Tag Archives: Illustration

A message that sadly needs repeating

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

As 2025 dawns, here in the United States we face the prospect of a four year (or more) reign of Christo-Fascist zealots. But the world has seen it all before. The League of American Writers was formed by artists, authors … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Freedom of Speech, History, USA | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Welcome Distractions

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

True book lovers will appreciate The Cari Vander Yacht illustrations of people distracted by reading that accompany the New Yorker‘s announcement of the 2024 National Book Awards longlists are really lovely. The animated versions on the site are fun too.  

Posted in Animation, Art, Books | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

I met a traveller from an antique land

Posted on September 25, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Ozymandias, 2017 by Alasdair Gray (1934-2019)  

Posted in Art, Books, Europe, Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Art For Free

Posted on July 19, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I’m always surprised about just how much great art is now available under the public domain, meaning you can use it for free however you see fit. Artvee is an open source archive of over 100,000 public domain works, including illustrations, photos, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Europe, Museums | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Picturing Maps

Posted on May 10, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I have long been intrigued by old school pictoral maps. The exmples above and below are from the  University of Michigan’s Clark Library Maps collection, each shows the United States through a different cultural lens, covering everything from literary giants … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Maps, Music, Public Transport, USA | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Summer Island

Posted on September 13, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

I haven’t paid much attention to the deluge of content that has been generated lately by AI machines, but something about the Summer Island project captured my attention. Summer Island is a comic, with all the artwork generated by  Midjourney AI. To … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Film, Photography, Tech, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Illustration Chronicles

Posted on August 8, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

I recently discovered the amazing website Illustration Chronicles: which explores a history of illustration through the images, illustrators and events of the past 175 years. Periodically the editors select a topic to explore. These concepts, such as music, satire, war, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Asia, Books, Maps, Music, Writing | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Real Art, Fictional Museum

Posted on July 17, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Foundation Kebbi is an imaginary museum created by Paris-based artist and illustrator Yann Kebbi. The fake cultural attraction is populated by the usual crowd of museum goers, tourists, lovers, and time wasters. However, if you look closely, you can also … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Europe, Museums | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A view of nature in ascending regions

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

These illustrations are from Levi Walter Yaggy’s Geograpahical Portfolio – Comprising Physical, Political, Geological, and Astronomical Geography. Published by Western Publishing House of Chicago in 1887, the book features large educational geographical charts. Using chromolithography, Yaggy created stunning colors and contrasts in his … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Libraries, Maps, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Bibliophile Miscellany

Posted on August 28, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

If like me you frequent book blogs, it’s likely that you have seen the charming, book-celebratory art work and illustrations by Hawaii-based artist and bibliophile Jane Mount. Now she has a delightful new book titled Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany coming out next … Continue reading →

Posted in Animation, Art, Books, Bookstore Tourism, Libraries, USA, Writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments