JOE LACEY
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Joe Lacey

BLOG
/bläɡ/ noun – a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style. Yep, that's my blog!

Crayola BOOklet

10/16/2018

 
Crayola Halloween Color Treats Store Display by illustrator Joe Lacey.
Crayola Halloween Color Treats Store Display
Crayola BOOklet 14 page activity book by illustrator Joe Lacey.

Just in time for Halloween! The Crayola BOOklet was the first time my digital artwork started to look the way I saw it in my head. Before this, I was doing mostly vector art and traditional painting - primarily airbrush. BOOklet was a crash course in digital art and an incredible rush to finish. I started on the 5th of March and finished on the 25th of March, 2002. That's twenty days to write all the activities, design the pages, and finish the art. Usually, I was designing and painting the covers for Crayola coloring books. So, to get get my hands on all the interior illustrated pages was really nice. But today, I often work on the coloring book covers and interiors.

BOOklet  was a free in-store giveaway with the purchase of two Crayola products. Fourteen pages of craft projects and five pages of activities I wrote and illustrated, plus the cover, and a store riser display.

My favorite page is "It's Alive!", a cut-out mobile dangler of Frankenstein coming to life on a laboratory table. I can't say it was my idea, however. In grade school, one of our class projects at Thanksgiving was to make a scarecrow dangler out of construction paper and yarn. I loved it then, so why wouldn't kids love it today! I still have my scarecrow dangler. He makes me happy.

So, here's the art, the sketches and some stuff that never made it in the book. Happy Halloween!

Famous Illustrators of the Golden Age Coloring Portfolio: American Edition 1898-1927 adult coloring book by illustrator Joe Lacey.

Digital Artwork

Crayola Halloween BOOklet cover  by illustrator Joe Lacey.
Crayola BOOklet cover.
Crayola Halloween BOOkelt "It's Alive!" monster mobile.  by illustrator Joe Lacey.
Crayola BOOklet "It's Alive!" monster mobile.
Crayola Halloween BOOklet "Jack-O'-Labyrinth" maze.  by illustrator Joe Lacey.
Crayola BOOklet "Jack-O'-Labyrinth" maze.
Crayola Halloween BOOklet "Jack-O'-Labyrinth" maze.  by illustrator Joe Lacey.
Crayola BOOklet "Crossword Crypt" word puzzle.
Crayola Halloween BOOklet "Gone Batty" hidden picture game.  by illustrator Joe Lacey.
Crayola BOOklet "Gone Batty" hidden picture game.
Crayola Halloween BOOklet "Trick or Trace" craft page.  by illustrator Joe Lacey.
Crayola BOOklet "Trick or Trace" craft page.

In-Store Riser Display

Crayola Halloween Booklet store riser by illustrator Joe Lacey.
Crayola BOOklet in-store riser display.
The riser was placed above a display of selected Crayola products, Model Magic, Gel Clings, crayons, and markers. I never saw this in the store and I don't have a printed copy of it. Always wanted one. The moon was left blank for the art department to fill with text, probably something like this — FREE BOOklet! While Supplies Last! The book had instructions on how to make the "Bouncing Eyeball" that Dracula is holding and Frankenstein's "Paper Bag Pumpkin Patch". There were also "Ghostly Goodie Bags", "Creepy Spider Web Doorways", and "Jolly Jack-O'-Lantern" craft ideas.

Sketches

Crayola Halloween BOOklet cover.  by illustrator Joe Lacey.
Crayola BOOklet cover.
Crayola Halloween BOOklet "It's Alive!" monster mobile  by illustrator Joe Lacey.
Crayola BOOklet "It's Alive!" monster mobile.
Crayola Halloween BOOklet "Jack-O'-Labyrinth" maze  by illustrator Joe Lacey.
Crayola BOOklet "Jack-O'-Labyrinth" maze.
Crayola Halloween BOOklet "Crossword Crypt" word puzzle  by illustrator Joe Lacey.
Crayola BOOklet "Crossword Crypt" word puzzle.
Crayola Halloween BOOklet "Gone Batty" hidden picture game  by illustrator Joe Lacey.
Crayola BOOklet "Gone Batty" hidden picture game.
Crayola Halloween BOOklet "Trick or Trace" craft page  by illustrator Joe Lacey.
Crayola BOOklet "Trick or Trace" craft page.

Alternate Unused Sketches

Crayola Halloween BOOklet alternate cover concept  by illustrator Joe Lacey.
Crayola BOOklet alternate cover concept.
Crayola Halloween BOOklet alternate cover concept  by illustrator Joe Lacey.
Crayola BOOklet alternate cover concept.
Crayola Halloween BOOklet alternate cover concept  by illustrator Joe Lacey.
Crayola BOOklet alternate cover concept.
Crayola Halloween BOOklet alternate cover concept  by illustrator Joe Lacey.
Crayola BOOklet alternate cover concept.

Great Illustrators of the Past: Vernon Grant

3/24/2018

 

A Look at Vernon Grant's Promotional Books for Kids

My personal collection of illustrated premiums and books by American illustrator, Vernon Grant.
My personal collection of illustrated premiums and books by American illustrator, Vernon Grant. "Tiny Tower" - 1934, "Mother Goose" - 1933, "The Cow and the Silver Cream" - 1944, "Flibbity Jibbit" - 1943, and Kellogg's "Fold Yourself A Lot of Pictures" -1933

You may not know him by name, but you know his work. Vernon Grant (April 26, 1902 – July 9, 1990) is the creator of the Kellogg’s characters Snap! Crackle! and Pop! In 1938, Life magazine called him "America's favorite children's artist." Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, his illustrations appeared on major magazines, cereal boxes, advertising and collectible premiums such as posters and books. It's these premiums which first made me aware of this great illustrator. I hope you enjoy this very brief introduction to the art of Vernon Grant.
Kelloggs' "Fold Yourself A Lot of Pictures" -1933 by illustrator Vernon Grant.
Kelloggs' "Fold Yourself A Lot of Pictures" -1933 by illustrator  Vernon Grant.
Kelloggs' "Fold Yourself A Lot of Pictures" -1933
Kelloggs' "Fold Yourself A Lot of Pictures" -1933 by illustrator  Vernon Grant.
Kelloggs' "Fold Yourself A Lot of Pictures" -1933
Junket's "Flibbity Jibbit" - 1943 by illustrator  Vernon Grant.
Junket's "Flibbity Jibbit" - 1943 by illustrator Vernon Grant.
Junket's "Flibbity Jibbit" - 1943 by illustrator  Vernon Grant.
Junket's "Flibbity Jibbit" - 1943
Junket's "Flibbity Jibbit" - 1943 by illustrator  Vernon Grant.
Junket's "Flibbity Jibbit" - 1943
Years ago I found a small Kellogg's Rice Krispies flip book at an antique market. "Fold yourself a lot of pictures" it read. It delivered on that promise. I was impressed by the whimsical art and the cleverness of the booklet. I bought it. There was a very distinctive signature on it - "Vernon Grant". I thought, "This is a guy I need to see more of." I love promotional giveaways and Grant's are among the best. Since then, I have added to this collection and am always looking for more of Grant's premiums.

Then I found Flibbity Jibbit, a promotional kids book that told the tale of a key-keeper, a king, and a little bird named Flibbity Jibbit. Their journey to find the key to unlock the door that held Junket's Rennet Powder for the king's custard party is told by Grant in an illustrated 32 page fairy tale. It was adorable! It also made me want to make some custard. I guess advertising really does work!

Grant's style is very economical and not overly rendered. He often makes use of three color tones to create volume with a dark, middle, and light. But more importantly, his drawings have character. A lamp is not just a lamp, it's full of personality. It feels as if even a shoe can be your friend in Vernon Grant's world.

His compositions make use of circles and solid shapes. Buildings and backgrounds can be bold and abstract in nature, similar to the German Expressionist movement of the 1920s and 1930s, creating a world full of dream-like twists and turns. He utilizes classic design principles of color and tone to keep the viewer focused on the center of interest. A signature look of his work is the use of solid color backgrounds, often black.
"Mother Goose" As Told by Kellogg's Singing Lady - 1933 by illustrator  Vernon Grant.
"Mother Goose" As Told by Kellogg's Singing Lady - 1933 by illustrator Vernon Grant.
"Mother Goose" As Told by Kellogg's Singing Lady - 1933 by illustrator  Vernon Grant.
"Mother Goose" As Told by Kellogg's Singing Lady - 1933
"The Cow and the Silver Cream" for Wright's Silver Cream - 1944 by illustrator Vernon Grant.
"The Cow and the Silver Cream" for Wright's Silver Cream - 1944 by illustrator Vernon Grant.
"The Cow and the Silver Cream" for Wright's Silver Cream - 1944 by illustrator Vernon Grant.
Today, these commercial premiums are in the form of activity books, not story books, with puzzles, games and coloring pages replacing story driven themes.

I'll be posting an article and samples of my work in this field of illustration sometime soon. In the meantime, to see a small selection of my illustrated kids premiums and books, please visit my website.

Famous Illustrators of the Golden Age Coloring Portfolio: American Edition 1898-1927 adult coloring book by illustrator Joe Lacey.
BOOKS I RECOMMEND
  • Beyond Snap! Crackle! Pop! The Story of American Illustrator Vernon Grant - 2014 by Linda Williams
  • Vernon Grant’s Mother Goose - 1998 by Harry N. Abrams.
  • Vernon Grant’s Santa Claus - 2003 by Harry N. Abrams.
LINKS
  • The Main Street Children’s Museum, Rock Hill, South Carolina
  • www.VernonGrant.org
  • Vernon Grant Book Sheds New Light On Famed illustrator Newspaper article with author Linda Williams.
Tinker Tim the Toy Maker by Vernon Grant. 1934, Whitman Publishing Company.
Tinker Tim the Toy Maker by Vernon Grant. 1934, Whitman Publishing Company.
Collier's / The National Weekly September 21, 1940. Cover art by Vernon Grant.
Collier's / The National Weekly September 21, 1940. Cover art by Vernon Grant.
Collier's / The National Weekly January 11, 1940. Cover art by Vernon Grant.
Collier's / The National Weekly January 11, 1940. Cover art by Vernon Grant.

Tiny Tower / A Monthly Magazine For Children, November 1934. Cover and back Kellogg's advertising art by Vernon Grant.
Tiny Tower / A Monthly Magazine For Children, November 1934. Cover and back Kellogg's advertising art by Vernon Grant.
All the images are from my personal collection.
    Joe Lacey illustrator

    Joe Lacey

    I produce illustrations and creative idea solutions for toys, packaging, publishing and advertising.


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