Austin briggs

A favorite surface for a Briggs picture is a gesso panel. The final sketch is transferred to this in careful outline and the painting is done in oil or sometimes casein. It is not unusual for one or more partly completed or even completed paintings to be discarded before the obstinate Briggs standard is satisfied. Some of his friends think that he is too exacting and that some of his best work finds its way into the wastebasket. Actually, in spite of the dogged pictorial battle he fights, he…

“Briggs”

In keeping with our current theme of posting working sketches by the great illustrators, today let's look at some unpublished drawings by Au...

Austin Briggs was 19 and still in art school when he sold his first drawing to Collier's magazine. Briggs soon decided he didn't ne...

We're always hearing that artists require freedom to express their opinions. Artists need freedom to express political opinions, or to show explicit content. Artistic opinions might offer a social conscience, or point out ironies in our culture. The outrageous perspectives of underground cartoonists unsettle the status quo. This focus on the artist's opinions is why advertising art is held in such low regard: the corporate advertiser, not the artist, controls the content. But making art…

Explore Alex Knowlton's 4901 photos on Flickr!

Explore Alex Knowlton's 4901 photos on Flickr!

In keeping with our current theme of posting working sketches by the great illustrators, today let's look at some unpublished drawings by Austin Briggs. It is a shame that Briggs does not get much attention today; for decades he was one of the most highly regarded illustrators in the country. An excellent painter, Briggs was especially known for the great subtlety and sensitivity of his drawing with a lithography crayon, charcoal or similar tools. Despite the free and spontaneous look to his…

Original Comic Art titled Austin Briggs, located in William's Illustration & paintings Comic Art Gallery (1415884)