Friday, November 4, 2011

Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life



Charley Harper was a prolific illustrator that past away in 2007. His iconic work has become closely associated with his peak era, and was found in biology books, Betty Crocker books, magazines, and even National Park posters. 








Included are a few process shots





The book includes a few nice initial sketch proposals alongside finished work. 






While my favorite works of Harper's are his animals, the book also covers a lot of his human subject based work. 


Harper asks, why draw each feather when you can draw the shape of the wing and get the same understanding? I believe this mantra is beautiful.


I love how he articulates movement!

Pros: It is a huge, well bound book. The paper is good quality, and there is A LOT of work. the book is 420 pages, and includes a small interview in the beginning. The back of the book has all the work shown again in miniature with details of production for easy browsing. 

Cons: Nothing to say, it's really lovely

How to Buy: This is tricky. NOTE: THERE ARE 3 VERSIONS IN EXISTENCE
As far as I can tell, each version prints exactly the same work in exactly the same fashion, the only difference is the size of the book. The largest (19.2" x 13.2" x 2.5") is the most expensive, and can be bought on Amazon


The middle size is no longer in print, and is the size I have. (8.7" x 12.2" x 1.5") I was able to obtain mine in a overstock bookstore for about $25, though I think the original price was $60

The smallest size is also the cheapest (8.6 x 6.1 x 1.5) I can't tell you the quality of this one, but I have heard good reviews, and trust the publisher Ammo. It can also be bought on Amazon


If you buy the book using this link, it will help tell me which books you like me to review, and will assist me towards purchasing more. 


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