Norman Rockwell Reference Material

Images © Copyright Norman Rockwell Museum; Click images for larger view.


Click images for larger view.
Images © Copyright Norman Rockwell Museum
Click images for larger view.


Click images for larger view.

Click images for larger view.


ALMOST EVERY ILLUSTRATOR I HAVE EVER KNOWN USES SOURCE MATERIAL for reference. Norman Rockwell used his own original photographs to help guide his famous illustrations, which are part of the American fabric we know today. Sure, Rockwell’s “America” was romanticized, but that’s what he did. There were plenty of others out there (the WPA photographers, for example) who showed the gritty side of America.

Rockwell used photographs as a starting point. Sometimes he was very faithful to the picture, and other times he just used pieces. Norman Rockwell was an American original.

Via PDN. All images © Copyright Norman Rockwell Museum.

Another Visit With the Master

Click any image for much larger view!



Click any image for much larger view!



Click any image for much larger view!




AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED, it’s always a good time to revisit the work of American illustrator and painter Norman Rockwell (1894-1978). Rockwell was a storyteller, and he chose poignant moments in American life to romanticize. He painted the old-time barber shop, the soldier home from war, the weary salesman, sports, popular culture, integration and racial issues, leaving the farm for college, holidays and so much that is lost to many younger people today. Take it in and savor it for what it is. It will make your eyes wider, your mind broader.

Barbara Nessim

BARBARA NESSIM IS AN ARTIST AND ILLUSTRATOR IN NYC. She has had a long and successful career as an artist and is still making art. She has been an instructor at the School of Visual Arts in New York, where she taught in the MFA Computer Arts Program, and at Parsons New School for Design as a Professor in the Illustration Department. Barbara also served as the Chairperson of Illustration at Parsons from 1992-2004. Barbara was recently appointed the first Artist's Laureate by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA.

Via EscapeIntoLife.