Poster Art

If you've followed my blog for any time, you know I am a big fan of poster art and screen printing. I don't have any experience screen printing, but I hope to get the materials soon.

I think the reason I like posters so much is because they are proof that print isn't dead; and, coming from someone with little Web knowledge, this is comforting.

I think there will always be a place for posters and print ads as they have the ability to convey a message quicky and effectively.

Anywho, a while back I highlighted the work of Jim Pollock, Phish's poster guru. He does great work, but is just one artist that happens to be in the spotlight. There are many awesome poster artists out there.

I stumbled onto a great blog called "The Poster District" that sheds light on the world of poster art. Check this blog out, it's legit.

Here is a taste:

A poster to promote wind energy, by the famous Shepard Fairey (You've seen his work before ... think Obama. Here is a link to his project, OBEY). You could buy it, but it's SOLD OUT like everything else he creates.

Tenement #1 By Tommy Cinquegrano

Stamp of Approval

Clever use of type to create a floating feel.

Where there's good music, good design

usually follows close behind ...

Phamily reunion

Ahhh the joys of screen printing. I really need to make myself a screen soon. Everytime I see a screen-printed poster or T-shirt I realize it's the style that I'm looking for.

One of these days ...

Here is a link to a small poster show coinciding with Phish's Hampton reunion concerts. The longtime Phish poster artist and graphic designer, Jim Pollock, will be on hand.

Check it out

If you like poster art like I do, here are a couple links to some of the best:

Higher Ground Posters by JDK

Wilco Posters (unfortunately this is a merch site)

Mucha and hallucinogenics II: Women Wine and Song

As promised: Here is one of what I think will be three. This began as a hand-drawn sketch, scanned in to Illustrator, traced and color added. I wish I was a good enough painter to color it with watercolors but I'm not there yet (working at it). Stay posted for two more totally different takes on art nouveau.


New rule: 3-5 posts a week.

Mucha and hallucinogenics

It's been a busy January and I haven't gotten around to a post in a while but hopefully it's worth the wait...

The first time I saw a work by Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939) in one of my Graphic Design II text books, I was totally blown away by the art nouveau style that he represented. Mucha began designing posters for French actresses at the turn of the century and though his style was unconventional, he became a pop icon and influenced many aspects of French culture, from clothing to architecture -- referred to as "Le style Mucha."

I'm trying to find out where Mucha studied and where he got his inspiration, but it was around this time that artists and writers such as Hemmingway and Van Gogh were experimenting with absinthe -- a hallucinogenic drink popular in France, described as a "flavoured distilled liquor, emerald green in colour, turning to cloudy, opalescent white when mixed with water." I hear you can still get it in Amsterdam and it pretty much makes you psychotic but rumor has it that Hemmingway wrote "For Whom the Bell Tolls" high on the juice.

Aside the fact that Mucha did commissioned work for Absinthe, it is easy to assume from the overly-dramatic figures and magical quality of his work that he was on something.

There is no doubt that art nouveau posters such as Mucha's inspired '60s and '70 psychedelic poster art (See Dead poster) or at least best represented that movement; and art nouveau is as fresh today as it was at the turn of the century.

I'll be posting my response to art noveau in a series of poster art within the next week, with the first one coming very soon.

Stay tuned.