Elena Edan is one of the sexy characters from the DSNG Sci Fi Series. I did an article on her back in January 2011, which is located over
Here.
Elena was designed to be a cheerful poster girl, with an unforgettable essence. Some DSNG fans have comically called Elena a sexy "Pawg", but I really take no offense to that lascivious tag. In the
DSNG Chronicles e-books, she’s a supermodel/entrepreneur with an hourglass figure, who has cleverly utilized her looks to her advantage. And she is fond of jovially joking around, even though she’s extremely smart.
More voluptuous female characters from the DSNG sci fi series:
Top row, from left to right: Laura Dubois and Empress Havita Hantraggon and Yatalia Yentoshima.
Bottom row: Laura, Havita and Ellystra Extrson [the strong female dinatour].
The initial blog article on Laura is over
Here, while the one featuring Havita is
Here. And the Second Article with Laura is
Here
The Cheesecake Art Style
Figured I’d use this opportunity to talk about an art style that dates back to the early 20th century [the 1900s], prior to and following the events of World War II [1939 - 1945]. Back then, soldiers were given complimentary calendars and posters featuring singers and models, to cheer them and brighten their bunkers/tents. And it was noted that several war planes and large bombs had these pinup models painted on their sides as colorful aesthetic enhancements, during the WW II era.
But even before that time, there were men like Arnold Armitage [who lived from 1899-1991] that drew sexy pinups and pictures of women wearing short dresses, stockings and lingerie. He was born in the UK and migrated to the USA back in 1925, where he settled in California and worked for a company that produced images for billboards.
[Above: Classic pin up Images drafted by Arnold Armitage]
There are other artists worthy of notable mention, like Alain Gourdon, Enoch Bolles, Ben-Hur Baz, Vaughan Alden Bas and Echo Chernik [an excellent female artist]. All of these individuals lived in the 1900s and a lot of their sample artworks are available online. And I'll speak about a few of them.
Enoch is probably the oldest member of the group I've chosen to feature above, and he was born back in 1883. Yet his artwork is so fresh, it will amaze you; just search for "Enoch Bolles Art" via Google, and I'm sure you'll like what you see. A sample of his pinup work is shown on the left.
Alain hails from France. He was born back in 1930 and he's still alive. He's done many posters and sculptures in his life time, and he was known for drawing females with curvy butts; so that art style really isn't new.
Echo was born in 1970 in the state of Connecticut, and I was impressed when I observed her samples online. She's worked in the mainstream advertising and publishing arenas doing jobs for for video games, music bands, local festivals and various books. And her illustrative works have been tagged as "Art Nouveau", which is French for "New Styled Art".
Another exceptional pinup artist was Alberto Vargas [1896 – 1982], who was born in Peru. He was a gifted painter and he did work for Esquire Magazine, and later for Playboy. One of his most famous pieces of work was a poster for the 1933 film called
The Sin of Nora Moran [that's not the name of the image shown below, but the blonde lady below is a sample of his work]. Pin up artists like Alberto excelled at creating masterpieces without the aid of computer hardware, digital mice or graphite pads, which showcases their level of expertise.
Thus the 1900s was probably the blossoming period of the Cheesecake art style, which is based upon voluptuous images. It was common for the pics in this category to be void of elaborate backgrounds. Although some classic artists chose to draw their own original characters, most of the drawings of women showcased in swim suits were actually based on pop-culture icons and sex symbols.
Cheesecake art is basically drafted pics featuring women with hourglass shapes. It is extremely diverse in the styles that can be utilized to present it, and often “anime echi” artwork unconsciously bleeds into the broad margins of Cheesecake art. And the underground furry movement featuring anthro-styled characters [hybrid crosses between humans and animals] is also heavily linked to Cheesecake art: tongue-in-cheek works that are designed to tease and arouse the predominantly male audience, per the pictures that are purposely drawn in a slightly naughty nature.
I referred to the anthro artwork as "underground" [privately restricted and rather secluded], because most of that uncensored stuff is R-rated, and such art Websites are popular, although they are not necessarily considered as mainstream. You commonly have to be a member of the site, [Like the one called FA] in order to view the artworks posted there.
Cheesecake art is also utilized to depict fetishes of various kinds, and the exaggerated female proportions are commonly appreciated in this particular genre. There are classic characters both in comics and movies that are actually based on Cheesecake themes. For example, Jessica Rabbit, and the Black Cat; you never see them drawn like stunt doubles for Olive Oil… rather you always see them depicted as voluptuous females, with ample bosoms and curvy derrières.
In the first row, the two pinup posters on the left are classic images of Jessica Rabbit and Roger Rabbit, from the DSNG deviantart gallery; they were done back in 2007. That old gallery is full of Cheesecake artwork. And the next four images feature Raven Hunt, a popular Webcomic sexy furry / anthro character created by an artist called Max. I drew the third pic on row #1, and he did all the rest.
Famous actresses/celebrities that were tagged as Cheesecake pinup/glamor models, per their ample curves:
1. Marilyn Monroe
2. Rita Haywoth
3. Diana Dors
4. Pamela Anderson
5. Anna Nicole Smith
Classic Marilyn Monroe pics, showing her infamous white dress blowing in the wind. This was from the vintage movie titled "The Seven Year Itch", which was shown in theaters back in 1955.
Anna Nicole is on the left, while Diana Dors is on the right. During her career, Diana who was far more popular across the Atlantic in her home country [the UK], than in the USA. Diane was viewed as a sex symbol by fans and critics alike. In my opinion, she really knew how to pose, understanding how to stand and tilt her hips, while remaining graceful... and she stared in over 70 movies.
And Anna... she made the guys smile :)
There are several notarized artists today in the Western World that are skilled at presenting sexy female forms in their art. I’ll list some of the popular ones that have reigned over the past decade.
1. Terry Dodson
2. Frank Cho
3. Chad Spilker
4. Dean Yeagle
And some anthro artists that mainly focus on furry art are:
1. Maxblackrabbit
2. Jollyjack
There are a lot more prominent artists and models than those on my three lists. I just wanted to highlight a few of those individuals that I respect & admire. If you Google any of those listed names, you’ll find their vintage stuff, along with modern pieces. And I think most of them take commissions, although their rates will be rather high. BTW, be warned: A lot of "furry art" is outright porn.
No need to add my name to either of the last two lists above, since those of you familiar with my old stuff have known me to be a Cheesecake artist as well, who incorporates animated themes…
Above, From left to right: Sam, the psychotic axe murderer; and May, the mother of Meme.
Above, From left to right: Meme [the star of the SFA Webcomic series], posing as Marilyn Monroe and as Rock Lee.
The four above images are characters I created back in 2007 for a Webcomic series titled SFA - Single Female Alien - which was archived at www.drunkduck.com [and it is viewable by members only]. Most of the female characters in that series had exaggerated hourglass figures / busty proportions, which was all part of the marketing gimmick I used. At some point I might do an expose in this blog, focused on that hilarious Webcomic series...we'll see.
Dear Laura, Laura ~
There is a glamor model that inspired me a few years ago as an artist. Her name is Laura Dore and she resides in Texas. Born in 1986, Laura is of mixed heritage. And in my opinion, she's a crossover model, per the diverse genres that she can slide into with ease. She really has a natural gift of beauty, in addition to an acute sense for striking perfect postures.
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**NEW UPDATES: July 1, 2011**
The Legendary Pinup Artist, Dan Decarlo.
I'm sure most young adults in their mid-40s and mid-30s [and those not too far from that range] can remember the classic
Archie Comics and cartoons, featuring Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead. The Archie character actually dates back to comic strips that commenced in the 1940s. I was browsing about and found a particular artist, who did work for Archie Comics and eventually his own publishing company. His name is Dan S. Decarlo (December 12, 1919 - December 19, 2001), and he was known as an Extraordinary American Cartoonist.
His influence on Archie Comics and the
Cheesecake artist style came to the mainstream back in the 1950s and the 1960s. He created the artwork for a female character that started out on the radio as an audio comedic sitcom in 1947, and that series was called "My Friend, Irma". She was depicted as a curvy and rather ditsy female blonde. And in those days, comics sold for less than 50 Cents.
Prior to working as an artist, Dan Decarlo joined the army and fought in World War II. And after that conflict he met his wife, Josie Dumont [he later named one of his comic characters after her]. He was a traditional penciler and an inker - Photoshop didn't exist back then, to assist in in digital drafting and coloring. He is the generally recognized creator of the characters
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,
Josie and the Pussycats. although the lost the copyright battle for those properties with Archie Comics back in December 2001. Here are some more of his classic comic strip / pinup works.
Dan's sexy
Cheesecake artwork is very fluent & smooth. And he often showcased tongue-in-cheek / kinky humor in his works. One of the pinup pics he drew above looks a lot like another classic character that made fan boys drool in the late-1980s, called Jessica Rabbit.
The caption beneath the last image on the right says "You're getting off easy tonight - I should have used my stick". Perhaps its a play on the classic concept of policemen enforcing late-night curfews, or a naughty punishment for petty crimes... or torrid sex in the park. Honestly I don't know why the hell he is giving her a spanking... but it is what it is.
There are other notable artist who did pinup styled artwork and cartoons just like this. Some of them worked for Playboy Magazine back in the 1960s an others got their big breaks through newspaper comic strips. Included in that group are:
Bill Wenzel, Eldon Dedini, Don Flowers, Bill Ward, Jack Cole, Jules Feiffer and Chic Young [he created the comic strip
Blondie, one of my childhood favorites]
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**NEW UPDATES: November 8, 2011**
The Twin Hildebrandt Brothers: Tim Hildebrandt and Greg Hildebrandt, Pinup Artists!
These two brothers are legendary, per the quality of work they created back in the day. The brothers were born on January 23, 1939, in
Detroit, Michigan. The two Hildebrandt boys were extremely close and they both shared a common passion for art and concept design. Greg and Tim Hildebrandt began professionally painting in 1959. Around the time that they started their works, one of the most prominent sex symbols of the 1950s was reigning on the stage and on the big screen; her name was
Marilyn Monroe [who had the birth name of
Norma Jeane Baker; and she lived between June 1, 1926 to August 5, 1962]. And Marilyn's sexy figure was definitely an influencing factor on their works.
On June 2006, Tim died in New Jersey. His brother Greg carries on their legacy and he keeps creating exceptional pin-up artwork with voluptuous women. Now you may think that their style is very classical and perhaps even bland. But I assure you, these twin collaborators were [and still are] extremely gifted. Take a close look at this stuff that they did as oil paintings in the past, without Photoshop:
Tim and Greg are best known for their popular
The Lord of the Rings calendar illustrations and they both painted the first bilingual
Star Wars film poster. They even did classic comic work for Marvel and DC [as shown above]. They also did several fantasy works such as oil paintings for Magic: The Gathering, the Tolkien Calendars & Harry Potter.
And of course, they are renowned pin up artists, and their skills are shown below [specifically Cheesecake artworks and paintings, created by Greg Hildebrandt].
I really can't emphasize enough just how demanding it is to produce quality oil paintings as shown above. Working on a classic absorbent art canvas is both difficult and time consuming, thus Tim and Greg are definitely artists that I respect. Stay tuned for more classic works & exotic paintings tied to the
Cheesecake art-style!
Cool Links:
Article on DSNG Book 4 with sexy art inspired by poses of Laura Dore:
HERE
More classic Anime styled artwork by DSNG:
HERE
Make sure you check out the New Articles with pics & fan art of
Nicki Minaj & CoCo
Nicole Austin in this ".dsng. blog"!!
