I’ver written before about Illustration magazine, the beautiful quarterly periodical published by Dan Zimmer that showcases in-depth, lavishly illustrated articles on classic illustrators, both well known and undeservedly obscure, all presented with stunning production values.
Illustration 30 is out, featuring articles on Ellen B. T. Pyle, one of Howard Pyle’s students who married his brother Walter (images above, top); the strikingly colorful works of Edwin Georgi (above, middle) and the bizarre egg tempera and scratchboard illustrations of Douglas Walters (above, bottom).
The Ellen Pyle article is particularly timely in that it coincides with an exhibit currently at the Delaware Art Museum, Illustrating Her World: Ellen B. T. Pyle, that runs until January 3, 2010. The museum participated in the preparation of the article.
The issue, which is 96 full color pages, also includes a nice In Memoriam to Frank Frazetta by Ralph Bakshi, a personal remembrance of Ernest Chiriaka by Zimmer, plus the usual letters, reviews, exhibition and event listings and ads of interest to those who love classic illustration.
But why just take my word for it when Zimmer has placed the entire Issue 30 online for you to flip through, not just in thumbnails but in full screen and zoomable (click on the preview at bottom or the “View the Digital Edition” link, when in the full screen version click on the pages to zoom).
In addition to the current issue, Zimmer has made a number of past issues available the in the same full screen zoomable format through the Issuu.com interface (see the related issue thumbnails in the right column).
These will give you a great idea of the beautiful art and incisive writing in the magazine. I’ll stress again, though, as I have often pointed out, that the onscreen versions of the images, not matter that they’re full screen, are low resolution compared to the way they appear in print, particularly with Illustration’s superb color and reproduction standards.
The print version of issue 30 can be ordered directly from the publisher for only $15 U.S., which includes shipping ($30 U.S. for international delivery); and a number of back issues are available for the same price. In addition there are special publications, books and DVDs of interest to fans of classic illustration, including the ability to pre order the the new H.J. Ward book shipping in November.
Zimmer is also now presiding over The Illustration Gallery, a new online gallery of illustration art originals for sale.
