Art

Shane Glines is mostly known for his pin-up illustrations, but he cut his teeth working on animated shows like Batman, Superman, Batman Beyond, Justice League, and Harley Quinn. He worked under Bruce Timm for a while, and you can see the similarity in their art styles, as well as how they draw a mix of superheroes and pin-up art. I found him when I was looking for Conan the Barbarian art.

With comic artists like Bruce Timm, Darwyn Cooke, and Shane Glines, it’s fun to pay attention to how they alternate between curving swoops and straight lines. If the triceps bulge, then the biceps are often flat. If the upper arm is straight, then there’s probably a curvier lower arm. If a woman is curvy, she’s probably contrasted against a more angular man.

Glines is still alive and posting. You can follow him on Instagram here. His old Cartoon Retro website isn’t active anymore, so I think Instagram is the best place to keep up with him.

Erté was the professional name of Romain de Tirtoff (1892–1990), a Russian-born French artist known for his fashion design and illustration. Most of the illustrations below are costume designs, but they look like they could be on the cover of a fashion magazine. You can find even M.S. Rau Erté collection.

Erté’s illustrations are aristocratically erotic. Plenty of nude and topless women, but in an elegant way, not a raunchy way. If you compare it against pin-up artists like Shane Glines, you’ll see what I mean. Part of it is the way they’re posed, but it’s also where he draws the eye. The figures are drawn simply, while the fashion is big, vibrant, and detailed, pulling the gaze away from the nudity and towards what little clothes the women wear. That makes sense. After all, these are costume designs.

I’m a big fan of ligne claire, and this art style has a similar sort of feel to it, but with more Art Deco, glamour, fashion, fairy tale, and cabaret.