Illustration

Ronald Searle Oil mogul Armand Hammer amassed a large collection of paintings by famous artists. He then decided to build a $70 million museum to house his collection: The Armand Hammer Museum, a grand monument to Hammer and his taste. Some were startled to learn that despite his personal fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars, Hammer expected the shareholders of the Occidental Petroleum Company to pay for his new museum. But only when shareholders sued to block Hammer from using company funds was it revealed that he had already spent millions of dollars of shareholder money to buy art for his personal collection. Those millions of dollars were taken from the retirement funds of teachers and waiters and shop clerks, in order for Hammer to buy more art.C. F. PayneSullivantDennis Kozlowski, the former CEO of Tyco International, acquired a personal fortune of approximately $600 million. Before he was convicted for plundering money from his company, he set out to acquire a major art collection (Monet, Renoir) with the assistance of a Palm beach art consultant. Kozlowski apparently became a fan of Michelangelo in the process because he commissioned an ice sculpture of Michelangelo's David that urinated Stolichnaya vodka into the crystal glasses of guests who he flew to his wife's $2 million birthday party on the island of Sardinia. During one of Kozlowski's last major art purchases he falsified the paperwork to avoid paying tax on $14 million worth of art, and ended up being indicted for tax evasion.Ronald SearleRobert Fawcett Richard Fuld, former CEO of the investment firm Lehman Brothers, led his company into the treacherous subprime loan market. There they made billions by scooping up toxic debt and passing it off on clueless investors who trusted Lehman. This played a major role in triggering the recent global financial meltdown and wrecking countless lives. Fuld himself made half a billion dollars before Lehman Brothers finally went bankrupt. Why did Fuld need the money so badly? What made it all worthwhile? For one thing, Fuld was able to acquire an art collection worth tens of millions of dollars, including major works by abstract expressionists. Bonus: his wife got to serve on the board of the Museum of Modern Art.A recent report on the intrinsic benefits of the arts emphasized that the arts spur growth in individual capacities—such as enhanced empathy for other people and cultures, powers of observation, and understanding of the world—that can occur through cumulative arts experiences. These intrinsic effects enrich individual lives, but they also have a public spillover component in that they cultivate the kinds of citizens desired in a pluralistic society. Garth Williams

Mike Giant talks about his style, watch below! View the whole post: “Handstyle History Lesson” over on BOOOOOOOM!.

I had no idea until yesterday that the greatest project in the history of comics and the Internet was already well underway. More than 300 artists (and counting) are contributing to the Bartkira community project in which ?tomo Katsuhiro’s manga classic Akira is re-told using characters from The Simpsons. Artist James Harvey proposed the idea for the project after seeing a bunch of incredible drawings by another artist Ryan Humphrey. It looks as though the submission period is about to end (I wish I had known sooner!) but if you’re interested you could contact James about the project here. If you search “Bartkira” on Tumblr (see here) you will see how amazing this project is. I can’t wait to see the finished book all together. Peep a bunch more of Ryan Humphrey’s drawings below! View the whole post: The Simpsons + Akira = Bartkira aka The Greatest Comic Art Project Ever over on BOOOOOOOM!.

Amazing embroidered portraits by Cayce Zavaglia. See the fascinating opposite side of the image above as well as more portraits below! View the whole post: Embroidered portraits by Cayce Zavaglia over on BOOOOOOOM!.

“Book of Shadows” a collaboration with Elizabeth Parks Kibbey, is a series of still lifes comprised of the ingredients in various botanical spells. See more below! View the whole post: “Book of Shadows” by Amelia Bauer over on BOOOOOOOM!.

An absolutely beautiful film of bike maker Ezra Caldwell (Fast Boy Cycles), who was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 and his journey as he documents the illness that threatens his love for his craft. Watch the film below. View the whole post: Made by Hand / No 5 The Bike Maker over on BOOOOOOOM!.

This week's theme is...Sailors!

There are days when I cannot seem to draw. No matter my effort, whatever comes out of my pencil is garbage. And there are days when I sit at my newest painting and I can't seem to jump in with my heart. There are blocks. There are hurdles. Distractions. Unwelcome circumstances that get in the way. There are hang ups and fears and sometimes over-zealosy (that's not a word) that can swing a painting moment this way or that and it's up to each artist to sort those things out, give em the proper attention and address them as they come up. And man, there are a few. That's what has been going on in my world as of late, I've begun two new paintings for my next solo show, and had come up with that feeling of non commitment. I couldn't understand what was happening - I had all the research, all the excitement, all kinda new stuff in mind, all the inspiration and still sat at each painting doing "work". Not allowing my heart to flutter all over the piece... I stopped painting for days (but that always has me feeling like a kid that has to pee really bad but can't get to the restroom), and alas ~ with the help and insight of my favorite dude that knows me so well and a few miles of driving alone with Pink Floyd in my ears (that know me so well), I realized I wasn't trusting my instincts. My instincts are all I have since I was never properly taught how to paint, and I had been watching a lot of painting demos on Youtube and then trying to apply a few tips and professional tricks to my own work. Which is helpful (sorta...I'm not sure yet) but I firstly need to listen to my guts ~ they lead the way best. And that was an invaluable lesson for this old girl. So painting days are back in full effect and I'm feeling extra extra super. I can't wait for the morning so I can paint more!!! eeeeeYAHHH!!!! PS, why this layout paragraph botching, Blogger? Am I at fault?? Is it me??

UK illustrator Matthew Cook often works in an area of illustration known as reportage, essentially called on to observe and report on scenes in which news or events of interest to the publication for which he is working are happening. This is something of a throwback to the days prior to the widespread use of photography in publications, in which illustrators were the eyes of the reading public for events like the Civil War, in addition the more familiar interpretive illustrations for stories. Among Cook’s subjects have been the war in Afghanistan and a project in which he recorded daily activities in the advertising agency, Mother London. These days, reportage illustrators must bring something to the article beyond mere recording of a scene, and Cook’s crisp colorful watercolors distill the essence of a scene more clearly than a more literal photograph could. His clients include Royal Mail, Sanyo Corporation, Ogilvy Mather, Penguin Publishing, National Geographic, Knight Ridder and Times Newspapers, among others. Cook’s online portfolio is divided into subjects like Travel, War, Industry, Maps and Sketch book. He also maintains a site specifically for his war reportage art. Additional illustration portfolios and articles are listed below.

Still Life with Fruit and Oysters, Jacob van Walscapelle Show-off. From Museo Lázaro Galdiano on Google Art Project. Click in lower right of image for zoom controls.