At RMCAD, illustration is a powerful tool for communicating artistic vision. Artists and designers around the globe have used various illustration techniques for millennia as artistic expressions of thoughts, to tell stories, and communicate personal and even important cultural messages. From sketchbooks to government commissions; from manuscripts and books to posters and album covers, illustration, in some form, has been part of human practice since paleolithic cave drawings, like those 20,000 year old drawings found in Lascaux Cave in France. Join us as we explore a handful of global techniques related to the history of illustrations.
Japanese Illustration: Modern Expressions
Evolution of Japanese Illustration
The 21st American love of Japanese culture and art is not a new phenomenon, and its roots can be traced back to 19th century Japanese illustrations, which were largely seen as finished woodblock prints known as ukiyo-e prints. Ukiyo-e prints are known for their subject matter of “the everyday.” The term “ukiyo-e” translates to and connects with the Buddhist concept of “pictures of the floating world” where even the everyday mundane subject is worthy of representation. According to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, CA, ukiyo-e prints involve a range of artists and artistic techniques to produce one single, multi-colored finished print, especially a talented illustrator.
Typically in these Edo Period (1603-1868) prints, an illustrator would first draw the composition in black ink on a thin sheet of paper, then the printmaker would finish the print by applying the illustrator’s ink drawing to the woodblock for cutting and later application. After which, the print moves on to printing and publishing. Without the illustrator’s design and creation of the original composition, the final print would be without content or clear narrative – both of which were necessary for the visual storytelling of these ever-popular prints.
Characteristics of Contemporary Japanese Illustration
Arguably the most popular form of Japanese contemporary illustrations of today is manga. Art historians can trace manga (which roughly translates to “sketches or illustrations”) back to the 12th century CE in Japan via the work known as Handscrolls of Frolicking Animals (Chōjū giga). Japanese ukiyo-e artist, Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849), most famous for his iconic work, The Great Wave, made manga what it is today through his own style aptly called Hokusai manga, a series of 14 picture books of non-narrative illustrations of people and animals. However, it wasn’t until the 1940s that the manga we know and love today took a more familiar narrative format, thanks to works like Red books (Akahon) and the many other forms of manga that developed in the 20th century.
According to scholars at Portland State University, most Japanese manga illustration styles today may be characterized by:
- Dynamism of movement
- Vibrant use of color (unless black and white)
- Often non-sequential narratives
- Layered panels to express character emotions
Influence of Japanese Illustration on Global Art
The contemporary love for Japanese illustration styles and for Japanese visual culture, or what is now termed as “J-Craze,” has roots as far back as the middle of the 19th century. When Japan re-opened itself to trade with Western powers, its visual culture gained global fans almost immediately. What is now the “J-Craze” was then called “Japonisme.” Artists in Europe and America were beyond influenced by the regional styles of ukiyo-e and manga being produced by Japanese illustrators, so much so that the artistic influences are undeniable in works by some of Europe’s most famous artists, like Vincent Van Gogh, who was a major fan of Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) and his indomitable, The Great Wave.
Japanese illustrations and woodblock ukiyo-e prints also influenced the illustration and interior design styles in Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries during the brief 30 year movement known as Art Nouveau. In particular, English designer Edwin William Godwin (1833-1886) incorporated Japanese nature motifs into his interior design illustrations. While Art Nouveau has inspired many global artists, its roots (and “whiplash” forms) are heavier in the African Congo than in Japan. However, the global designers’ and illustrators’ interest in nature, organic forms, and forced perspective are descended from Japanese illustration’s influence.
French Illustration: The Impressionist Influences
The major artists we know of as the French Impressionists, like Claude Monet (1840-1926), were never meant to be so famous. In fact, it was their dissatisfaction with the Paris Salon and Paris Academy at that time that led these artists to coordinate and exhibit their own works, much to the disappointment of the leading critics of their day. The label, “Impressionists,” was actually meant to be an insult about their sketchy painting style. Regardless of what critics felt at the time, the Impressionists, in their rebellion, wound up developing one of the most globally influential art styles in the history of art.
Emergence of Impressionist Illustration
The Impressionists are largely remembered for their particular style of painting, which involved quick brush strokes, which often led to a painting looking “unfinished” (mostly why their critics hated it). Many also focused on scenes of leisure of the new Parisian middle-class. However, even the most famous Impressionists were also adept at illustration. Many of these illustrations by the Impressionist painters range in subjects and mediums.
Techniques of Impressionist Illustrators
Although plein-air painting was the ultimate form of artistic expression for the Impressionist painters, their drawings, often in sketchbooks or on various types of papers, offered another method of storytelling through illustration. Key features of their illustration techniques include:
- Charcoal, chalk, ink, graphite
- Limited color palette
- Quick line work
Prominent French Impressionist Illustrators
The most prominent French Impressionist artists and illustrators include:
- Claude Monet (1840-1926)
- Edgar Degas (1834-1917)
- Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)
However, 19th century French illustrators spanned the artistic genres of the day and include illustrators of books, illustrated newspapers, theatrical playbills and posters, and much more ephemeral objects of visual culture. While these illustrators below are not considered Impressionists, their contributions to French Illustration should not go unnoticed:
- Honoré Daumier (1808-1879)
- Gustave Doré (1832-1883)
- Julie Ribault (1789-1885)
Indian Illustration: Traditional and Contemporary Fusion
Illustration in India has a long, complex, and colorful set of traditions. As the birthplace of the Hindu faith, Buddhist philosophies, and a stronghold of Mughal Islam among many Jewish and Christian believers, illustration in India’s history is rich with a colorful syncretism of cross-cultural elements combined with indigenous and traditional art forms, styles, and techniques.
Traditional Indian Illustration Styles
Traditional Indian folk art is celebrated not only throughout India but also around the world. Folk art in India includes many of the oldest forms of human artistic production, including illustration, dance, painting, storytelling, Indian miniature paintings, and sculpture. Some of these influential and impactful Indian folk art illustration styles include:
- Madhubani art – (also known as the Mithilia Style) A distinctive style named for the district town of Madhubani in the Mithila region of India and Nepal. Characteristics of this regional style include vibrant color schemes and fine line work. It’s important to note that Madhubani and Mithilia art and illustration have offered women in this region a way to make money and break traditional gender and caste norms since the 1970s, according to scholar Narendra Narayan Sinha.
- Phad art – A traditional form of scroll painting in India that emphasizes narrative and storytelling traditions, usually of religious or heroic tales. Today, phad painters and illustrators use canvas or paper, while some still emphasize the traditional scroll format.
- Kalamkari art – Taking its name from the term ‘kalam,’ which means pen, ‘Kalamkari’ refers to a particular, intricate style of hand-painting onto cloth, according to Laasya Art. Kalamkari art is a multi-step process that typically includes two distinct categories of illustration or painting: ‘srikalahasti,’ which is drawn freehand, and ‘machilipatnam,’ which is the block-printing technique that relies on an illustration to be completed on a wood block then carved for ink application and printing. The iconography of the tree of life is prominent in kalamkari art.
Modern Indian Illustration Techniques
Modern illustration techniques in India draw and build upon the cultural artistic traditions of millenia of artistic production in south Asia. However, works by modern and contemporary illustrators in India also emphasize the freedom that came along with democracy they gained in the mid-twentieth century. According to The Met museum, the Abstract Expressionist and Minimalist movements in painting and sculpture of Europe and America significantly influenced modern and contemporary illustration techniques in India.
Influential Modern Indian Illustrators
Below are only a few of the some of the most influential Indian illustrators working in the traditional forms with an eye for the contemporary:
- Dulari Devi (1968-living)
- Pradip Mukherjee (1953-living)
- Jonnalagadda Gurappa Chetty (1937-living)
Lebanese Illustration: Contemporary Visual Stories
Lebanese illustrators often build from artistic and cultural traditions of the past with national identities that exist in Lebanon today – not exclusively as a way to honor their artistic heritage, but as an intentional effort to ground their work in their nation’s complex and important histories. Combining tradition with technology, for example in sculpture, painting, and digital illustration, 21st century Lebanese artists create works of cosmopolitan artistic expression and visual storytelling grounded in Lebanese traditions that acknowledge the nation’s complex sociopolitical and cultural complexities.
History of Illustration in Lebanon
Art and illustration in Lebanon, particularly in its capital city of Beirut, has played a prominent role in the country’s cosmopolitan history, serving to unpack the notion of “East meets West,” according to scholar Sara Rogers. Since the 19th century, illustration in Lebanon has challenged the ideas of a traditional artistic or illustration style in Lebanon; rather, what contemporary Lebanese illustrators do, according to Rogers, is continually drive the complex cosmopolitan nature of Lebanese visual culture through their illustrations, sculpture and paintings.
Current Trends in Lebanese Illustration
While it is often assumed that illustration or any artistic practice in a highly socio-politically active region such as Lebanon would focus primarily on the strife or struggles of its people, that’s not the full story of Lebanese illustration. Like any complex culture, Lebanese illustrators today use their illustrations to reflect daily life and culture in Lebanon, often with humor and acknowledgement of the strength of their rich national identities, using traditional forms of illustration as well as digital.
Leading Lebanese Illustrators
Some of the most well-known Lebanese illustrators of today include:
- Lana Merhej (unknown-living)
- Tony Maalouf (unknown-living)
- Maya Zankoul (1986-living)
Norwegian Illustration: Myth and Nature
The region known as Scandinavia typically encompasses the nations of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden today. In previous centuries, however, these nations were once considered more collectively with other Scandinavian cultures like those in Finland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands. While most readers may automatically think of this region as just home to the Viking cultures of the past, Scandinavia’s history is rich with visual culture beyond marauding warriors in horned helmets (which Vikings never actually wore). Norwegian artists and illustrators, in particular rely heavily on Scandinavian design elements, such as figural representation and an interest in nature, as well as folk tales, and fairy tales to preserve Scandinavian oral traditions through children’s books, and illustrated works for adults as well, keeping stories from the Viking age and beyond preserved centuries. For example, Kay Nielsen’s 1922, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, gives viewers a glimpse of these Norwegian elements in a beautiful publication of Scandinavian tales that have stood the test of time.
Norwegian Cultural Influence on Illustration
Scandinavian fairy tales and folktales have long influenced the design styles of illustration in Norway, but Norwegian illustrators also blend in academic philosophies and Norwegian literature, beyond children’s stories, into their compositions, according to scholar Göran Sörbom. Today, Norwegian illustrators still incorporate elements and stories of the past as part of their cultural heritage to share experiences through storytelling and oral tradition, doing so through their own contemporary artistic expression.
Techniques of Norwegian Illustrators
Norwegian illustrators today, like the past, rely on a variety of techniques for narrative illustration, including:
- Dynamic compositions
- Vibrant colors
- Visual references to oral traditions and cultural narratives
Renowned Norwegian Illustrators
Some of the most well-known Norwegian illustrators of the modern era include:
- Lars Fiske (1966-living)
- Esra Røise (1980-living)
- Runa Førde (1933-2017)
Moroccan Illustration: Color and Pattern
Leaning heavily into the traditions of Islamic calligraphy, Moroccan illustration often showcases Morocco’s distinctive cultural landscape that includes Arabs, Sephardic Jews, Sub-Saharan Africans, and Berbers. Moroccan artists and illustrators also use illustration practices to express the nation’s contemporary issues. Today, artists and illustrators in Morocco play a prominent part in the development of a national identity, with nods to Morocco’s important place in the history of art and Africa.
The Roots of Moroccan Artistic Illustration
According to the Dalloul Art Foundation, Moroccan artistic illustration is rooted in the country’s national history along with the regional styles of nearby countries. You can see influences from African textile patterns, Islamic calligraphy as well as European design in Moroccan illustrations, giving these works of art a cosmopolitan, yet distinct voice.
Signature Styles of Moroccan Illustration
Moroccan illustration styles are strongly influenced by cultural norms and religious traditions. Moroccan calligraphy, rooted in Islamic traditions, is one of the most significant illustration styles in the country, often emphasizing winding lines, angular forms and geometric shapes. While Islamic artistic traditions, including calligraphy, are often misunderstood as only aniconic (meaning prohibitive of human figures orThe Prophet), that’s not entirely accurate, and the work of contemporary Moroccan illustrators continues to educate by challenging these misunderstandings by Western viewers.
Contemporary Moroccan Illustrators
Influential modern Moroccan artists who specialize in Middle Eastern calligraphy art include:
- Chaïbia Talal (1929-2004)
- Noureddine Daifallah (1960-living)
- Zakaria Ramhani (1983-living)
Paraguayan Illustration: Indigenous Inspirations
Aboriginal art painting is often only thought of in terms of the many and varied aboriginal peoples in Australia. However, “aboriginal,” as a term, can also mean those indigenous to any given area, even outside of Australia. For example there are dozens of aboriginal peoples, all with their own cultural art forms, indigenous to the nation known as Paraguay in South America.
Indigenous Roots of Paraguayan Illustration
From the indigenous and still thriving Guarani peoples to the Tupi, the Mascoy, and the Zamuco peoples (among many others), all have developed their own distinctive art forms that still influence illustration and art in Paraguay today. Paraguayan indigenous art from these cultures often include distinctively patterned earthenware pottery and intricately woven and brightly colored textiles. While illustration did not play a central role in the development of the indigenous visual culture, Paraguay’s illustrators and artists today often acknowledge their cultures’ past artistic traditions through their contemporary voices via illustration.
Modern Interpretations of Indigenous Art
Today, the Niveclé culture, indigenous to Paraguay, acknowledges their cultural artistic traditions through monochromatic illustrations created with black ink, typically a ball-point pen, on paper or cardboard. A prominent feature of these illustrations is the artists’ use of “shading and contrast between the figure and the background.” This distinctive practice to Paraguay began from a competition started by Swiss anthropologist Verena Regehr, who visited the region in the 1970s and began working with the youth of the Chaco region, where many Niveclé community members still live.
Prominent Paraguayan Illustrators
Some of the most well-known South American illustrators in Paraguay (of the Niveclé illustration tradition) include:
- Clemente Juliuz (1972-living)
- Floriberta Fermin (unknown-living)
- Esteban Klassen (1969-living)
Discover Your Own Artistic Expression While Learning About Cultural Art Forms at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design
By deepening your understanding of global illustration styles and artistic mediums, you can begin to discover your voice as you pursue storytelling through illustration. Whether you seek to honor your own culture and traditions through illustrations or to simply become more aware of how modern illustration trends have been shaped by the voices of the past, a well-rounded, skills-based fine arts degree program can help you develop your personal identity as an artist.
At Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, we offer an on-campus Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration as well as an online Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration degree program, allowing you to develop modern artistic techniques while discovering the beauty of traditional art forms from around the world.
Request more information about our degree programs today.
