As a young upstart, I sought illustration work in the book trade. I sent out samples of my work, including my version of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.. As well as a gentle scene from the natural world. Here are three book illustrations from an early commission, describing: The good guys revealing themselves to … More Illustrating Books
Wishing everyone out there a happy Christmas! ‘Til next week, Ho ho ho! Barry
![Nada by Barry Trower (1989) [Cover for a magazine].](https://barrytrower.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/1989-nada-cover-for-a-magazine.jpg?w=365&h=365&crop=1)
Nada, which means “Nothing ” in Spanish, was the name of a student paper someone I knew long ago was editing. Here are two drawings I provided as cover illustrations. The first is an abstract collection of thlngs on a stage, the money-stuffed suit of the arms-salesman, the xyz dressmakers dummy, surmounted by the deaths-head … More Nada
St. George, slayer of dragons and freer of damsels, somehow mixed up in my mind with Perseus and Andromeda. In this Planet People poster a bucking bronco helps dispatch the dragon. I do think I nailed it with this charcoal drawing . It’s full of bold expressive marks and dramatic action, and the … More St. George and the Dragon
The sphinx is a hybrid creature from ancient times. To answer her riddle incorrectly meant certain death. Here is a poster featuring our theme. I have handicapped the brave approaching mortal to emphasize the danger. In the second image, you can see the vestiges of an autumnal landscape that I have painted over … More The Sphinx
Merry Christmas to all my great friends and followers of this blog. Health and happiness, Barry
Christmas- hopefully a happy time with family and friends. It is thought that an ancient Roman emperor moved the birth of Christ to the “pagan” celebration day Saturnalia to promote Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire. I’m sure today’s version would surprise him! We’ll cover all the bases in this blog starting with … More Merry Christmas!
This week we shall screw our courage to the sticking place and present three drawings of Macbeth and the witches from Shakespeare’s Scottish play. A battleweary Macbeth is greeted by “three weird sisters ” who prophesy his future in mysterious terms. The first drawing was done with compressed charcoal on paper. I like the deep … More Macbeth and the Witches
A proscenium is the decorative arch which spans a theatre stage. The theatre is a theme that I have often been drawn to in my work. I first invented this image as a poster illustration for a Planet People concert poster. I then painted a second giant version on a bed sheet in black and … More Proscenium
Hallowe’en, second only to Christmas on this little tyke’s calendar! We’ve scoured the catacombs for some spooky scenes for tomorrow’s trick or treaters. PUT YOUR NAME HERE! NINE YEARS OF BAD LUCK! SWEET DREAMS! HAPPY HALLOWE’EN!!! Happy trick-or-treating and check us out next week, Barry
Barry Trower 