5 Great Draftsmen: Chris Van Allsburg / Bill Sienkiewicz / James Jean

(part 1 in a series of 3)

The ability to evoke a narrative with great draftsmanship and a 
’lively’ line is something most artists strive for – we’ll look 
at five illustrators that have it in abundance.

Gustav Klimt, Franklin Booth, Chris Van Allsburg, Bill Sienkiewicz and 
James Jean – all have been recognized as gifted artists with 
countless awards bestowed upon them. While they all have distinctive 
styles they share many qualities as artists. A strong narrative 
displayed throughout books or graphic novels is one commonality 
between these stellar artists. Another would be the strong sense of 
anatomy necessary when the work is reliant on the human figure. A 
sense of drama and mastery of composition and brilliant handling of 
color (even with the black and white work of Booth!) are evident in 
all of these artists.

Chris Van Allsburg

Chris Van Allsburg is another talented artist with an indentifiable 
style of linework. His books (Van Allsburg is also an author) have 
been entertaining children for decades and a couple have even been 
adapted into motion pictures (Jumanji and Polar Express). While many 
of the books are children’s books Van Allsburg has shown that 
exploring the darker corners of the human psyche is rich fodder for 
his work. There is an incredible stillness, a perfect snapshot of 
frozen reality that gives his work a unique signature. Unique vantage 
points and clever perspective along with deft-linework permeate every 
Van Allsburg piece.

• Chris Van Allsburg

Bill Sienkiewicz

Bill Sienkiewicz is known for his comic-art as well as his work in 
music industry (and characteristic style that, at times, has some 
echoes of Klimt). Slashes of color over sure-handed linework, a sense 
that everything in each piece has been filtered through the artist’s 
mind comes across as well…an internal consistency that all the artists 
here have, in their own, indelible style. Combining mixed media and 
collage continues to push the expressionistic qualities of his 
work as his career progresses.

• Bill Sienkiewicz

James Jean

The envy of many creatives, James Jean is as one of the hottest 
artists at the moment. Another artist/illustrator who has risen to 
prominence from graphic novels/comics—initially from covers 
illustrated for DC Comics. Truly an artist of our time, masterfully 
bridging the traditional and digital realms, he has a moved from 
illustration to more of a fine art pursuit. His blog has a huge 
following and has to managed to transcend the stigma sometimes 
associated with ‘comic books’. As awards from the Society of 
Illustrator’s and a diverse client base counting the New York Times, 
Rolling Stone and Prada among them. Sharing his proces has become a 
part of his connection with the audience (one of his many web sites – 
Project Recess is an online destination that is ‘a book blog and a 
store designed by James Jean’.) Smooth brush work and and amazing use 
of color permeate Jean’s work. Influences from classical Chinese and 
Japanese aesthetics combine with both a humor and irony and that mark 
any piece by James Jean.

• James Jean / precess recess