Pin Up Art

Some of my earlier art  was primarily centered on the depictions of the female form. Although it was always intended to be presented in as much of a “high-browed” way with varying degrees of success, I always felt it was merely “Illustration” as opposed to real “Art.”

Probably the reason I stayed with it so long was that it was a very challenging yet rewarding way to develop my skills at illustration in a technically accurate sense. It is my opinion that there are few subjects one can endeavor to depict graphically that require such an exacting sense of proper proportion and accuracy of line as a female human. You can “fudge” a bit on most other illustrations. A mighty warrior, and alien creature, wild animal or landscape can all deliver to the artist opportunities for inaccuracy, but there are few things that visually gall me than a poorly drawn girl. I have always enjoyed pin up style artwork and I always enjoyed the work of such artists as Petty, Vargas, Sorayama, Olivia, Nagel, and the like, and their influence has always shown.

Some of these are newly “enhanced” versions of earlier drawings I have done. Some are pencil sketches that I never inked in that I enhanced in the contrast so they can be seen clearly. Others are sketches and inked pieces alike that have been fiddled with in the computer to create a new effect on the originals.

The computer has in some ways really been the main medium I have used the past few years. It has allowed me to do several things I had always wanted to do in terms of fleshing out ideas more fully, and breaking me away from the limitation of illustration and pen work alone.

Brian Vox 2005