Arthur L. Guptill (1891–1956)

Fantastic book. Classic.

This is a major publication covering all conceivable aspects of hand rendering with color as it was practiced in the 1930;s. Lavishly illustrated on glossy paper with both technical information and many finished illustrations.

A naturalist painter who ignores the non-human, and chooses to paint the human, from birth to elderness, with a brush dipped in the honey-pot of lovableness and zest.[ix]

Detailed notes by the "illustrator" (the word NR used to describe himself), with each reproduction. In the final Chapter, Rockwell describes his creative and technical process.

First published in 1946 when Norman Rockwell was at the height of his fame as America's most popular "illustrator".

This book is certainly not a complete and impartial biography, it is written by an admirer. However, it does shed light on the way Rockwell planned his subjects and worked to achieve them. It is also filled with Rockwell's illustrations with many comments and details from the artist himself on the process of illustration. Enjoyable for an admirer or an illustration wannabe.