I Love Illustrators

Gustaf Tenggren started illustrating books and fairy tales in his native Sweden. In 1920, he moved to the United States and became one of the chief visual designers on Walt Disney’s early feature films. After leaving Disney, he became the illustrator for a number of Little Golden Books, most notably The Poky Little Puppy, which remains one of the best-selling children’s books of all time. 

Derek Riggs is best known for creating the artwork for English heavy metal band Iron Maiden’s albums throughout the 1980s and 90s. Originally done as a piece for a potential punk album, the band loved the character they would come to call Eddie and adopted him as their signature mascot.

After producing covers for Warren publications such as Vampirella and Conan, Jeff Easley took a job with TSR in 198, following his contemporary, Larry Elmore. Easley quickly became one of the most prolific and prominent artistic voices for fantasy role-playing games, providing work for dozens of Dungeons & Dragons books, games, and modules. He helped define the look of many monsters, illustrating the covers for the various Monstrous Compendium supplements, as well as work on the Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms game settings. 

Born Romain de Tirtoff, but nicknamed Erté due to the French pronunciation of his initials. His work appeared in countless publications, as well as in set and costume design for movies, musicals, and other theater productions in Europe and the U.S. 

Frank Frazetta was is of the world’s foremost fantasy and sci-fi painters, creating works for hundreds of comic books, paperbacks, movie posters, and record albums. His fiery and energetic paintings depicted realistic versions of famous literary characters such as Conan and John Carter of Mars. He also worked closely with famous adult animator Ralph Bakshi to create the 1983 movie Fire and Ice. Frazetta suffered a number of strokes later in life which paralyzed his right arm. He then taught himself to draw and paint with his left.

Known for his ability to capture a celebrity’s likeness in just a few simple, sweeping lines, Al Hirschfeld became the face of entertainment on Broadway and in Hollywood. During his nearly eight decade career, Hirschfeld created artwork depicting nearly every entertainer, politician, and musician. After the birth of his daughter Nina, he began to hide her name in his works for astute viewers to find. 

Often cited as the "looniest" of the Warner Bros. directors, Bob Clampett's zany and over the top style became the standard by which most cartoon shorts were held against. After exiting the world of theatrical shorts, he turned his eye to television where he created the characters Beany and Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent. In addition to appearing in puppet form, Beany and Cecil were among the very first color cartoons on television.

After graduating from the University of Toronto in 1943, Margaret Bloy Graham moved to New York City to make her way as a commercial illustrator. While at Condé Nast Publications, she met her first husband and the two began to team up on children's books, most notably the Harry the dog series. 

Cartoonist Walt Kelly began his career in journalism, comics, and working for Walt Disney. However, he is most well-known for creating the iconic comic strip Pogo (1948), featuring the titular Pogo Possum, Albert the Alligator, and dozens of other characters inhabiting the Okefenokee Swamp of the American south. Pogo became known for its language and turns of phrase, as well as tackling political issues of the day. In particular, Kelly satirized Joseph McCarthy and the extreme Right wing of American politics. 

Arthur Rackham is considered one of the biggest, classic voices of the Golden Age of illustration. Rackham's works were often published in large, deluxe editions, depicting fairies, fairy tales, German operas, and fantasy realms. His works have influenced hundreds of artists since his death, and his works are still widely available in books, prints, and greeting cards. 

Part of the second generation of underground comix, Panter's work first began to appear in the punk-fueled world of publications like Arcade and RAW. His work is characterized by bold colors and lines and a rough, naive approach to style. He was one of the main designers for the Emmy-winning show, Pee-wee's Playhouse. He continues to produce comics, like his Jimbo series, and works of fine art. 

TIM BURTON

Known primarily as an Academy Award-winning director of iconic films like Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, and Batman, Tim Burton began his career in traditional animation. He worked on films like The Black Cauldron, The Fox and the Hound, and Tron for Disney, but ultimately felt a pull in a different direction. His work is dark, yet whimiscal, taking influence from artists like Edward Gorey and Quentin Blake. 

It is rumored that after being arrested for breaking into two abandoned mansions as a teenager, the idea for the Addams family homestead was born. Charles Addams began creating cartoons for the New Yorker, Collier's, and TV Guide. In 1938, a group of characters representing a macabre inversion of the ideal "American family" began to appear and were soon known collectively as the Addams Family. These characters went on to spawn numerous books, animated cartoons, merchandise, and the hugely popular tv series and movies. 

Born in China, Hideshi Hino fled with his immigrant parents back to Japan during the fierce anti-Japanese sentiments just after World War 2. He became interested in film, but moved into manga after winning a competition held by Osamu Tezuka. His horror manga features grotesque and monstrous figures and tales of horrific transformations. In addition to his horror one shots and anthologies, his most well-known character is Hell Baby, the demonic half of twin girls left to die in a plastic bag and brought back to life by a bolt of lightning. 

Stephen Gammell grew up in Iowa with his father, a magazine art director. This early influence led him to the world of illustration where he developed his somewhat dark and surreal style. Working on dozens of books over the years, his most popular and enduring work was for the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark anthology series compiled by Alvin Schwartz. 

Known in his youth as a troublemaker and incorrigible prankster, it's no wonder that Strasbourg-born artist Gustave Doré was soon hired as a caricaturist for French publications after carving images into cement. Very prolific during his relatively short career, he produce now-iconic images of Heaven and Hell, monster and demons, as well as images of fairy tales, knights, and the works of Edgar Allen Poe.