THE ART OF ILLUSTRATION PART 1

This video is the first of two outlining the history of illustration.Many images used here are by unknown illustrators and artists, but the key figures mentioned are:
Albrecht Durer, Peter Paul Reubens, Thomas Bewick, William Hogarth, James Gillray, Katsushika Hokusai, Honoré Daumier, Gustave Doré, Edward Lear, John Tenniel, Charles Ross & Marie Duval, John Millais, Walter Crane, Kate Greenaway, Randolph Caldecott, Aubrey Beardsley, Joseph Keppler, Victor Gillam, Alphonse Mucha, Beggarstaffs.

[@Atmospirit]

I don't know how to emphasis the enjoyment of this channel.

[@petebeard]

Merhaba, videolarımı izlediğiniz için teşekkür ederim

[@MemphiStig]

It's amazing to see in some of these the influences on the illustrations I grew up with.

[@123nohamdle]

This is an absolute treasure, you sir, are a treasure for putting this together!

[@petebeard]

Hi and thanks. I hope you'll watch more and share if you can.

[@stevegrooms1142]

I can't overstate the intelligence and elegance of both the narration and the thinking that produced it. Beard discusses his subject with loving specificity. His voice is honey to the ear. I love the whole series.

[@petebeard]

Hello and many thanks for your enthusiastic praise for my work on the channel. It means a lot to me.

[@stevegrooms1142]

@@petebeard I can't tell you how pleased and surprised I was to read your kind reply. It seems reports of your death were exaggerated!

[@petebeard]

It's a bit weird to see a news story that Peter Beard has died. Especially as the famous one was younger than me.

[@dfghdfghuytiu8207]

And the examples are perfectly chosen.

[@greggoreo6738]

Amen

[@sebastiancheriansyoga9103]

It's great to be introduced to these amazing illustrators who are mostly forgotten these days.

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks a lot for your positive response and comment. I hope you'll continue to find more of interest on the channel.

[@georgejones8429]

Pete, I love all of your fabulous posts on here. Your research and collections of amazing illustrations are a joy to behold. Please keep up the great work. Thanks so much.

[@dlseller]

I’m here because James Gurney mentioned you in the Draftsmen podcast. I love your content,am now a subscriber, and am making my way through all you videos. Thank you for this amazing content!

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks a lot for your appreciation. Ive picked up other viewers from Mr. Gurney's kind words.

[@lucagaspar2836]

YT just knows the perfect time to recommend the perfect material for a conflicted artist like me, struggling between graphic design and fine art. Thank you, pete beard for being on the internet :D I think now 2 in the morning is a great time to start a comic book.

[@petebeard]

Hi and thanks a lot for your appreciation. If it's any help the choice between design and art doesn't actually have to be made. Plenty have done both.

[@tomatobird1307]

Cant believe i just found this! A lovely overview

[@petebeard]

Hello again - and thanks again.

[@clindsay8362]

Such a great series Pete! Thank you!

[@angeloc4192]

Thank you! So wonderfully produced and put together. I’m going straight to Part 2 now.

[@jeffhildreth9244]

Hi Pete, I can't help myself; I am going to watch the entire series again. This is a phenomenal accounting of "The Art of Illustration" and a stand alone tutorial worthy of acclaim. Thanks so much for the education, entertainment and inspiration. This series has opened my eyes to a previously unknown world. Many thanks.

[@petebeard]

Hello and rhanks for the particularly heartwarming comment. You have basically defined what I consider this mission to be about.

[@pierceholston6639]

Dore and Mucha, I love them, Dore in particular, I think he's my favorite.

[@thereverse4452]

This dude's voice is just, **Chefs kiss**

[@petebeard]

I had to laugh - I'm so old and out of touch I had to look up what 'chef's kiss' meant. I thought it might be something insulting, but now all is clear. So thanks a lot.

[@sidilicious11]

I love, love, love all the illustrations in this episode. What a treat!

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks a lot. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@ILoveCiniminis]

Always enjoy Pete's videos with a cup of coffee

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks for the comment. Go mad and have a biscuit too...

[@AnekdotTheImmortal]

Amazing channel. Just started watching this series.

[@TotoLakay]

This needs to be preserved for all time. Awesome work of art!

[@petebeard]

Hello and many thanks for your comment. Its a good feeling to know the work is appreciated.

[@michaelvaladez6570]

I give a great gratitude for you for bringing this to those who have forgotten the past works of illustrations.As an artist i can only say thank you for this massive amount of works presented here.I look forward to seeing each and everyone of them.Greatly Appreciated.

[@petebeard]

Hello and many thanks for your positive response to the channel. It matters to me.

[@khansyn6184]

Everything is right in your videos: the choice of pictures and songs, the voice, the rythm of the narrative and the duration of videos. As somebody passionate about drawing, art and illustration I'm about to watch all of you're videos starting today and I'm sure that it's gonna be fantastic!

[@petebeard]

Hello and welcome to the channel. Thanks a lot for your favourable response and subscription - both very welcome. I hope you continue to find more to enjoy.

[@aikidoshi007]

Another great work Pete, really the appreciate the ffort and artistry you put into this.

[@petebeard]

Thanks a lot for the comment. And how time flies... this was one of the first (quite likely the actual first) I made.

[@chopin65]

You're setting a very high standard for You Tubers, Pete. I'm sharing this on Twitter. Hell, I will be Tweeting them all. Many thanks. D.

[@petebeard]

He again and that sounds good to me. These people deserve to be more widely known, and I'm pleased you appreciate the videos.

[@susanhepburn6040]

Thank you very much.

[@dubris6262]

Only recently found and suscribed to your site. Very well presented, music perfect. Working my way through all your amazing postings. Many thanks for taking the time to create and upload them.

[@petebeard]

Hi there and thanks for liking what I'm doing. My viewers aren't large in numbers but I'm glad to say they're enthusiastic. I hope you continue to enjoy them and look forward to any more observations you may have.

[@reycampa8287]

Brilliant work! Your videos are surely my favorite thing on youtube these days!

[@petebeard]

Hello and that's a very nice ting to say. Thanks a lot.

[@theKluck]

Just wonderful. Thank you!

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks a lot for your appreciation of the video.

[@waynedombrowski7568]

Superb music choices! Excellently brought out the time and place of the illustrations! My new favorite channel!

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks a lot for your appreciation. Unfortunately some of the music used got me de-monetised so a lot of the others have more generic copyright-free music. Such is life.

[@Octoboobs]

This channel is a hidden gem, thank you for posting!

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks a lot for the comment. I'd be happier if this particular gem wasn't quite so hidden though.

[@jaylaw4606]

Hi Pete, this is a superbly crafted documentary - I'm looking forward to watching the rest of your content. All the best - Jay

[@petebeard]

Hello there stranger. Thanks for the positive comment. I'm not exactly viral but the channel is doing OK at the moment. Hope you are well and have avoided the kung flu.

[@jaylaw4606]

@@petebeard We'll catch up next year hopefully... by the way I like to mirror this to my 55 inch TV - this could easily be a BBC Four production.. great work.. Stay safe and see you soon...

[@kelguy2002]

The Harmony Of Vision & Music in This ( And All your WORK) ... Is ABSOLUTELY ASTONISHING - Thank You 👉🏼Pete Beard

[@petebeard]

Hello and many thanks for the level of your favourable approval for the channel. It really is a boost when viewers such as yourself go to the trouble of letting me know that what I'm doing is so appreciated.

[@simonward-horner7605]

Another good one, my thanks, as always.

[@somebody787]

Thank you for putting this all together.

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks for eatching. I hope you'll find more that you like on the channel.

[@timdavis2008]

Nice summary. Thanks.

[@Leotagorax]

Beautiful!

[@someperson4819]

I don't think illustration is separate from the other fine arts. They teach the same thing the academies used to teach. Illustration is a continuance of history painting, genre, etc. It may have been only for books, but the techniques spread out and had full usage of all mediums and galleries. The line has thoroughly blurred since the first illuminating paintings of manuscripts.

[@petebeard]

Hello and rather than get into a protracted argument I'll just refer you to the dictionary definitions. 'Fine' art means art which serves no tangible purpose.

[@sheilasinghal2922]

I've been dipping in and out of this series for years but had never seen the first and second ones. This is an absolutely wonderful series, with such intelligent and appealing commentary. Thank you for introducing us to so many illustrators. I'm always learning something new. 😊

[@petebeard]

Hello and many thanks for your comment and appreciation of the channel content. I would really like to go back and re-make some of the early ones with better production values, but sadly I'm too busy making new ones.

[@sheilasinghal2922]

@@petebeard There is nothing wrong with the early ones, I promise. 😊

[@SofijaGvozdeva]

Thank you very much for a wonderfully crafted video! - a confused graphic designer major with the soul sold to fine art who's finding some solace in the art of illustration

[@petebeard]

Hi and glad you enjoyed it. I hope you've subscribed - and if you watch enough of them you'll realise illustration is less tedious than graphic design and less risky than fine art. On the other hand I studied graphic design and still wound up an illustrator.

[@seppohovinseurassa]

Stumbled upon your channel and felt in love immediately. Thank you!

[@petebeard]

Hello and that's good to know. I hope you find plenty to keep you interested.

[@newwavepop]

i just randomly stumbled on a book of Albrecht Durers work when i was in my early teens back in the mid 80s his paintings were very nice but his engravings of biblical stuff left me absolutely WOWED! i am almost 50 now and still have that book and love it.

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks for the comment. In my case I first saw Durer's engravings when I was at school too, and they remain among my favourite images to this day.

[@JimAlgar]

The illustration history lesson I never got at school. Thank you for sharing this!

[@petebeard]

Hello and you're welcome. My own time teaching at university convinced me that most of the staff were as ignorant of the past as the students, and that was one of the reasons I started the channel.

[@cynthiacupler8005]

Pete, thank-you, for sharing your awesome videos, very interesting.

[@petebeard]

Your appreciation is very welcome. For quite while I had only a small number of viewers but I;m glad i persevered, and happily numbers continue to rise.

[@glynstimpson]

Very enjoyable video s many thanks

[@user-db9mu4bl3o]

Excellent! Thank you!

[@petebeard]

Hello and many thanks for your appreciation.

[@mighty_EYES]

Fascinating🤗😇🐎🐈maximum respect from Toronto

[@SandiSteblaj]

thank you Peter...love your work

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks to you for your appreciation. It means a lot to me.

[@lindaking9222]

Absolutely wonderful & so informative …having tried woodblock printing in art class,I have a great appreciation of the early illustrators I this medium

[@petebeard]

Thanks a lot for the comment. Many years ago in art school I attempted wood engraving but gave up within minutes (and other disciplines such as sculpture and silkscreen). The skill and control involved made my head spin and I stayed in my safe space of pencil brush and paper. So I too am painfully aware of how much goes into this process.

[@muditanamjoshi2998]

Thankyou for your well researched and tasteful execution. It's difficult to find well made videos that don't focus on one particular artist when talking about history in the arts. Looking forward to your work in the future!

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks a lot for your appreciation of the channel. There are some videos I've made which do feature only one illustrator, but the majority are broader than that so I hope you will continue to enjoy the content.

[@muditanamjoshi2998]

The broader videos helped me engage more thoughtfully in individual illustrators' works. I have many new favourites!

[@markrs2000]

Another excellent video, about a really interesting subject. Thank you for all your effort.

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks a lot for your positive comment. It's greatly appreciated.

[@Djeucbess]

Thank you for this video. I have been interested in knowing the history of illustration, and you've explained it quite well. I am definitely going to check out other videos on your channel 😊

[@petebeard]

Hello and many thanks for your appreciation. My videos tend to be low on details - compared to books - but they are high on the number of pictures I hope. My aim is to introduce viewers to the subject and hope they will take it from there if they find something interesting.

[@tofucat8141]

This is wonderfully informative, Thankyou so much!

[@petebeard]

And thanks for watching and commenting.

[@WolfMoonWings]

Thanks for this- I’m an Illustration major and have been wanting to know more about its history.

[@petebeard]

Hello and I'm pleased it's of use. It's amazing (and depressing) how many illustrators from the past are overlooked at university. I'm trying to compensate.

[@rfl8359]

@@petebeard Thank you so so much for this resource - I swear I've had more exposure to illustration through your channel than on my illustration course

[@petebeard]

Hello and I'm very pleased that you are finding out more about illustration through the channel and I hope you'll continue to do so. Sadly you also confirm my own belief that most illustration courses are run by people who don't know much about the subject.

[@rfl8359]

@@petebeard Indeed - the course I'm on tends to only focus on preparing students for working in the industry, which is alright, but they really brushed over what illustration as a subject actually is. Might be an odd question, but do you have any book recommendations for someone studying illustration?

[@petebeard]

Hello again, and actually it's no bad thing that they are leaning towards the professional aspects. But knowing about other illustrators and especially those from the past can only benefit your own progress and be a positive influence. As far as books are concerned I don't know of any 'Complete History of Everything to do with Illustration' volume and my own collection of books tend to be about specific aspects or illustrators that I'm interested in. I dont know what your own inclinations are but I can only advise you to find as much about others who have followed a similar path and study - even copy - their work, and analyse how they do what they do. And to be honest as an old man most of my learning was from books, but the internet is way better and I wish I'd had it when I was starting out.

[@gracelovesspqr]

Good job!

[@Brontesister1]

Another hugely informative video, thank you. I only just discovered your channel and am enjoying it immensely.

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks. I hope you find more thats of interest.

[@r.jclark4641]

You should talk about the illustrated codexes produced by the Ancient Aztecs. They are fascinating.

[@petebeard]

Hello and you're right - they are fascinating. But there's only so much I can cram into these videos and I was keen to move as quickly as possible onto Gutenberg and after.

[@sethlynchart]

This deserves way more views than it has!

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks a lot. I think so too funnily enough.

[@twistoffate4791]

At 7:19, the music is truly pleasing.

[@petebeard]

Hello and as I'm fairly sure I didn't (much to my shame) credit it in the video, it's Called The Swan and it's from Camille Saint Saens' Carnival of the Animals. Free to download from several sources.

[@NedaDraws]

Thank you for this informative video!

[@petebeard]

Hello again and thanks for the appreciation.

[@niktonikde9451]

Awesome channel, thank you for your work!

[@petebeard]

Hi and thanks for watching. I also should add another thank you for your defence of my channel/work to the ratbag who wanted to nitpick about obsolete printing methods. You can't please all the people. But I do like the term 'cork sniffer'

[@Capochin950]

Excellent.The best treasure trove for anybody interested in drawing and illustration.Well done

[@Lucius1958]

Perhaps there could be a little more on the technical aspects of illustration: how woodcuts were superseded (partially) by copperplate engraving; how the process of wood engraving, championed by Bewick (using end-grain boxwood blocks, rather than side-grain), made fine detail available in letterpress illustration; how the adoption of steel engraving and stereotyping made these images more widely accessible...

[@petebeard]

Hello and yes, there certainly could have been. I made this video very early on and was mindful of not going into detail about the subject in general, and technical matters in particular. Given average attention spans I realise it's a very superficial overview that was meant to tickle the interest of those without much knowledge of the subject, and in particular the young. My aim has always been to encourage people to fish, rather than just hand them a trout, if you see what I mean.

Great video!

[@petebeard]

Thanks a lot - I hope you'll watch more

[@lazyartiste_2357]

It's so wonderful getting to know all these amazing illustrators, but also equally frustrating being unable to get access to their works in high definition.

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks. I wasn't sure quite what you meant by the high definition thing. If you mean in the video that's actually my fault. The early uploads (and this is one of them) were made in standard definition. If it's any help most of the later ones are in higher definition. If you mean finding hi-res images online some will and some won't be available unfortunately. I've lost count of how many I've been unable to use.

[@lazyartiste_2357]

@@petebeard oh no! The images used in the video are great 👍. It's just that you're right, finding the images online in high definition is very hard but it's good to have someone like you introduce these great illustrators. Anyway keep up the good work Pete!

[@cynthiabarrera9617]

This is awesome!! As a self-taught illustrator, I found this video and the whole channel amazing. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@petebeard]

Hello and many thanks for your appreciation for the channel. And it's always particularly pleasing when the comment comes from a professional. I really like your work (although I couldn't find a lot of it) and it's also good to hear that you are self taught. University is a waste of money and time for the likes of us.

[@cynthiabarrera9617]

@@petebeard I agree! I am learning more by watching the work of others and of course practice, practice, practice hahaha! I wouldn't call myself a professional yet but I am working on it every day. You can find my work by my artistic alias Borolina. Thank you so much for replying!

[@petebeard]

@@cynthiabarrera9617 Hello again and thanks for pointing me in the direction of your work. It's always a pleasure to look at what other illustrators are creating, and I see you have more than one stylistic approach in your work. Very engaging and comical too.

[@cynthiabarrera9617]

@@petebeard wow! thank you for checking it out! I find it really difficult to stay in a specific style. I just like so many different ones! that is why I love to learn about other illustrators and artists, because I learn from each one of them. The world is just to big and diverse to be in a box. I want to try everything! thank you again for your answer. I'm honored.

[@y0bc0]

I have been fixated on John Tenniel's illustrations for nearly my whole life. His works are the primary reason I am an illustrator.

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks a lot for your comment. Tenniel's Alice illustrations remain some of the greatest images of all time in my opinion. I should probably devote a whole video to him, now I think about it.

[@y0bc0]

@@petebeardi would adore it

[@davewalter1216]

Thanks again Pete. I learned about Edward Lear only this afternoon when I started reading Richard Mabey's 'The Cabaret of Plants ...', but only about his whimsical binomial plant illustrations. I was hoping you could set him in context. Mabey likes Lear but is more than a bit ticked-off that Palaeolithic cave paintings fail to show any recognisable plants. I understand your starting 'Illustration' with what is reproducible (or that is my understanding), but those Palaeolithic paintings of animals often seem to have elements that re-emerged in illustrative art much later.

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks for your comment. I fyou havent seen them I recommend Lear's wildlife engravings too. And yes I decided to only deal with illustration from Gutenberg's press onwards just to stop me wandering off into unknown territory. I do agree that the cave animals are remarkable, though. I saw some documentary or other that suggested they were deliberately created to be viewed by flickering firelight to suggest anmation. But it sounds like art historian conjecture to me.

[@davewalter1216]

@@petebeard Torches and animal fat lamps were used for lighting as I recall. So, I would be skeptical too - how do you compose something to look animated when all you have is flickering light. Probably they were doing their best to illustrate the essence of the animals - some seem rather like more modern minimalist drawings with a few strokes bringing the animal to life; others are more elaborate and very naturalistic - especially the horses and lion pride in Chauvet Cave. I'll look up Lear's animal engravings. Thanks for the tip.

[@FundamentosdoDesenho]

Wonderful job!

[@petebeard]

Olá e muito obrigado pelo seu apreço.

[@riverlatham741]

currently studying illustration and these videos are beyond useful

[@petebeard]

Hello and that's really good to know. One of my main aims in making these videos was to introduce students and newer illustrators to those who led the way so long ago.

[@shandytsai]

wonderful job! comprehensive and knowledgable. is there any chance to list out all the illustrators? that will be super helpful. thanks for creating these series

[@petebeard]

Hi and thanks for the positive response. Sorry about the lack of credits-this was the first one I made and didn't list all the illustrators until later videos. Some I don't know anyway. If there's a specific illustration you can describe I might be able to help Pete

[@tehremakhalid2878]

Please create a video on children's illustrators and their styles.

[@tirthyatra5528]

Thank you so much, Pete! :)

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks for watching and subscribing. Please tell your friends about the channel.

[@tirthyatra5528]

@@petebeard Certainly! :)

[@juanraulestrellahuitron2372]

Esta genial. 🤓

[@petebeard]

Muchas gracias. Aprecio tu comentario positivo

[@swordguy1243]

Love Gustav Doré

[@illustratornamedkasper]

he's awesome

[@edamariko]

Can you please tell me the title of the classical music playing from 10:55? It has been stuck on my head but never knew the title and composer

[@user-jz4ty6bk4g]

Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy :)

[@mochaanimations6166]

@@user-jz4ty6bk4g I know its been 2 years since you commented but do you know the music in 6:56?

[@robiapel7173]

this is awesome!! may I know what source of books did you used for this video? because I would definitely love to explore and take a greater depth for this one. Thank you very much and great video

[@petebeard]

Hello and many thanks for your appreciation. Unfortunately that particular video was mostly the result of my lifetime's interest in and love of illustration with some dates and key events taken mostly from internet sources, in order to keep my narration at least broadly factual. If it's any help I do have a couple of suggestions. There are surprisingly few books covering the whole subject but there is A Visual History of Illustration by Andrew Hall. I haven't read it but it seems to be a fairly thorough examination of the last 400 years or so. Other than that try taking a particular illustrator or type of illustration such as art nouveau or 19th century book illustration or wood engraving and just digging into google. Unlike books it's free, and as long as you avoid wikipedia there are some excellent websites and blogs. Happy hunting.

[@bachi1655]

I learned a lot through this video and took lots of notes, thank you for the video! I couldn't find more detailed videos about illustration before this. And the subtitles made it easy for me to understand even if I'm not too proficient in English, now I can learn English and illustration at the same time haha😄

[@petebeard]

Hello and many thanks for watching. Judging by your comment your English seems pretty good to me, and I hope you will continue to find more of interest on the channel.

[@bachi1655]

@@petebeard Thank you! I'll keep it

[@DBLt4p]

Who did the Prague illustration at 13:35? You've exposed me to so many new artists!

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks for the comment. Regarding that picture I'm sorry to say I can;t tell you because it wasn't credited. And worse than that - from my perspective at least - looking at it again I have a horrible suspicion it's actually a modern piece of work done in a style to make it look like it's 100 years old. I'm more careful about such things these days and only upload pictured that can be verified. Even so I should have known better...

[@ViloAfi]

Here have a subscriber. Well done good work.

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks a lot for watching and subscribing - I need all the support I can get. And I hope you find more that is of interest to you.

[@wynnschaible]

As one who from far too early an age to understand any of the technique involved was blown away by Doré’s illustrations of the Arabian Nights, (and to an almost equal extent by Tenniel) and whose worklife continues to be the repair of color copiers, I am very familiar with the story you tell: and you have told it very well and clearly. Without getting too much into the weeds there is yet one more contribution of Germany to this progression you might have mentioned: the invention of the translucent CMYK inks that make full-color printing possible. These were developed by the I.G. Farben in the late 19th century. BTW, the FIRST thing Woodrow Wilson did after declaring war on Germany was to “nationalize” (i.e. seize) the I.G. Farben patents. And a word of warning, there is some family history involved here. Keep up the good work!

[@petebeard]

Hello again and thanks for the encouragement and information. I wasn't aware of the German contribution to full colour, I just accepted the whole concept under the general banner 'offset litho'. I think you meant to put 'Dulac' rather than Doré by the way, but point taken nevertheless.

[@wynnschaible]

@@petebeard The illustrations weren't credited in my parents' old Nights version, but I'm virtually certain it was Doré. As to full-color, it's absolutely mind-blowing the amount of science and technique that has gone -- and continues to go -- into not only the accurate reproduction of color, but the making of it so automatic that the printing operator need give it hardly a thought! We are indeed a long way from the master registration craftsmen of Hokusai's ukiyo-e!

[@annenorcross9419]

Is there a transcript for this video and Part II, or closed captioning? I have a student who is hearing impaired and I'd like for this video to be available for students to watch.

[@petebeard]

Hi Anne I only just found out how to do this and as far as I can tell there are now captions for part 1. Give it a week or so and part 2 should also be done (it takes a while as the computer mangles a lot of the text so I have to go through and correct it. I hope they like the videos.

[@sclogse1]

The first! And you have over 80 now!

[@petebeard]

Hello, and I'm more surprised than anyne that I've made so many. And a little intimidated by how many more there will be.

[@jonn7291]

🙂👍

[@AMorgan57]

Love this vid. A question: what's the difference between art and illustration? I mean, of course they overlap, but how would you put it most distinctly?

[@petebeard]

Hello and I'll try to keep my response as succinct as possible - but it is a bit of a minefield. Art as we generally mean it tends to be a blanket term for any form of creative pursuit - in this case making pictures. And in that regard art and illustration come under the same general banner. The real distinction I think comes with the term 'fine art' which is used to describe work which has been created for no specific purpose other than to be looked at and (hopefully) admired. Illustration on the other hand invariably has a commercial function - usually to illustrate a written concept or work of fact or fiction. Also, illustration is invariably created for reproduction, either in print or on screen. It used to be called 'commercial art' and in many ways that's a better description of what illustrators do.

[@martinwilliams9866]

@@petebeard This question was confusing to me, so I looked up Art & Illustration separately in Wikipedia, still confusing, for instance fine art is often done for commercial purposes, I've finally settled on whether it's accompanied or unaccompanied by text, although that could be problematic as some fine art, such as William Blake's or Paul Laffoley's has a lot of text accompanying & is indeed part & parcel of the "Art", great Web site thank you.

[@mighty_EYES]

Thanks a 1k times🎈🎉🎆🎖⚽🎁such an amazing springboard for all kind of learning and discovery.. I never heard of PUNCH magazine before...but its brilliant and free online.. Such fine works.. A real glimpse into the past... I'm transported...

[@petebeard]

Hello and welcome to the channel.Thanks for the positive response and I hope you'll continue to find more videos from the channel, and please share with others if possible.

[@lansanlansan3066]

I am curious about music behind, Great Work! You mixed with drawings by chance? Wwant to know the names of the secuences.

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks for the enquiry. But it is so long ago when I made this video I can't remember very well. Some came from a site called sounddogs and some is by classical composers. But if it's any help most came from non-copyright sources and I just searched online for music to match as well as I could to the historical periods

[@penmuni3833]

Pete, I like your voice. But I think you missed out on "etching" on the journey of illustration. Maybe you can include Rembrandt and Callot on your revision? Thanks mate. Carry on.

[@petebeard]

Hello and you're right - I also missed out most of the other commercially obsolete print methods for the reason that I wanted to keep it as much on the illustrators and their output so it was all a very broad brush approach

[@smokytopia6354]

Thankyou.

[@petebeard]

You're welcome

[@johannsmithe2570]

*Thank you* Enjoyed it. Starting at the beginning Hokusai's composition could be compared Francisco Goya's. Interesting to see Hokusai used geometrical lines as a basis for his work.

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks a lot. Interesting parallel too - influence and collisions of culture make illustration the fascinating popular artform it is, I think.

[@Dismythed]

I'm curious why you called the greeting cards "poorly drawn" at 11:25? It took me years to acheive that level of skill and imagination myself (I really can hardly say I am on that level even now, though my style is very different,) and are better and more imaginative than some of the other illustrations you showed. I agree that they are "sickly sweet", but that is a skill in itself. There is some real skill and unique styling in those images, with distinctively feminine touches. In fact, the greeting card industry, as I understand it, had an above average number of female artists at the time whose work is going marginalized by the sweeping claim that they are "poorly drawn".

[@petebeard]

Hello again. I specifically meant how they had been visualised rather than how they were rendered. If you compare them with Millais' bubble kid you can see the difference between those who draw well and those who don't. The cards try to mask wooden and poorly realised anatomy and posing with competent enough tonal painting. But there's an expression I'm particularly fond of... You can't polish a turd. In my book good and bad can best be defined by how well something achieves it's intended purpose. These are obviously intended to be realist but fall far short of that ambition. On the other hand it's just my opinion and we all have those.

[@Dismythed]

@@petebeard The linework doesn't show up on my 40", but my internet speed is on the low end.

[@petebeard]

Hello again. Sounds like I didn't explain myself successfully. I'm not referring to line work. As far as I can remember there isn't any. What I'm getting at is the underlying visualisation of the characters and other pictorial elements. All pictures - in this period at least - began with a drawing of some kind even if they ended up as paintings. If you were to trace off one of those cherubs you would see just how poorly they were created.

[@Dismythed]

@@petebeard I see. I did find technical issues in the two kittens. I have a particular soft spot for those images because it was images like those that inspired me to draw full figures when other three-year-olds were drawing shaky stick figures.

[@jacquelyn4374]

Please update the description with the illustrators mentioned, thank you!

[@petebeard]

Hello and consider it done - at least as much as is possible.

[@jacquelyn4374]

@@petebeard thank you!! this video is invaluable, so helpful to me

[@gracelovesspqr]

Hi, Pete. I can't hear the author of the beauty and beast clearly. What's his name? Waltz Gray?

[@petebeard]

Hi Paloma-this was my first video and I hadn't realised it would help if I listed the illustrators at the end, Anyway the guy you refer to is Walter Crane. Loads of stuff on google images Pete

[@gracelovesspqr]

Thank you so much! This video is great.

[@balcon983]

This is phenomenal. Such a thrill. Thank you.

[@bllakytna]

Hello! Thank you again for your great content! Could you please suggest some books on the history of illustration, that would help me with an assignment greatly. 💝

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks for your appreciation and subscription. If you search books about specific areas/types of illustration you will certainly be rewarded. For example just search 'golden age illustration' or 'science fiction illustration' or 'posters' etcetera and you'll be spending a fortune on books before you know it. But to the best of my knowledge there is no book claiming to be a history of illustration. And I don't think there could be - the subject is just too big. So my best suggestion is to pick up some of the history of different aspects and see if you can join the dots. That's what I'm doing. I wish you the best of luck with your searches

[@bllakytna]

@@petebeard Thank you very much for replying so fast and so kindly xD Have a great day!

[@nitarosenewman]

Great video. Great narration. Brilliant research. The music is a bit intrusive though...

[@petebeard]

Thanks a lot, and my apologies for the volume of the music. I'm fairly deaf and struggled to find a decent balance early on when I started the channel. I got it sotted out eventually (after enough complaints) but you may encounter others from a similar timeframe, and you might want to turn the sound down/off and use the subtitles.

[@nitarosenewman]

It hasn't stopped me from subscribing from your channel. It truly is thoroughly beautifully researched and edited.

[@valeriachiappe9182]

Grazie

[@petebeard]

Sei molto contento.

[@callanturner4749]

William Blake was surely an early fantasy illustrator

[@Battleangel731]

I’d wish he label the artist names

[@bllakytna]

This video is amazing and i loved the journey through the history of illustration! But i just can`t understand why those victorian greeting cards are considered poorly drawn....are my standards too low to understand such judgement? 11:36

[@petebeard]

Hi and you're not the first to mention that. I think I expressed myself quite badly there - what I was getting at is if you strip away the level of finish in the painting the actual drawing underneath is pretty wooden and unconvincing, compared to say the Pear's soap ad which featured around the same time.

[@bllakytna]

@@petebeard oh, ok now I understand it better :) Thanks for clarifying that! And thanks for you great work 💝

[@RoyalKnightVIII]

To be fair the majority of the artwork you have in the video is public domain. Nice work

[@mijiyoon5575]

🎨🎨🎨🎨🎨👍👍👍👍👍🎵🎼🎶

[@petebeard]

Hello and my sincere thanks for your appreciation of the channel content. It means a lot.

[@NC-ij9rb]

Poorly drawn greeting cards? Those look awesome

[@pbasswil]

A smart and loving overview, enchanting! ExCEPT... as a musician, I almost had to turn the sound off for some of that cheap, computer-played classical music like Pictures At an Exhibition at the beginning and the Gymnopedie later on - the 'operator' didn't even make a half-hearted attempt to imitate human sensitivity. It's about as mood enhancing as Transformer toys dancing ballet. :^{

[@petebeard]

Hello and thanks for the comment and appreciation. Sorry about the phony music but I'm sure you are aware that there is the thorny issue of copyright and musicians expecting to be paid for their efforts. I make a pittance from monetisation so I use copyright-free music, and if that's computer generated or generic too bad. And luckily for me nobody else seems to have noticed or cared so my best suggestion is that if you are going to watch others you should turn the sound off and rely on the subtitles. Better for your blood pressure...

[@pbasswil]

@@petebeard Ha! :^) Just so you know, I've definitely heard computer-produced versions of classical (or classical-like) music that has some human-like nuance built in to the sequencing. In fact, the majority of movie music today is done on computers; it's just that infinitely more effort has been put into making it sound emotional and human. But the quality of rights-free tracks (for vid) on the internet varies enormously - though the better stuff may be rarer & harder to find. Thanks for your advice about my blood pressure, btw! :^D lol

[@Zzz-iz6jk]

I've never understood the cynicism and perverseness that leads one to call something charming and/or innocent as "sickly sweet". "Poorly drawn"? Perhaps, but then much of what we saw in the video was poorly drawn (even if the poor quality was intentionally perpetrated by otherwise talented draftsmen).

[@petebeard]

Thats a weird coincidence because I've never understood people who call sentimental nonsense charming. That's opinions for you.

[@Zzz-iz6jk]

"...it was art, not illustration." ... Um, while some art is not illustration (because it may be sculpt, music, or poetry), certainly all illustration is art (even if it's poorly executed).

[@petebeard]

Thanks for your invaluable insight. Here's a clue.. they are two different words with different definitions. Art is for art's sake. Illustration is for reproduction to usually accompany text. Time to get out that dictionary.