I got two books for Christmas: The first I have been wanting for the last year, Creative Illustration, by Andrew Loomis. It’s sadly out of print, so my wife had to find a copy on Ebay. The copy I have was printed in 1950. Andrew Loomis has written what is considered by many artists to be the gold standard of illustration instruction books. Last year for Christmas, I got one of his other seminal books, Figure Drawing for All it’s Worth.

Since getting the first book, I have developed a deep appreciation for Andrew Loomis. As good an artist as he was (and he was phenomenal), he was an even better writer. He could convey the skills and techniques used by illustrators that have been handed down since the father of American illustration, Howard Pyle. Furthermore he is frank about the mental approach and dedication that is required to become truly great at this craft. I am now a dedicated student of Loomis and his methods. On the back of the dust jacket of the book reads, “Creative Illustration is a real professional course in the subject, worth many times its price.” Creative illustration sold for $10.00 in 1950; today copies go for $200 on up and that statement is still true.

Any serious student of illustration should buy Loomis’s books on Ebay or wherever they can be found. There are no plans to reprint them as far as I know (which seems to have baffled the art community) and they aren’t getting any cheaper.

The second book that I got for Christmas, ironically, was by an artist deeply influenced by Andrew Loomis, Steve Rude. The book is titled, Steve Rude, Artist in Motion. Steve Rude, along with Alex Ross, is currently carrying the illustration torch passed on by Andrew Loomis. Rude writes, “Two and a half decades after discovering these books, I’m still practicing from them. From my first sketchbooks (probably until my last), you’ll find me trying to uncover new secrets of ‘making it easier’ from the artist I discovered in the 5th grade – Andrew Loomis.”

Steve Rude has been a favorite artist of mine for a long time and his book is wonderful in its own right. It is not intended to be instructional with relation to method like the Loomis books are, yet the book gives clear insight into what it takes to achieve artistic excellence. And Steve’s art is always a joy to look at. His comic book illustration has the solid draftsmanship of Andrew Loomis combined with the energy of Jack Kirby. Intellectually that seems to me to be an impossible feat, yet there it is staring back at me on every page.

It has been a very Merry Christmas indeed.