Retro Modern Illustrator: Amanda Vissel by way of Mary Blair

This next artist is a woman! Yay! Amanda Visell is an amazing self taught artist who started by painting clogs and then trying to get into animation. When she dropped out of high school and moved to Los Angeles, her first artistic job was at a factory hand painting clogs that were sold at Anthropologie. Someone at the factory had a connection to animation and Amanda soon became a live action artist- which was the worst job ever- extremely harsh working conditions, long hours, little pay, no union, and it was basically a dead end job. Amanda would paint in her spare time to try and build her portfolio so she could get a better job in regular animation. Unfortunately the 'old boys' network was in full effect and she never was hired. However she began to show her paintings and they were a hit! You can see why:






Her work has been referred to as 'dark and gleefully naughty' but I just find them funny. I mean who doesn't want a sculpture of an alligator eating babies? Ok, maybe my sense of humor can sometimes stray to the macabre, but still- you have to admit her compositions and brushwork are compelling to look at. Her work is clearly influenced by old school animation, and she has said Mary Blair's artwork has made the biggest impact on her and her designs. So lets take a look at Mary, shall we.


Mary Blair was a prominent animator at Disney Studios during the golden age of animation. She is credited with designing the look of animated movies such as Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan. She was also the head character designer for the attraction It's A Small World. She is best known for her striking color sense which still inspires artists, such as Amanda Vissel, to this day. Here are some of Mary's works:






Mary Blair also illustrated some of the most beloved Little Golden Books, a few of which have never been out of print. Check these out:





As you can see, Mary Blair is a huge influence on all of the illustrators I have posted about so far, and you will see her style come up again in the last two artists. I find her work to be extraordinary due to it's whimsical beauty and opulent colors.