Week two : Chris Riddell and Heath Robinson
Inspiration and influence are both things that crop up frequently throughout the field of illustration. Most artists have something or some one that inspires them and that inspiration or influence will sometimes show in an artist's work.
Even certain artistic styles can influence someone. A good example of this the work of Heath Robinson, an English illustrator whose drawings of airships and intricate machinery are said to have been a large visual and aesthetic influence to the 'steampunk' style trend, which developed in the late 1980's.
Heath Robinson (full name William Heath Robinson) is well-known for his illustrations of machinery and complicated inventions.
Robinson started his artistic career towards the end of 1890 as a book illustrator. He also wrote and illustrated his own children's books and, during the First World War, drew illustrations for newspapers that depicted unlikely secret weapons being used by German soldiers.
A WWI cartoon by Heath Robinson, depicting soldiers using various absurd methods to accomplish common everyday tasks such as making toast using candles.
Running themes throughout his illustrations were the machines he drew were often powered by steam boilers or some kind of pulley system. His illustrations were detailed and almost always drawn solely in black and white without colour.
An artist that was definitely influenced by Heath Robinson's drawings would be Chris Riddell, whose artistic career is quite similar to Robinson's.
Chris Riddell is an English, originally South African born, cartoonist and illustrator who began studying illustration in 1981 where he was taught by Raymond Briggs, an illustrator who Chris Riddell acknowledged as a big influence to his work.
Working as an illustrator, newspaper cartoonist and author, Riddell's career and overall art style is very similar to Heath Robinson's. Like Robinson, Chris Riddell specializes in creating black and white drawings with cross-hatched shading.
A sort of self portrait line drawing by Chris Riddell. His attention to detail in things like furniture and linework is very reminiscent of Heath Robinson's work.
Heath Robinson (full name William Heath Robinson) is well-known for his illustrations of machinery and complicated inventions.
An illustration by Heath Robinson depicting an overly complicated contraption created to split atoms
Robinson started his artistic career towards the end of 1890 as a book illustrator. He also wrote and illustrated his own children's books and, during the First World War, drew illustrations for newspapers that depicted unlikely secret weapons being used by German soldiers.
A WWI cartoon by Heath Robinson, depicting soldiers using various absurd methods to accomplish common everyday tasks such as making toast using candles.
Running themes throughout his illustrations were the machines he drew were often powered by steam boilers or some kind of pulley system. His illustrations were detailed and almost always drawn solely in black and white without colour.
An artist that was definitely influenced by Heath Robinson's drawings would be Chris Riddell, whose artistic career is quite similar to Robinson's.
Chris Riddell is an English, originally South African born, cartoonist and illustrator who began studying illustration in 1981 where he was taught by Raymond Briggs, an illustrator who Chris Riddell acknowledged as a big influence to his work.
Working as an illustrator, newspaper cartoonist and author, Riddell's career and overall art style is very similar to Heath Robinson's. Like Robinson, Chris Riddell specializes in creating black and white drawings with cross-hatched shading.
A sort of self portrait line drawing by Chris Riddell. His attention to detail in things like furniture and linework is very reminiscent of Heath Robinson's work.
Bibliography -
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-07/29/heath-robinson-deserves-a-museum
http://chrisriddellblog.tumblr.com/
http://www.chrisriddell.co.uk/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/robinson_william_heath.shtml
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