More Classic WSJ Art

The 2nd in a Series, exploring my collection of art I created while employed at The Wall Street Journal, in the 80’s. As I mentioned, it was not just portraits…

Sailboat

This image was created about halfway through my time at The Journal. It ran in the paper at one column width, 14-picas at the time, or about 2.25” across. My technique was pretty solid and settled by this time. But it was not always so!

The above drawing is a very early one. It also ran in the paper at full-column width (likely on page one). I’m sure the sharpie lettering was not printed! This is a drawing from 1980, I assume. Another VERY early drawing, precursor to the Hedcut, appears below:

Early Portrait

This drawing would have been one of my first attempts at the WSJ portrait. It did run in the paper likely in 1979. The subject is Stephen R. Hardis, I suspect a mover and shaker of his day. Many people came to crave an appearance in the pages of the WSJ as a Hedcut. It didn’t take long to evolve the style into what is known today, a process of refining my approach. Here is a portrait of the financier George Soros. This is where the hedcut style has matured:

George Soros

Quite a difference! The above portraits would have run at half-column width, or 7.5 picas, about 1.2 inches across. But as I said, there were more than just portraits…

McDonald Douglas Supersonic Aircraft

The Journal was always writing about new developments in technology. Here, a high-flying, ultra-fast jet. I was also called on to create graphic illustrations, like this image:

WSJ American Gothic

I believe the story that ran with this illo described farm families getting involved with Wall Street and Investing. A play on Grant Woods’ iconic painting, American Gothic.

More soon…