On this day, April 10, 1890, Mary (Marsh) Buff was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mary Marsh studied art at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and at the Cincinnati Art Academy. After her marriage to Conrad Buff they collaborated writing and illustrating children’s books and winning Newbery Medal honous for three of their collaborative efforts.
On this day, April 9, 1949, illustrator of science fiction and fantasy Stephen Hickman was born in Washington, DC. Hickman found his path in 1967 at the NY Comic Convention where he met Frank Frazetta and Roy G. Krenkel who gave him advice and direction. By 1972 Hickman’s career was launched. His memorable work in science
On this day, April 8, 1939, children’s book illustrator Trina Schart Hyman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After studying at the Philadelphia Museum College of Art and then the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Hyman studied in Stockholm and illustrated her first children’s book. Hyman was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1985 for
On this day, April 7, 2007, cartoonist Johnny Hart died in Nineveh, New York. Hart’s first published work was in Stars and Stripes done when he was enlisted in the U. S. Air Force. In 1957 Hart created the cartoon B. C. and later was the co-creator of The Wizard of Id with Brant Parker.
On this day, April 6, 1891, illustrator Alfred Waud died in Marietta, Georgia. Born in England, Waud immigrated to the U. S. in 1850 and worked illustrating for a variety of weekly periodicals. During the Civil War, Waud’s detailed field sketches of the battlefields and army camps were engraved and published back home. After the war, Waud continued to
On this day, April 5, 1900, illustrator and graphic designer Herbert Bayer was born in Haag, Austria-Hungary. Bayer was trained at the Darmstadt Artists’ Colony and later at the Bauhaus. After teaching at the Bauhaus, Bayer left to work for Vogue in Berlin. In 1938 he settled in the U. S. and worked as an artist,
Ben Shahn (1898-1969)CarpenterCover illustration for Popular Home (Late Spring 1949, Small Homes Review Issue) Isn’t illustration about communication? Isn’t its function to transmit ideas or to create images that represent the content of the book or magazine, or to picture an idea or a point of view? The visual impact of a great cover illustration
On this day, April 4, 1941, illustrator David Edward Byrd was born in what is now Cleveland, Tennessee. Byrd studied at the Boston Museum School and at the Carnegie –MellonUniversity. From the late 1960s through the mid-1970s Byrd created posters for a variety of Rock groups and stars including the original poster for the 1969 Woodstock Festival.
On this day, April 3, 1885, cartoonist Bud Fisher was born in Chicago, Illinois. After studies at the University of Chicago, Fisher worked as a journalist and sketch artist for the San Francisco Chronicle where he created the characters Mutt and Jeff. William Randolph Hearst’s later production of Fisher’s "Mutt and Jeff" strips exposed readers across the
On this day, April 2, 1923, illustrator Mitchell Hooks was born in Detroit, Michigan. After service in the U. S. military, Hooks worked in New York as a freelance illustrator producing paperback book covers and magazine illustrations. Hooks also designed movie posters including one for the first James Bond movie.