Fashions for
the millions
is essentially a poster. Fairly lightly toned covers
are favoured they are cheerful and characteristic
of the paper and help it to be recognised."
So much for the magazine field. Now for the
problem of art and feature editors of daily news
papers. For them St. John Cooper, of the Daily
Express, can speak with authority. First, he
demands more life and situation in newspaper
fashion work. He feels it will take centuries to
break down the catalogue traditiontwo
women looking vacantly at each other, or standing
in stupid, statuesque, near-Slade poses." Even
good illustrators are haunted, it seems, by this
interpretation of fashion, and provide flat and
uninteresting work. He feels that if the best
illustrators were crossed with the best catalogue
artists, something good might be produced.
The thing I want to do particularly," he says,
is to get somebody to draw live people doing
something real and amusing, showing fashions
almost by accidentand perhaps getting a little
more humour into them. We are not selling new
things we are reporting, which gives freedom
from the sales angle. Ideas are essential, and no
less essential is an ability to understand and
interpret other people's ideas."
Drawings by Pearl Falconer {left)
and Francis Marshall {right) for the
daily MAILFalconer using a spirited
and seemingly careless line technique
Marshall introducing additional
variation by laying on a mechanical tint.
The technical limitations of newspaper
work are formidableyet both
artists have managed to suggest complete
freedom in their work.
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