Artworks by genre: Pin-up
“My first impression upon meeting Zoe Mozert was astonishment,” Phillips wrote in her article about the 5-foot-tall painter, who was 83 at the time. He spent a week there, where he went to the town hall and library, looking through annual reports and articles about the company. One of the problems is that pin-up illustration, like most commercial art, was hardly considered worth saving until Meisel and Martignette came along. Her paintings are not as sexy, but when it comes to painting a face, nobody surpasses Pearl Frush. With his late business partner, Charles G. Martignette, he started hunting down the original pastel or watercolor paintings that pin-up posters and calendars were based on in the 1970s. “With Pearl Frush, for example, her girls were very beautiful, with wonderful-looking bodies, but it wasn’t so much about being sexy as being the all-American girl.
You can see this style perfected by artists like McClelland Barclay and Vaughan Alden Bass, whose illustrations were meant to be displayed prominently. Artists like Aslan and Enoch Bolles also created work that became iconic, appearing on everything from calendars to locker doors. Pin-up girls artists were individuals who created mass produced art of sexy, beautiful, attractive women at least partially undressed (if not nude). Pin-up art traces its roots to the late 19th century, initially appearing as small illustrations in magazines and on calendars.
When applying for a job at Brown & Bigelow, she wrote, “I started drawing, like most children, as soon as I could hold a crayon. Unlike other pin-up artists, Ballantyne never got away from advertising illustration. This success led to gigs making more sexy calendars for Louis P. Dow company and Goes Lithography, as well as doing images for Esquire and Penthouse magazines. Outside of her work for B&B, Ballantyne also took assignments with Sports Afield magazine, which hired her for illustrations regularly for 20 years starting in 1947.
Every piece is a blend of retro charm and modern flair, crafted with meticulous attention to detail. Search the Wayback Machine An illustration of a magnifying glass. Many glamour and fashion models of the era became pin-up stars. The pin-up modeling subculture has produced magazines and forums dedicated to its community. Once the curl is dry, it is brushed through to create the desired soft curl, with a voluminous silhouette. The drying technique consists of curling a damp piece of hair, from the end to the root and pin in place.
- Her paintings are not as sexy, but when it comes to painting a face, nobody surpasses Pearl Frush.
- Share your ideas and watch them evolve into a unique masterpiece that reflects your personality.
- On this layer, I usually paint some lustre for the hair, lips and eyes.
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- Like her friend and colleague Gil Elvgren, Ballantyne specialized in putting girls in accidentally sexy situations.
- Images on this page are optimised for the web so perfect for your website, blog, social media or to print smaller pictures but if you want to print Large High Resolution Versions you will need these…..
She’s a nice girl, she’s innocent, but maybe she got caught in an awkward situation that’s a little sexy.” “I didn’t go in for dirty stuff like they do today. Like her friend and colleague Gil Elvgren, Ballantyne specialized in putting girls in accidentally sexy situations.
Hair and makeup style
Within the “Cite this article” tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Jane Russell models for Mozert, who’s painting the scandalously sexy promotional art for 1945′s “The Outlaws.” Via “Tease!
Oddly Enough, Bicycle Ads Started a Sexy Craze
Women started adapting their attire to emulate the playful and somewhat provocative allure of pin-up models. Both artists significantly influenced not only the art world but also the perception of female beauty and societal norms in their times. Elvgren’s ability to capture the quintessential girl-next-door in a humorous and tasteful manner helped make his artwork tremendously popular in advertising and calendars. Vargas, renowned for his Varga Girls, portrayed women with a combination of innocence and allure that became iconic during World War II, gracing the sides of aircraft and in “Esquire” magazine. These artworks not only celebrated beauty but also played a subtle role in shaping cultural norms and ideals of feminine allure.
- “When you’re a commercial artist, you take jobs that pay you,” she says.
- The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject.
- After studying at the University of Nebraska and the Academy of Art in Chicago, Ballantyne got a job with King Studios, illustrating a dictionary for Cameo Press and painting road maps for Rand McNally in the 1940s.
- Let’s take a look at some of the most iconic pin-up models of the time, including some art of the famous pin-up art that was created.
- Women started calling bicycles “freedom machines”, because they liberated ladies and completely changed their lives.
- This success led to gigs making more sexy calendars for Louis P. Dow company and Goes Lithography, as well as doing images for Esquire and Penthouse magazines.
Iconic Pin-Up Artworks and Their Artists
As they say, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Some people see beauty in a wide spectrum of body types and faces. They first appeared in men’s magazines and break-room calendars in the 1920s and 1930s. Images on this page are optimised for the web so perfect for your website, blog, social media or to print smaller pictures but if you want to print Large High Resolution Versions you will need these…..
Fill the drawing with flat colour
Just before I published the article, she called and said she didn’t want it published. Some glamour girls who didn’t measure up were Veronica Lake, Dorothy Lamour, Barbara Hale, Loretta Young, and Lana Turner, all receiving scores of 60 or less. Many famous pin-up artists, including Gil Elvgren and George Petty, created artwork specifically for military publications like Yank and Stars and Stripes.
Publishing companies like Shaw-Barton hired pin-up artists to produce art for calendars, like this piece by Ballantyne, which reads “You don’t think I’m flat, do you? “Altogether I don’t think there are a hundred images of Pearl Frush around the world,” Meisel says, musing that she didn’t get the chance to do enough. She started the letter to B&B with “I’m afraid my history is not very exciting.” And finished with, “Sorry, I don’t have my recent photos. She would also sometimes sign her work “Pearl Frush Mann.” Applying to Brown & Bigelow that year, she wrote, “I didn’t turn out to be much of a musician, but I married one. In the early 1940s, she opened a studio in Chicago for freelance work in advertising, and took assignments with Sundblom, Johnson & White.
Bring vintage glamour, patriotic Americana, and timeless attitude to your walls with our collection of pin-up art prints, posters, and canvas pieces. The 1920s and 1930s saw the rise of “glamour” photography, which was characterized by highly-stylized images of women in elegant and provocative poses. Great artwork tells a story, makes people look twice, and creates a unique experience that can’t be matched. 4.8 average from 359 illustration or graphics design customer reviews Find the perfect designer to match your style and budget. Get inspired and start planning the perfect pin-up girl art today.
h Anniversary of America Commemorative Poster – Fine Art Print, 35+ Hidden Landmarks, Gold Seal on Ivory
She told Klinkenberg, “I’d go to a paint store for supplies and would literally find a sign on the door https://travelmateholidays.in/ that said, “Gone Fishing.’ I didn’t think I’d be here long.” It started when Coppertone asked illustrators to submit ideas for a billboard commission. Ballantyne and her daughter, who modeled for this ad at age 3, were so bored with the iconic Coppertone baby.
Give the lines a smoother appearance
I select to the layer with the lines, which is the uppermost layer and in Multiply mode. I select the hair layer with the Lock Transparent Pixels option checked. I choose 18 and 55, respectively, to create a clear contrast between the lines.
Best Pinup Art
For this workshop, the theme is a pin-up girl, so I want the character to channel the two distinct features for this type of artwork, which is to be sweet and sexy. Otherwise, read on to discover how to create your own pin-up art. While many of these images started as mass-produced advertisements, they are now highly sought after for their artistic and historical value. These artists focused on a blend of charm and beauty that became a distinct American aesthetic.
This shift allowed pin-up art to influence broader media, impacting fashion, cinema, and even advertising strategies. Each illustration is an original work, not a reproduction of existing art, and we fully respect all intellectual property rights. Customize every element—from hairstyle to outfits—and own a piece of art that tells your story. Step into the glamour of the 1950s with a bespoke pin-up portrait that captures your unique style. They captured every detail perfectly, and the vintage look is spot on. It’s now my favorite piece in the house.
Oddly Enough, Bicycle Ads Started a Sexy Craze
Artists like Rolf Armstrong and Alberto Vargas created highly stylized illustrations of glamorous women, often posing in provocative or suggestive ways. Ballantyne won the job in 1959 and created the image of a pig-tailed girl who finds a dog pulling down her swim trunks, which was loosely based on an idea by pin-up artist Art Frahm. George Petty was one of the most influential American pin-up artists of the twentieth century, best known for creating the iconic “Petty Girl” illustrations that appeared in Esquire magazine during the 1930s and 1940s. After I’ve created my colour layer, I duplicate it and fill it with a different colour. Staying on the layer that I’ve created, I fill in with any colour.
His work from the 1930s through the 1970s helped shape the pin-up narrative, emphasizing vibrant, dynamic characters rather than just static beauty. Alberto Vargas and his Vargas Girls became symbols of idealized beauty and charm during the mid-20th century. Yeager’s work, often self-portraited, showcased not only beauty but also strength and confidence, challenging societal expectations of women.
High-quality work, the artist did an exceptional job. The team was incredibly accommodating and made sure everything was perfect. Share your ideas and watch them evolve into a unique masterpiece that reflects your personality.
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It caused quite a stir with readers; it seems they weren’t expecting such a sexy image on a magazine about wholesome family hobbies. In 1945, Elvgren recommended her to Brown & Bigelow, who started looking for new artists during World War II, as many pin-up painters had been drafted. After studying at the University of Nebraska and the Academy of Art in Chicago, Ballantyne got a job with King Studios, illustrating a dictionary for Cameo Press and painting road maps for Rand McNally in the 1940s.
Ballantyne was born in Norfolk, Nebraska, in 1918, near the end of World War I. She told Klinkenberg, she “liked drawing and making paper dolls; during the Depression she sold paper dolls for a buck apiece. Jane Russell models for Mozert, who’s painting the scandalously sexy promotional art for 1945’s “The Outlaws.” Via “Tease! Paramount Pictures decided to include her in a film series called “Unusual Occupations,” with a short called “Zoe” about “the pin up girl who paints ’em too.” Well, Flagg was a mean, old sourpuss who didn’t get along with his wife; so he hit on me. On the social scene, she was known for her pithy “Zoeisms,” like “Always keep yourself bigger than your job.”
Women also started to go around town wearing their bloomers, because pants didn’t exist for women back then, and it was a lot easier to ride a bike without a long skirt getting caught up in the mechanism of the bike. His illustrations graced the pages of Esquire and Playboy, blending allure with a touch of innocence. BestPinUp.Art is your destination for custom pin-up art and personalized digital pin-up illustrations crafted from your photos. Fantastic job, the portrait turned out perfect. Making works based on the classic pin-up look to create their own standards of beauty. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate.
“There is a certain sexy look, with black stockings, garters, and emphasis on certain parts of the anatomy that Elvgren, Vargas, and other male pinup artists do. “If you really get into it, you begin to see that women have a different way of portraying women than men do, even when they’re all trying to do something sexy for a pin-up calendar or a magazine,” Meisel says. … ‘The perfect face and the perfect figure have yet to be combined in one woman,’ she stated.” Always fearless, she rated Tinseltown’s stars and starlets, a score of 100 being perfect. But they themselves matched the WWII-era ideal, so they didn’t mind painting fellow members of “beautiful people” club. From what we know about these women, it seems that female pin-up artists of the Golden Age bought into the most exclusive standard of beauty.
That year, she landed a prestigious gig to produce six covers for Hearst’s American Weekly Magazine, and at one point, she had nine covers on nine different magazines on the newsstands at the same time. In five short years, Mozert had taken the illustration world by storm. “Around that time she decided her name was a handicap,” Phillips explained in her piece.
On this layer, I usually paint some lustre for the hair, lips and eyes. The final details usually are added on the layer that should be over the line art. I draw the tattoo in another file, before bringing it in my main file, on a layer over the skin.
Mozert lost her scholarship and had to get a job her third year, thanks to a minor scandal — she’d posed nude for an art class at another college nearby. “If that’s where all the money was, as a woman, you’d be lucky to get that job.” “When you’re a commercial artist, you take jobs that pay you,” she says. Dahlsad also wonders if Frush, Mozert, or Ballantyne ever felt conflicted about creating these innocent-but-sexy women to be ogled at factories and mechanic shops.
These images were used in advertising campaigns for everything from cigarettes to soap, and quickly became an iconic part of American popular culture. The term “pin-up” originally referred to the practice of displaying photographs or illustrations of these women on walls or bulletin boards, often in male-dominated spaces like barracks or garages. I then create a layer mask and fade the tattoo slightly where the light hits it. Staying on the layer of my lines, I remove the old layer and create a new one under my lines. You can find digital archives or specialized collections that preserve these beautiful illustrations for future generations.
Rolf Armstrong
Let’s take a look at some of the most iconic pin-up models of the time, including some art of the famous pin-up art that was created. Pin-up art has had a lasting impact on popular culture, influencing everything from fashion and beauty to advertising and pop art. Art and illustrations communicate all of that through color, shape and other design elements. “A veritable feast for voyeurs, sociologists, bibliophiles… by far the most comprehensive and lavish compendium of the art form of the pin-up ever created.” Of course, the era of the illustrated advertising pin-ups started to fade in the 1960s and 1970s, as the technology for reproducing color photographs got better and better. In the 1960s, Robberson Steel Company of Oklahoma City was so happy with their Frush advertising calendars from Gerlach-Barklow, they commissioned her to do a series of glamour paintings, the last one in 1974.
Mozert lost her scholarship and had to get a job her third year, thanks to a minor scandal—she’d posed nude for an art class at another college nearby. A lot of the newspaper articles were just things that obviously she had done to get attention, like have a pet monkey, and get it in the paper. One of Mozert’s glamorous “girl heads,” featuring her brother’s perfect pout.