The book is called Shi zhu zhai shu hua pu, ‘Manual of Calligraphy and Painting’ and was first published in 1633 in Nanjing. The book is comprised of eight categories - birds, plums, orchids, bamboos, fruit, stones, ink drawings (round fans) and miscellany - and is illustrated by 50 different artists and calligraphers. It is the earliest known example of multicolor printing in the world: printed by the technique of polychrome xylography known asdouban invented and perfected by Hu Zhengyan 胡正言 (1584-1674). The method involves the use of multiple printing blocks which successively apply different coloured inks to the paper to reproduce...
The Literary Portraits of Alvaro Tapia
Among the healthy portrait output of Chilean illustrator and filmmaker Alvaro Tapia reside a neat series of literary portraits. From Poe to Rushdie these captivating portraits remind me a bit of the work of Ralph Steadman Enjoy! Alvaro Tapia's website
Cream of Wheat and the Golden Age of Illustration
From 1903-1928 The Cream of Wheat Co. ran a national advertising campaign to promote their "breakfast porridge." The campaign featured American illustrators and appeared in the leading periodicals of the day. Lucky for them their campaign ran during the time of Americas Golden Age of Illustration. They hired the likes of N. C. Wyeth, James Montgomery Flagg, Jessie Willcox Smith and J. C. Leyendecker to help spread the word. By the time Cream of Wheat was acquired by Nabisco in 1962 the campaign was long forgotten. In 1980 Dave Stivers, the archivist at Nabisco Brands, hit the jackpot. In a group of metal lockers at the former headquarters...
Harlin Quist: The coolest publisher of children’s books you never heard of
Harlin Quist just might be the coolest publisher of children's books you never heard of. The brainchild of Harlin Bloomquist, Quist published over sixty children's books between 1966-1984. They featured some of the finest European and American authors and illustrators of the day and helped establish the careers of many young artists. They are unmistakable in design and offered an original, fresh look in childrens' book publishing. Quist had a background in theater and then worked in publishing, first as an editor at Crowell-Collier, then at Dell, where he worked on the first picture paperback books before going out on his own. Here is what some of the...
Nursery Rhymes + Alcohol = Hickory Daiquiri Dock
In Hickory Daiquiri Dock: Cocktails with a Nursery Rhyme Twist Tim Federle has concocted the ultimate board book for new parents. It features 20 juiced-up nursery rhymes and its rallying cry is Parents Everywhere: Put Down the Rattle ad Pick Up the Shaker! Do I really need to say anything else? John Junior Jägermeister Schmidt Old Macdonald Had a Flask Mary Had a Little Dram. Hickory Daiquiri Dock: Cocktails with a Nursery Rhyme Twist is published by Running Press and wonderfully illustrated by Eda Kaban. It is also not the author's first run in with booze and words for his first book...