Monday, April 27, 2009

Generic People

I was idly looking at the New York Times yesterday while eating lunch, and for an article about dropping interest rates below zero (How Low Can You Go?) there was an illustration of a man with a percentage sign on the front of his shirt diving off a diving board.  The background was a bunch of financial institution buildings.  It got the point across, but it got me thinking about that kind of illustration, which I have no interest in at all.  That illustration was all about the idea; the guy himself didn't matter at all.  He could have been anyone.

I prefer pictures where the people are not generic--where they are individuals, where I fall in love with that particular person as I'm drawing them.  Most of the things I've been doing lately I've been using models of sorts, but even for the ones where I'm not, I think of the person as a real person.  I don't want generic.  It feels just like writing, where it's the particulars that make it happen.  You don't want generic characters in stories (or generic places or events or feelings), but REAL people, with real quirks and and details.

5 comments:

  1. That approach is for a specific kind of editorial illustration - it's hard to do if you don't tend that way, I have found.

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  2. I am not into generic either.

    I love the sunflower by Kathy Hare. She is so amazing.

    Love Renee xoxo

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  3. oh this is so true - we are on the same page for sure...

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  4. Thanks for visiting!


    I agree with ArtSparker. But, if you can add a little personality in their expression...

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  5. I know don't you just love that poem.

    It is needed by many I think. That we have to reach out for hope. It is there.

    Of course you can link to it.

    Sweetmango is brilliant.

    Love Renee xoxo

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