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Frédéric Pillot
Though not well known here in the U.S. (and undeservedly so), Frédéric Pillot is well known in France as a creator of comics, illustrations and beloved children’s books.
Pillot pushes the stylized exaggeration of his characters and environments out to the limits, and then wraps his scenes in lovingly rendered detail, atmosphere and lighting effects.
The level of attention to detail in his pieces is extraordinary. A partial explanation lies in his working method.
Though I don’t link to the “walled gardens” of social media often on Lines and Colors, his Instagram feed is of interest primarily for a couple of short video clips that show him working. He works in traditional media (ink, watercolor, acrylic and chalk) at a large scale. Many of the original pieces appear to be around 3 x 4 feet (92 x 120 cm); others perhaps as large as 4 x 5 feet.
Pillot studied at the École des Arts Décoratifs de Strasbourg, and began his career working in historical comics, later moving into other genres of comics and then into children’s books.
There is a brief flip through of one of his books (printed at the nicely large size traditional in European comics) on Substack: SEPTEMBER BOOK: Le Petit Poucet. (If you encounter a “create an account” prompt, just click past it.) In addition to the inherent visual charm of his illustrations, they are an integral part of the book’s beautiful design and layout.
A number of his books are available through Amazon (affiliate link), though mostly in their French editions. (When the art looks like this, who cares?!) There is at least an English edition of Balbuzar, a beautifully illustrated children’s pirate story.
Don’t judge the appeal of his work from my small sample images and detail crops.
Pillot unfortunately does not appear to have a dedicated website or blog. The best resource for his work I’ve found is the portfolio on Character Design References (click on the preview images for large size, you can then flip through with your arrow keys).
There are some folks sharing images of the original art they’ve purchased of Pillot’s work on 2DGalleries. If you click through to the larger version of the piece, then Control-click (Mac) or right-click (Windows) and choose “Open image in a new tab”, you can often see the original art in revealing detail. (I found it worth signing up for a free account. It looks like there are other treasures here.)
Frédéric Pillot on Character Design References
2DGalleries
SEPTEMBER BOOK: Le Petit Poucet (Substack flip-through)
Amazon (affiliate link)
Balbuzar, English – Amazon (affiliate link)
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Frederick Sandys’ Proud Maisie drawings
Proud Maisie (3 versions), drawings by Frederick Sandys.
The first two versions of this drawing are in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and share a single page, with a link to the image on green paper below the primary image.
There doesn’t seem to be a separate description for the second drawing, so I don’t actually know to which the size and description refers. Description is pencil and crayon on paper, size: 17 x 13 inches (44 x 34 cm).
The third is in the National Museum of Canada and is listed as black chalk on paper, 15 x 13 inches (39 x 33 cm).
One of my favoriet Pre-Raphaelite drawings (or series of drawings), the subject is the artist’s wife, Mary Emma Jones, an actress whose stage name was “Miss Clive”.
Sandys depicted her in numerous works. He did 13 replicas of this drawing.
I love the strong profile (proud indeed), the luxurious curls (for which the actress was known) and the sensual biting of the hair with its teasing sexual overtones.
Proud Maisie, V&A Museum
Proud Maisie, National Museum of Canada
Related posts:
Lines and Colors Search: Frederick Sandys
Lines and Colors search: Pre-Raphaelite
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Abe Toshiyuki
Abe Toshiyuki is a Japanese watercolor artist whose work often focuses on intimate close in views of nature, as well as more traditional longer views.
He uses precise sharp edges in contrast to softer focus areas to wonderful effect, allowing his subjects to posses solidity as well as qualities of the ephemeral.
I particularly enjoy his textural elements, which are an effective evocation of natural forms.
The galleries on his website ae arranged by season. There is a shoice for English versions of the text in the top navigation elements. I’ve used choice that in my link to his site below.
There is a print collection of hsi work available from yesasia.com.
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Eye Candy for Today: Thomas Moran’s Autumn Afternoon, the Wissahickon
Autumn Afternoon, the Wissahickon, Thomas Moran, oil on canvas, roughy 30 x 45″ ( 77 x 115 cm), in the collection of the Terra Foundation for American Art (click on image for an enlargement).
There is a larger image on Wikipedia, though the color is off. I’ve taken that image and color corrected it to match the one on the Terra Foundation website to get my larger detail crops.
The Terra Foundaion is a worldwide oganization, which loans out to various museums. According to their website, this painting is currently on display at the Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology, Oxford, United Kingdom until September 30, 2026.
As a long time resident of the area in and around Philadelphia Pennsylvania, I’ve been to various points in the Wissahickon, the most dramatic terrain of which lies within the city limits.
I don’t remember seeing this particular view, so I don’t know if Moran has exaggerated here. Even in the 1860s, when this painting is dated, the valley was surrounded a populated area, though you’d never know it from the composition.Moran captures the scene, and the essence of Autimn in the lush landscapes of southeastern Pennsylvania, with a combination of sensibilities, partly from his history as a Hudson River style painter, and partly from the increasing influence of the French Barbizon painters.
Happy Autumnal Equinox!
Autumn Afternoon, the Wissahickon, Terra Foundation
Related posts:
Lines and Colors search: Thomas Moran
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Jourdan Truffan
Jourdan Truffan is a concept artist snd illustrator based in Sydney, Australia who works digially in Photoshop and Blender.
His fresh, nicely styleized designs for both characters and environments have an appealing clarity and precision.
He applies to that solid foundation a playful sense of light and shadow, giving his scenes a sense of atmosphere.
Tuffan has galleries of his work on both ArtStation and Character Design References.
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Eye Candy for Today: The Goldfish Bowl, Edward Perugini
The Goldfish Bowl, Edward Perugini, oil on canvas. roughly 39 x 31 in. (100 x 79 cm).
Link is to the Bonham’s auction page from 2010. Click on the image on the Bonham’s page for a larger version.
Bonham’s at the time lists it as only “attributed to” Perugini, but all other references to it that I’ve found recently simply say Perugini, so either the attribution has been confirmed, or none of the other mentions are as concerned with correctness as the auction house.
Regardless, it is a striking painting, though damaged along the lower side of the woman’s face and at the botom of the canvas. Not so much, though, as to prevent us from enjoying the painting.
I love the compositoin, with the brighter areas of the woman’s face and the highlights on the sleeve just set off from center, and the bright highlight on the glass of the bowl providing a light counterbalance to the right.
The hair almost fades into the low chroma tapestry behind the model, the dark bands of fabric in her top, and the darkness of her skirt emphasize the bold highlights in the gold colored areas.
Look at how well controlled the muted effect on her shadowed arm seems completely natural in the generally low light of the scene. The orange-red of the goldfish isd balanced by her ruddy cheeks and modesltly red lips.
For more on Perugini, see my post from 2022.
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