Bill Peckmann &Books &Illustration 06 Mar 2012 06:07 am
Baumgarten’s Hoppel Und Poppel
- Fritz Baumgarten was a brilliant illustrator who drew many fantasy worlds in books populated with forest animals, elves, fairies, and birds. His style reminds me a bit of an illustrated version of early MGM Harman-Ising cartoons. There’s a charming innocence in his approach, and I have to say I love all of the books of his I’ve seen. It’s fortunate for me, because Bill Peckmann has a collection of them and delights me by sending scans.
Here is Hoppel und Poppel from Baumgarten, which unfortunately is not translated. But we’re here to look at the Baumgarten pictures, not read the Lena Hahn verse. So, I hope you enjoy.
The book’s cover
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on 06 Mar 2012 at 6:47 am 1.Stephen Macquignon said …
How inspiring thank you for posting the artwork
on 06 Mar 2012 at 3:45 pm 2.Stephen Worth said …
Great draftsmanship. I like him in B&W even better than color.
on 06 Mar 2012 at 3:47 pm 3.Stephen Worth said …
By the way, it looks like he was very influenced by Harrison Cady.
on 06 Mar 2012 at 3:59 pm 4.The Gee said …
Everything in looks so solid. The characters, the trees, that fish that’s being reeled in. Just enough linework to allow for the watercolors to add to the form.
Wee folk and like-sized anthropomorphic critters. The hierarchy of clothes wearing critters and more normal ones is funny but it makes enough. That could’ve all looked awkward but it works like a charm.
And, dig how there is focus, depth of field. Often it is just no linework in the back, just brushwork and lighter colors (of course). But, in the bunches of leaves are sometimes depicted as big shapes unless they are in the area of focus. That’s probably normal enough for childrens book illos but…the way it is done is interesting.
Nice stuff. Though, now I want to know what the particulars of the story.
And, Number 11, with the horn playing prank = hilarious looking.
on 06 Mar 2012 at 4:42 pm 5.Mark Sonntag said …
Reminds me of some of the early Silly Symphonies too, especially the BGs.
on 06 Mar 2012 at 9:06 pm 6.The Gee said …
“The hierarchy of clothes wearing critters and more normal ones is funny but it makes enough.â€
that sentence I typed earlier should end with the word “senseâ€.
The cartoon logic the illustrations use makes sense.
And, I agree that the BGs do look similar to early Silly Symphonies. Good point.
on 30 Apr 2017 at 5:55 pm 7.Wolfgang Hesse said …
… if you want to, I could try to translate the book into English language. If so, please leave an eMail note.