menko card designs and are masterpieces of naive art!
ReplyDelete"Naive Art" - I like that name, and it does describe the look I was going for. Is that a thing? I'll have to look it up. But primitive toy art from the 50s really resonates with me. SFZ
ReplyDeleteLovely work Rob - you need to make some of the colours slightly off -register for true authenticity though! Bill
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean. The off-register quality of the transfers are very intriguing, but I thought they would be a little difficult to capture. It's actually a thing in modern pop art - I think it's called "distressed." Thanks! SFZ
DeleteReally beautiful Rob. I don't know who you create such precise shapes with black outlines! And what is gouache paint?
ReplyDeleteGouache is basically an opaque watercolor. It’s what commercial illustrators use, but they do detailed relief work with it, whereas I use it like poster paint! SFZ
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