Question about a drawing
July 18th, 2008
Nancy Ledford asks:
We just purchased a Don Freeman ink and (possibly) crayon drawing. The signature is certainly his. The drawing is titled Beatrice Lillie in Inside USA. Ms. Lillie is depicted as a mermaid and the style is a caricature. On the back in pencil is “3 cols line etching Martin CE Monday Night”. I know there was a Broadway Play by that name which starred Bea Lillie. Does anyone have any idea what the drawing was done for? Is it for a program or a feature in one of the print outlets? Many thanks.
Don in San Francisco
February 23rd, 2008
I have received some questions about Don’s sketches with background in San Franciso. Here is a recent one:
Greetings! I have a sketch signed Don Freeman. It depicts the St. Francis. There is a trolley in the foreground, and appears to illustrate the his of San Francisco. The sketch is about 8 inches square. If you might be able to suggest a time period for the sketch, I would appreciate information.
Thank you;
Barbara Pfeifferd
Are Don’s illustrations for EARL THE SQUIRREL done on scratchboard?
March 24th, 2007
Question: Are Don’s illustrations for EARL THE SQUIRREL done on scratchboard?
Yes, the artwork for EARL is on scratchboard. Don illustrated many of his books using scratchboard technique, for instance BEADY BEAR. It might interest you to know that for other books in full color, Don also always made his own 4-color separations. He often mixed techniques here, using scratchboard for the black and drawing or painting directly on acetate (using black) laid over the scratchboard, for the other colors. For instance, this combined technique he used for A POCKET FOR CORDUROY.
For more information on EARL (for instance, how it came to be published and photos of a real living Earl, see Earl the Squirrel.
Thanks for your question, Roy.
