For those who look with discerning eyes...
Every line and shadow in a Cartier illustration is critical to the picture, to provide action, depth, and reality.
He frames the picture with elements of the picture itself, using tree limbs, elbows, clouds, hands, moons, garments, etc. to create the frame.
His trees and plants are perfectly real. Yet, they were smart enough to grow into the exact shapes required to frame the picture.
Here is how he uses trees and plants.
Cartier’s technique
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
BOOKPLATE
Look for this framing technique in many other illustrations.
Three dimensional depth? Absolutely. Almost every picture is at least three layers deep with foreground, middle-ground and background objects. Notice several layers in each of the above.
Next are examples of 4 and 5 depth layers.
And the alien anatomy, no matter now alien, just seems to work. You would think that he had been there and was just recording what he saw.
[Example clips.]
Creative details: Notice that the boots are not black or white. One is black, the other white, with the black upstage and the white downstage. Cartier’s creation, not the authors.
Also note the plant framing the bottom of
the image to the right.
Technique: Transitions.
Notice the transition from golden hair to the
mouth of the critter at the bottom of the image
to the right.
Notice the transitions from draperies to flames
and from flames to draperies in the top two
images on the “Drama” page.
Technique: Light and shadow. Note that Edd is a strict technician when it comes to lighting. Even the folds in the clothing cast the proper shadows.
Technique: Costumes.
You can’t tell a book by it’s cover, but you can certainly get a strong impression. What part of the Universe did Cartier’s costumes come from actually?
THESE ARE EXAMPLES of the many such elements to be found in most all Cartier illustrations.
It is known that some of Edd’s illustrations are unsigned. This looks like one to me. In fact, I wouldn’t believe otherwise unless he told me personally himself.
