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Writer's pictureAndy McIlvain

The Illustrations of A. B. Frost


Video from pete beard


The Illustrations of A. B. Frost

"American illustrator and artist Arthur Burdett Frost was one of the earliest and most influential illustrators in the USA, and predated the far better known Howard Pyle by a few years. He's even credited as helping Pyle get his own career on track. His year of birth meant that his illustrated work was for some time reproduced via the somewhat hit and miss engraving process, and even in his later career it was almost exclusively black and white. Nevertheless his pen and ink styling and consummate understanding of anatomy and movement led to the production of a large volume of essentially cartoon illustration which led the way for many others to follow." from the video introduction



Arthur Burdett “A.B.” Frost
Arthur Burdett “A.B.” Frost

Arthur Burdett “A.B.” Frost

"As a young man at the age of fifteen, Arthur Burdett Frost began an apprenticeship with a local business that taught him techniques in engraving and lithography.[1] Developing a passion for the work, he began what would become a journeyed education in drawing and painting. Although Frost was largely self-taught, he did obtain some formal training while taking night classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts with the renowned Thomas Eakins, then traveling to Massachusetts to study with marine painter Gilbert Tucker Margeson, and finally arriving at Shinnecock Hills School of the Arts in New York where he briefly studied under William Merritt Chase. By the height of his career, these colored experiences rendered Frost a master draughtsman. Evidence of this can be seen in even his sketches in which his lines are orderly and calculated. Frost worked in pen and ink mostly, but also with engraving and watercolor.

Frost’s knack for portraying any type of scene, comedic or otherwise, made him an ideally flexible artist. He could draw in grotesque, finely finished, or sketchy styles, applying whichever was most appropriate to the scene or medium. His first illustrations were produced for Max Adler’s book, Out of the Hurly Burly. The book's popularity was a surprise to all involved, and luckily launched Frost’s fruitful career as a well-known and sought-after illustrator, opening the door to illustration opportunities for magazines and newspapers..." from the article: Arthur Burdett “A.B.” Frost



A.B. Frost Sketch
A.B. Frost Sketch



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