Themes > Arts > Drawing > Cartoonography > Schools for Comic Artists
The period after 1900 was marked by the increasingly entrepreneurial activities of art educators. With the rise of a cheap popular press, there emerged a large market for humorous illustration. The subject was, of course, greatly frowned upon by the established art schools (Heatherley's, Slade, Royal Academy, etc). To meet the demand, a number of correspondence courses was launched to train the new illustrators for the new papers. The programmes of study, much derided, were intensive, and really good value. The teaching manuals of the better schools were models of innovative distance learning, and a wide range of celebrated visual humorists emerged. These institutions also trained the commercial artist who wished to specialise in humour. Probably the best course was that run by the artist and illustrator, John Hassall.

the moment of dread, the approach to the Art Director, here a sweet self portrait by the great illustrator Will Owen (1869 - 1957) best known for his cartoons for the periodicals of the Left.


And now the advertisements for the Teach Yourself Correspondence courses, usually with their "Copy this for Free Advice" Slogan.

from The Studio Oct.15th 1919






1921


1921

 

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