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[The Australian Panther]

There are many things on CB+ other than 32 and 64 page 'Comic Books'
I see the reading group as a opportunity to expose some of this material to a wider audience.
'Lyons' is a long term member who specializes in uploading very early visual works, many of them classics.
I happen to be a huge fan of that stuff.
I had something in mind for this fortnight's slot, but have completely forgotten what it was.
So, I went browsing and ended up in the 'Odds and Ends' section.
Since these works are not comic books in the conventional sense, I include 3 of Lyons donations.
The fact that I have already commented on some of them ( which would have been when they were first uploaded) doesn't mean that I made a beeline to those books, I swear I was just browsing this morning and the ones I have picked stood out for me all over again.
Here are two books that are artistic observations of London in very different ages, both by Master of their craft,with very different styles and very different perspectives.
London As Seen By Charles Dana Gibson
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=78143
Phil May's Gutter-Snipes
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=82657

and something completely different.
A Gallery of Girls - Coles Phillips
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=82191

I will restrain myself and not comment here.
Enjoy!
         

[Robb_K]

Good choice of books to read and review.  Like you, I am a fan of old-fashioned pen and ink figure drawing and still life scenes, and had looked over all three of those books when they were first uploaded.  I don't have the time or ability to stay awake to do that now.  But, I look forward to read what all the posters will say about them.

[Quirky Quokka]

I've had a quick look through, and there's some interesting art in those. Will have a closer look soon. As Kath and Kim would say, Panther, that choice is 'noice, unusual, different' 

[K1ngcat]

Like Robb, I've come across all of these before, but it's nice to be encouraged to look at them again.

London as seen by Charles Dana Gibson features some truly inspirational artwork, beautifully observed and excellently realised. Is this really all pen and ink? Some of the lines are so faint as to suggest pencil work, or perhaps the ink is watered down to provide a softer touch? There is no way of knowing what scale the originals were drawn to, or for that matter what was the size of the printed version, but whatever the case the art remains delicate and exquisite. The facial details are priceless, and I'm sure I came across Sherlock Holmes and Elon Musk among the crowds that are depicted.

What is even more striking is the fine descriptive writing, the obvious affection Gibson had for London and its people, and from his viewpoint how much affection London's people had for him. I still wonder at the spectacle of the Drawing Room, in this century it's hard to imagine the pomp or the purpose of such an incredible gathering. But as pointed out by the Panther in his earlier post, all else besides, this is an invaluable historical document. I'm struck by Gibson's appreciation of Phil May, and I see that Gutter Snipes was printed just a year before this collection.

I look forward to another look at May's work tomorrow, but the pillow beckons. In the meantime my thanks to the Panther for reacquainting me with this gorgeous collection.

K1ngcat

[Robb_K]

Like Robb, I've come across all of these before, but it's nice to be encouraged to look at them again.

London as seen by Charles Dana Gibson features some truly inspirational artwork, beautifully observed and excellently realised. Is this really all pen and ink? Some of the lines are so faint as to suggest pencil work, or perhaps the ink is watered down to provide a softer touch? There is no way of knowing what scale the originals were drawn to, or for that matter what was the size of the printed version, but whatever the case the art remains delicate and exquisite. The facial details are priceless, and I'm sure I came across Sherlock Holmes and Elon Musk among the crowds that are depicted.

K1ngcat

Kingcat, I had that very thought upon first seeing it.  But it is in a book. Do you think these were all simple pencil sketches that were photographed for placement in this book?  If this were pencil drawings photographed for placement in the book, the information about its upload here would state that fact.

[crashryan]

As a lifelong Gibson fan I can answer some of these questions. Gibson did occasionally work in pencil or use grey ink washes over ink. However 90% of his work was pen and ink. He was a master in every sense. His ink style influenced a generation of illustrators.

Most of these cartoons were published as centerspreads in Life magazine in the 1890s. At the time Life was a humor weekly presenting a mix of cartoons, jokes, and humorous essays. We have a few onsite. The magazine measured roughly 8-1/2 x 11 for a centerspread size of 11x17 inches. The paper was good quality and the printing superb. His drawings were reprinted constantly as books or prints. Gibson was a real superstar! Many later printings were from old plates and reproduction quality suffered.

Gibson's working methods were unique. He worked standing at an easel. His originals were huge. I had the fortune to see one. It measured 21x28 inches. Witnesses say he handled the pen like a paintbrush, making great slashing strokes. He also was accustomed to scratch out highlights or remove mistakes with a single-edge razor blade. Bristol Board must have been a heckuva lot sturdier back then, because some of the gouges he made would have gone right through modern paper. Gibson used a brush to fill large black areas. Some faded looking areas might have been a nearly-dry brush (or possibly watered ink) that the camera couldn't reproduce faithfully.

[lyons]

Thanks for that info, crash.

[Quirky Quokka]

I was drawn to the Guttersnipes one first, because it touched on a subject close to my heart. I had an historical fiction novel published in 2020 which had a plotline involving the British home children who were sent to Canada. Between about 1868 and about 1930 and beyond, Britain sent about 100 000 children to Canada for a presumably better life. Barnardo's homes were the first to organise these, and the children were largely orphans, street urchins, and 'guttersnipes', though some were poor children who would have had families. Some children had good outcomes, but many didn't. A lot of them became indentured servants and farm labourers. Siblings were sometimes split up, and some children were abused. Some of their descendants are still trying to connect with their families through organisations such as 'Home Children Canada':

https://www.britishhomechildren.com/

So seeing these illustrations was bittersweet. I love the art. It's so dynamic, with all of those diagonal lines giving a sense of movement, and the expressions say so much. Not all of them are orphans, as a number of them appear with mothers, but they're obviously from poor circumstances. The artist seems to have had a lot of affection for them, showing them as somewhat noble and making the most of what they have (e.g., constructing a makeshift see-saw or playing a game with buttons). There's a sense of fun and mischief. However, the sadness of their situation also comes out in illustrations like 'Will It Be Me?' where lots of boys are applying for the 'Boy Wanted' sign; or the one of the policeman shining his flashlight on the two homeless children.

I wonder how this would have been received at the time of publication in 1896. A lot of well-to-do people would have had a very low opinion of these guttersnipes and poor folk, though there were charities who were more benevolent. Some of these illustrations could be a political comment on their circumstances.

An interesting book I probably never would have come across if you hadn't suggested it, Panther.

Cheers

Quirky Quokka.

[Quirky Quokka]

As a lifelong Gibson fan I can answer some of these questions. Gibson did occasionally work in pencil or use grey ink washes over ink. However 90% of his work was pen and ink. He was a master in every sense. His ink style influenced a generation of illustrators.

Most of these cartoons were published as centerspreads in Life magazine in the 1890s. At the time Life was a humor weekly presenting a mix of cartoons, jokes, and humorous essays. We have a few onsite. The magazine measured roughly 8-1/2 x 11 for a centerspread size of 11x17 inches. The paper was good quality and the printing superb. His drawings were reprinted constantly as books or prints. Gibson was a real superstar! Many later printings were from old plates and reproduction quality suffered.

Thanks for the info crashryan. I found three of those magazines on the site and have had a quick look. Must go back and look at properly when I have time. Some great art.

https://comicbookplus.com/?cid=3539

[bowers]

 The draftsmanship of these three artists makes me drool! Different styles, indeed, but all show a dedication to their craft that is sadly lacking in many, if not most, of our contemporary penman.
I've read and downloaded these all before, and was more than glad to revisit them. Great choices, Panther! Cheers, Bowers

[K1ngcat]

Like Robb, I've come across all of these before, but it's nice to be encouraged to look at them again.

London as seen by Charles Dana Gibson features some truly inspirational artwork, beautifully observed and excellently realised. Is this really all pen and ink? Some of the lines are so faint as to suggest pencil work, or perhaps the ink is watered down to provide a softer touch? There is no way of knowing what scale the originals were drawn to, or for that matter what was the size of the printed version, but whatever the case the art remains delicate and exquisite. The facial details are priceless, and I'm sure I came across Sherlock Holmes and Elon Musk among the crowds that are depicted.

K1ngcat

Kingcat, I had that very thought upon first seeing it.  But it is in a book. Do you think these were all simple pencil sketches that were photographed for placement in this book?  If this were pencil drawings photographed for placement in the book, the information about its upload here would state that fact.

Thanks Robb I took a look at the upload information but couldn't find anything helpful, perhaps I'm missing something?

[K1ngcat]

As a lifelong Gibson fan I can answer some of these questions. Gibson did occasionally work in pencil or use grey ink washes over ink. However 90% of his work was pen and ink. He was a master in every sense. His ink style influenced a generation of illustrators.

Most of these cartoons were published as centerspreads in Life magazine in the 1890s. At the time Life was a humor weekly presenting a mix of cartoons, jokes, and humorous essays. We have a few onsite. The magazine measured roughly 8-1/2 x 11 for a centerspread size of 11x17 inches. The paper was good quality and the printing superb. His drawings were reprinted constantly as books or prints. Gibson was a real superstar! Many later printings were from old plates and reproduction quality suffered.

Gibson's working methods were unique. He worked standing at an easel. His originals were huge. I had the fortune to see one. It measured 21x28 inches. Witnesses say he handled the pen like a paintbrush, making great slashing strokes. He also was accustomed to scratch out highlights or remove mistakes with a single-edge razor blade. Bristol Board must have been a heckuva lot sturdier back then, because some of the gouges he made would have gone right through modern paper. Gibson used a brush to fill large black areas. Some faded looking areas might have been a nearly-dry brush (or possibly watered ink) that the camera couldn't reproduce faithfully.

Thanks crash, for sharing your detailed knowledge of Gibson's work. The gigantic size of the originals and the possible use of watered ink go a long way to explaining some of the things that had puzzled me. I'm grateful for your input.

[K1ngcat]

Phil May's Gutter Snipes is another world entirely. His sketches are full of life, movement and humour, in spite of the otherwise sorry state of his subjects. And if they're sketched in ink, then he must've been a darn fast worker! The only thing I would take issue with is his well-meaning comment in the preface, "Sometimes I wonder whether they don't lead the happier lives?"

As QQ points out, so many of these children would have had poor outcomes in life, subject to poverty and abuse, whether at the hands of parents deprived and unable to cope, or "owners" who gave little thought to the care of these waifs. Although they may have been happy for the few brief hours at play, the rest of their lives would as like as not have been a desperate struggle to survive. Still May was evidently a talented illustrator, who plainly had a great affection for his "models." I can only hope he dropped them the occasional ha'penny in appreciation. Thanks for posting this, Panther.

BTW, Phil May is also the name of the lead singer of the Pretty Things, a band who came out of the British R&B boom of the early sixties and developed a reputation for being even more raucous and reprehensible than the Rolling Stones. They were beloved both of myself and paw broon, to name but two. May passed away last year aged 73,  after falling off his bicycle, breaking a hip, and suffering fatal complications during emergency surgery.

Sorry, I couldn't resist giving him a mention, he helped shape my messed up rock'n' roll life.

K1ngcat

[crashryan]

Phil May's Gutter Snipes is another world entirely. His sketches are full of life, movement and humour, in spite of the otherwise sorry state of his subjects. And if they're sketched in ink, then he must've been a darn fast worker!

Don't want to come across as a know-it-all, but Golden Age illustration has been a passion of mine, especially pen-and-ink artists.

Funny thing about Phil May. He was renowned for his offhand, effortless sketch style. Many artists admired him because his was the opposite of the detailed, elaborately-rendered work that dominated British cartoons (i.e., Punch) at the time. BUT...several sources report that May achieved that effortless style by putting in a lot of effort! He'd draw a cartoon, ink it, trace it off omitting what he considered unnecessary detail, ink it again, and repeat until he was convinced there was nothing more he could leave out. I imagine having redrawn the subject so many times meant that by the time he was satisfied he could dash off the lines. On the other hand he may have rushed it a bit. The drapery on the kid at the right edge of page 46 looks plain sloppy. Minor quibbles! He did great stuff.

So was Phil May related to Phil May?

[K1ngcat]

Phil May's Gutter Snipes is another world entirely. His sketches are full of life, movement and humour, in spite of the otherwise sorry state of his subjects. And if they're sketched in ink, then he must've been a darn fast worker!

Don't want to come across as a know-it-all, but Golden Age illustration has been a passion of mine, especially pen-and-ink artists.

Funny thing about Phil May. He was renowned for his offhand, effortless sketch style. Many artists admired him because his was the opposite of the detailed, elaborately-rendered work that dominated British cartoons (i.e., Punch) at the time. BUT...several sources report that May achieved that effortless style by putting in a lot of effort! He'd draw a cartoon, ink it, trace it off omitting what he considered unnecessary detail, ink it again, and repeat until he was convinced there was nothing more he could leave out. I imagine having redrawn the subject so many times meant that by the time he was satisfied he could dash off the lines. On the other hand he may have rushed it a bit. The drapery on the kid at the right edge of page 46 looks plain sloppy. Minor quibbles! He did great stuff.

So was Phil May related to Phil May?

No need to apologise, crash, it's fascinating to discover the way these great illustrators worked.  So those "dashed off" sketches were the result of painstaking work? I'd never have guessed.

As far as I know the two Phil Mays are not related, I just wanted to give the "other" May a namecheck because of the coincidence. Though the latter Phil did design and draw the cover for the band's iconic "S F Sorrow" album, so he wasn't without artistic talent.

K1ngcat

[Morgus]

You guys frequently delve into the ‘deep catalog’ on the site and bring out things I’d either never find or not look for in the first place, and I’m grateful for that. Like everybody else, I appreciate the craftsmanship evident with all three artists picked here.

Charles Gibson I knew about generally from his ‘Gibson Girls’ before I joined this site, but I’ve come to a far greater appreciation for his technique and his art since I’ve joined. Every time a work is featured I wind up picking up a magnifying glass and going over the lines and getting amazed at the textures.

Phil May reminded me of Japanese drawings where minimum lines are used, and now thanks to Crash’ I know why. Quirky’ and King’, GUTTERSNIPES was part of my political awakening. Remember OLIVER! in the late 60’s or so? Work houses? Street gangs of kids? Artful Dodger? I kept asking how they finally got RID of workhouses, and GUTTERSNIPES was shown to me.
May, it was explained to me, was a conservative guy with unpleasant racial views. He probably thought sympathetic public response to child poverty was desirable to legislation or organized labor.
The punch line was that only unions and labour laws accomplished the job.
Bunuel’s LOS OLVIDADOS (The Forgotten/The Young and the Damned) was shown to me so I could see what happens when it wasn’t allowed to take place. 
There’s a raw documentary feel to a lot of the drawings, like ‘homeless’ and ‘marbles’.  You’d swear May used photographs to base his drawings on. The boy standing there staring at you in ‘marbles’ reminds me of shots of kids working the mines taken at around the same time.
Hope your book was successful Quirky’, that movement that packed kids off over here to Canada sent my whole family over. The owners in Scotland decided sheep were easier to have than people and sent everybody packing.

Coles Phillips always makes me smile. I find the fadeaway girls captivating, and there's a timeless beauty he captures with the female form. If you changed the hairstyles the pics would work today. Every other decade or so, somebody copies the fadeaway style and it still looks great.

[Quirky Quokka]

Phil May reminded me of Japanese drawings where minimum lines are used, and now thanks to Crash’ I know why. Quirky’ and King’, GUTTERSNIPES was part of my political awakening. Remember OLIVER! in the late 60’s or so? Work houses? Street gangs of kids? Artful Dodger? I kept asking how they finally got RID of workhouses, and GUTTERSNIPES was shown to me.
May, it was explained to me, was a conservative guy with unpleasant racial views. He probably thought sympathetic public response to child poverty was desirable to legislation or organized labor.
The punch line was that only unions and labour laws accomplished the job.
Bunuel’s LOS OLVIDADOS (The Forgotten/The Young and the Damned) was shown to me so I could see what happens when it wasn’t allowed to take place. 
There’s a raw documentary feel to a lot of the drawings, like ‘homeless’ and ‘marbles’.  You’d swear May used photographs to base his drawings on. The boy standing there staring at you in ‘marbles’ reminds me of shots of kids working the mines taken at around the same time.
Hope your book was successful Quirky’, that movement that packed kids off over here to Canada sent my whole family over. The owners in Scotland decided sheep were easier to have than people and sent everybody packing.

Thanks for that, Morgus. Re the law changes, I guess there were lots of things that helped change public attitudes towards the poor, and disadvantaged children in particular. Interesting to speculate what role the arts had in that, including art, literature, theatre etc. Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem 'The Cry of the Children' was apparently influential in helping change attitudes to the conditions faced by children working in the mines:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43725/the-cry-of-the-children

That's interesting about your family being part of that movement to Canada. Which generation was that? I hope they had a happy outcome.

And thanks for your good wishes re my novel. It's safe to say that I won't be knocking J.K. Rowling off the bestseller lists anytime soon, but it has ratings of 4.8 on Amazon and about 4.4 on Goodreads last time I looked, so I'm happy with that 

Cheers

QQ

[Quirky Quokka]

Phil May's Gutter Snipes is another world entirely. His sketches are full of life, movement and humour, in spite of the otherwise sorry state of his subjects. And if they're sketched in ink, then he must've been a darn fast worker! The only thing I would take issue with is his well-meaning comment in the preface, "Sometimes I wonder whether they don't lead the happier lives?"

As QQ points out, so many of these children would have had poor outcomes in life, subject to poverty and abuse, whether at the hands of parents deprived and unable to cope, or "owners" who gave little thought to the care of these waifs. Although they may have been happy for the few brief hours at play, the rest of their lives would as like as not have been a desperate struggle to survive. Still May was evidently a talented illustrator, who plainly had a great affection for his "models." I can only hope he dropped them the occasional ha'penny in appreciation. Thanks for posting this, Panther.

K1ngcat

Thanks for that, K1ngcat. It's an interesting comparison between Guttersnipes and the Gibson book, as Gibson was mainly drawing the well-to-do people of London compared to May's down-and-out characters. Although they're both excellent artists, I prefer May's drawings for their vibrancy and emotional impact.

And thanks too to crashryan for that info about the work that went into May's "dashed-off" sketches.

[Quirky Quokka]

I love everything about the Coles Phillips' book. Although it's from 1911, the art seems even more modern than that. I'm imagining these would have been illustrations in magazines or advertisements? Or were they posters or cards? Although they all feature women, the poses and compositions show a lot of originality, and the captions often add an extra dimension.

I read a library book recently about art from women's magazines in the 1950s. They were the sort of illustrations that often accompanied short stories. These earlier illustrations remind me of those in some ways. You can see the how that kind of art was progressing. The 1950s book is well worth a look if you can find one.

https://www.amazon.com/Lifestyle-Illustration-1950s-Carlton-Books/dp/1847960456/

For all you art buffs, is there a name for that technique where the women's clothing blends in with the background, almost in a perceptual illusion kind of way? I love it.

Cheers

QQ

[K1ngcat]

I love everything about the Coles Phillips' book. Although it's from 1911, the art seems even more modern than that. I'm imagining these would have been illustrations in magazines or advertisements? Or were they posters or cards? Although they all feature women, the poses and compositions show a lot of originality, and the captions often add an extra dimension.

I read a library book recently about art from women's magazines in the 1950s. They were the sort of illustrations that often accompanied short stories. These earlier illustrations remind me of those in some ways. You can see the how that kind of art was progressing. The 1950s book is well worth a look if you can find one.

https://www.amazon.com/Lifestyle-Illustration-1950s-Carlton-Books/dp/1847960456/

For all you art buffs, is there a name for that technique where the women's clothing blends in with the background, almost in a perceptual illusion kind of way? I love it.

Cheers

QQ

Hi QQ, apparently Morgus has it right and Phillips's creations were referred to as his 'fade-away girls.' His ladies  are strikingly beautiful  - if I had any criticism at all I could perhaps say they were sometimes a bit static - but the facial expressions are often quite revealing.  There's another site showing a large selection of his works in their original settings, often as covers or advertisements, here:

https://www.americanartarchives.com/phillips,c.htm

Sadly it seems he wasn't long-lived, Wiki tells me he died at 47 of renal tuberculosis, perhaps it was just as well that he married a nurse, who was also often his model, as he always worked from life.
Incredibly impressive stuff, thanks to Panther for posting.

All the best
K1ngcat

[The Australian Panther]

Kingcat wrote,

thanks to Panther for posting. 

Thank you, but seriously, Thanks to Lyons for uploading these.
It's clear that he goes to a lot of trouble looking for and finding the material he posts.
CB+ is the richer for his work.
Anybody who can help him there, I'm sure he would appreciate.
And Kingcat, thank you for that link!

Cheers!   

[Robb_K]

I was drawn to the Guttersnipes one first, because it touched on a subject close to my heart. I had an historical fiction novel published in 2020 which had a plotline involving the British home children who were sent to Canada. Between about 1868 and about 1930 and beyond, Britain sent about 100 000 children to Canada for a presumably better life. Barnardo's homes were the first to organise these, and the children were largely orphans, street urchins, and 'guttersnipes', though some were poor children who would have had families. Some children had good outcomes, but many didn't. A lot of them became indentured servants and farm labourers. Siblings were sometimes split up, and some children were abused. Some of their descendants are still trying to connect with their families through organisations such as 'Home Children Canada':

https://www.britishhomechildren.com/

Cheers

Quirky Quokka. 

My own grandfather (father's father) and his brother, emigrated from Holland to Canada as late teenagers in 1911, in one of those Canadian farm work programmes.  That's how we ended up in Manitoba.  They weren't "guttersnipe orphans", but Canada needed farm labourers and small farmers to populate the Midwestern and Western Provinces.  And that was an easy way to get a work visa. 

[Quirky Quokka]

Hi QQ, apparently Morgus has it right and Phillips's creations were referred to as his 'fade-away girls.' His ladies  are strikingly beautiful  - if I had any criticism at all I could perhaps say they were sometimes a bit static - but the facial expressions are often quite revealing.  There's another site showing a large selection of his works in their original settings, often as covers or advertisements, here:

https://www.americanartarchives.com/phillips,c.htm

Sadly it seems he wasn't long-lived, Wiki tells me he died at 47 of renal tuberculosis, perhaps it was just as well that he married a nurse, who was also often his model, as he always worked from life.
Incredibly impressive stuff, thanks to Panther for posting.

All the best
K1ngcat

Thanks K1ngcat and Morgus. I had missed the name of the fade-away girls. And thanks for that link. Some great ads and covers there. I really like his style.

[Quirky Quokka]

My own grandfather (father's father) and his brother, emigrated from Holland to Canada as late teenagers in 1911, in one of those Canadian farm work programmes.  That's how we ended up in Manitoba.  They weren't "guttersnipe orphans", but Canada needed farm labourers and small farmers to populate the Midwestern and Western Provinces.  And that was an easy way to get a work visa.

Thanks Robb, that's interesting. I've seen ads in old magazines from the late 1880s where they were advertising for people to go west and populate what were to become the other provinces. I imagine many immigrants took them up on those offers. Sadly for the home children, they didn't have a choice.

[Robb_K]

London As Seen By Charles Dana Gibson
What can  I say about Gibson's artwork?  His work is among that of my favourite pen-and-ink artists.  He provided photograph-like records of people and places in southern England around what we used to call "the turn of The Century".  Those were the times of my grandparents' youth, and I grew up with photographs of people of those times, and books from that era with pen and ink illustrations and engraved illustrations made by highly skillful and dedicated people.  I am amazed by his many strokes used for heavy detail, and skillfully used to represent texture, and to express the feeling of darkness and light, and shininess.  His facial expressions show his characters' emotions and feelings perfectly, as if they were alive.  He was certainly one of the greatest artists of his time.

Phil May's Guttersnipes
Phil May was another great pen-ink artist, who had terrific pen tip control, able to sketch figures so skillfully, so quickly.  His feel for Human facial expressions and body language and movements is phenomenal.  He was a great caricaturist, and would have made a great animator, or action-themed comic book artist.  He must have done at least a few hours of quick sketching of people almost every day of his life since he started, as a pre-teen (or a little earlier), to have such a knowledge of a wide range of facial structures and expressions in his memory bank.  To create such scenes, I would need to look at photographs to grab some candidates to use in a scene of several characters to make them more detailed than generic in style.  I could not possibly sketch so fast in pen and ink to even place just the basic shape strokes on the paper in their staged positions, where they were when I first saw them, to fill in their details later.  And how could I remember the details of each one of their faces?  People move.  They don't stand in one place without moving four some minutes.  I could only even attempt to do a shell of this by using a photograph of people in such a scene, as my models (or have to hire a group of people to stand still in scenic positions, for a couple hours).  I wonder how, exactly, he did this sort of work.

I admire his patience in using uniform hashed lines to indicate shading, with lines filling all the space, and narrow space between for darker areas, and wider apart for lighter.

A Gallery Of Girls by Coles Phillips
Phillips was an illustrator for Life Magazine for most of his adult life, mainly painting women in watercolours. I think he had an interesting idea of making the women's clothing blend in with the backgrounds, having the reader's eyes fill in the missing lines. That helped create a little more interest when using only one or two colours other than black.  Apparently he always used live models. He also drew covers for "Good Housekeeping Magazine", and drew advertising art for women's clothing manufacturers.  I like the innocent look of all his models.