Fashion Figure Ad

As I mentioned in previous posts, I have unearthed my old high school portfolio. My high school had an intense commercial art program that did a great job of placing students at the School of Visual Arts, Parsons School of Design or FIT. The curriculum was tough, but it stretched me as an artist. Although I chose not to go to a NYC art school, opting instead to go to a regular university, I still remember these classes. Sometimes I wish I had become an artist or pursued my dream of being a cartoonist, but I did not want to live the cliché of a “starving artist” (wish someone would have informed about the cliché of a “starving graduate student”).

Before computers and their wonderful font programs, commercial artist had to do much of their lettering by hand, especially for ad layouts. The letters for my ad assignment were 3 inches tall and are shot down (forgot the name of the machine) to size. I hated hand letter. If you look closely, you can see the Dr. Martin’s Bleedbroof White, which I became quite proficient with over the years. Incidentally, I think the spilt ink in the corner lends the final personal touch.

The fashion figure was painted entirely with a brush on 18-24 inch cold press paper. Of all my work in high school, I am most proud of this figure. I had never before used a brush to draw. The brush allows for incredible control in line thickness. Plus it is really cool. And yes, the figure does have a disproportionally long torso because this is the way they are supposed to look.

The final layout, in my opinion, was quite dynamic. I think this was the highest grade I ever attained in the commercial art class, probably a B or B+ (obviously, I never earned an A).